Holiday Greetings and Happy New Year!

As the world celebrates Christmas Eve tonight, thousands will flock to Bethlehem for midnight mass which is televised around the world. Many Jewish Israelis also join in the celebrations at carol services and other Christmas events taking place in Jerusalem and around the country.

The other day I saw Santa Claus ringing his bell from the walls of Jerusalem.

Nativity Square in Bethlehem ready to receive visitors

Enjoy this short film produced by Israel 21c showing Nazareth preparing to celebrate Christmas in the city. Christmas preparations in Nazareth

I wish everyone Peace on Earth and Goodwill to all.

Holy Week in Jerusalem 2014

This year, Passover and Easter fell during the same week. In addition, the Orthodox and Catholic churches celebrated Easter on the same date so the city was filled with celebrations. Though I usually avoid the crowds, this year I had the pleasure of experiencing some of the events and savouring the atsmosphere and colorful throngs of people celebrating Holy Week.  You too can enjoy this via the pictures below. (Photos Courtesy of Jo M. Kearney.)

Priestly Blessing at the Western Wall

 

Hundreds of people - secular, religious and ultra-Orthodox, as well as tourists took part in the traditional Birkat HaKohanim (Priestly Blessing) at the Western Wall last Thursday morning.

The blessing, a Jewish prayer recited by Kohanim (Jewish priests in direct patrilineal descent from Aaron), is regularly performed during the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot.
 



 

Priestly Blessing Western Wall
 



 

Holy Sepulcher from the rooftop

 

 

Good Friday Procession

 

Ethiopian Priests at Deir ESultan on the roof of the Holy Sepulchre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Methuselah - Ancient Date Tree from Masada - Watch the Film!

Whenever I visit Masada, which I do frequently, I talk about the ancient Judean date pits which were found in the store rooms by the archeologist Yigal Yadin back in the mid-1960's.  More specifically I mention Methuselah, the 2000 year old date pit which is growing on Kibbutz Ketura in the Arava.

For thousands of years, Judean date trees were one of the most recognizable and welcome sights for people living in the Middle East -- widely cultivated throughout the region for their sweet fruit, and for the cool shade they offered from the blazing desert sun.

The Judea Capta Coin minted after the destruction of Judea - the woman sitting under the date palm signified Judea

 

From its founding some 3,000 years ago, to the dawn of the Common Era, the trees became a staple crop in the Kingdom of Judea. Judean palm trees would come to serve as one of the kingdom's chief symbols of good fortune; King David named his daughter, Tamar, after the plant's name in Hebrew.
By the time the Roman Empire sought to usurp control of the kingdom in 70 AD, broad forests of these trees flourished as a staple crop to the Judean economy -- a fact that made them a prime resource for the invading army to destroy. Sadly, around the year 500 AD, the once plentiful fruit trees had been, driven to extinction for the sake of conquest.

In the centuries that followed, first-hand knowledge of the tree slipped from memory to legend. Up until recently, that is.
During excavations at the site of Herod's palace in Israel in the early 1960's, archeologists unearthed a small stockpile of seeds stowed in a clay jar dating back 2,000 years. For the next four decades, the ancient seeds were kept in a drawer at Tel Aviv's Bar-Ilan University. But then, in 2005, botanical researcher Elaine Solowey decided to plan some and see what, if anything, would sprout.
"I assumed the food in the seed would be no good after all that time. How could it be?" She was soon proven to be wrong.

Amazingly, the multi-millennial seed did indeed sprout -- producing a sapling no one had seen in centuries. Today, the living archeological treasure continues to grow and thrive; In 2011, it even produced its first flower -- a heartening sign that the ancient survivor was eager to reproduce. It has been proposed that the tree be cross-bred with closely related palm types, but it would likely take years for it to begin producing any of its famed fruits. Meanwhile, Solowey is working to revive other age-old trees from their long dormancy.

Watch this short film about Methuselah

Methusalah, October 2014

 Picture by Jill Rosenfield

 

 

Jerusalem on the Way Up - According to Trip Advisor

Leading travel website TripAdvisor has released a new list citing the Top 10 Destinations on the Rise around the world, and ranks Jerusalem as the fourth most popular site to visit. The new ranking comes in the wake of the Tourism Ministry’s announcement of record-breaking numbers of tourists to Israel for the first quarter of 2014.

To read more: Jerusalem City on the Rise by Viva Press of Israel 21c.

Well some of us already knew that, but if you haven't visited yet, now is the time!

Here are just a few reasons:

Buildings

Tower of Lutheran Redeemer Church - Christian Quarter

 

 

Food - Spice Shop

 

 

The People

 

Culture - The First Station

 



Spring in the Galilee - Rosh Pinna 2014

After the heavy snow and rain of mid-December, the country has been experiencing drought conditions. Even so, the almond trees are beginning to bloom and the spring flowers are appearing though in smaller numbers than usual.

Last week I had the opportunity to enjoy the spring in the Galilee - a truly wonderful experience!

The Almond Trees in Bloom in the Rosh Pinna Valley

 

I stayed in a small guesthouse in Rosh Pinna - the pioneer village established in 1878 by a group of pious young men from Safed. After three years of hunger and drought, all but three families left.

In 1882 a group of immigrants from Romania arrived and made the village their home. Aware of the previous troubles, they recalled the verse from Psalm 118:22 - "The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone (Rosh Pinna)" Thus Rosh Pinna became the new name of the village below the Arab village of Gei Oni with whom good relations were established.

In 1883 Baron Rothschild's clerks visited the town and agreed to sponsor its development and established a winery, a silk factory as well as a tobacco factory. The situated close to three springs, the village became the administrative center and seat of the Baron's representatives for all the Galilee villages.

In 1900 Rosh Pinna numbered 500 souls. One resident was Professor Gideon Mer who established a malaria research laboratory in his home. The results of his work was the eradication of the disease in Israel and many other countries.

Situated on the eastern slope of Mount Canaan overlooking the Sea of Galilee, the Hula Valley, Golan Heights and Hermon Mountain, the town has always been a tourist destination for those wishing to enjoy the many archeological, historical and religious sites in the area and the spectacular views the town affords.

Today there are almost 3000 people living in the town which has retained its original character. New neighborhoods and public buildings have been added alongside the stone houses built by the founders of the village.

I visited the area with Richard Woolf, a tour guide who has lived in Rosh Pinna for over 40 years. He toured me around the picturesque village.