Israel Trip Report - February 2012

ISRAEL TRIP REPORT
FEBRUARY 18 – 25, 2012

Preclude
In 2008, I escorted a group on a cruise which included 2 days in Israel. The cruise was fantastic and because we had private guides to pick us up at the pier and take us to all the sites, we were able to visit all of the major sites in Jerusalem. I would definitely recommend a cruise that spends at least 2 days in Israel and hire private guides. However, our trip just gave me a hunger to visit other areas of Israel so when the opportunity arose to take an escorted land tour with one of my suppliers, I jumped at the chance as it would allow me to visit places like Masada and the Dead Sea.

Saturday Feb. 18 USA departure
Our trip began with a 5 hour flight from LAX to New York’s JFK airport followed by a 10.5 hour flight to Tel Aviv, Israel. We arrived mid-afternoon so our tour began right away. Flight was not too bad as we had an exit row seat, so we could stretch our legs without disturbing the 3rd person in our row.

Sunday Feb. 19 TEL AVIV/NETANYA
Upon arrival at Tel Aviv airport, it took about 1 ½ hours to go through passport control, but the line does move along so you are not just standing. We will meet by our host representative, collected our luggage and proceeded to meet our guide and board our bus. I will jump ahead and let you know up front that our guide, George was great. It is one thing to tour on your own but to have a guide who is knowledgeable regarding Jewish, Christian and Arabic religious history, and a Christian to boot, makes all the difference in the world.

After a brief drive through downtown Tel Aviv, a rather modern looking city, our first stop was the town of Jaffa and the beginning of my education regarding new insights into the truths contained in the Bible.

• Jaffa is thought to be the oldest port in the world as it was founded by Japhet, the son of Noah
• The tribe of Dan settled briefly in Jaffa shortly after the Israelite conquest of Canaan.
• Cedar trees from Jaffa were used in the building of King Solomon’s original Temple
• It was from Jaffa that Jonah set sail, before his encounter with the whale
• It was in Jaffa where Peter raised Tabitha from the dead.
• Not sure why, but there are statues of Napoleon throughout the town square and the Armenian convent that served as a hospital for Napoleon's troops is still present.

Although there are not many religious sites in Jaffa, the one of upmost importance is the house of Simon the Tanner. According to the Book of Acts, it is here that God gave Peter a vision and he first realizes the gospel message has to be extended beyond the Jews to the Gentiles. There was something about looking at the rooftop and reflecting on the biblical account of Peter’s visitation as a Christian group nearby sung a hymn that brought a tear to my eye.

We continued north through the city of Tel Aviv to Netanya where our hotel was located. It was here we discovered that hotels in Israel welcome you with an orange or lemon flavored drink. Very nice touch and welcome treat after a long day. Beautiful hotel overlooking the ocean and the rooms were very nice.

As I sat down to my first meal in Israel, I had some myths dispelled. I thought kosher food only related to how meat was cooked. However, after a wonderful dinner of various meats and vegetables and even a dessert, now I understand that kosher food means no mixing of meats with milk or dairy products. As a matter of fact, utensils in restaurants used to prepare items containing milk are not allowed in the same kitchen. Breakfast consisted of various cheeses, breads, eggs, and vegetables, but no meats. Very healthy and very delicious.

Monday Feb. 20 TIBERIAS
After a good nights rest we travel north along the Mediterranean coast to Haifa stopping and visiting Caesarea Maritima. Once again I learned something new. Caesarea by the Sea and Caesarea Philippi are two completely different geographic areas. One is 25 miles north of the Sea of Galilee and they other is a harbor port on the Mediterranean Sea.

Caesarea was built by Herod the Great and was the seat of the Roman government for over 500 years. It was the largest port of the New Testament time, rivaling Rome and Athens. Herod named the city in honor of Augustus Caesar and according to Acts 10, Caesarea is where the Gentile Church was born and it is at this theatre where Paul probably stood before Felix and addressed him publicly (Acts 23-27) and was held while awaiting transport to Rome. It's also

believed this is where Herod Agrippa I accepted the people's worship as a "god" and was struck dead by the one true God (Acts 12). Although much of Herod's palace is now under water, we could still walk on the remains of some of it including half of the amphitheatre where Herod held what became the Olympic Games.

