The Garden Tomb, Jerusalem: Was Jesus Crucified and Buried Here? The full story of the holy site The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2021-10-26 | The Garden Tomb is a site of Christian worship and witness located in the heart of historic Jerusalem, just outside the Old City walls. Within this peaceful and contemplative garden, there are several antiquities of interest, including an ancient Jewish tomb which many believe is the site of Jesus of Nazareth’s burial and resurrection.In order to preserve and maintain this special site, the grounds of the garden were purchased in 1894 by The Garden Tomb (Jerusalem) Association, a Charitable Trust based in the United Kingdom. The association is comprised of people from many different denominational and national backgrounds, united by the glorious message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The site is maintained by volunteers that come from around the globe and join a team of local Palestinians and Israelis.Skull HillAccording to the scriptures, Jesus was crucified in a place named “the Skull” (Golgotha in Aramaic). In the mid-19th century, several Christian scholars suggested that the rocky escarpment, which can be viewed from the garden, marked the place of the Messiah’s crucifixion.They noted its proximity to the main city gate, its association with executions according to local tradition, and its physical resemblance to a skull.In the gospels, we read that “at the place where Jesus was crucified there was a garden and in the garden a new tomb in which no-one had ever been laid” (John 19:41). Archeological evidence, including an ancient winepress, suggests that this place was an agricultural garden in those days, and inside the garden an ancient Jewish tomb has been found, perhaps the empty tomb of Jesus.guided-tours-garden-tombFor over 120 years, the Garden Tomb has shared the story of the Messiah’s crucifixion and resurrection with countless visitors from across the globe. Some believe that this garden is the setting of those gospel events.However, the question as to whether this is the same tomb in which the Messiah was buried is ultimately unimportant. What is important is that visitors to this garden have an encounter with the living Messiah today. This is our prayer and ministry.Zahi Shaked A tour guide in Israel and his camera zahigo25@walla.com +972-54-6905522 tel סיור עם מורה הדרך ומדריך הטיולים צחי שקד 0546905522My name is Zahi ShakedIn 2000 I became a registered licensed tourist guide.My dedication in life is to pass on the ancient history of the Holy Land.Following upon many years of travel around the world, which was highlighted by a very exciting emotional and soul-searching meeting with the Dalai Lama, I realized that I had a mission. To pass on the history of the Holy Land, its religions, and in particular, the birth and development of Christianity.In order to fulfill this "calling" in the best way possible, I studied in depth, visited, and personally experienced each and every important site of the ancient Christians. I studied for and received my first bachelors degree in the ancient history of the Holy Land, and am presently completing my studies for my second degree.(Masters)Parralel to my studies, and in order to earn a living, I was employed for many years in advertising. What I learned there was how to attract the publics attention, generate and, increase interest, and assimilate information. All this I use as tools to describe, explain and deepen the interest in the sites that we visit. From my experience, I have learned that in this way, the Holy Land becomes more than just history, and that the large stones that we see scattered about in dissaray, join together one by one until they become - a Byzantine Church. This also happens when I lead a group of Pilgrims in the Steps of Jesus. We climb to the peak of Mount Precipice, "glide" over the land to the Sea of Galilee, land on the water, and "see" the miracle which enfolds before us. This is a many-faceted experience. Not only history which you will remember and cherish, but an experience which I hope will be implanted in your hearts and minds, and will accompany you all the days of your life.
What Is the Significance of Sukkot? The Jewish Quarter, Jerusalem, Two Days Before the War Began The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-20 | Information aboutSukkot in Jerusalem itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishaked/extrasSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foSukkot is a Torah-commanded holiday celebrated for seven days Three Pilgrimage Festivals on which those Israelites who could were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.The names used in the Torah are Chag HaAsif, translated to "Festival of Ingathering" or "Harvest Festival", and Chag HaSukkot, translated to "Festival of Booths"This corresponds to the double significance of Sukkot:----- The one mentioned in the Book of Exodus is agricultural in nature—"Festival of Ingathering at the year's end" (Exodus 34:22)—and marks the end of the harvest time and thus of the agricultural year in the Land of Israel. -------The more elaborate religious significance from the Book of Leviticus is that of commemorating the Exodus and the dependence of the People of Israel on the will of God (Leviticus 23:42–43). It is also sometimes called the "Feast of Tabernacles".The holiday lasts seven days The first day is a Shabbat-like holiday when work is forbidden. This is followed by intermediate days called Chol Hamoed, when certain work is permitted. The festival is closed with another Shabbat-like holiday called Shemini Atzeret The Hebrew word sukkōt is the plural of sukkah, "booth" or "tabernacle", which is a walled structure covered with s'chach (plant material, such as overgrowth or palm leaves). A sukkah is the name of the temporary dwelling in which farmers would live during harvesting, a fact connecting to the agricultural significance of the holiday stressed by the Book of Exodus. As stated in Leviticus, it is also intended as a reminiscence of the type of fragile dwellings in which the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of travel in the desert after the Exodus from slavery in Egypt. Throughout the holiday, meals are eaten inside the sukkah and many people sleep there as well.Four speciesThe four species are four plants mentioned in the Torah (Leviticus 23:40) as being relevant to the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.Observant Jews tie together three types of branches and one type of fruit and wave them in a special ceremony each day of the Sukkot holiday, excluding Shabbat. According to Rabbinic Judaism, the waving of the four plants is a mitzvah (commandment) prescribed by the Torah, and it contains symbolic allusions to a Jew's service of God. The mitzvah of waving the four species derives from the Torah. In Leviticus, it states:Leviticus 23:40 And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.וּלְקַחְתֶּם לָכֶם בַּיּוֹם הָרִאשׁוֹן פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר, כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים, וַעֲנַף עֵץ עָבֹת, וְעַרְבֵי נָחַל, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם שִׁבְעַת יָמִים. וְחַגֹּתֶם אֹתוֹ חַג לַיהוָה שִׁבְעַת יָמִים בַּשָּׁנָה, חֻקַּת עוֹלָם לְדֹרֹתֵיכֶם, בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי תָּחֹגּוּ אֹתוֹ.— ספר ויקרא, פרק כ"ג, פסוקים ל"ט–מ"א• etrog (אתרוג) – the fruit of a citron tree• lulav (לולב) – a ripe, green, closed frond from a date palm tree• hadass (הדס) – boughs with leaves from the myrtle tree• aravah (ערבה) – branches with leaves from the willow tree and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.
The Priestly Blessing, at the Western Wall Plaza, Jerusalem. Sukkot 2024 #israel #jerusalem #travel The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-20 | In Israel, the priestly blessing takes place daily in every synagogue across the country. But twice a year, once during Passover and once during Sukkot, a mass priestly blessing is held at the Western Wall.This gathering of tens of thousands became a tradition following its initiation by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gafner during the War of Attrition. He thought of the impact and power the priestly blessing holds, even following the destruction of the temples, and decided to offer both kohanim and others to partake in this meaningful experience en masse during a very difficult period in the State of Israel.Birkat Kohanim at the Kotel is something very worth attending at least once. Provided you aren’t bothered by very large crowds, join the tens of thousands of people who attend this event annually and receive the historic blessing from hundreds of Jews of priestly lineage as they face the congregation, hands stretched forward, chanting in one voice.It’s best to arrive early to make sure you get into the Western Wall plaza. Bring sun protection, modest clothing, a bottle of water, some snacks, and a camera. Do not try to get anywhere close by car. You can take the light rail to the Kikar Safra stop and walk through Jaffa Gate and down to the Western Wall.
