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Old City Jerusalem

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Yesterday was a pretty special day. We got to spend it with Ari, our tour guide we had on both of our previous trips to Israel. It is said that touring Israel with Ari is like shoving a college semester in to two weeks. We met for coffee and Ari spent the next hour and a half explaining the history of Jerusalem and how the walls changed over the years. We have heard it before but it is always good to refresh our memories, especially since we would be spending the day in the Old City. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I took of Ari. Ari loves to draw maps - whether on paper or on his hands. This is the map of Jerusalem we took from him at the end of the day. It makes perfect sense to us and I'd be happy to explain the Old City to anyone using this map. Although Israel became a nation in 1948, the Old City of Jerusalem was not open to Jews to visit. It was under Jordanian rule and didn't become part of Israel until after the 6 day war in 1967. The Jewish sect...
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Jerusalem

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Today was a full day - leaving the apartment around 8:30am and returning around 11:30pm. We began our day at Yad Vashem - the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem. We have been there twice before but thought it important to go again. Pictures are not allowed in the museum so I only have a few outside photos. There is a well-known poem that is one of the first things you read as you enter the museum. It was written by a German pastor, Martin Niemoller . First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—      Because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the commui, and I did not speak out—      Because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—      Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me. The first picture is actually taken inside the Children's Memorial. It is one single candle that never goes out and when you walk in the names of the c...
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Jerusalem

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Yesterday we left the Dead Sea early for a 2 hour drive to Jerusalem. What a difference driving from the desert to such lush green scenery outside the city. We passed lots of camels and sheep on the side of the road but didn't have a good opportunity to take any pictures. Last evening we went to the home of a Jewish Orthodox family for Shabbat through Shabbat of a Lifetime . We did this 6 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed the experience so we did it again this year. No photos were allowed so we have no pictures to show you. We sung a song that I haven't sung in a long time called Shalom Aleichem (translated Peace be Upon You) which is traditionally sung on Shabbat. Click on the song name and listen to a beautiful acapella of the song in Hebrew and English. This morning we were blessed to meet up with Ira and Gloria Brawer, good friends who live in Florida and have a ministry Heritage House - Restoring the Foundations . Click on the link to learn more about them and their mi...
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The Dead Sea

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It has been an absolutely beautiful day at the Dead Sea. We slept in this morning (until 8:00am) and had a typical Israeli breakfast with lots of cheese and salads. We spent the morning on Masada. There is nothing written about Masada in the Bible. It is pure history that makes it amazing. Herod built a palace on top of Masada between 37 - 31 BCE. After the destruction of the second Temple in 70 CE a group of Jewish Rebels settled on the mountaintop. In 73 CE the Roman legion surrounded Masada and built a ramp to capture the Jews. The story was retold first hand by Flavius Josephus, a Jewish Historian in his book - The War of the Jews .  The Jewish rebels would rather die than be enslaved to the Romans and they all took their lives. The words "live free or die" remain today. 3 minute cable car up to the top of Masada people walking down the snake path the snake path takes 60-90 minutes to walk to the top of Masada view from the top It is common for ...
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