Traveling in Elijah's Footsteps: Muhraka and Stella Maris

Ending the year with the trip to Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Jafa was the perfect way to close 2021. And the perfect way to open it was to go to the highest point of Mount Carmel—where Elijah had the showdown with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah!

Though not my first time to this place, it will also not be my last!

Unfortunately, thanks to GoogleMaps, I got turned around a few times. Normally that wouldn't matter, but it was Sunday, January 2, and the monastery closed to visitors at 11:45. I was supposed to arrive at 11:30, but it was 11:42. Thankfully, they still let me in until 12.

This time, I saw a little bit of the beautiful garden on property before going up to the overlook with the 360-degree view of the Jezreel Valley and the hills to the south. Though sunny, it wasn't a completely clear day. Still, the view was breathtaking! And even though the winter rains started in December, the Jezreel Valley is already turning green. I can't wait to go back in a few months and see it in vivid color!

I mean... WOW!

I thought my 'Elijah' adventure was done for the day after that, but then a friend and I went to Stella Maris, which is the look out over the Mediterranean Sea. That was something I never realized before coming here in 2017—the geography of the Land, that Mount Carmel is actually a mountain range, and this area is on the coast. Stella Maris is supposed to be where Elijah stood to see the rain cloud coming from the distance. 

We got there just as the winter sun was beginning to set, and saw a beautiful sunset.

Then, we went to the church said to be built on Elijah's cave where he was fed by ravens sent from God. To be fair, there are other sites claiming to also be built over the cave. So this is just one of them. And the Christmas decorations were still up, which was fun!

(also, I might have giggled at seeing the Coca-Cola in the plastic bag on the altar on the far left).

What a fun way to start of 2022!

Return to Joppa

On the way back from Jerusalem on Christmas weekend, we made a really fun pit stop: Jafa (Joppa)!

I first went here on my tour in 2017. In fact, it was our first stop, which was pretty cool. But we had a packed day of places to go, so we didn't spend a lot of time there. Being there 4 years later, at Christmas, at sunset, was so fun.

Jafa is the oldest port city in the world. This harbor, where we watched the sunset from, is the same harbor where Solomon brought in cedars from Lebanon for the Temple.

Jafa is just south of Tel Aviv. Seeing this city sparkle in pink and gold in the sunset was beautiful to behold.

Jafa is also where Jonah was fleeing to when he got swallowed by the big fish. Last time, I was told that's where he was spit up, but that isn't true. I looked it up and the Bible says he was spit up in Ninevah. So I looked up Ninevah on googlemaps, and it is more than 750 miles away—surrounded by land! The only way the fish could get there was to swim around the land and then up the river. WOW!

Jafa is also where Peter stayed in Acts, specifically at Simon the Tanner's house (pictured below). He was staying here when God raised Tabitha from the dead through Peter in Acts 9 and when Peter saw the vision of the sheet with clean and unclean animals.

Wow! Last time,  my guide pointed in the direction of the house, so I knew exactly where it was. But we didn't actually go there. So this time we found it, though it was closed. But I realized the direction it faced meant that since Peter had been on the roof, he had been looking out over the same harbor while he'd been praying! SO COOL!

Studying here in Israel is allowing me to see places that make the Bible fill out in color and dimension, and I love it!

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!!!!!

Tel Yokne'am: Where Joshua fought (and won!)

A few weeks ago, I got to visit Tel Yokne'am in the Jezreel Valley. Have you ever heard of it?

It is a hill about 200 ft high and 10 acres around in the Jezreel Valley. It has an incredible view, but what's inside is even more amazing.

Inside Tel Yokne'am are the ruins from almost 4,000 years of civilization-all the way down to the one Joshua led an army against in Joshua 12:22. This hill was one of Manasseh’s tribal cities and a Levite city. And who knows… there could even be more below that layer!

Today, at the top of the tel are Crusader ruins, dating back to around 1000 AD. The remains of an old Byzantine church from the 600s still stand, ready for visitors to explore and enjoy the view.

It fascinates me, the juxtaposition of the old and new here. I was standing on this ancient battleground, looking over the valley of Megiddo, as referenced in Revelation as where armies will gather before marching on Jerusalem (Rev. 16:16), when my eyes caught on a series of lights in the distance: an air base’s runway, directly across the valley… today’s warriors in view of where their ancient heroes fought for victory. The ancient and the modern just steps (and thousands of years) apart; close enough to be captured by a camera. 

This is what I love about studying and experiencing life, culture, and history in Israel!

Akko: Exploring the world of the Knights Templars

This is part 2 of a series about Akko. Honestly, we didn't have enough time while we were there to see everything, so I can't wait to go back. That's the great thing about studying here—I can really take my time and savor everything about this incredible country!

As I said last week, Akko is one of the most continuously inhabited cities in the world, dating back to 3,000 BC. And, as with many ancient cities, whenever a civilization came through and conquered one, they built right on top of the old. So there are layers upon layers of archeological treasure there, likely still to be explored!

One of the coolest things we did was walk through the underground tunnels and the world of the Knights Templars. We were literally walking the streets, looking at homes, seeing the hospital, church, and the great hall—all underground! 

And there was one place where they dug past the foundation and found the remains of a building of the civilization before the Crusaders! 

The tour itself was very interactive. There was translation available in many different languages, as well as signs written in Hebrew, Arabic, and English. It was everything from looking at artifacts to walking the tunnels and rooms, watching video reels projected onto stone walls, even playing games just like the ones people of the time would have played. 

It was SO COOL and made this history nerd SO HAPPY!

If you are ever in Northern Israel, I highly recommend a day at Akko. Or more than one. I know I will need to go back!

More New Discoveries in Israel!

Just in time for Hannukah—last month, the ruins of a fortress, burnt wooden beams, and coins were found in Israel's Lachish forest! 

The fortress was from the Hellenistic period, burned and destroyed by the Hasmoneans. It had 7 rooms and a staircase, and was in the line of defense for the Seleucids. The building's destruction shows that the Hasmonean army was victorious here, and this find further proves the Hannakuh story! Amazing!!

You can read more about it here.

Also, last month, an 11-year-old girl who was volunteering at an archeological site in Jerusalem found a coin made of pure silver dating back to almost 2,000 years!

The coin, discovered by Liel Krutokop as she was sifting dirt from an ancient road that connected the Pool of Siloam to the Temple, has an inscription that dates it to around 68-69 AD, right before the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. 

Finding a coin is incredible enough, but this isn't just any coin. It's pure silver, and the inscription on it shows that it was likely minted by an actual priest at the Temple, meaning it is likely "one of the only items we can hold today that originated in the Temple itself," said Dr. Robert Kool, head of the Coin Department of the IAA. 

WOW!!!!

For more about this story, click here!