Jerusalem Seminar Journal

On Monday, we visited the Israeli Holocaust Museum (Yad VeShem), including the Valley of the Communities that lists names of nearly 5000 villages throughout Europe in which Jews were expelled (including Kiev and Odessa). We also saw remains of Palestinian villages in the state of Israel that were destroyed in 1948 or 1967. We passed the Aijalon Valley where the sun and moon stood still while Joshua completed a battle. We spent the evening at a community called Wahat al-Salam/Neve Shalom where Palestinian and Jewish Israelis live together.

Tuesday we headed for the Mediterranean Sea and saw the ancient city of Joppa (Jaffa) next to Tel Aviv. Just north of there we visited Caesarea and saw a theater and an aquaduct constructed by Herod the Great. The ocean was very beautiful! (and chilly) We then traveled east to ancient Megiddo where we walked through the water channel constructed during biblical times. Yet that afternoon we traveled to Mount Tabor, up close and personal. Kayla: “It was awesome! The experience of a lifetime!” We then traveled to Nazareth for the night.

This morning (Wednesday) we visited Nazareth churches and Nazareth Village, a reconstructed first-century village that recreates the situation during Jesus’ day. We had a delicious lunch there, then traveled to nearby Sephoris and saw Roman and Jewish ruins. The mosaics were amazing.

Tonight we are at a kibbutz alongside the Sea of Galilee where we will stay for the next three nights. Tomorrow we will begin our Galilee exploration.