By Way of Deception by Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn

By Way of Deception, book 2 in the Nir Tavor thriller series, is even better than book 1. 

Wow, talk about a wild ride! From deep in the Iranian desert to Houston and the South China Sea, this book takes the reader all over the world, keeping us on the edge of our seats wondering what is going to happen next. 

But even more than I love a good adventure, I love Israel, and I loved how Israeli this book is. Maybe it's because I've been studying there, but I saw so many elements that incorporated Israeli culture and history—like a member of Tavor's team being a descendent of Alexander Zaid, a Zionist hero who founded "The Watchmen". I've been to the kibbutz where his family lived, and have seen the statue mentioned on page 77, as well as to Beit She'arim National Park. So to see a fictional descendent of his have a role in the story was fun. 

I think my favorite thing about the whole story was the Jewish sense of humor throughout the book. It's even stronger here than in Operation Joktan, and had me laughing out loud so many times. 

All of it—the dialogue, the storytelling, the plot and structure—showcased so much of modern day Israel while also giving deep insight to its more recent—and ancient—history. For spoilers' sake, I'm not going to write too much about the events, other than to say that I loved how real and relevant Nir's journey as he is grappling with the truth that Jesus was (and is) the Son of God, all while risking his life... and one could even say, being willing to give his life to save others. 

The parallels are striking, not to mention the fact that this series is going to take us through all the countries mentioned in Ezekiel 38. It's set in modern times, with references to current events, and often forecasts what could happen to bring it all about. 

If you loved the first book, or if you love anything by Joel C. Rosenberg, I definitely recommend this series. But beware—it will leave you ready for more... I wonder when book 3 is coming out?

Click here to buy it on Amazon.

Beit She'arim: Part 2

Welcome back to Part 2 about Beit She'arim!

As I said in the last post, Beit She'arim was a place I'd never heard before. That's because it wasn't mentioned in the Bible. It's an important place in Israel's history from the 1st century AD. There are the remains of a Roman-era Jewish town, and, what we'll explore in this post, the necropolis—a series of rock-cut tombs and caves carved into stone.

According to Wikipedia, Beit She'arim became the popular place for burial around 135 AD, when Jews were barred from Jerusalem and could no longer be buried on the Mount of Olives. The Sanhedrin ended up settling in the town of Beit She'arim before moving on to Tiberias, so many famous rabbis were buried here.

In all, there are more than 30 burial caves. Some have been excavated, and some haven't. Some were ravaged by grave robbers, so much of the contents were destroyed. But there still remains some incredible historical detail. 

A UNESCO Heritage Site, Wikipedia says that "though only a portion of the necropolis has been excavated, it has been likened to a book inscribed in stone. Its catacombs, mausoleums, and sarcophagi are adorned with elaborate symbols and figures as well as an impressive quantity of incised and painted inscriptions in Hebrew, Aramaic, Palmyrene, and Greek, documenting two centuries of historical and cultural achievement. The wealth of artistic adornments contained in this, the most ancient extensive Jewish cemetery in the world, is unparalleled anywhere." 

Beit She'arim: Part 1

Beit She'arim is one of those places I'd never heard of before coming to Israel to study Hebrew, so it was all new to me. What an incredible place to explore!

It's a national park, but on the way in to the park, there are things to see... 

...like the remains of a 2,000-year-old synagogue

...old city gates and an olive press from the same time period

...the remains of an old basilica

...a statue of Alexander Zaid, who started the kibbutz down below, and a beautiful view over the Jezreel Valley

... and more! Come back next week for Part 2 of the series on Beit She'arim!