Sunday Armenian Divine Liturgy Near Jesus Tomb in Jerusalem #israel #jerusalem #jesus The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-19 | Information aboutthe Church of the Holy Sepulchre itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8fo33 candles, symbolizing the years of Jesus' life, are the energetic gift every Christian in need of healing should have. The candles will be blessed at all the significant locations in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most holy and special sites in Christianity. Located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the church is home to two of the holiest sites in Christianity – the site where Jesus was crucified, known as Calvary, and the tomb where Jesus was buried and then resurrected. Today, the tomb is enclosed by a shrine called the Aedicula. The final four Stations of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, are also located inside the church.The New Testament tells that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, “the place of the skull”. This is commonly thought to be an area of stone quarries outside the city’s walls at the time. Around a decade after Jesus’s crucifixion, a third wall was built to enclose the area of his execution and burial within the city. This provides validation for the Holy Sepulchre’s location inside today’s Old City of Jerusalem.After he had a vision of a cross in the sky in 312 CE, Constantine the Great converted to Christianity and sent his mother, Empress Helena, to Jerusalem in search of Jesus’s tomb. She found a relic of the cross near a tomb, leading her to believe she had found Calvary. In 326 CE, Constantine ordered a church built at the site. All the soil and debris over the centuries was removed from the cave, revealing a rock-cut tomb identified as the burial site of Jesus.The Church now stands over the two holy sites. The great basilica or Martyrium encloses the traditional site of Calvary in one corner. Across the way the Anastasis (“Resurrection”) encloses the cave tomb of Jesus’s burial. The church was finally consecrated on September 13, 335 CE. The wooden doors of the church’s main entrance are still the original doors from 326 CE. This puts into perspective the ancient grandeur of this holy church.Calvary (golgotha)Inside the church entrance, a stairway leads up to Calvary (Golgotha), the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and the most extravagantly decorated part of the church. The exit from this site is down another stairway that leads to the ambulatory.Calvary is two chapels, one is Greek Orthodox and the other is Catholic. The Greek Orthodox chapel’s altar is over the rock of Calvary, also the 12th Station of the Cross. You can touch the rock through a special hole in the floor beneath the altar. Be ready to wait in a line as this is one of the main reasons people visit the church. You can also see the rock through protective glass on both sides of the altar. In between the Catholic and Greek altars, a statue of Mary marks the 13th Station of the Cross.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre may well be the only church in the world where six of the most ancient Christian branches worship while rubbing shoulders. According to “Saving the Holy Sepulchre,” a book by Hebrew University professor Raymond Cohen, major communities like the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Orthodox churches have rights of possession and usage of all holy spots. The smaller Egyptian Coptic and Syriac Orthodox churches have limited rights to use the holiest places and almost no property rights over them. Instead, they preside over the other chapels, passageways and monasteries that sit close to the tomb of Jesus Christ. However, the Ethiopians have no rights in the church at all. They get to use only the roof.
Ethiopian Jews Dancing at the Western Wall ( Wailing Wall) in Jerusalem During Sukkot (Zahi Shaked) The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-19 | Information about the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, due to the war, there are no tourists, and I haven't worked for about a year. Without your help, I would not be able to continue uploading many videos.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foThe Western Wall, or “Wailing Wall”, is the most religious site in the world for the Jewish people. Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, it is the western support wall of the Temple Mount. Thousands of people journey to the wall every year to visit and recite prayers. These prayers are either spoken or written down and placed in the cracks of the wall. The wall splits into two sections, one area for males and the other for females. It is one of the major highlights in any tour of the Old City.King Herod built this wall in 20 BCE during an expansion of the Second Temple. When the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 CE, the support wall survived. For hundreds of years, people prayed in the small area of the wall that could be seen. In 1967, following the Six-Day War, Israelis dug below the ground of the wall, exposing two more levels. They also cleared the area around the wall to create the Western Wall Plaza that visitors see today.The site is open to all people and is the location of various ceremonies, such as military inductions and bar mitzvahs. The Western Wall is free and is open all day, year-round. Women and men should dress modestly in the Western Wall Plaza. To pray at the wall, women should have their legs and shoulders covered. Men should cover their heads.Zahi Shaked A tour guide in Israel and his camera zahishaked@gmail.com +972-54-6905522 tel סיור עם מורה הדרך ומדריך הטיולים צחי שקד 0546905522My name is Zahi ShakedIn 2000 I became a registered licensed tourist guide.My dedication in life is to pass on the ancient history of the Holy Land.Following upon many years of travel around the world, which was highlighted by a very exciting emotional and soul-searching meeting with the Dalai Lama, I realized that I had a mission. To pass on the history of the Holy Land, its religions, and in particular, the birth and development of Christianity.In order to fulfill this "calling" in the best way possible, I studied in depth, visited, and personally experienced each and every important site of the ancient Christians. I studied for and received my first bachelors degree in the ancient history of the Holy Land, and am presently completing my studies for my second degree.(Masters)Parralel to my studies, and in order to earn a living, I was employed for many years in advertising. What I learned there was how to attract the publics attention, generate and, increase interest, and assimilate information. All this I use as tools to describe, explain and deepen the interest in the sites that we visit. From my experience, I have learned that in this way, the Holy Land becomes more than just history, and that the large stones that we see scattered about in dissaray, join together one by one until they become - a Byzantine Church. This also happens when I lead a group of Pilgrims in the Steps of Jesus. We climb to the peak of Mount Precipice, "glide" over the land to the Sea of Galilee, land on the water, and "see" the miracle which enfolds before us. Different traditions identify different primary components of Shacharit. Essentially all agree that pesukei dezimra, the Shema Yisrael and its blessings, and the Amidah are major sections. Some identify the preliminary blessings and readings, as a first, distinct section. Others say that Tachanun is a separate section, as well as the concluding blessings. On certain days, there are additional prayers and services added to shacharit, including Mussaf and a Torah reading.
The Ethiopians at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem #israel #jerusalem #ethiopia #jesus The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-19 | Information aboutthe Church of the Holy Sepulchre itself will be provided after this announcement (Sharon Landers). Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8fo33 candles, symbolizing the years of Jesus' life, are the energetic gift every Christian in need of healing should have. The candles will be blessed at all the significant locations in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most holy and special sites in Christianity. Located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the church is home to two of the holiest sites in Christianity – the site where Jesus was crucified, known as Calvary, and the tomb where Jesus was buried and then resurrected. Today, the tomb is enclosed by a shrine called the Aedicula. The final four Stations of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, are also located inside the church.The New Testament tells that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, “the place of the skull”. This is commonly thought to be an area of stone quarries outside the city’s walls at the time. Around a decade after Jesus’s crucifixion, a third wall was built to enclose the area of his execution and burial within the city. This provides validation for the Holy Sepulchre’s location inside today’s Old City of Jerusalem.After he had a vision of a cross in the sky in 312 CE, Constantine the Great converted to Christianity and sent his mother, Empress Helena, to Jerusalem in search of Jesus’s tomb. She found a relic of the cross near a tomb, leading her to believe she had found Calvary. In 326 CE, Constantine ordered a church built at the site. All the soil and debris over the centuries was removed from the cave, revealing a rock-cut tomb identified as the burial site of Jesus.The Church now stands over the two holy sites. The great basilica or Martyrium encloses the traditional site of Calvary in one corner. Across the way the Anastasis (“Resurrection”) encloses the cave tomb of Jesus’s burial. The church was finally consecrated on September 13, 335 CE. The wooden doors of the church’s main entrance are still the original doors from 326 CE. This puts into perspective the ancient grandeur of this holy church.Calvary (golgotha)Inside the church entrance, a stairway leads up to Calvary (Golgotha), the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and the most extravagantly decorated part of the church. The exit from this site is down another stairway that leads to the ambulatory.Calvary is two chapels, one is Greek Orthodox and the other is Catholic. The Greek Orthodox chapel’s altar is over the rock of Calvary, also the 12th Station of the Cross. You can touch the rock through a special hole in the floor beneath the altar. Be ready to wait in a line as this is one of the main reasons people visit the church. You can also see the rock through protective glass on both sides of the altar. In between the Catholic and Greek altars, a statue of Mary marks the 13th Station of the Cross.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre may well be the only church in the world where six of the most ancient Christian branches worship while rubbing shoulders. According to “Saving the Holy Sepulchre,” a book by Hebrew University professor Raymond Cohen, major communities like the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Orthodox churches have rights of possession and usage of all holy spots. The smaller Egyptian Coptic and Syriac Orthodox churches have limited rights to use the holiest places and almost no property rights over them. Instead, they preside over the other chapels, passageways and monasteries that sit close to the tomb of Jesus Christ. However, the Ethiopians have no rights in the church at all. They get to use only the roof.
