Category Archives: History

Bible in Hand: The Altar of Mount Ebal

Posted on December 21, 2022 by Shimona from the Palace

In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses, knowing he is destined to die east of the River Jordan, and not enter the Promised Land with the Children of Israel, whom he has led since leading them out of Egypt, takes his … Continue reading →

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Posted in Archaeology, History, Tourism, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

An Afternoon in Ein Karem

Posted on December 13, 2022 by Shimona from the Palace

Like London, there are neighbourhoods in Jerusalem which still preserve their pastoral atmosphere – villages and moshavim which have been incorporated into the municipal boundaries but which have, so far, managed – often after protracted legal struggles, some of which … Continue reading →

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Posted in History, Religion, Tourism, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Touring With the Bible: The Jordan Valley In the Footsteps of Joshua, Elijah – and John the Baptist

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Shimona from the Palace

I have never been fond of Autumn, the saddest of seasons. We put the clocks back the night between 29 – 30th October, and so it is now dark by 5:30 pm. I find that singularly depressing. On the other … Continue reading →

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Posted in Archaeology, History, Tourism, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

A New Year Is Just Around The Corner

Posted on September 15, 2022 by Shimona from the Palace

Shame on me, allowing almost three months to pass without writing about anything. And now, lo and behold – Rosh Hashana is less than a fortnight away, the children are all back at school (the almost “traditional” teachers’ strike having … Continue reading →

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Posted in Archaeology, Art, History, Tourism, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Corona Chronicles – Never Forget

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Shimona from the Palace

Today, in Israel, we are marking Holocaust Remembrance Day – or, to give it its full title, Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day. And I stress the word Heroism. Because while many people think Jews went like lambs to the … Continue reading →

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Posted in History, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

The Corona Chronicles – How Putin Single-Handedly Defeated COVID-19

Posted on March 3, 2022 by Shimona from the Palace

Have you noticed how nobody is talking about the pandemic any more? True, the transmission rate and other numbers are falling and the Fifth Wave did seem to be gradually subsiding (here, in Israel, at any rate) throughout February, although … Continue reading →

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Posted in History, International Relations, News, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Herodion: Herod’s Fortress-Tomb

Posted on March 17, 2020 by Shimona from the Palace

What an eventful few weeks the tail end of winter has been!  The end of February and the beginning of March saw lashing rains and icy winds, not to mention one of the nastiest, dirtiest election campaigns in living memory … Continue reading →

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Posted in Archaeology, History, Tourism, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

In Search of the Crusaders

Posted on February 25, 2020 by Shimona from the Palace

February is often the rainiest month here in Israel, and, indeed, we seem to have had more than our fair share of downpours this month, some of them very heavy indeed. However, once again we were lucky when, on the … Continue reading →

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Posted in Archaeology, History, Tourism, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Busy Month

Posted on February 3, 2020 by Shimona from the Palace

A famous quote by the British author, Saki would have it that “The people of Crete unfortunately make more history than they can consume locally.” With all due respect, I believe that description fits the people of Israel even more. … Continue reading →

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Posted in Archaeology, History, Tourism, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

In Search of the Maccabees

Posted on December 19, 2019 by Shimona from the Palace

Hanukkah is just days away, so it was entirely fitting that this month’s archaeological field trip with Yad Ben Zvi should have been devoted to sites associated with the Maccabees and their descendants, the Hasmoneans. We started out under ominously … Continue reading →

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Posted in Archaeology, History, Tourism, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments