Where the restoration of modern-day Israel began

Just 35 kilometers south of Haifa, still on Mount Carmel, is a town of great importance: Zichron Ya'akov, "Jacob's Memorial".

It was founded in 1882 with 100 Jewish pioneers from Romania came to Israel in what later became known as the 1st Aliyah. Unfortunately, the difficulty of trying to grow grapes, wheat, and olives in the rocky soil and the presence of malaria led many to give up and leave within a year. Every family lost a child that year. To this day, the founders are still buried in the cemetery.

A year later, Baron Edmond James de Rothschild became the patron of the settlement, helped establish it as a winemaking town, and gave it the name it still holds today.

By 1903, it was the most prosperous place in all of Israel. 

Zichron Ya'akov didn't appear to be much in 1882, and there are definitely bigger, more populated, and also important cities in all of Israel. But it alone has this distinction: it is where the restoration of modern-day Israel began.

Today, you can go to Zichron Ya'achov and tour the town. The original main street is there with its original buildings, as well as the cemetery and the synagogue. It's a cool tourist destination with some museums to learn about the moshave and then enjoy the local culture. 

(a photo of what the main street looked like)

the main street today

a pottery studio!

another museum, this time telling the heroic story of the Nili spy ring during WWII.

The cemetery

the synagogue. 

This beautiful town is an important place in Israel's history. I definitely recommend spending time here if you get the chance!

Celebrating Purim in Israel

This week was Purim in Israel. It was my first time celebrating this holiday, and I didn't know what to expect.

historical info from chabad.org

I mean, I know the story of Esther. It's a favorite. But I wasn't sure how the day would be celebrated. 

So when I started hearing about balls and parties, and seeing costumes in local shops, I was surprised. Then I learned that dressing up in costumes is a big part of the celebration. The reason why is because this real-life event—how God saved the Jews from annihilation at the hands of Haman in Persia—doesn't have any overtly obvious miracles. God worked miraculously—in disguise. His appearance in Esther (Megillah in Hebrew) is also hidden: through how He works and references to prayer... the name of God isn't even mentioned!

photo from chabad.org

A second tradition is that if you go to a synagogue on Purim, you'll hear the reading of the entire book of Esther (Megillah). As it's only 10 chapters, it isn't too long.

A typical food for Purim are hamantaschen, 3-cornered pastries that are basically pockets with filling, which is often poppy seeds. There are many reasons for this, from the shape of the pastry to the poppy seeds. The most intriguing to me was a story from the Talmud that Daniel was Esther's faithful messenger in the palace, and since both ate kosher, they ate a lot of poppy seeds.

photo from myjewishlearning.com

Another theory for the shape of the pastry is that Mordechai sent messages to all the Jews talking about the destruction that would come, but they didn't believe him. So he sent more, but was worried they would be intercepted. So instead he hit them in side pocket pastries.

Another story is that Haman wore a 3-cornered hat. And the word "tash" in the middle of Hamantaschen means "to weaken". Literally, Haman weakens. 

Other traditions include giving gifts to the poor or charity, as well as gifts to a friend.

While I didn't go to any parties or feasts (I didn't know about one until it was too late, as I'd already made plans), I saw so many people in costumes—adults and kids alike. People at were dressed up or had a fun decoration on their clothes. Stores were decorated as well. I went to a sporting goods store on Wednesday and each of the mannequins had something fun added to the outfits they were advertising. Schools were out for both Wed and Thurs, and there was a festive feeling in the air. 

One more cool thing I learned about the significance of Purim: God has used this date multiple times to show His rescue of the Jewish people. For instance: 

• Joseph Stalin died on Purim in 1953
• The Persian Gulf war, which started with Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990, ended on Purim.

So fun! As for me, I spent Purim hiking around Mount Tabor in the Jezreel Valley—but that's another post for another day!

!חג פורים שמח

Walking the streets of Magdala- finally!

In 2020, I wrote about the incredible discovery at Magdala and how I wanted to go the next time I was in Israel. It has been a dream of mine for years! So when the semester ended last week, I headed out to the Galilee. 

WOW.

It was Shabbat, an unusually warm January day, and because of covid-19, there still weren't any foreign tourists allowed in Israel. So there I was, pretty much alone, strolling through Mary Magdalene's former hometown, a fishing village.

There, you can see the old market, with the main street, 

the residential area, 

the port (the Sea of Galilee, which is only about 7 miles wide at its widest point and 17 miles long) shrinks every year, so the port is much higher than one might expect, 

a beautiful chapel commemorating Jesus' ministry in the Galilee, and...

the synagogue, where, according to Matthew 4:23, Jesus spoke. 