Abbey of the Dormition, Jerusalem–Could This Be the Final Home of Mary, Mother of Jesus? Zahi Shaked The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-19 | Information about the Abbey of the Dormition, Jerusalem, Mount Zion itself will be provided after this announcement (Betty, E.J, and James Anthony Arendt).Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foAbbey of the Dormition, Mount Zion JerusalemThe legend holds that during Saint Helena's pilgrimage to the Holy Land between 326 and 328, she identified two spots on the Mount of Olives as being associated with Jesus' life - the place of His Ascension, and a grotto associated with His teaching of the Lord's Prayer - and that on her return to Rome she ordered the construction of two sanctuaries at these locations.The monastic church- “the Dormition” is one of the most prominent churches in Jerusalem due to its size, beauty and location that overlooks the old city. The church was built on a plot which the German emperor Wilhelm the 2nd received from the Ottoman sultan during his visit to the Holy Land in 1898, and it was inaugurated in 1910. The emperor decided to establish here a large church that would demonstrate the strength of Germany, and the building does in fact give a feeling of a fortress.The church stands out due to its round shape, unlike most of Jerusalem’s churches that are rectangular. The central building is round, as well as the wings and towers surrounding it. Also the cone-shaped dome has a form that is distinct from the other churches of Jerusalem. Another unique characteristic of the church is the integration of motifs from east and west- a massive neo-Romanesque building, which is similar to ancient cathedrals in Europe, combined with white and red stones that characterize the Mameluke architecture. The narrow alleys emphasize the vast dimensions of the church, which is 34 meters high- like a 12 story building. The church was established where, according to tradition, Miriam, mother of Jesus, fell to her death- sleep. The church’s name derives from this event- “The Dormition”, meaning “coma”.The interior of the church is impressive, with a mosaic floor. The mosaic presents a Latin quotation of the Book of Psalms: “May the Lord bless you from Zion”- a verse referring to Mount Zion where the church stands. The mosaic also depicts the Ark of Noah that drifted on stormy waves. This is a common metaphor in Christianity, symbolizing the belief that only its followers will be saved from the Great Flood at the far distant future.The church’s floor is covered by a large and round mosaic. The inner circle is comprised of three circles, with the Greek inscription “Agios”- meaning “saint” in Greek. The three circles symbolize the divinity, which sends tongues of fire to the four main prophets: Isaiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, who appear in the second circle. The Gospel is conveyed by them to the 12 prophets and four writers of the gospels, whose names are mentioned in the third circle and they are also depicted in the illustrations: the angle is Mathew, the eagle is John, the bull is Lucas and the lion is Mark. They were the ones who conveyed the Gospels to the whole world, which is symbolized by a zodiac.The mosaic symbolizes the connection between, and the continuation from the bible- prophets to the apostles and four messengers of the Gospels. In the Apsis at the front of the church facing the east, stands the main altar of the church, with a magnificent mosaic presenting baby Jesus in the hands of his mother Miriam. Jesus holds an open book in which the following text is written in Greek: “I am the light of the world”. Below them stand the prophets who prophesized the coming of the Messiah, their heads surrounded by halos. The alcoves surrounding the hall are secondary altars which were donated by German Catholic communities.Zahi Shaked A tour guide in Israel and his camera zahishaked@gmail.com +972-54-6905522 tel צחי שקד 0546905522
Why Did King David Choose Jerusalem as Israels Eternal Capital? (Zahi Shaked) The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-19 | Information about the City of David, Jerusalem itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishaked/extrasSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8fo‘City of David’ is one of the most important archaeological sites in Israel. Located just outside the old city of Jerusalem, The City of David bears the oldest remains of Jerusalem, including significant remains from the time of David’s kingdom when his capital was here.A Short History of the City of DavidAncient Jerusalem was established on a slope above a significant source called the Gihon Spring. The oldest finds at the site attest to human settlement here 5000 years ago. Some 3000 years ago the Book of Samuel records David conquering the site and establishing here his capital of the United monarchy. He named it the “City of David”, although later the Bible referred to it as “Jerusalem”. Solomon, David’s son, built a temple on the hill above the city (The Temple Mount), and a royal tomb complex was also established in the city. The city of David / Jerusalem miraculously lasted an Assyrian attack in 701 BCE, but was conquered and destroyed later by the Babylonians. Despite the traumatic destruction and exile of its people, some 70 years later, groups of Jews managed to return to Jerusalem and resettle it. In Maccabean times the city expanded towards the north, and eventually the area of the City of David was abandoned and left outside the city walls. In the 19th century the area was used for farming, but with the expansion of Jerusalem in the mid-20th century Muslims repopulated part of the area again.The City of David offers many archaeological tourist attractions. Under the visitors’ center, the possible remains King David’s palace are presented, some are on top of the massive slopes uncovered in Area G. An underground curved tunnel from Canaanite times leads to a 15 meters karstic shaft named after its discoverer – Warren’s shaft.From the main spring of the site one can walk along two ancient water tunnels – the “dry” Canaanite Tunnel, or the extreme style hike through the “wet” Hezekiah’s Tunnel. Both lead to the ancient Pool of Siloam, said to be a place where Jesus preformed a miracle (John 9).Nearby a mysterious set of carvings are suggested by some to be traces of King David’s Tomb. In recent years it is also possible to walk from the pool of Siloam to the Southern Wall Archaeological park underground! This exciting experience is possible by clearing a 2000 year old Herodian drainage channel.It is also recommended to book tickets to the “City of David Nighttime Show“. This multimedia presentation focuses on the Jewish restablishment of Jerusalem in the time of Nehemiah, some 2600 years ago.A tour of the City of David is a unique experience. It provides a first-hand experience of appreciating the long and turbulent history of Jerusalem.The muezzin is the person who proclaims the call to the daily prayer (ṣalāt) five times a day (Fajr prayer, Zuhr prayer, Asr prayer, Maghrib prayer, and Isha prayer) at a mosque. The muezzin plays an important role in ensuring an accurate prayer schedule for the Muslim community.
