Known as the “Festival of Lights,” the Hanukkah holiday is a very special time of year for Jewish people in Israel and all over the world. The holiday originated over 2,000 years ago, when the Jewish people were ruled by the oppressive Syrian king Antiochus, who looted and desecrated the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, outlawed...Read More

“Never forget.” The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is dedicated to the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history. Opened in 1993, the museum has welcomed almost 50 million visitors in its quest to ensure that people will “never forget” the extermination of 6 million Jews, and...Read More

Imagine visiting one of the oldest port cities in the world and one of the oldest continuous settlements in the world (since 2000 BC)—a city that has been conquered and shaped by Romans, Ottomans, Crusaders, Mamelukes, Byzantines, and the British. This is the intriguing city known as Acre, or, as it’s known by locals, Akko....Read More

For travelers wanting to visit an ancient city that offers a spectacular vista of three Middle Eastern countries: Jordan, Syria, and Israel—with a view of the Golan Heights, Mt. Hermon and the Sea of Galilee “thrown in” for inspiration, then a visit to Umm Qais in Jordan is a must. Formerly known as Gadara (taken...Read More

At the conclusion of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, Jewish communities throughout the world begin a joyous and colorful celebration called Simchat Torah, meaning the “rejoicing of the Torah,” or the “rejoicing of the Jewish law.” A spectacular holiday focusing on the gift and significance of the Torah, Simchat Torah is a compilation of ancient...Read More

Known as the Day of Atonement in the Bible, Yom Kippur is regarded as the holiest and most solemn holiday on the Jewish calendar. Commencing on the tenth day in the Hebrew month of Tishrei, as commanded in the Bible, Leviticus 16:29-34, Yom Kippur signifies the final opportunity for Jewish people to seek atonement, forgiveness...Read More

Rosh Hashanah not only marks the beginning of the new year on the Jewish calendar, it is considered by the Jewish community to be one of the holiest and most special times of the year. Also called the Feast of Trumpets, Rosh Hashanah commemorates God’s creation and acceptance of His power and sovereignty over the...Read More

While Israel holds prominence as the “Holy Land,” fewer know there is a second “Holy Land.” Referred to as Asia Minor in the Bible, Turkey holds over 60 percent of sites mentioned in the Bible. This includes the seven churches mentioned in the first three chapters of the Book of Revelation. On the Lord’s Day...Read More

Located in the foothills of Egypt’s Sinai Mountains against the backdrop of its craggy peaks, St. Catherine’s rather imposing fortified monastery tends to belie its more benevolent reputation. Known for being the oldest active Eastern Orthodox monastery in the world, St. Catherine’s vaunted history dates back 17 centuries, to around AD 330. The monastery was...Read More

Does a mosaic prove El-Araj is the home of the apostles? Could a mosaic inscription at the site of El-Araj be the smoking gun archaeologists are looking for to determine the true location of biblical Bethsaida? According to the excavators, it is. The mosaic, which was discovered in the excavations of a Byzantine basilica, references...Read More