As I talked about here, this is one of those places where we can place Jesus not only in the town or walking the main street, but in an actual room. I about lost my mind. 

After exploring this incredible place—you can still see pigmentation on the remains of columns and walls, and part of an old mosaic—I sat down and began to read from Matthew. There, on Shabbat, in front of the synagogue where Jesus spoke on a Shabbat millennia ago. It was incredible!

There are so many small treasures that have been found and are still being unearthed in Magdala, like brick ovens, mosaics in other places. It's all so interesting, but this was the crown jewel for me. 

However, did you hear about this? Recently there's been another INCREDIBLE discovery in Magdala:

A SECOND SYNAGOGUE!!!!

This one is in a residential area, which I didn't see. I think it is still being uncovered. But, how incredible! The articles I read say that this sheds a lot of light on thought and culture in the first century. I hope to go back and explore it one day!

Also, here's one more photo as a bonus, as seen on the way to Madgala: Mount Hermon covered in snow!

Celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year's in Israel (Part 2)

After Hanukkah, came my favorite season: Advent and Christmas! 

I had assumed that, since Christmas isn't a Jewish holiday, it wouldn't be celebrated here, and I was trying to brace myself for a very different Christmas.

Well, I was both right and wrong. It was a very different kind of Christmas, but it turns out that in towns like Nazareth, Haifa, Bethlehem, and even Jerusalem, there are areas of Christmas (or other holiday) festivals and celebrations! The weather also took a turn and became a lot cooler, as rainy season (winter) is here. So for this Georgia girl, it actually felt like Christmas!

The entire month of December, I got to enjoy these festivals, which was so fun. And then for the weekend of Christmas, I had the most different Christmas of all: spending it in Jerusalem, and actually spending Christmas Day in Bethlehem!

It was an incredible weekend, and it was also bit of a juggling game because late Christmas Even and most of Christmas Day were on Shabbat. So my friends and I had to make sure to get there before things closed, and that's why we decided to go to Bethlehem on Saturday. Besides, spending Christmas in Bethlehem... how many people actually get to do that?

And since the borders are currently closed to foreign tourists, thanks to Omicron, that meant there were only local tourists there—a very different from past years. I kept having pinch myself for how amazing it was!

On Christmas Eve, we got to Jerusalem in time to go to the Western Wall before Shabbat began, and then also went to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Armenian Quarter after an amazing late lunch/early dinner. 

Christmas day, we took a bus from outside the Damascus Gate to Bethlehem. Our bus driver could have qualified for the Fast and the Furious! There was one point where I even closed my eyes, haha. But we made it, then walked to the Church of the Nativity, said to be over the cave that Jesus was born in. The line to see the cave was so long that we just walked around and then started walking to our other destination in Bethlehem: the Shepherds' Fields, also known as the fields of Boaz and Ruth. That was a long walk, so on the way back, I was so thankful to find a taxi!

The day after Christmas, time was short for us. We checked out of our Airbnb, went back to the Temple Mount, and this time we also walked up to the mosque above. That was my first time being up there. I didn't realize how big the area was up top! There's an amazing view of the Mount of Olives too. Leaving the Old City, we went to a busy shuk for spices and then headed out, stopping at the top of the Mount of Olives for a photo of the city. 

What an incredible weekend!!!

And honestly, after all of that excitement, and because the week after New Year's Eve is the week of finals in my Hebrew class, I kept the day much lower key—staying in my room, being a happy introvert, haha. So that might be a little bit of a let down to anyone who isn't an introvert, but I loved it. All I needed was my poodle, Annie, snoozing on my ankles. So, just for fun, here's a picture of her from last New Year's Eve:

We are just over a week in, so I'll say it again: Happy New Year!

Celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year's in Israel (Part 1)

Happy New Year!

These last few weeks have been so fun, because from the end of November to this past weekend, I celebrated a series of holidays in Israel, starting with observing Hanukkah, and Advent/Christmas (in Jerusalem and Bethlehem!), and most recently, New Year's. 

Needless to say, it's been a great few weeks!

This was my first Hanukkah ever, and it was extra special to be celebrating it in Israel. I was able to learn about the significance of the holiday and enjoy the traditions of it, from lighting the menorah, eating jelly donuts, listening to holiday music (the Maccabeats are amazing!) and playing the dredel game.

I also loved learning about its connection to my own faith. Hanukkah is not one of the original holidays given by God to the Jewish people, as the event it commemorates (God making the oil last for 8 days during the Maccabean Revolt) happened during the inter-Testamental period, also known as the 400 years of silence.