We then visited Mount Carmel where Elijah had his contest with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). From here we could view the Jezreel Valley below the mountain, which is also known as the Valley of Armageddon.

In Haifa we visit the Bahai Center and beautiful Gardens. Then motor down to Nazareth, visiting part of the ancient village and enjoying a view of Mt. Tabor. We go on to Cana, commemorating Jesus' transformation of water into wine, and end the day with a picturesque stop, which affords a view over the Lake of Galilee and the main sites of Jesus' ministry.

It was interesting seeing the Mountains of Gilboa, which are across from Samaria, and learning that this is the place where Saul fought his last battle with the Philistines and the Israelites were defeated (I Sam 28:4 ff; 31:1-6; II Sam 1:6-10). David cursed this mountain (II Sam 1:21) and the hills are barren of trees to this day.

Tonight our hotel for the next two nights is the Maagan Holiday Village Kibbutz. The Maagan Eden resort was established by members of Kibbutz Maagan in 1969 and is located on the southern shore of the Sea of Galilee. To my surprise, I really like kosher food.

Tuesday Feb. 21 SEA OF GALILEE/TIBERIAS
Our journey starts with a drive along the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum where we visit the synagogue and the place where early Christians remembered Peter's house. According to the Gospels of Mathew and Mark, Jesus meets the Simon Peter, Andrew his brother and later James and John the sons of Zebedee by the lake shore in Capernaum and recruits them by offering to make them "fishers of men". Later, according to Mark, he would preach in the synagogue and revived a dead girl with words.

Today, the archaeological remains of Capernaum include the ruins of a 3rd century synagogue, 2 Byzantine churches, one referred to as Peter's House, residential buildings, olive presses, a variety of elegant architectural elements and various Greek and Aramaic inscriptions.

We continue to Tabgha (short for Heptapagon, or "seven springs") to view the mosaics in the Church of the Loaves and Fishes. On an ancient trade route, we pass Hazor and then go to northern Israel where the tribe of Dan settled. On the way we stop 26 miles from Syria to view the Damascus road where Paul was converted. It is here that the landscape changes and it starts to snow. With snow capped Mt Hermon I felt like we were in the Swiss Alps instead of Israel. This is definitely a country of contrasts

After a visit to the high place where Jeroboam son of Nebat set up a golden calf, we continue to Caesarea Philippi. Our route then takes us over the Golan Heights, skirting Mt. Hermon, with a view toward Damascus. We end the day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, but this is not just any boat ride.

In 1986, an ancient boat was pulled from the mud along the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee Boat, known as the “Jesus Boat” is apparently the type of boat that was used on the Sea of Galilee for both fishing and transportation across the lake. Although there is no evidence connecting the boat to Jesus and his disciples, the "Jesus boat" is a fascinating artifact that brings to life many of the Gospel accounts.

The original boat is currently displayed in the Yigal Allon Museum on the grounds of Kibbutz Ginosar. The boat is made of 12 different types of wood and measures 25.5 ft. long, 7.5 ft. wide, and 4.1 ft high. It would have had a crew of five (four rowers and a helmsman) and could carry about 15 additional persons. This seems like a lot for such a humble boat, but men were smaller 2,000 years ago — about 5'5" and 140 pounds

After our sailing, we received that certificate which states “This is to certify that on Feb 21, 2012, Mary and Bill Engram sailed and prayed on a replica of this Jesus Boat”.




What I found interesting is that our boat was scheduled to pick us up on the east side but the waves were too rough for them to cross so we had to drive to the west side. This simple change in plans gave me a better understanding of Jesus calming the seas and Peter walking on the water.

For lunch we stopped at a great restaurant for a meal of St Peter’s fish and another lesson for me. Remember the biblical account of Jesus telling Peter to throw out his net and he will find a fish with a coin in his mouth to pay Jesus tax. Well there is a fish, can’t remember the name, in the Sea of Galilee that protects it’s young by swallowing them until the danger is past. However, when the fish gets old, they can’t see so will eat anything and that is how the coin got in the fish’s mouth. True or not, I found the story fascinating.

Wednesday Feb. 22 JERICHO/MASADA/JERUSALEM
We drive south through the Jordan Valley to Jericho passing by Beth Shean. At Jericho, we visit the hill of this oldest city and view the traditional mountain of Jesus' temptation.

