ShareEvery private tour guide in Israel has their favorite sites.  I call them “must do’s.” Here is one of them: This is the ancient boat on Kibbutz Ginnosar on the Sea of Galilee in Israel. The Sea of Galilee is not a sea, but a slightly brackish fresh-water lake, called Lake Kinneret today, but 2,000 […]

Dr. Jerome Hall and the "Jesus Boat"

Dr. Jerome Hall and the “Jesus Boat”

Every private tour guide in Israel has their favorite sites.  I call them “must do’s.” Here is one of them: This is the ancient boat on Kibbutz Ginnosar on the Sea of Galilee in Israel.

The Sea of Galilee is not a sea, but a slightly brackish fresh-water lake, called Lake Kinneret today, but 2,000 years ago, the western and northern side of the lake and the surrounding rich farmland provided a livelihood for Jewish residents here.  Among them was a rabbi well known in the area as a healer, teacher and holy man.  His name was Yeshua of Natzrat: Jesus of Nazareth.

 

In 1986, a remarkable discovery was made by two Jewish residents of Kibbutz Ginosar, a collective Israeli farm community which is situated today on the same site as ancient Geneseret, a Jewish village well known to Jesus.

 

While strolling alone the shore one morning, the two brothers saw something buried in the mud, the result of low waters levels from a drought that year.

 

That something was a 2,000 year-old boat.  A fishing boat twenty-seven feet long and seven feet wide, the shallow bottom well suited to ply the waters of the lake.  We do not know if Jesus was in this particular boat, but it does match the type Jesus and his disciples would have used to fish and preach from on the waters of Galilee.

 

As far as I know, this is the oldest original maritime vessel on display on any museum in the world.

 

However, the boat’s attraction is not only its age, but the feelings aroused when seen.  Jews, as well as Christian visitors look at awe upon this find.  We must remember that the rustic villagers who lived on this side of the lake were Jews, eking out a very precarious existence until Roman rule.

 

Pictured with the boat is Professor Jerome Hall of San Diego University, who will be publishing the final report on the vessel in the near future.

 

I invite you to come to Israel to the Yigal Allon Museum and visit this spectacular archaeological find.

 

 

ShareAs a private tour guide in Israel, I am often asked, “Where should we visit?”  Akko is way up there. Akko is one of the oldest cities in the world. Situated on the Mediterranean, it connects Europe with Asia; in ancient times Egypt with Mesopotamia and Rome with Palestine. Now a United Nations World Heritage […]

As a private tour guide in Israel, I am often asked, “Where should we visit?”  Akko is way up there.

Akko is one of the oldest cities in the world. Situated on the Mediterranean, it connects Europe with Asia; in ancient times Egypt with Mesopotamia and Rome with Palestine.

Now a United Nations World Heritage site, Akko (sometimes spelled “Acre”) is most known for its Crusader ruins.

The Old City today is mostly Ottoman, that is most of what we see is later than 1850, but it’s what is underneath the ground that is so fascinating: buried by time, this ancient Crusader city is now open for business.

Mentioned in Egyptian annals and Roman histories, Akko came into its own with the Crusaders in the Holy Land.

Though Jerusalem falls to the European knights in July, 1099, it will take five more years for the invaders to subdue Akko. When the First Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem falls to Saladin in 1187, four years later Akko will be the new capital of the kingdom – and it will become the richest city in the world at that time.

Everybody wanted a piece of Akko. Split up into separate quarters; each with its own courts, administration and army, Akko was definitely a house divided. Though the king ruled on paper, the military orders of the Knights of the Hospital (the Hospitalers) and the Knights of the Temple (the Templars) were the main brawn of the kingdom. The Italian city states of Genoa, Venice, Pisa and Amalfi were the economic and naval superpowers of the day.

All of the wealth of the East funneled through Akko on its way west; but not only wealth made its way there: knowledge and learning, especially mathematics, astronomy and medicine reached Europe.