Gethsemane: The Ancient Trees That Witnessed Jesus Final Hours #israel #jerusalem #jesus #travel The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-18 | Information about Gethsemane, Jerusalem itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foGethsemane:"...Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it." (John 18:1)Built in 1924 on the traditional site of the Garden of Gethsemane, the Basilica of the Agony enshrines a section of bedrock identified as the place where Jesus prayed alone in the garden on the night of his arrest. Although it is not certain that this is the exact spot, the setting does fit the Gospel description, and the present church, designed by the architect Antonio Barluzzi, rests on the foundations of two earlier shrines: a 12th-century Crusader chapel, abandoned in 1345; and a 4th-century Byzantine basilica, destroyed by the earthquake in 746. (A rock on the way up to the Mount of Olives is mentioned by the Pilgrim of Bordeaux in 333, who identifies it as the place where Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus.)The windows in the present church are made from translucent purplish-blue alabaster, which gives an intended dimmed-lighting effect to the interior. Six monolithic columns support 12 cupolas, the insides of which are decorated with mosaic tiles depicting the national emblems of the donor communities. This decoration gave rise to the popular name, "Church of All Nations".The name Gethsemane is a Greek form of the Hebrew gat shemanim ([olive] oil press). Eight olive trees in the adjoining garden are very ancient. (The dating of olive trees is difficult as they renew both trunk and root structure so that a young-looking tree may in fact have ancient roots).In the garden is an open altar, placed there by the Franciscan fathers in an ecumenical gesture to the Anglican community, which holds Maundy Thursday services there on the eve of Good Friday.Zahi Shaked A tour guide in Israel and his camera: zahishaked@gmail.com +972-54-6905522 tel סיור עם מורה הדרך ומדריך הטיולים צחי שקד 0546905522My name is Zahi ShakedIn 2000 I became a registered licensed tourist guide.My dedication in life is to pass on the ancient history of the Holy Land.Following upon many years of travel around the world, which was highlighted by a very exciting emotional and soul-searching meeting with the Dalai Lama, I realized that I had a mission. To pass on the history of the Holy Land, its religions, and in particular, the birth and development of Christianity.In order to fulfill this "calling" in the best way possible, I studied in depth, visited, and personally experienced each and every important site of the ancient Christians. I studied for and received my first bachelors degree in the ancient history of the Holy Land, and am presently completing my studies for my second degree.(Masters)Parralel to my studies, and in order to earn a living, I was employed for many years in advertising. What I learned there was how to attract the publics attention, generate and, increase interest, and assimilate information. All this I use as tools to describe, explain and deepen the interest in the sites that we visit. From my experience, I have learned that in this way, the Holy Land becomes more than just history, and that the large stones that we see scattered about in dissaray, join together one by one until they become - a Byzantine Church. This also happens when I lead a group of Pilgrims in the Steps of Jesus. We climb to the peak of Mount Precipice, "glide" over the land to the Sea of Galilee, land on the water, and "see" the miracle which enfolds before us. This is a many-faceted experience. Not only history which you will remember and cherish, but an experience which I hope will be implanted in your hearts and minds
Get into the trenches of Israeli history at the revamped Mt. Zion supply tunnel, Jerusalem The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-17 | Information about the Church of the Holy Sepulchre itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foWhen Jordanian snipers threatened supply lines before Israel unified Jerusalem, IDF engineers built a secret trench now renovated and open to visitors after lying dormant for years. Between Israel’s independence in 1948 and the conclusion of the 1967 Six Day War, there were 19 years when part of Jerusalem was under Israeli control, and another part — including the Old City and the Western Wall — was occupied by Jordan.Jerusalem was divided by a boundary rigged with mines, and demarcated by barbed wire and frightening signs that read: “Danger! Do not cross!” This area was known as No Man’s Land.Shortly after the entirety of Jerusalem came under Israeli control and the city was reunified in 1967, almost every vestige of the hated division was quickly cleared away. When the task was complete, only one remnant remained: an ugly hole on the slopes of Mount Zion, “decorated” here and there with large pieces of tin.For over 50 years, Jerusalemites watched as this eyesore filled up with garbage and debris, seemingly destined to remain an indefinite blemish on Mount Zion. This was unfortunate, for not only is Mount Zion of major historical and religious importance to both Jews and Christians, but the hole was actually the entrance to a historic underground trench constructed by the Israel Defense Forces in 1948, and had been a key asset prior to the Six Day War.Last year, there was a flourish of activity at the site, and, on Wednesday, the restored Mount Zion portion of the tunnel was officially opened to the public. A lovely little semicircular tiered seating area at the entrance provides a venue for tour guides to speak about the site’s history before heading in — or simply for visitors to rest and enjoy the view of the city.Funded by the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage, the project cost NIS 2.5 million ($780,000) and is a fitting tribute to the ingenuity of the Combat Engineering Corps, or CEC.The CEC, which consisted at first of Jewish veterans from the British Royal Engineers, was formed at the very beginning of Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, and has participated in every Israeli conflict since then.Last week we walked the ramparts from the Jaffa Gate to the Zion Gate — which were once filled with Jordanian soldiers — together with Gura Berger, spokesperson for the East Jerusalem Development Company (PAMI). Berger suggested that on this jaunt we pretend to be Jordanian snipers in the time prior to Jerusalem’s unification, and pointed out where bored Jordanian soldiers had carved graffiti into the stone.At the time, Jordan occupied the Old City within the walls, while Mount Zion — located only a few meters further south and completely isolated from the rest of Jewish Jerusalem — was held by Israel.When he was a child in the early 1960s, Berger’s husband studied at a school located directly across from the ramparts. From their classroom, located safely out of range of the guns, the pupils could easily see sacks of sand on the ramparts and the soldiers at the ready.With Jordanians taking potshots at any type of military or medical convoy, it was impossible to transfer supplies and equipment from the rest of Israeli-held Jerusalem to Mount Zion, or to transport casualties from there into Israeli territory.The answer was to construct a trench that descended from below an aqueduct in the 19th-century Mishkenot Sha’ananim neighborhood, crossed the valley, and moved up inside the slopes of Mount Zion. Its walls were made of cement, and it was partially covered by a tin roof topped by a layer of dirt — steep, narrow, and full of twists and turns, the trench had to be hidden from sight.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre: A Journey Through the Sacred Sites Where Jesus Rose from the Dead The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-17 | Information abou tthe Church of the Holy Sepulchre itself will be provided after this announcement (Joseph Palma, Luma). Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8fo33 candles, symbolizing the years of Jesus' life, are the energetic gift every Christian in need of healing should have. The candles will be blessed at all the significant locations in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most holy and special sites in Christianity. Located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the church is home to two of the holiest sites in Christianity – the site where Jesus was crucified, known as Calvary, and the tomb where Jesus was buried and then resurrected. Today, the tomb is enclosed by a shrine called the Aedicula. The final four Stations of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, are also located inside the church.The New Testament tells that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, “the place of the skull”. This is commonly thought to be an area of stone quarries outside the city’s walls at the time. Around a decade after Jesus’s crucifixion, a third wall was built to enclose the area of his execution and burial within the city. This provides validation for the Holy Sepulchre’s location inside today’s Old City of Jerusalem.After he had a vision of a cross in the sky in 312 CE, Constantine the Great converted to Christianity and sent his mother, Empress Helena, to Jerusalem in search of Jesus’s tomb. She found a relic of the cross near a tomb, leading her to believe she had found Calvary. In 326 CE, Constantine ordered a church built at the site. All the soil and debris over the centuries was removed from the cave, revealing a rock-cut tomb identified as the burial site of Jesus.The Church now stands over the two holy sites. The great basilica or Martyrium encloses the traditional site of Calvary in one corner. Across the way the Anastasis (“Resurrection”) encloses the cave tomb of Jesus’s burial. The church was finally consecrated on September 13, 335 CE. The wooden doors of the church’s main entrance are still the original doors from 326 CE. This puts into perspective the ancient grandeur of this holy church.Calvary (golgotha)Inside the church entrance, a stairway leads up to Calvary (Golgotha), the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and the most extravagantly decorated part of the church. The exit from this site is down another stairway that leads to the ambulatory.Calvary is two chapels, one is Greek Orthodox and the other is Catholic. The Greek Orthodox chapel’s altar is over the rock of Calvary, also the 12th Station of the Cross. You can touch the rock through a special hole in the floor beneath the altar. Be ready to wait in a line as this is one of the main reasons people visit the church. You can also see the rock through protective glass on both sides of the altar. In between the Catholic and Greek altars, a statue of Mary marks the 13th Station of the Cross.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre may well be the only church in the world where six of the most ancient Christian branches worship while rubbing shoulders. According to “Saving the Holy Sepulchre,” a book by Hebrew University professor Raymond Cohen, major communities like the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Orthodox churches have rights of possession and usage of all holy spots. The smaller Egyptian Coptic and Syriac Orthodox churches have limited rights to use the holiest places and almost no property rights over them. Instead, they preside over the other chapels, passageways and monasteries that sit close to the tomb of Jesus Christ. However, the Ethiopians have no rights in the church at all. They get to use only the roof.
