Below are pictures I snapped yesterday morning. The first is on Jaffa road, a main walking thoroughfare through town. This street is lined with shops and many of the store owners were standing out by their doors laughing. It was a jolly atmosphere as I exchanged excited greetings with them: “Boker Tov – it’s SNOWING!” …
Category Archives: Israel
Hiking in the Footsteps of Jesus
After walking from Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth up to Capernaum, I wonder if Jesus got blisters on his feet too? Nazareth, Cana, Capernaum, Bethsaida, are towns I walked through on my 70 km (~40 mile) stroll through the Galilee on what is known as the “Jesus Trail.” In short, I hiked from Nazareth to Bethsaida …
Asylum Seekers in Levinsky Park, Tel-Aviv
Asylum seekers from Darfur, South Sudan, and Eritrea have found their way to Israel seeking a better life. Many are staying in a park outside the Central Bus Station in Tel Aviv. Yesterday I went to that park to help distribute food and talk with those who spoke English. I’m planning to go several more …
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8 Things You May Not Have Known About Israel
1. Toilets in Israel have two levers. One for smaller duty flushes, and one for heavier duty flushes, I guess. And I thought America had too many options. 2. Israel has the fourth largest Air Force in the world, after the United States, Russia, and China. I see helicopters flying overhead all the time, including …
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Music Conference and Cow-Wowing
I’m still here… lost somewhere between “fine” and “dandy.” Last weekend I went to a two-day music concert showcasing 100+ Christian songs written by local Messianic Jews during the last two years. (try saying that sentence ten times in one breath) It was sponsored by the Messianic Jewish Alliance of Israel – and was quite …
A Treatise on Baby Calves and their Tendencies
Today we received new baby calves. They are about 3 days old. One of them we got a few days ago was born too early and has problems with coordination (they all have problems with coordination, but this one has excessive problems). The good thing about new baby calves it they are very cute and …
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Tel-Aviv Beach
I was in Tel-Aviv December 30th. I walked along the Mediterranean beach down South to Jaffa. The Tel-Aviv beach is quite nice, so far my favorite “hang-out” spot in Israel. Here are a few pictures I took along the walk: (that sailboat out at Sea looked like fun) (the waves didn’t look big enough …
Give Me Liberty… or… “We’ll Kill Ourselves” ??!
Masada is an ancient mountain fortress built by Herod the Great in the time before Christ. It’s located up on a high, isolated plateau in the Judean desert. Kind of like Israel’s version of Mancha Picchu (in Peru). For a quick history: During the Jewish revolt against the Romans (in AD 70’s), Masada was the …
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Neve Shalom-More Historic Than the White House?
I was told of a 2 day Bible conference being held in Neve Shalom this weekend. I’m planning on going, leaving tomorrow after work. Neve Shalom is a small community about 25km West of Jerusalem. Do you know where Neve Shalom is? Neither did I, but the history in the area is quite fascinating. Located …
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Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, 2011
Preamble Checking out of my hostel the morning of Christmas Eve was a bit of an ordeal. When I had arrived at the hostel the night before they didn’t honor my reservation. He said my reservation was for a “mattress on the roof” (not what I reserved on the website) and since it was raining …
December 23rd – Jerusalem, the Old City, the Wailing Wall and the Church of the Sepulcher
Friday after lunch two other volunteers and myself headed for Jerusalem. After catching four different rides via hitch-hiking, we arrived (hitch-hiking is more common in Israel, they even have specially marked turn-out lanes to pickup hitch-hikers). After arriving and checking into my hostel, the afternoon/evening/night was spent wandering around the Old City of Jerusalem. Our …
Be’er Sheva
In the Bible it’s spelled Beersheba. Either way, I went there this evening. It’s about a half hour drive from Nir Oz, similar to a trip up to Newton back home. I went with several volunteers and a Kibbutznik (and his girlfriend). There are some ancient ruins outside the city that date back from Bible …
Kibbutz Nir Oz
That’s where I am now. I’m excited about the next few months, think they’ll be fun. Despite the name “Near Oz,” it’s actually nearer to the Gaza strip. In fact, I can see into the Gaza strip from here. All the other volunteers (about 8 of them) are very friendly and from all over: Wales, …