One thing that is almost impossible to argue over when it comes to the Land of Israel is that this tiny country holds a special place in the heart of people from all three of the great religions as well as those from less well known faiths such as the Baha’i, the Druze, and the Samaritans, amongst many others.
Despite all the difficulties and security issues that so often are the focus of international media, religious tourism from both the Christian and Jewish communities as well as, to a lesser degree, the Muslim faith, have rarely failed to keep on coming to sample the unique sights, sounds and atmosphere of the Holy Land. Even atheists or agnostics rarely leave Israel without feeling, at the very least, that they have ‘touched history’.
I remember guests coming over to Israel for my wedding more than 12 years ago who had never been before and who felt that the occasion of our nuptials was sufficient cause to see for themselves what all the fuss was about. I can honestly say that out of all the wedding guests as well as all those who have subsequently visited Paz and I over here and enjoyed trips to many parts of the country, no-one has ever failed to enjoy themselves and leave with a positive impression, and many have come back time and again.
I recall my great friends Sandra and Ted Nicholson, seasoned international travellers, arriving in Israel back in ’99 and being overwhelmed by the food, the humour, the bad driving, and in particular, the historic sites. I took them on a walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem, entering through the Jaffa Gate then ambling through the seemingly endless Arab market all the way down to the Kotel, the Western Wall, via a stop at the stunning Church of the Holy Sepulchre where the five main branches of Christianity compete to demonstrate their image of Christ and have their own varied opinions of his teachings.
From the frenzy of the Western wall with orthodox and secular Jews buzzing around the ancient stones that are the only remaining feature of Solomon’s Temple of more than 2000 years ago, passing by the ‘Golden Dome’ mosque, the building constructed to mark the spots where Allah is believed to have ascended to heaven, we wandered down to the Gardens of Gethsemane before returning via the Via Dolorosa, where we visited the Station of the Cross. It was towards the end of the day that archetypal Yorkshireman Ted, (for whom Christian belief has hardly been a mainstay of his daily routine), turned to his wife and said in quite an emotional voice, ‘Can you believe it, Sandra. We stood all those years singing ‘Jerusalem’ every day at school and in church and now we’re actually here. It’s bloody amazing!’
Only last week I took a couple of friends on a day trip to Sea of Galilee where we climbed up to the lookout point at the top of stunning Mount Arbel overlooking the northern shore, before passing through Tiberias to witness the hundreds of baptisms at the River Jordan site where Christians from across the globe come to take to the water. It’s an impressive place, very well presented and invariably provokes really strong emotions as the realisation on so many black, white and brown faces that they are getting ever closer to their Lord rarely fails to draw me and any guests close to tears.
We ended the day on a historic modern Jewish theme by visiting the first ever kibbutz at Deganya, but there are so many stunning places around the Galilee that it comes as no surprise to learn that the Israeli Tourism ministry has inaugurated the ‘Gospel Trail’, a walking path that covers a total of some 63kms from Nazareth to Capernaum and takes Christian pilgrims who want to follow in the footsteps of Jesus through many places with ever so familiar names that have become inextricably linked with his teachings.
I was surprised to learn that, according to the Jerusalem Post, of the record 3½ million tourists who came to Israel last year, 66% were Christians, and around half of them came specifically to take part in some form of pilgrimage. I feel able to say with some certainty that the new Gospel Trail is going to be a very big hit and will give even more people of all faiths the chance to sample a part of Israel that is truly stunning; rural Israel, where you get close to the real Israelis of the kibbutzes, and the small towns, the villages, be they Jewish, Christian or Arab, and the amazing historic sites and antiquities that make this country so unique and so special to so many people.
With all the never-ending chaos that seems to perpetually surround us, it is sometimes easy to lose sight of the fact that Israel really is a very, very special place. I count myself lucky these days to be able to call it ‘home’.
Despite all the difficulties and security issues that so often are the focus of international media, religious tourism from both the Christian and Jewish communities as well as, to a lesser degree, the Muslim faith, have rarely failed to keep on coming to sample the unique sights, sounds and atmosphere of the Holy Land. Even atheists or agnostics rarely leave Israel without feeling, at the very least, that they have ‘touched history’.
I remember guests coming over to Israel for my wedding more than 12 years ago who had never been before and who felt that the occasion of our nuptials was sufficient cause to see for themselves what all the fuss was about. I can honestly say that out of all the wedding guests as well as all those who have subsequently visited Paz and I over here and enjoyed trips to many parts of the country, no-one has ever failed to enjoy themselves and leave with a positive impression, and many have come back time and again.
I recall my great friends Sandra and Ted Nicholson, seasoned international travellers, arriving in Israel back in ’99 and being overwhelmed by the food, the humour, the bad driving, and in particular, the historic sites. I took them on a walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem, entering through the Jaffa Gate then ambling through the seemingly endless Arab market all the way down to the Kotel, the Western Wall, via a stop at the stunning Church of the Holy Sepulchre where the five main branches of Christianity compete to demonstrate their image of Christ and have their own varied opinions of his teachings.
From the frenzy of the Western wall with orthodox and secular Jews buzzing around the ancient stones that are the only remaining feature of Solomon’s Temple of more than 2000 years ago, passing by the ‘Golden Dome’ mosque, the building constructed to mark the spots where Allah is believed to have ascended to heaven, we wandered down to the Gardens of Gethsemane before returning via the Via Dolorosa, where we visited the Station of the Cross. It was towards the end of the day that archetypal Yorkshireman Ted, (for whom Christian belief has hardly been a mainstay of his daily routine), turned to his wife and said in quite an emotional voice, ‘Can you believe it, Sandra. We stood all those years singing ‘Jerusalem’ every day at school and in church and now we’re actually here. It’s bloody amazing!’
Only last week I took a couple of friends on a day trip to Sea of Galilee where we climbed up to the lookout point at the top of stunning Mount Arbel overlooking the northern shore, before passing through Tiberias to witness the hundreds of baptisms at the River Jordan site where Christians from across the globe come to take to the water. It’s an impressive place, very well presented and invariably provokes really strong emotions as the realisation on so many black, white and brown faces that they are getting ever closer to their Lord rarely fails to draw me and any guests close to tears.
We ended the day on a historic modern Jewish theme by visiting the first ever kibbutz at Deganya, but there are so many stunning places around the Galilee that it comes as no surprise to learn that the Israeli Tourism ministry has inaugurated the ‘Gospel Trail’, a walking path that covers a total of some 63kms from Nazareth to Capernaum and takes Christian pilgrims who want to follow in the footsteps of Jesus through many places with ever so familiar names that have become inextricably linked with his teachings.
I was surprised to learn that, according to the Jerusalem Post, of the record 3½ million tourists who came to Israel last year, 66% were Christians, and around half of them came specifically to take part in some form of pilgrimage. I feel able to say with some certainty that the new Gospel Trail is going to be a very big hit and will give even more people of all faiths the chance to sample a part of Israel that is truly stunning; rural Israel, where you get close to the real Israelis of the kibbutzes, and the small towns, the villages, be they Jewish, Christian or Arab, and the amazing historic sites and antiquities that make this country so unique and so special to so many people.
With all the never-ending chaos that seems to perpetually surround us, it is sometimes easy to lose sight of the fact that Israel really is a very, very special place. I count myself lucky these days to be able to call it ‘home’.
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