Franciscans at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem #israel #jerusalem #travel The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-17 | tambraInformation aboutthe Church of the Holy Sepulchre itself will be provided after this announcement (Tambra North). Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8fo33 candles, symbolizing the years of Jesus' life, are the energetic gift every Christian in need of healing should have. The candles will be blessed at all the significant locations in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most holy and special sites in Christianity. Located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the church is home to two of the holiest sites in Christianity – the site where Jesus was crucified, known as Calvary, and the tomb where Jesus was buried and then resurrected. Today, the tomb is enclosed by a shrine called the Aedicula. The final four Stations of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, are also located inside the church.The New Testament tells that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, “the place of the skull”. This is commonly thought to be an area of stone quarries outside the city’s walls at the time. Around a decade after Jesus’s crucifixion, a third wall was built to enclose the area of his execution and burial within the city. This provides validation for the Holy Sepulchre’s location inside today’s Old City of Jerusalem.After he had a vision of a cross in the sky in 312 CE, Constantine the Great converted to Christianity and sent his mother, Empress Helena, to Jerusalem in search of Jesus’s tomb. She found a relic of the cross near a tomb, leading her to believe she had found Calvary. In 326 CE, Constantine ordered a church built at the site. All the soil and debris over the centuries was removed from the cave, revealing a rock-cut tomb identified as the burial site of Jesus.The Church now stands over the two holy sites. The great basilica or Martyrium encloses the traditional site of Calvary in one corner. Across the way the Anastasis (“Resurrection”) encloses the cave tomb of Jesus’s burial. The church was finally consecrated on September 13, 335 CE. The wooden doors of the church’s main entrance are still the original doors from 326 CE. This puts into perspective the ancient grandeur of this holy church.Calvary (golgotha)Inside the church entrance, a stairway leads up to Calvary (Golgotha), the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and the most extravagantly decorated part of the church. The exit from this site is down another stairway that leads to the ambulatory.Calvary is two chapels, one is Greek Orthodox and the other is Catholic. The Greek Orthodox chapel’s altar is over the rock of Calvary, also the 12th Station of the Cross. You can touch the rock through a special hole in the floor beneath the altar. Be ready to wait in a line as this is one of the main reasons people visit the church. You can also see the rock through protective glass on both sides of the altar. In between the Catholic and Greek altars, a statue of Mary marks the 13th Station of the Cross.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre may well be the only church in the world where six of the most ancient Christian branches worship while rubbing shoulders. According to “Saving the Holy Sepulchre,” a book by Hebrew University professor Raymond Cohen, major communities like the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Orthodox churches have rights of possession and usage of all holy spots. The smaller Egyptian Coptic and Syriac Orthodox churches have limited rights to use the holiest places and almost no property rights over them. Instead, they preside over the other chapels, passageways and monasteries that sit close to the tomb of Jesus Christ. However, the Ethiopians have no rights in the church at all. They get to use only the roof.
Searching for David’s Legendary Five Stones at the Site of His Battle with Goliath (Zahi Shaked) The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-16 | Information about the David’s Legendary Five Stones at the Site of His Battle with Goliath itself will be provided after this announcement (Betty, E.J, and James Anthony Arendt). Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8fo1 Samuel 17New International VersionDavid and Goliath45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.51 David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. 52 Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath[f] and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron. 53 When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp.54 David took the Philistine’s head and brought it to Jerusalem; he put the Philistine’s weapons in his own tent.55 As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is that young man?”Abner replied, “As surely as you live, Your Majesty, I don’t know.”56 The king said, “Find out whose son this young man is.”57 As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine’s head.58 “Whose son are you, young man?” Saul asked him.David said, “I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem.”
Exclusive Tour of Jerusalems Rare Four Species Market for Sukkot Preparations (Zahi Shaked) The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-16 | Information about the 'Four Species' Market of Sukkot itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foThe “Four Species” Market, which is held in Jerusalem every year ahead of Sukkot, has about 40 stalls selling traditional items – including high-quality ones – especially the four species of agricultural items associated with the holiday (citrons, palm branches, myrtles, and willows).The market will take place in Valero Square, across from Mahane Yehuda Market, from Sunday, October 13 – the day after Yom Kippur – until Wednesday, October 16 – the eve of Sukkot. Admission is free!Throughout Sukkot, which is in full swing this week, Jews in Jerusalem and beyond gather the four species (date palm, myrtle, willow and citron - etrog) and shake them all about in a ritual central to the holiday. Four species salesman Shimon Vaknin has been involved with his trade for 26 years now, ever since a fellow yeshiva student convinced him to take it up one fall. There are many traditional and mystical explanations for this commandment (there better be, because it's an odd one), including one which compares each species to a different type of Jew. Holding all four species together symbolizes unity, with each Jew playing his or her own unique role.In Jerusalem, the pre-Sukkot buzz reaches a fever pitch at the Shuk Arba Minim, the Four Species Market, which, in the days and nights leading up to the holiday, transforms an area adjacent to the Machane Yehuda Market into a lively bazaar for ritually oriented produce shopping. Having caught his breath and now enjoying the holiday's intermediate days (chol hamoed), Vaknin spoke with GoJerusalem.com about the industry and the cultural phenomenon which surrounds it.The mitzvah of waving the four species derives from the Torah. Leviticus 23:40 states:And you shall take on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees and boughs of leafy trees and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days. English Standard VersionThe Hebrew terms in this verse are:pərī ‘ēṣ hāḏār (פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר), fruit of a beautiful treekappōt təmārīm (כַּפֹּת תְּמָרִים), palm fronds‘ănaf ‘ēṣ-‘āḇōṯ (עֲנַף עֵץ־עָבֹת), a bough of thick/leafy trees‘arḇē-nāḥal (עַרְבֵי־נָחַל), willows of the brook/valleyIn Talmudic tradition, the four plants are identified as:etrog (אתרוג) – the fruit of a citron treelulav (לולב) – a ripe, green, closed frond from a date palm treehadass (הדס) – boughs with leaves from the myrtle treearavah (ערבה) – branches with leaves from the willow tree
Once a Year: Setting Up Sukkot at King Davids Tomb on Mount Zion, Jerusalem – A Rare Tradition The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-15 | Information about King David's tomb and Sukkot itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foThe Tomb of King David is one of the most sacred sites for the Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Nonetheless, according to the researchers, there is no certainty that this is in fact King David’s burial site. The Bible mentions that King David was buried in the City of David, which is located at the foot of the Temple Mount. We know from the bible that some of the kings were buried in a place called the Garden of Uzza- but its location was not identified to this day.The tradition that locates the Tomb of King David in this site was first documented in the 9th century by the Muslims and adopted over the years by many believers.The structure that contains the grave is actually the “crypt”, the underground hall of the crusader church. The building was renovated into its current shape during the 14th century by Franciscan monks, the custodians of the Holy Land.During the 16th century the Franciscan monks were expelled by the Muslims, and the building became a mosque, serving for hundreds of years as a prayer house for Muslims, who consider King David to be one of their prophets.Today the site is visited mainly by Jews, and it is run in a synagogue model. The tombstone is in the interior room, with separate entrances for men and women. At the center of the room is a tomb covered by a cloth. On the back of the burial coffin you can see an alcove in the wall, perhaps a remnant of an ancient synagogue which was mentioned in the Byzantine era as one of the seven synagogues that were located on Mount Zion.In the past, colorful tiles decorated the walls, when the place served as a mosque. These were Iznik tiles, named after the city in Turkey where they were manufactured 200 years ago. These tiles were shattered in an atrocious vandalism attack.Those who are interested can visit a number of additional sites in Mount Zion: The Holocaust Cellar, the Dormition Abbey, Oscar Schindler’s Grave and the Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu.Sukkot 2024Sukkot is a weeklong Jewish holiday that comes five days after Yom Kippur. Sukkot celebrates the gathering of the harvest and commemorates the miraculous protection G‑d provided for the children of Israel when they left Egypt. We celebrate Sukkot by dwelling in a foliage-covered booth (known as a sukkah) and by taking the “Four Kinds” (arba minim), four special species of vegetation.Of all the Jewish holidays, Sukkot is the only one whose date does not seem to commemorate a historic event. The Torah refers to it by two names: Chag HaAsif (“the Festival of Ingathering,” or “Harvest Festival”) and Chag HaSukkot (“Festival of Booths”), each expressing a reason for the holiday.In Israel, crops grow in the winter and are ready for harvest in the late spring. Some of them remain out in the field to dry for a few months and are only ready for harvest in the early fall. Chag HaAsif is a time to express appreciation for this bounty.The name Chag HaSukkot commemorates the temporary dwellings G‑d made to shelter our ancestors on their way out of Egypt (some say this refers to the miraculous clouds of glory that shielded us from the desert sun, while others say it refers to the tents in which they dwelled for their 40-year trek through the Sinai desert).Zahi Shaked A tour guide in Israel and his camera zahishaked@gmail.com +972-54-6905522 tel סיור עם מורה הדרך ומדריך הטיולים צחי שקד 0546905522My name is Zahi ShakedIn 2000 I became a registered licensed tourist guide.My dedication in life is to pass on the ancient history of the Holy Land.I
Jerusalems Northern Section in the Time of Pontius Pilate (Near the Jewish Temple) - Zahi Shaked The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-15 | Information about the stepped street, (the Jerusalem pilgrim road) itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, due to the war, there are no tourists, and I haven't worked for about a year. Without your help, I would not be able to continue uploading many videos.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foThe stepped street, as it is known from academic works, or the Jerusalem pilgrim road as it has been dubbed by the Ir David Foundation, is the early Roman period street connecting the Temple Mount from its southwestern corner, to Jerusalem's southern gates of the time via the Pool of Siloam. The stepped street was built at the earliest during the 30s CE, with the latest coin found under the pavement dating to 30–31 CE, during the governorship of Pontius Pilate of New Testament fame.The street went from Jerusalem's southern gates, along the ancient City of David, into the Old City and passed by the Western Wall after passing underneath the Herodian bridge now known as Robinson's Arch. The ancient path was improved and paved in large, well-cut stone in the pattern of two steps followed by a long landing, followed by two more steps and another landing. The street was eight meters wide and its length from the Pool to the Temple Mount is 600 meters. A large drainage channel ran below the street.According to archaeologist Ronny Reich, who for several years led the dig uncovering the ancient street together with archaeologist Eli Shukron, pilgrims used the Pool of Siloam as a mikveh for ritual purification before walking up the street to the Temple. However, Professor Elitzur opposes this interpretation and argues that the Pool of Siloam was a typical Roman public swimming pool.In ancient times, the celebration called Simchat Beit HaShoeivah, water was carried up from the Pool of Siloam to the Temple. There are attempts to connect the Roman-period street to this festival.
