Travel Stories

New Hotel opens by Magdala

New Hotel opens by Magdala

The Magdala hotel, also known as Notre Dame du Lac, is the newest addition to the hotel scene in the Galilee. The hotel opened in late November 2019. The property was a labor of love for Fr. Juan Solana the project visionary, and it took

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Jerusalem holy sites during COVID19

Jerusalem holy sites during COVID19

Like cities around the world, Jerusalem looks entirely different since the onset of the pandemic. And its not only because the city is void of international tourists visiting on a holy land tour. As the cradle of faith for the three monotheistic religions, the holy

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Parshat Vayigash

Parshat Vayigash

The Blessed Shepherds (Genesis 44:18 – 47:27) This week we will finally have a catharsis for the story of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, forgave them for selling him to slavery and reunited with them and with his younger brother

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Rare 9,000-year-old Stone Mask Discovered

A rare stone mask dating to New Stone age period was discovered several months ago in the southern Hebron hills region reinforcing the theory that there was a stone-mask production center in this region. Its characteristics, in addition to other findings reveal that the mask

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Parshat Vayechi

Parshat Vayechi

The Promised Land (Genesis 47:28-50:26) This week we will read the last section of Genesis. We will read about the end of Jacob’s life, and how he asked Joseph to swear not to bury him in Egypt but in the Promised Land, in the Cave

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Church of the Holy Sepulchre Closes its Doors

Church of the Holy Sepulchre Closes its Doors

Jerusalem’s Church of the Holy Sepulchre, revered by Christian pilgrims around the world to be the site of Jesus’s crucifixion and his burial tomb, closed its doors indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic last week. This is the first time that this fourth century Church

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St. George Monastery in the Judean Desert

St. George Monastery in the Judean Desert

The Desert Wilderness in the Bible and in Monotheistic Tradition I have been to Israel several times; however, on one of my last Holy Land tours, Elisa Moed, CEO of Travelujah, suggested that we include Saint George’s Monastery on our itinerary. The site was an

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Israel Tourism Update - Who is Reopening and When?

Israel Tourism Update – Who is Reopening and When?

With the dramatic decline in covid-19 infection rates (now under 20 new infections/day as of this writing) Israels tourism industry sector is now opening up to domestic tourists. Restaurants, Museums, and major Israeli hotel companies including Dan Hotels, Fattal Hotels, Inbal, and Isrotel along with

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Parshat Toldot

Parshat Toldot

Isaac the meek (Genesis 25:19-28:9) The hero of this week portion is Isaac. Isaac is a very interesting figure. In contrast to the rather dramatic life of his father Abraham and his son Jacob his life is calm and pleasant. In the Jewish tradition he

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