We drive down the West Bank through Israeli and Palestine checkpoints on our way to Masada. Arrived in Jericho where the population is mostly Muslim, but stopped by a Catholic church and had the ash applied by a Franciscan monk from New Jersey next to a Catholic school where only 30 of the 400 students were Christian before wading in the Dead Sea. Today gave Ash Wednesday a whole new meaning

Things I learned about Jericho
• It is located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestine territory
• You have to travel through a desert to get to Jericho
• The land was cursed by Joshua (Joshua 6:26) and blessed by Elisha (2 Kings 2:19-22)
• Believed to be the oldest continually inhibited city in the world
• Site of the Mount of Temptation where Jesus was tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke (4:1-13)

We continue south to the Dead Sea and stop at Qumran. Here we view Cave # 4, which contained the greatest quantity of Dead Sea scrolls. We continue south to Masada, where a cable car takes us to the top, visiting Herod's mountain bunker and the last stronghold of the Jewish revolt against Rome (66-73 AD). We conclude the day with a float in the Dead Sea, then drive to Mt. Scopus, where we behold majestic Jerusalem. As we drive into Jerusalem, our driver plays the hymn “Jerusalem” and it was very spiritual and moving tribute to our arrival in this wonderful city of contrasts.

Also the mustard seed flowers are in full bloom and they are TINY. It gives new meaning to the scripture regarding faith the size of a mustard seed.

Our hotel for the two days in Jerusalem was Ambassador Hotel, located in the consulate district, a 15-minute walk from the holy sights in the Old City. Beautiful hotel and once again, the food was both delicious and healthy.

Thursday Feb. 23 JERUSALEM
In the morning we meet up with our new guide, Julie. We start the day with an orientation tour of Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives. Follow the traditional Palm Sunday route to the church known as Dominus Flevit ("the Lord weeps"). We walked the Palm Sunday road, the path Jesus took on Palm Sunday. I discovered that the palms used were date palms which in Hebrew represent liberation while shouting Hosanna which means "save us". Later we went to the Holocaust Museum which was very powerful and found out Israel's new logo is an olive branch which means peace. I understand better why Israel is determined to have their own country as it will hopefully prevent the holocaust from ever happening again

After viewing the Golden Gate, we walk downhill to Gethsemane, then, drive to Mt. Zion, which affords the best view of early Jerusalem from the west. Before departing the Old City area we viewed the City of David excavations and received an overview of the significance of the site. Next, we drive through West Jerusalem to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial. We visit picturesque Ein Karem, the traditional birthplace of John the Baptist.

Today was an emotion filled day in Jerusalem. Going thru the Lions Gate, which leads into the Muslim section and is on the road with Stephen was stoned, we visited the Bethesda baths, where Jesus told the lame man to get up and walk and found out from the Jewish perspective the sin was not Jesus healing on the Sabbath but rather the man carrying his


bed which was considered work. A great side note was that we me Mr. Nusseibeh. His family has been in charge of the key to open the doors and close the doors to the Holy Sepulcher for the pass 800 years

So why exactly Israel is called the land of "milk and honey"? Well they were sheppards and goats and sheep produce milk. That I understood but what was surprising to me is the soil is perfect for growing dates and dates were the source for making sugar and date honey. Had some on my pancakes and it was delicious

Friday Feb. 24 JERUSALEM
We visit the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site. We view the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site of Islam, located on the traditional site of the ancient Temple Mount. Just to the north we find the Pools of


Bethesda and St. Anne's Church, perfectly preserved from the Crusader period. We then walk the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and visit Bethlehem, and the Church of the Nativity.

Now I want to relate something that happened while at the Western Wall. We saw police presence when we entered the Muslim section, but were told this was because it was Friday and the police were there to prevent any unrest. All of a sudden we heard what sounded like gun shots. However no one seemed concerned and everyone was acting as if it was just a normal day. Mothers were there with children and people were continuing with their daily activities.