Lebanese terrorists launched 3 missiles at Tel Aviv – here’s their failure. Thank you, IDF. The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-14 | Central Israel comes under rocket attack, sirens blare in major citiesIDF says three projectiles crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon and were intercepted; millions rush to shelter as sirens blare in areas south of Haifa to the north to the outskirts of Ashdod .Sirens blared in Israel from the north to the south of Monday afternoon as rockets were launched in Lebanon. Millions of Israelis rushed to shelter while aerial defenses intercepted some of the incoming threats. The IDF said three projectiles crossed into Israeli airspace from Lebanon and were intercepted. No damage or injuries were reported after an initial investigation.Central Israel comes under rocket attack, sirens blare in major citiesIDF says three projectiles crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon and were intercepted; millions rush to shelter as sirens blare in areas south of Haifa to the north to the outskirts of Ashdod Sirens blared in Israel from the north to the south of Monday afternoon as rockets were launched in Lebanon. Millions of Israelis rushed to shelter while aerial defenses intercepted some of the incoming threats. The IDF said three projectiles crossed into Israeli airspace from Lebanon and were intercepted. No damage or injuries were reported after an initial investigation.Some shrapnel from intercepting rockets fell in Holon, just south of Tel Aviv but no injuries were reported there. Ben Gurion Airport halted all flights for the duration of the attack and a flight arriving from Berlin, Germany, changed course and flew toward Cyprus before entering into Israeli airspace. Another flight preparing to depart for Portugal was stopped on the runway. Hezbollah targeted vast areas of the north during the day on Monday including the cities of Haifa and Acre. On Sunday, a drone exploded inside a military base in central Israel killing four soldiers and wounding dozens of others.Hezbollah targeted vast areas of the north during the day on Monday including the cities of Haifa and Acre.
Historic Restoration of Mosque Windows in the Last Supper Room, Mount Zion, Jerusalem (Zahi Shaked) The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-14 | Information about the Last Supper Room (Cenacle, Upper Room) itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Donations: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foCreed Glass Works and Designs- Leonid KritzonStained glass for institutions, synagogues and private houses. He specializes in tiffany works, sand blasting, sculpture, mosaic, painting on glass lighting fixtures and more.Leonid Kritzon, an architect by profession, has been working in the field for over twenty years. His work is on display throughout the country and in the US. Leonid has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions. https://art-jerusalem.co.il/en/portfolio/leonid-kritzon/ skyglass@gmail.comMount Zion is one of the most impressive sites in Jerusalem - the Last Supper Room also called CenaculumKnown also as the Cenaculum, according to Christian tradition, Jesus sat in this specific hall on the last Passover night before captured at Gethsemane and trialed to death by crucifixion.During that meal Jesus stated the wine and bread his disciples are consuming symbolize his flesh and blood.To this day the Sunday Mass contains a symbolic consumption of Jesus' flesh and blood. The Cenaculum is visited by crowds of excited Christian pilgrims on daily basis and was part of the itinerary of three Popes who visited the holy land in the years 1964, 2000, and 2009. The room itself is really a Crusader structure dating to the 12th-13th Century, but by tradition, its origins are from Roman times. The structure also bears a Muslim prayer niche facing Mecca attesting that this room used to be also a mosque in the past.Below the Last Supper Room is a compound consecrating the tomb of King David by Jewish tradition. This means that the whole building is uniquely sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.This weekend, the Church celebrates Pentecost, one of the most important feast days of the year that concludes the Easter season and celebrates the beginning of the Church. Here’s what you need to know about the feast day.The timing and origins of PentecostPentecost always occurs 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus and 10 days after his ascension into heaven. Because Easter is a moveable feast without a fixed date, and Pentecost depends on the timing of Easter, Pentecost can fall anywhere between May 10 and June 13.The name of the day itself is derived from the Greek word “pentecoste,” meaning 50th.There is a parallel Jewish holiday, Shavu’ot, which falls 50 days after Passover. Shavu’ot is sometimes called the festival of weeks, referring to the seven weeks since Passover.What happens at Pentecost?In the Christian tradition, Pentecost is the celebration of the person of the Holy Spirit coming upon the Apostles, Mary, and the first followers of Jesus, who were gathered together in the Upper Room.A “strong, driving” wind filled the room where they were gathered, and tongues of fire came to rest on their heads, allowing them to speak in different languages so that they could understand each other. It was such a strange phenomenon that some people thought the Christians were just drunk — but Peter pointed out that it was only the morning, and said the phenomenon was caused by the Holy Spirit.The Holy Spirit also gave the apostles the other gifts and fruits necessary to fulfill the great commission — to go out and preach the Gospel to all nations. It fulfills the New Testament promise from Christ (Luke 24:46-49) that the Apostles would be “clothed with power” before they would be sent out to spread the Gospel.The main event of Pentecost (the strong driving wind and tongues of fire) takes place in Acts 2:13, though the events immediately following (Peter’s homily, the baptism of thousands) continue through verse 41.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem – Tour of Jesus Crucifixion and Resurrection Site The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-14 | tambraInformation aboutthe Church of the Holy Sepulchre itself will be provided after this announcement (Tambra North). Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8fo33 candles, symbolizing the years of Jesus' life, are the energetic gift every Christian in need of healing should have. The candles will be blessed at all the significant locations in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most holy and special sites in Christianity. Located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the church is home to two of the holiest sites in Christianity – the site where Jesus was crucified, known as Calvary, and the tomb where Jesus was buried and then resurrected. Today, the tomb is enclosed by a shrine called the Aedicula. The final four Stations of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, are also located inside the church.The New Testament tells that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, “the place of the skull”. This is commonly thought to be an area of stone quarries outside the city’s walls at the time. Around a decade after Jesus’s crucifixion, a third wall was built to enclose the area of his execution and burial within the city. This provides validation for the Holy Sepulchre’s location inside today’s Old City of Jerusalem.After he had a vision of a cross in the sky in 312 CE, Constantine the Great converted to Christianity and sent his mother, Empress Helena, to Jerusalem in search of Jesus’s tomb. She found a relic of the cross near a tomb, leading her to believe she had found Calvary. In 326 CE, Constantine ordered a church built at the site. All the soil and debris over the centuries was removed from the cave, revealing a rock-cut tomb identified as the burial site of Jesus.The Church now stands over the two holy sites. The great basilica or Martyrium encloses the traditional site of Calvary in one corner. Across the way the Anastasis (“Resurrection”) encloses the cave tomb of Jesus’s burial. The church was finally consecrated on September 13, 335 CE. The wooden doors of the church’s main entrance are still the original doors from 326 CE. This puts into perspective the ancient grandeur of this holy church.Calvary (golgotha)Inside the church entrance, a stairway leads up to Calvary (Golgotha), the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and the most extravagantly decorated part of the church. The exit from this site is down another stairway that leads to the ambulatory.Calvary is two chapels, one is Greek Orthodox and the other is Catholic. The Greek Orthodox chapel’s altar is over the rock of Calvary, also the 12th Station of the Cross. You can touch the rock through a special hole in the floor beneath the altar. Be ready to wait in a line as this is one of the main reasons people visit the church. You can also see the rock through protective glass on both sides of the altar. In between the Catholic and Greek altars, a statue of Mary marks the 13th Station of the Cross.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre may well be the only church in the world where six of the most ancient Christian branches worship while rubbing shoulders. According to “Saving the Holy Sepulchre,” a book by Hebrew University professor Raymond Cohen, major communities like the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Orthodox churches have rights of possession and usage of all holy spots. The smaller Egyptian Coptic and Syriac Orthodox churches have limited rights to use the holiest places and almost no property rights over them. Instead, they preside over the other chapels, passageways and monasteries that sit close to the tomb of Jesus Christ. However, the Ethiopians have no rights in the church at all. They get to use only the roof.
