Shalom!

Golgotha and the Garden Tomb There are 2 different options about the location of the site where Jesus was crucified and buried. The famous Church of the Holy Sepulchre has been built on one site, destroyed and rebuilt and changed over the years. Many Catholic denominations share this church. There is a large stone in one of the rooms that people believe was the stone where Jesus body lay to be anointed after his death, and worshipers come here especially to touch it and even wipe articles of clothing on it thinking that this will bless them. The tomb where Christ was thought by some to be laid was also in this building, and there was a long line up of people from every tongue and nation waiting to patiently to behold it. Nearby, in what is called the garden tomb, is a long rocky ridge which is thought by others to be the location of Golgotha (place of the skull) It does look like a skull and you can make out the eyes and mouth. Apparently a couple of hundred years ago this was much m...

Western (wailing) wall This is the retaining wall of the huge platform where both Solomon and Herod built their temples.  Only a portion of this wall was preserved by the Romans when they destroyed the city in 70AD. This is a most holy spot for the Jewish people because it is the closest location to the holy of holies. They gather at this spot to pray, write prayers on little pieces of paper and stick them in the cracks of the wall.  They have their prayer books in which they recite specific prayers for specific times of the day and specific days. When they pray they sway back and forth. This is to show God that they are alive, human and not a statue so God will listen to their prayer. In times past they would gather there to wail the loss of the holy city and the destruction of the temple. Security now is very tight in this place and everyone needs to be scanned before they can enter the area. Twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays they have bar mitzvah and the entire fam...

It is believed that this was the place where Caiaphas the High Priest of Israel resided. A church is now on this spot. It was here that Jesus was tried by the Sanhedrin and where Peter denied Jesus. We were able to enter the pit where it is believed that Jesus was held. And the steps that Jesus must have descended down to the city to be tried again are still visible. Extremely moving. The pit Inside the pit under the house of Caiaphas. It could be  that Jesus was held here overnight until he was brought before Pilate Ruins of house of Caiaphas Golden rooster statue at place of Caiaphas courtyard where Peter denied Christ Steps leading from Caiaphas house where Jesus walked on to his trial. They are still there! Statue of Peter's denial of Christ

Mount of Olives On top of the Mount of Olives we could see all of Jerusalem. We could see remnants of the ancient city walls. The city was built on mount Moriah, where Abraham was told to sacrifice Issac, and where Christ was crucified and sacrificed for us.  Jesus appeared to his disciples on top of Mount of Olives after his resurrection , and he ascended up to Heaven from here. At the base of this ridge is the traditional site of garden of Gethsemane, (from the Hebrew meaning olive oil press). Here Jesus spent his last hours in prayer before his arrest. Our Isreali guide Shimon. He has been in the tour business for 20 years and his knowledge is incredible. He is a secular Jew, but treats all the Christian sites with much respect. We learned so much from him. view of the Jewish cemetery from the Mount of Olives. Jerusalem can be seen in the distance. The Cohens, descendants of Aaron the High Priest, may not come in contact with any dead body, or enter a building where a...

The last 4 nights we were to spend in Jerusalem. Our hotel was situated right near the lira orthodox quarter. It was huge, with room for about 1000 guests. On the door post outside each room was a mezuzah, which is a small cylinder that contains a small scroll with the words of the Shema. This is a declaration of faith in one God and is recited in the morning and at night. “Hear, Israel, the Lord is one God, the Lord is one…..” (Deuteronomy 6). The mezuzah is touched every time before entering the room. It is a symbol of the blood of the lamb that the Israelites put on their door posts so that the Angel of Death would pass over the house in the time of the Jews leaving Egypt. It is always on a slant so that it is noticeable by the angel of death. On Shabbat (the Jewish Sabboth), theer was always one elevator in the hotel that was for Jews observing the Sabboth. It was preset to stop at every floor on Saturdays so that the people would not have to work by pressing any elevator butt...

This is the town where Jesus spent his childhood with Joseph and Mary. It now consists of many churches that have been built over the ages to commemorate such areas as the visit of the angel Gabriel or the workshop of Joseph. There was a recently built “Nazareth village”, much like a pioneer village which had sheep and shepherds and weavers and carpenters etc all dressed like they would in the time of Jesus. It really gave us a good idea of what it must have been like The type of sheepfold in Jesus time Inside the carpenter's shop that must have looked a lot like that of Joseph wooden carpenter tools. Although the house was made of stone, the roof and furniture were wood Hannah spinning

Palestinian lunch. Love that eggplant and humus! site of shepherds' field in Bethlehem. . Also ancient tomb from the time of Jesus Grotto where Jesus was thought to have been born and the site of the manger Church of Nativity Helena mother of Constantine built the first Christian church here in AD 339 over the cave that was thought.to be the birthplace of Jesus. It has been rebuilt many times This town is located about 8 km south of Jerusalem. It is now in Palestinian territory, so we had to go through a check point (with soldiers) to get to it. Ordinary Israeli citizens are not allowed in this territory unless they have a special permit like our tour guide. We had a tour of the town by a local Bethlehem guide, showing us the cave where Jesus was thought to have been born. This is now covered by a church but it still can be seen. (Cattle were kept in caves not barns as I always thought!) We saw the fields where traditionally sheep were always kept. We had a wonder...