Shekhunat Ge’ulim, Israel Travel Journals & Blogs

Traveler Jordan & Israel - 2022
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- May 8, 2022
- ☀️ 26 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Israel Northern District Shekhunat Ge’ulim H̱of Gaya 32.786076, 35.54174432°47’10” N 35°32’30” E
Day 13
Day 12 - Magdala, Capernaum, Golan Heigh
May 8, 2022 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Our day was spent primarily around (and on!) the Sea of Galilee.

Taking off from our hotel in Tiberias, we first arrived at Magdala, the site of one of the oldest synagogues in Israel, having been built around year 20 CE and destroyed around year 68. A menorah - the first symbol of Judaism (and before the Star of David) - is carved onto a stone found there, making it the oldest known representation of one in a Jewish context and likely carved by someone who had seen the Menorah in the Second Temple.

Capernaum – an ancient fishing village on the north shore of the Sea – is believed to have been the home of Peter and the place where several stories of Jesus’ miracles occurred. There also are two ancient synagogues, one built (of limestone) atop the other (built of volcanic rock).

Lunch was had at one of the best restaurants we’ve visited all trip. Glorious, glorious food.

Like all of our days here, the weather was glorious – sun shining with temperatures in the high 70’s to low 80’s.

But as we began to climb to a view atop the Golan Heights, the temperature dropped by 15 degrees until we reached the top, at about 3,800 feet. From atop Mount Bental – the location of an important battle during the 1973 fight for the Heights – we had views of Syria and Lebanon, as well as Mount Hermon, the tallest mountain (with skiing!) in Israel.

From the mountain we returned to the Sea for a short cruise on a boat named “Noah” with a dance instructor who led the group in the hora.

Our day ended with an Israeli wine tasting (we learned what made some wines “kosher”) at our hotel, followed by a delicious dinner in the town of Magdala.

We leave Tiberias in the morning and will spend our last night in Tel Aviv.

#aktravel #Israel #magdala #capernaum #GolanHeights #MountBental #MountHermon #Tiberias Magdalena Restaurant - מסעדת מגדלנה Tibi's טיביסRead more
Traveler Was that some kind of dried meat in the photo ?
5/9/22Reply
Traveler Yup. Our lunch-time restaurant, Tibi’s, butchers and ages their own beef.
5/9/22Reply
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Traveler Africa
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- Nov 18, 2019, 11:12am
- ⛅ 23 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Israel Northern District Shekhunat Ge’ulim H̱of Gaya 32.78532, 35.543932°47’7” N 35°32’38” E
Day 49
Kibbutz & Christian Sites
November 18, 2019 in Israel ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
We spent an hour at a Jewish Kibbutz where we learned about their communal way of life, based on agriculture: farming avocados, mangoes, bananas and cows. It seems relaxed and affluent. When we visited the location where Jesus apparently delivered the Sermon on the Mount with what we now know as the Beatitudes, there were crowds of big buses and people. We then spent half an hour at a Greek Orthodox Church which was very ornate. Driving to a kibbutz by the Golan Heights, we took a ride on an old wooden ship on the Sea of Galilee. We saw Temptation Mountain, and the Sycamore Tree where Zacheus climbed up to see Jesus. The Kibbutz was interesting, but the rest of the day seemed quite touristy. Our hotel tonight is deluxe, a former casino, where we had a sauna, steam bath, hot tub, and played ping pong.Read more
Traveler Enjoying the travel log...but even just following you I am getting tired!!!! Stay Well!
11/18/19Reply
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Traveler Holy Land and Portugal WYD
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- Jul 25, 2023, 5:55pm
- ☀️ 37 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Israel Northern District Shekhunat Ge’ulim H̱of Gaya 32.785234, 35.54396432°47’7” N 35°32’38” E
Day 4
Tiberius and the Sea of Galilee
July 25, 2023 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 37 °C
Hanging at Sea of Galilee
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Traveler Israel and Jordan
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- Apr 13, 2023
- ⛅ 19 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Israel Northern District Shekhunat Ge’ulim H̱of Gaya 32.785951, 35.54286832°47’9” N 35°32’34” E
Day 2
Welcome to the Holy Land
April 13, 2023 in Israel ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Dueteronomy 8:7 - 10 "For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a agood bland, a land of brooks of water, of cfountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of aoil olive, and honey; A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig abrass. When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee."

This was Emily's opening message to us as we traveled from the Tel Aviv airport to our first stop, the Israeli Museum in Jerusalem. It was raining quite hard so the guides decided to do an indoor activity instead of the planned outdoor one. It was amazing to think that the exhibitions on view were 6500 years old which is hard to fathom. At home, our province is barely 120 years old so we just don't have any kind of history compared to this area of the world. There was lots of pottery from different eras, jewelry, idols, ossuaries (coffins for bones only), the sarcophas of Herod, but the Dead Seal Scrolls was the highlight item. Another wonderful find was the two silver scrolls found in 1979 containing a text written in Paleo-Hebrew of the Priestly Blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26. The scrolls were dates to the late 7th or early 6th century BC and is the oldest surviving text currently known from the Hebrew Bible.

We ended the evening with David and Emily welcoming us again and inspiring us to come and see and experience on this trip. Poor out our hearts to Him and invite Him in as it is His presence that will make this trip memorable.Read more
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Traveler Israel and Jordan
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- Apr 14, 2023
- ☀️ 24 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Israel Northern District Shekhunat Ge’ulim H̱of Gaya 32.785961, 35.54287232°47’9” N 35°32’34” E
Day 3
Day 2 - Jordan and the Dead Sea
April 14, 2023 in Israel ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C
Drove to the Dead Sea in Jordan today. This area is all desert. Some facts about the Dead Sea: it is 6-9 miles wide and 35 miles long. It is 950 feet at it's deepest point. The Jordan River feeds it. It is 15 000 years old and losing 3 feet a year. It is the lowest point on the earth. The Dead Sea has a salt content of 35% which is 10 times more than ocean water at 3%. It is actually a lake but the bible called it a Sea so it stuck. Swimming in the sea felt like space walking and it took me a while before I figured out how to stand upright without touching the bottom of the lake. You cannot touch the bottom because everything floats. You don't dare dunk your head as the salt would really hurt your eyes. The water wasn't cold and there were no plants or fish of any kind in the water or around it which made it super clean. It didn't smell at all either. The mud was a black silky smooth paste that was pleasant to touch. We covered our bodies with it and let it dry. It is supposed to be good for your body as it is rich with 12-13 minerals of the earth.

From there we went to Mount Nebo which is the mountain Moses climbed to view the entrance into the Promise Land but was not allowed to step into it. His call was to lead the children of Israel to it and Joshua's job was to lead them in. According to the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses died on Mount Nebo and was buried in Moab. The word Nebo means prophet. There is a historic church on this mountain in honor of Moses. It was originally built in the second half of the 4th entury AD and has some of the best mosaics in all Jordan dating from around 530 AD. It was later abandoned in the 16th century and then rediscovered in the mid-19 century. The interior has remains of antique mosaics with the masterpiece being an assortment of African animals. The memorial shows remnants of different tile floors from the many different periods the church was used. To create the mosaics, the artists would gather stone from all over the county to get the many colors needed. The tiny shape of the mosaic squares are indicitive of artist's effort, talent and patience. Outside the church, still standing are tall milestones, markers used by early travellers to mark locations for those travelling later.Read more
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