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
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
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
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
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
A brand new Holy Land attraction was all set to be unveiled in Jerusalem in time for the Easter holiday but with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, Jerusalem like cities around the world have ground to a halt. There are no tourists. But that
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
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
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
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