Experience Every Christian Neighborhood in Old Jerusalem, Israel –A Must-See Adventure (Zahi Shaked) The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-13 | Information about the Christian Quarte of Jerusalem itself will be provided after this announcement (Melissa and Craig Butts). Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foThe Christian Quarter is one of four quarters of Jerusalem’s Old City together with the Jewish, Muslim and Armenian Quarters. The Christian Quarter takes up the northwestern section of the Old City and can be accessed via the Damascus Gate, Jaffa Gate and New Gate. It is home to Christians of a number of denominations including Greek Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics and Ethiopian Christians.History of the Old City Christian QuarterIn the 4th century, Emperor Constantine’s mother Helena traveled to the Holy Land where she identifying a site in Jerusalem as Calvary where Jesus was crucified and the cave where Jesus was laid to rest. She had the Church of Holy Sepulchre constructed making a bold statement for Christianity in this part of the city. Over the centuries other religious institutions and churches were built close by creating a community of Christians in what we now know as the Christian Quarter.Landmarks in the Old City Christian QuarterThe Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a huge church encompassing the sites where Jesus was crucified, prepared for burial and laid to rest. It is the main attraction of the Christian Quarter; an opulent, historic site shared by several Christian denominations. Leading to the Holy Sepulchre is the Via Dolorosa, the route Christ took bearing his cross to his crucifixion. The Via Dolorosa starts in the Muslim Quarter and ends at the Holy Sepulchre which holds the last 5 Stations of the Cross. Lining the Via Dolorosa there are small churches.The Greek Orthodox Church of St. John the Baptist has a crypt dating back to the 5th century and was used by the Crusader Hospitalliers; it is recognizable by its silver dome. The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer is one of two Protestant churches in the Old City built in 1898. Below the church is an archaeological site. The Church of St. Alexander Nevsky stands alongside the Holy Sepulchre and was built by the Russian Orthodox church in the 1800s and dedicated to Emperor Alexander III’s patron saint, Alexander Nevsky.There are two monasteries and two mosques within the Christian Quarter. One of the most popular tourist attractions in the Christian Quarter is the Muristan Market. You can find eateries, stores, hostels and hotels in the Christian Quarter all geared towards tourists and Christian pilgrim
Selichot Mass Jewish prayer at the Western (Wall Wailing Wall, Kotel, حَائِط ٱلْبُرَاق), Jerusalem The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-13 | Information about theSelichot Mass Jewish prayer at the Western itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foSelichot (alt. Selichos) services are communal prayers for Divine forgiveness, said during the High Holiday season and on Jewish fast days. Sephardim say pre-Rosh Hashanah Selichot for the entire month of Elul, while Ashkenazim only say for a few days, starting on an early Sunday morning.While most Jewish services are held during the day or early evening, High Holiday Selichot are the exception, held in the wee hours of the morning. Drawing from a plethora of biblical verses and rabbinic teachings, they are a soul-stirring introduction to the Days of Awe.In Ashkenazic tradition (the focus of this article), the first night of Selichot is the biggie, held after midnight on a Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah.1 In some larger congregations this service is led by a cantor and choir, and can take well over an hour. In smaller, more informal congregations, it may take less time than that. All subsequent Selichot are conducted just before morning prayers, generally with less fanfare.The liturgy for the High Holiday Selichot is not found in most prayerbooks; rather, it is found in special Selichot booklets, with a different selection for each day. You can see the complete Hebrew service here.The actual Selichot are a collage of Torah verses and poetically written Hebrew works in which we ask G‑d to forgive us on a personal and communal level. An oft-repeated phrase is the “13 Attributes of Mercy,” which G‑d revealed to Moses at Sinai as the key to forgiveness. This is the core of the entire service, and since it is considered a communal prayer, you may say this line only when praying with a congregation. (When praying alone, some also omit the Aramaic paragraphs toward the end of the service, unless they are reading a translation, in which case all agree that they may be said.)For most of Selichot, the leader chants the first and last line of each paragraph, allowing the congregation to read most of the paragraph to themselves.Here are some landmarks:As we will discuss, there are certain hymns, known as pizmonim, which are read responsively, with the congregation reading a line and the leader chanting it after them. There is a different pizmon at the heart of the service each day.Toward the end, the ark is opened, and a series of verses, beginning with the words Shema koleinu (“Hear our voice”), are recited responsively, first by the leader and then by the congregation.Close to the end, there is the Ashamnu confession, in which we list an alphabetical litany of sins that we (as a community) have committed. We strike our chests when saying each of these sins.When Are Selichot Said?We start saying Selichot several days before Rosh Hashanah. According to Ashkenazic custom, the first Selichot are recited on Saturday night after “halachic midnight,” and a minimum of four days of Selichot must be observed. Therefore, if the first day of Rosh Hashanah falls on Thursday or Shabbat, Selichot start on the Saturday night immediately preceding the New Year. If Rosh Hashanah falls on Monday or Tuesday,2 Selichot commence on the Saturday night approximately a week and a half before Rosh Hashanah. Starting on the Monday morning following the first midnight service, Selichot are recited daily before the morning prayers until Rosh Hashanah (except on Shabbat, since the penitential prayers are inconsistent with this peaceful, joyous day).
Skiing in the Streets of Tel Aviv, Israel: No Snow Needed! #israel #skiing #telaviv The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-13 | Israel, on high alert, marks Yom Kippur amid war for first time since 1973Israeli services shut down on Friday afternoon for Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, but the country remains on high alert amid fighting in Gaza and Lebanon.The Home Front Command clarified that "it is important to have access to one of the following means in order to receive alerts and updates in an emergency." The accessible options include:Silent Wave: Most radio stations will operate in a "Silent Wave" mode, during which alerts will be broadcast only in emergencies, while maintaining relative silence in the broadcasts.As is customary, the roads will be all but empty for the duration of the day, the holiest in the Jewish calendar, and flights in and out of the country paused on Friday afternoon and will resume only once Yom Kippur ends on Saturday night.In light of the security situation, the IDF’s Home Front Command reminds people that they can activate a silent broadcast station, that will transmit in silence with the exception of rocket warning sirens, which will be aired out loud, in real time.This year marks the first time Israel has been in a state of active war on Yom Kippur since 1973, when it was attacked on the holy day by the armies of Egypt and Syria.Yom Kippur fast day is the holiest day of the year, when we are closest to G‑d and to the essence of our souls. Yom Kippur means “Day of Atonement,” as the verse states, “For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before G‑d.”1When: The 10th day of Tishrei (in 2024, from several minutes before sunset on Friday, October 11, until after nightfall on Shabbat, October 12), coming on the heels of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year, which is on the first and second days of Tishrei).How: For nearly 26 hours we “afflict our souls”: we abstain from food and drink, do not wash or apply lotions or creams, do not wear leather footwear, and abstain from marital relations. Instead, we spend the day in synagogue, praying for forgiveness.National Emergency Portal: You can follow the latest guidelines and alerts on your personal computer through the National Emergency Portal.Home Front Command App: The mobile app will continue to provide real-time alerts and updates.Over the past week, an emergency message from the Home Front Command clarified that in the event of an emergency, an alert will be sent a few minutes prior to the incident, allowing citizens time to reach a shelter safely. In such cases, the instructions emphasize staying in the shelter until a new message is received, even if more than 10 minutes have passed since the alert.What to do while riding a bicycle?The Home Front Command notes that "on Yom Kippur, there are likely to be many children on the roads. Before our children leave the house, we should talk to them about the possibility of hearing a siren while riding their bicycles, and make sure they know what to do."Open Phone and a Recommendation for Armed Worshippers: Yom Kippur readiness in synagogues.If an alert is received while riding a bicycle, carefully stop on the side of the road, not in the center, get off the bicycle, and enter a nearby building. If no building is nearby, it is important to lie on the ground and protect your head for 10 minutes."In addition, we recommend staying connected to the Home Front Command app on mobile phones and ensuring that areas of interest are set. This app will continue to provide real-time alerts, instructions, and life-saving information during the holiday."