It seems that some right wing Jews tried to ascend to the Temple Mount and the Israeli police went to apprehend them. The Muslims saw the police and not knowing that they were trying to apprehend the right wing Jews started throwing rocks at the Israeli police. What we thought were gun shots was actually smoke bombs directed at the right wing Israelis to stop them from ascending the Temple Mount. During all of this, the Israeli and Muslims did not flinch or seem to have

a care in the world. It was just life as usual. Absolutely amazing and the funny thing is because they did not seemed concerned, we had no fear and felt very safe as we continued to the Western Wall to pray.

After lunch in Jerusalem, we headed for Bethlehem, located in the central West Bank 5 miles south of Jerusalem. This city is part of the Palestine Authority so none of our Jewish guides were allowed to go with us, so instead we picked up the owner of the company, a Christian Arab, who served as our escort. Along the way, we stopped at an excavation site that showed what a typical manager scene would have been like during the time of Jesus birth. It was a cave that had room for both man and animals. There is a church from the 1st century on that site which may provide evidence of a Christian community that might have been started by James, the brother of Jesus. Once again, true or not, it was totally fascinating and definitely brings the bible to life.

I was surprised to learn that although home to many Muslims, Bethlehem remains home to one of the largest Arab Christian communities in the Middle East. Although Bethlehem is a Palestinian town, it is also a tourist-orientated town so the Palestinian Authority maintains a constant tourist police presence in the city. For example, if escalations in violence are occurring in Southern Israel and the Gaza Strip, this does not mean that trips to Bethlehem are unsafe. Because of tourist trade, Bethlehem is a safe place to visit for tourist and numbers are increasing. All I can say is that God can use the almighty dollar to accomplish His purpose.

I knew we would visit the Church of the Nativity, where Jesus was born of Mary, but there were some things I learned are claimed to be in Bethlehem.

• The Church of the Nativity is one of the oldest churches in the world.

• There is a star marking the exact location of Jesus' birth in the cave. The original Manger with the star marking Jesus' birth site is called the Grotto of the Nativity, and is accessible from inside the church.

• The tomb of theologian and Bethlehem resident St. Jerome, who spent his life translating the Bible, is also in the cave with the Grotto.

• Rachel's Tomb, the burial place of the Rachel, wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin (Genesis 35:19-20). Although it is barricaded for security reasons, the original tomb can still be seen from within the fortress,

• The Shepherds' Fields - "While shepherds watched their flocks by night..." claims to be the site of the angel's visitation to the shepherds mentioned in the Gospels:

• Milk Grotto Chapel, where Mary supposedly spilled a few drops of breast milk while feeding Jesus as she hid before the family’s escape to Egypt, turning the cavern milky white. The white powder scrapped from the cave is also sold as a fertility medicine inside the chapel.

• Solomon's Pools Three huge Herodian-era stone carved reservoirs capable of holding 160,000 cubic meters of water.

• King David's Wells – 3 Great Cisterns excavated in the rock mark the site where David's army broke through a Philistine garrison to bring him water; "Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem" (2 Sam. 23:15).

After a farewell dinner at the hotel our hosts presented us with a beautiful plate that had the Lords Prayer printed in Hebrew. What a way to end our journey. Later that night we transferred to the airport for a late evening departure flight to New York’s JFK airport.

Saturday Feb. 25 TEL AVIV/USA
We had an early morning arrival is at JFK airport. Took about 2 hours to get through customs so make sure to allow for at least 3 hours if you have a connecting flight. After a very long flight to LAX, I arrived home sick but with happy memories of an absolutely fantastic trip to Israel.

Final Thoughts
We met Messianic Jews, Christian Jews, Armenian Christians, Arab Christian, Non-practicing Jews, Aramatic Christians, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim Arabs, and Palestine Christians. We also saw Orthodox Jews and both right and left wing extremists. Are there problems? Absolutely, but life goes on and they all seem to co-exists in such a small country.

Future Plans
There is so much more that I could tell you about our trip but time and memory does not allow. All I can say is that it was a trip of a lifetime and I highly recommend it. However, I have to be honest and say that as much as I would like to lead a group tour, this type of trip requires the support of a spiritual leader. So if your Church, Parish, Synagogue, Sunday School Class, Bible Study group, group of friends, etc. would be interested in putting together a group tour, I would be delighted to set up an appointment to discuss details.

Love and Hugs


Mary Engram, CTA/MCC
Your Personal Travel Consultant
mengram@worldviewtravel.com
(714) 878-7064