However, that doesn't mean this holiday isn't in the Bible, because it is! When Jesus stood up at the Temple in John 8 and said, "I am the light of the world", it was on the 8th night, the night when all the lamps of the Temple were lit! There is also a direct reference to the Feast of Dedication in John 10:22.

Amazing!

One more thing... right before Hanukkah started, there was an amazing discovery in Hebron: a sling stone marked with the sign of the Greek king at the time of the Hasmonean rule—dating back to the Maccabean revolt!

AND, on the last night of Hanukkah, a coin, candle, and biblical-era seal ring, all dating back to the Hasmonean era, were found in Jerusalem.

That is SO COOL!!!!!

The Newest Discoveries in Israel!

Did you hear about this?

Apparently, it's long been believed that there was a church of the apostles in the village of Bethsaida, the home of the disciples Peter, Andrew, and Philip, in the Galilee; however, until recently, it has never been found. 

According to The Jerusalem Post, archaeologists have searched for years for this church, which was visited by the Bavarian Bishop Willibald in 724AD and was chronicled in his writings. A few decades after his visit, a major earthquake shook the country, and the Muslim ruling dynasty changed, and many Christian sites—and the memory of their exact location—were lost. 

In 2017, archeologists identified a tel (hill) they wanted to explore as a possible site for Bethsaida. Not long after, they discovered "the Roman layer dating back to the time of Jesus, unearthing houses, pottery, coins, and so on. Since the beginning, some finds suggested us that the there must be a church somewhere, such as pieces of mosaics," said Professor Rami Arav of the University of Omaha, Nebraska.

Then, the archeologists decided to investigate another tel 2 kilometers away. 

There, they found a large basilica, about 89 ft x 53 ft. " We found mosaics, two inscriptions, the apses, all dating back to the Byzantine period," Aviam said. "The church was built at the end of the fifth or the beginning of the sixth century and probably remained in use until the eighth century."

In the last season of excavations of 2021, the archaeologists found something interesting: a door-less wall in front of the basilica. Was it built to protect the church? or simply to add on to a new structure?

In 2022, we hope to find out when the team excavates around the church!

A second recent (and incredible) find is an amythest seal discovered in Jerusalem with the balm of Gilead engraved on it. 

According to the Jewish News Syndicate, this could be the first seal ever discovered with this kind of engraving, despite the written accounts of seals like this. 

WOW!!!

The newest discoveries in Israel

Did you hear about this?

A 3,100-year-old piece of pottery with an inked inscription was found in July. What's so amazing, other than its age, is what it said: Jerubbaal. This was the alternate name of Gideon (Judges 7). WOW!!!

If that isn't enough, these 2,000-year-old coins were also found: 

Found in the West Bank, one coins date back to the Jewish revolt against the Romans in the 1st century. One coin was from 67 AD, and the second, from 70 years later (2nd century). The second coin, along with broken pottery also found, is from the Bar Kochba revolt. The location of the find is also significant, because it means there was a Jewish settlement in an area previously believed to have been destroyed after the Great Revolt years earlier and not re-settled.

That is SO COOL!!!!

Did you see Season 2 of The Chosen yet?

 I basically can't even with this show.

If you follow The Chosen on social media, even if you haven't watched season 2, you know that it ended with the Sermon on the Mount. It did NOT disappoint!

Actually the whole season was incredible.

photo from this article

I love how this show stays true to Scripture, while still using current best practices in telling a story—the most important story of all. I love how an episode on just a few verses (Ep 2), sent me to the Bible to see what the Word had to say.

I love how Jesus continues to be portrayed as fully human and fully God. 

I love how the disciples are being portrayed as people with different personalities, so that it's easier to remember who is who and maybe get a glimpse of what it was like to be the first to follow Jesus. Seeing their real struggles, both personally and inter-personally, adds such weight and dimension to what is going on.

I love the humor of the show. (Jesus and Quintus in the same room!?! WOW!)

I love the beauty of it, from the effects to the bright colors. 

I love seeing a portrayal of what these famous events (like miracles, the sermon on the mount, etc) could have looked like. I love the moments when I realize what is happening.

I love the tender moments, the teaching moments, and even the hard moments between Jesus and His followers. 

I love the insights into Jewish culture, like the prayers and Mary Magdalene teaching Ramah how to read. Since I am also learning Hebrew, it was cool to see her teaching the alphabet to her, and me realizing I knew what she meant! 

Basically, I LOVE this show!

I'm still trying to figure out what my favorite moments were from Season 2, because it was just so good. I definitely need to #bingeJesus soon. 

What about you? Have you seen The Chosen yet? It is the first-ever multi-season series based on the true stories of the Gospels of Jesus. Let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you haven't seen it yet, you need to #comeandsee! It is worth it!