Category Archives: Travel

When Hanukkah Meets Christmas

Posted on December 27, 2022 by Shimona from the Palace

One day last week, half way through Hanukkah and at the height of the count-down to Christmas, I joined a Yad Ben Zvi tour in the Old City of Jerusalem to explore the celebration of those two festivals. Although Jewish … Continue reading →

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Posted in Religion, Tourism, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 20 Comments

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

The Corona Chronicles – Long Day’s Journey Into Night

Posted on September 24, 2020 by Shimona from the Palace

Those of you who follow this blog know how much I enjoy touring the country and taking  part in archaeological field-trips and nature rambles organized by Yad Yitzchak Ben Zvi, many of which I have described over the past few … Continue reading →

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Posted in Archaeology, Daily Life, News, Politics, Religion, Tourism, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 3 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

Grecian Getaway – Day 7: All Good Things Must Come to an End

Posted on November 3, 2019 by Shimona from the Palace

The following day was to be the last of our tour.  After breakfast, we loaded our suitcases onto the bus and set forth for Veroia or Veria. Here, too, there was a Jewish community as early as the 1st century … Continue reading →

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