New Tunnel Discovered within City of David

In a briefing last night, Eilat Mazar, a renowned archaeologist who has been excavating at the City of David for a number of years, presented findings highlighting the discovery of a "gutter", part of an ancient water system descried in 2 Sam 5:8. For years scholars have believed that it was through this water system that David was able to conquer Jebus, later known as the City of David. The gutter was discovered last winter after a snowfall in the excavation area that pertained to the First Temple period, known as Area G. The passageway is wide enough for pedestrian traffic and travels north/south which is the direction of the Temple Mount and connects with a structure identified as the palace of King David. An article written by Nadav Shragai providing more information on this latest discovery can be found at http://www.haaretz.com/

3,000 year old City Discovered in Valley of Elah

Published yesterday in the New York Times is an extremely interesting article depicting recent findings of a possible ancient city located south of Jerusalem in the Valley of Elah. Archaeologists are unearthing antiquities including a formidable fortress, that may possibly support writings within the Scriptures which emphasize the importance of Jerusalem and King David during the period of the 10th century B.Cc. The article can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/world/middleeast/30david.html?_r=1&ei=5070&emc=eta1&oref=slogin

Renewing your Marriage Vows at Cana

Why not be remarried in the Holy Land on your next visit? Its certainly a possibility and if you are Catholic there is no place more appropriate for such an event than at the Church in Kfar Cana, located at the believed to be site of Jesus's first miracle, when he turned water into wine at a wedding ceremony there. It takes a bit of planning including a letter and official documentation from your priest showing that you are were baptised and legally married. The information needs to be sent in advance to the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land who are responsible for the Church in Cana as well as many other holy sites throughout the Holy Land. Generally a donation is made to the Church and arrangements can also be made for a festive meal adjacent to the Church, or in a more elaborate restaurant in the Galilee or other venue.0/

Friends of Israel Dig the Holy Land

Ian Stern, the chief archaeologist who runs the very reputable "Dig for A Day" program at Tel Maresha, invited me to participate in one of his archaeological digs located within Beit Guvrin National Park. The site is situated at the southern end of the Valley of Elah in the Judean Hills. We had the pleasure of digging along with a Friends of Israel tour group, consisting of 40 people from all over the world who are members of the Friends of Israel Ministry. The Ministry is a 500,000 person strong organization which publishes a very popular newsletter entitled "Israel My Glory". According to Bill Sutter, an ordained minister and the Executive Director who personally accompanied the group, several Friends of Israel groups travel to the Holy Land annually, each with a different theme and/or purpose. The organization is evangelical and is very supportive of Israel. The participants traveled from as far as New Zealand and Calgary to experience the 10-day tour and it was very apparent from my conversations with them, that this trip was really a life changing event for them.

Legionaries of Christ in Jerusalem

The Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ may be one of numerous Christian congregations in the world, but it represents the one Congregation that Pope John Paul II entrusted the management and administration of the historic Notre Dame Centre in Jerusalem in late 2004. Known as the Pontifical Institute of Jerusalem, the Notre Dame Center is the Vatican's main religious, educational, cultural institution in Jerusalem and sits very close to Christianity's main holy site, The Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Notre Dame Center houses a significant library and serves to welcome pilgrims and others from around the world as well as Christians in Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Notre Dame Center provides a professional hospitality training center for Palestinian youth as well as a permanent exhibition on "Who is the Man of the Shroud". The adjacent John Paul II conference center hosts numerous international seminars, lectures and cultural events. The Legion of Christ, known as the Legionaries of Christ, is a Roman Catholic order that was founded in Mexico in 1941 by the late Father Marcial Macial, LC. Its mission is to extend the Kingdom of Christ in society according to the requirements of Christian justice and charity.

Hurry to the Hula

As the afternoon fall sun begins its slow descent to the west, the storks, cranes, herons and other species of birds flock to their evening resting place on the Hula Lake in the northern Galilee situated within the Syrian-African Rift Valley, approximately 70 m above sea level. The numerous touring options available include walking, renting bicycles, an electrical golf cart (for up to 6 people), a safari bicycle (for up to 6), two seater bikes or an open air safari bus - an excellent choice for the night tours. Our group of six opted for four bicycles and a tandem and pedaled the 12 kilometre stretch in approximately two leisurely hours, stopping at numerous viewpoints along the way to observe the birds, animals, and surrounding views. The 800 acre reserve is located approximately 20 kilometres north of the Sea of Galilee, and was up until the early part of the 20th century, a vast swampland, but home to much wildlife. Early Jewish settlers to Israel worked hard clearing this area for agricultural purposes and many workers contracted the dealy malaria virus along the way. They only later realized that the valley offered less than ideal agricultural conditions, but unfortunately, by then that land had been cleared, and along with it much of the wildlife, fauna and flora disappeared from the landscape negatively impacting the ecosystem of the area. In the mid 1990's, approximately 250 acres were reflooded in an effort to restore the valley and bring back some of the natural habitat and improving the quality of the water flowing into the Sea of Galilee. During the migration seasons over 500 million birds will fly over Israel and tens of thousands will stop overnight in the Hula Valley during the peak late fall season. The Hula Valley visitor center, situated approximately three kilometres south of Agman Hula, has a new bird migration/movie experience called Euphoria which is also worthwhile. For More Information -http://parks.org.il/ParksENG/company_card.php3?NewNameMade=43&from=116&CNumber=422020