Today, Akko is a must on any itinerary. Be sure to see the Knights’ Halls, the Templar’s Tunnels, (you can pass the bathhouse, this is mainly for Israelis), and the port. Make sure to eat maybe the best humus you’ve ever had. My favorite is Shamsei’s, but Sayeed is only nothing to sneeze at.
Enjoy!

ShareMany visitors to the Land of Israel come for reasons other than just to tour. Businessman, scientists, academics…the list is indeed a long one, find themselves very busy one day and, rather than face a hotel room alone in a foreign country, elect to get out and see some sites. These blogs are for them. […]

Many visitors to the Land of Israel come for reasons other than just to tour. Businessman, scientists, academics…the list is indeed a long one, find themselves very busy one day and, rather than face a hotel room alone in a foreign country, elect to get out and see some sites.

These blogs are for them.

I recommended a day in the Old City of Jerusalem and a day in the Judean Desert visiting Masada National Park and the Dead Sea.

What about the North?

I would like to suggest three sites: Caesarea, Haifa and Akko (Acre).

Caesarea National Park is first and foremost, a truly beautiful spot. The Mediterranean Sea rolls up against a Roman city in majesty. Built by King Herod the great in the first century B.C.E., it was the world’s first artificial port. Later fortified by the Crusaders, it hosted such personalities as St. Paul, Rabbi Akkiba, Saladin, Louis the IX of France, and Edmond de Rothschild among others (whom you can also meet at the site), the National Parks Authority have gone to considerable lengths to make your stay a pleasant and educational one. Don’t miss the films shown at both north and south entrances.

Next stop on our trip north is the city of Haifa: specifically, the Baha’i Gardens there.

One of the world’s newest religions, Haifa was close the where the prophet of the new religion, the Baha’u’llah was imprisoned. His followers purchased part of the Carmel mountain and a century later would build a tomb to the Bab, Siyyid `Alí Mu?ammad Shírází, one of the three central figures of the new faith who was martyred in Iran in 1850. His golden-domed tomb adorns the side of the mountain in Haifa with its eighteen terraces.

Be sure to enter the central garden to visit the tomb and then drive to the top for a magnificent view of Haifa Bay.

The third stop, Akko, deserves its own blog.
Till then.

ShareMust Do’s: Number Two – Masada and the Dead Sea In my last blog entry, I recommended what to visit if you only have one day in Israel. Say you have two days? The first day should be spent in the Old City of Jerusalem. The second day should be spent at Masada National Park […]

Must Do’s: Number Two – Masada and the Dead Sea

In my last blog entry, I recommended what to visit if you only have one day in Israel.

Say you have two days? The first day should be spent in the Old City of Jerusalem. The second day should be spent at Masada National Park followed by a swim in the Dead Sea.

Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, is a Dominican priest and head of the World Famous Ecole Biblique et Archeologique Francaise in Jerusalem and author of the best archaeological guide book for the Holy Land, “The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide.” Rightly so, Murphy-O’Connor says, “Masada is the most spectacular site in the country and scene of one of the most dramatic episodes in its history.”

If you have an Irish priest telling you that the most awesome site to visit in Israel is in the Judean Desert and has nothing to do with Jesus and Christianity, it really must be something – and it is!

I recommend rising very early to climb Masada and witness the sunrise from the summit. Since most visitors arrive by car from Jerusalem (about an hour and twenty minute ride), visitors should start their climb about fifty minutes before sunrise at the latest. The box office at the entrance opens an hour before dawn, but be sure to bring plenty of water for the hike up and a flashlight. The length of the trail is about two kilometers and is moderately strenuous.

This is an especially good idea most of the year because of the heat. A lot of you take visits to Israel in the summer. The average temperature at Masada is over 105 F.

However, if you are visiting Masada without a guide, an audio guide is available for hire at the visitors’ center which opens at 8 am. There is also an excellent museum on site.

As for the Dead Sea, let’s leave that for the next blog.