Chinese tourists seeking "mysterious" Israel

On September 25, 2008 forty Chinese tourists traveled from Beijing to Tel Aviv. The group was the first of many that are expected to be traveling to the Holy Land beginning this fall, as a result of an agreement sealed last October between the foreign ministers of Israel and China and which officially went into effect on September 15 of this year. The agreement gave Israel an "Approved Destination Status" for Chinese tourists. Hopefully, this will prompt many Chinese tourists to travel to Israel, a destination many Chinese describe as "mysterious". Currently, much of the Israel-China traffic consists of Israeli businesspeople and tourists traveling eastward while the Chinese travel market to Israel is primarily business. El Al has three weekly flights to Beijing and five to Hong Kong. The company is considering adding a fourth flight from Beijing or possibly switching to larger planes due to the high load factors. The Chinese have very strong links to Christianity and there are approximately 80 million Christians living in China, up from less than 5 million, 25 years ago.

Historic Notre Dame Center renovates Guest Units

Ideally located across from the New Gate in Jerusalem lies the Notre Dame Center, at 145 rooms it is the largest and most extensive Christian guest house in the Holy Land and can accommodate groups of up to 500 persons. Erected in the late 1880's the guest units offer some of the best views of the Old City of Jerusalem, situated footsteps away. The property is within easy walking distance to many of the city's most important sites. The pilgrim-oriented guest house is in the process of completing a major renovation to many of its guest units, most of which are now freshly painted and equipped with new lighting fixtures, doors, stall showers, wood-like floors, bed coverings and window treatments. New furniture has been ordered and is expected to be delivered shortly. In addition to the typical guest rooms that can accommodate two persons, there are now a few deluxe suites that have living rooms, kitchen facilities and expansive outdoor terraces overlooking the Old City. The guest house offers an an on site chapel, restaurants, meeting rooms, business center and offers daily mass and adornation. Legionary priests are available for mass and confession.

Tracing history through the caves in Park Adulam

In honor of Israel's 60th birthday celebration, the KKL (Karen Kayemit L'Yisrael)( http://www.kkl.org.il/) opened a new park in the Judean Hills, approximately 10 kilometres south of Beit Shemesh, 25 minutes from Jerusalem and 35 minutes from Tel Aviv. The entire region harbors hundreds of caves, many of which can be accessed through the numerous parks found throughout the hilly countryside. The considerable development activity that has occurred over the last several years has made protecting this historical and unusual landscape a high priority.

Last weekend, we participated in one of the walking tours currently being offered by the park guides. Our two hour walk consisted of an exploration of numerous caves including underground homes and burial caves likely rom the time of the first and second centuries. Several steep stone carved staircases led deep into the dark chambers and once there our flashlights provided us with the necessary light to observe the Hellenistic-inspired columns and other architectural features. With the Romans advancing, it is believed that the Jewish residents were forced to hide inside the caves, some for years, while the war ensued. Scratchings found inside the caves show the signs of possible games that were played by the people during this period as well as areas where lit candles were displayed. Further, well carved holes in the ceilings provided not only a small light source but the ability to view activity outside with a homemade telescope of a sort.

Visiting in early fall, the landscape was covered with terepines and olive trees, though still quite brown, however, our guide insisted that the area would be in full bloom in just a couple months and was well worth a return visit.

Likely 1st Century ruins on display underneath Sisters of Nazareth guesthouse

Sitting quietly off the main shuk road in the heart of Nazareth, less than one block away from the famous Church of the Annunciation (also known as the Church of All Nations), lies the quaint guesthouse owned and managed by the Religious Sisters of Nazareth, a Roman Catholic order of nuns who have had a presence in the Holy land since the late 1800's. The Sisters have owned the magnificent building for over 100 plus years and recently converted parts of their facility into a lovely little guest house. However, the comfortable yet simple accommodations are not all that meets the eye. Hidden several metres below the tiled terraces are significant ruins dating back to the 1st century or possibly earlier, an archaeological find discovered in the early 1900's .

Sister Stephana of Italy was our tour guide and accompanied us throughout our underground exploration. The site consists of a series of caves including at least one large home as well as water cisterns hidden beneath the residence, a familial burial area as well as several other rooms. The large water cistern is known as the Cistern of the Great Church, and is a sizeable well that was apparently used to store water for the family and possibly others that lived above and nearby. The architecture is somewhat suggestive of 1st century, with Herodian stones displayed in several areas. The burial style suggests Jewish roots, which would be likely considering the early dating of this house and its location in Nazareth, originally a Jewish village and believed to be home home of Jesus during his youth. Beyond that, there is evidence of additional development during the Byzantine and possibly the Crusader period as well.

The Sisters of Nazareth provide complimentary group tours of the site with advance notice.