Good morning, I arrived in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. #israel #jerusalem The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-13 | ...
Custody of the Holy Land: A Tour of the Entire Franciscan Monastery Complex in Jerusalem The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-12 | Information about the San Salvador Church, Jerusalem itself will be provided after this announcement (Betty, E.J, and James Anthony Arendt). Unfortunately, due to the war, there are no tourists, and I haven't worked for about a year. Without your help, I would not be able to continue uploading many videos.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foAyelet Orpaz : facebook.com/AyeletOrpaz1The Catholic Franciscan Monastery of San Salvador (Sacred Savior) is located in Jerusalem’s Old City near the New Gate. This is the center of the Franciscan Order in the Holy Land and the Middle East. The extensive monastery complex encompasses a publishing house, offices, church, Catholic school, and the monks’ living quarters.History of the San Salvador Monastery, JerusalemIn 1560, the ruling Sultan Sulieman the Magnificent allowed the Franciscans to buy the property where the monastery stands, from the Georgian Orthodox Church. By 1850 the old church was too small for the parish, and Sultan Abdulmecid I gave permission to demolish the old structure and build anew. Construction was financed by donations including a contribution from the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I and the church was completed in 1885.The monastery church was designed by Father Raffaele Cingolani and unlike most churches, it is built on the north-south axis. In 1932 two floors were added to the church clock tower in honor of the 700th anniversary of St. Anthony of Padua. In 1985 the complex was renovated in honor of the 100th anniversary of its construction.Highlights of the Franciscan Monastery of San Salvador, Jerusalem The Pope appointed the Franciscan Order to be custodians of the Holy Land, and preserve the interests of the Catholic Church in the east. As you enter the complex notice the Franciscan coat of arms and the symbol of the Custodia Terra Sancta carved into the gate. The magnificent church has a high ceiling covered with intricately patterned paintings.Marble-clad columns supporting arches divide the church into two aisles and a wide nave. The tiled floor is particularly beautiful with a unique geometrical pattern. Entrance to the complex is off-limits but visitors can tour the breathtaking San Salvador Church.
Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) Under Fire: The Impact of War on the Holiest Day in Tel Aviv, Israel The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-12 | Israel, on high alert, marks Yom Kippur amid war for first time since 1973Israeli services shut down on Friday afternoon for Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, but the country remains on high alert amid fighting in Gaza and Lebanon.The Home Front Command clarified that "it is important to have access to one of the following means in order to receive alerts and updates in an emergency." The accessible options include:Silent Wave: Most radio stations will operate in a "Silent Wave" mode, during which alerts will be broadcast only in emergencies, while maintaining relative silence in the broadcasts.As is customary, the roads will be all but empty for the duration of the day, the holiest in the Jewish calendar, and flights in and out of the country paused on Friday afternoon and will resume only once Yom Kippur ends on Saturday night.In light of the security situation, the IDF’s Home Front Command reminds people that they can activate a silent broadcast station, that will transmit in silence with the exception of rocket warning sirens, which will be aired out loud, in real time.This year marks the first time Israel has been in a state of active war on Yom Kippur since 1973, when it was attacked on the holy day by the armies of Egypt and Syria.Yom Kippur fast day is the holiest day of the year, when we are closest to G‑d and to the essence of our souls. Yom Kippur means “Day of Atonement,” as the verse states, “For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before G‑d.”1When: The 10th day of Tishrei (in 2024, from several minutes before sunset on Friday, October 11, until after nightfall on Shabbat, October 12), coming on the heels of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year, which is on the first and second days of Tishrei).How: For nearly 26 hours we “afflict our souls”: we abstain from food and drink, do not wash or apply lotions or creams, do not wear leather footwear, and abstain from marital relations. Instead, we spend the day in synagogue, praying for forgiveness.National Emergency Portal: You can follow the latest guidelines and alerts on your personal computer through the National Emergency Portal.Home Front Command App: The mobile app will continue to provide real-time alerts and updates.Over the past week, an emergency message from the Home Front Command clarified that in the event of an emergency, an alert will be sent a few minutes prior to the incident, allowing citizens time to reach a shelter safely. In such cases, the instructions emphasize staying in the shelter until a new message is received, even if more than 10 minutes have passed since the alert.What to do while riding a bicycle?The Home Front Command notes that "on Yom Kippur, there are likely to be many children on the roads. Before our children leave the house, we should talk to them about the possibility of hearing a siren while riding their bicycles, and make sure they know what to do."Open Phone and a Recommendation for Armed Worshippers: Yom Kippur readiness in synagogues.If an alert is received while riding a bicycle, carefully stop on the side of the road, not in the center, get off the bicycle, and enter a nearby building. If no building is nearby, it is important to lie on the ground and protect your head for 10 minutes."In addition, we recommend staying connected to the Home Front Command app on mobile phones and ensuring that areas of interest are set. This app will continue to provide real-time alerts, instructions, and life-saving information during the holiday."
Yom Kippur on the streets of Tel Aviv, Israel. #israel #yomkipper #telaviv #zahishaked The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-12 | ...
Ad Coenaculum - the closest Christian monastery to the Last Supper room on Mount Zion, Jerusalem. The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-11 | Information about the Ad Coenaculum in Jerusalem's Old City, Israel itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foThe St. Francis Ad Coenaculum Monastery is located near the Cenacle, where tradition places the Last Supper and Pentecost. The Custody of the Holy Land built its head office precisely at the Cenacle, at the time of its foundation in 1333. Today, the official title of the Custos of the Holy Land, in fact, is still "Guardian of Mount Zion and of the Holy Sepulchre,” due to the great importance of both places.The Friars Minor lived in the Cenacle Convent on Mount Zion from the 14th to the 16th century, after they were chased out by the Ottomans. On Mount Zion they returned in 1936 to here. They are the original nucleus of what is known today as the Monastery of St. Francis Ad Coenaculum, affectionately renamed the “Little Cenacle” or “Cenacolino.”The Cenacle has been recognized as the place of the Last Supper since the first centuries of Christianity. It was also the location of the primitive Apostolic Church.In the second half of the fourth century, Christians converted the small church into a large basilica they called "Holy Zion" and "Mother of all churches," due to its apostolic origin. The Holy Zion Church suffered several destructions and restorations; it was then rebuilt from the foundations in the Crusader period (XII century) and renamed with the name of "St. Mary on Mount Zion.”After its demolition of 1219, ordered by the sultan, the Cenacle (medieval) was the only chapel left with the commemorative Tomb of David located below it.In 1333, the Franciscans were able to acquire the place, as a gift from the rulers of Naples, Robert of Anjou and Sancia of Maiorca, which became the first seat of the Custody of the Holy Land. Among many hardships, the monastery was inhabited until 1552, after the friars were chased out by the Ottomans, who transformed the Cenacle into a mosque. From that moment forward, it has not been possible to celebrate masses in the Cenacle room, however, the Franciscans are allowed to go there and officially gather in prayer on the day of Pentecost. Furthermore, over less than ten years, the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land have made a stop at the Cenacle during the Holy Thursday pilgrimage, where they perform the washing of the feet ritual.
A Journey Through Tel Avivs Landmarks on Yom Kippur – The Most Sacred Day for Jews The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-11 | Information about Yom Kippur Day of Atonement itself will be provided after this announcement.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foYom Kippur in Israel is a unique day! Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement, the most solemn and holy day of the Jewish calendar. Falling every fall, ten days after Rosh Hashana, it is a day in which Jews of all levels of religiousness, and Israel as a whole, comes to a halt. It is afast day lasting 25 hours. The festival begins at sundown with what is known as Kol Nidre and ends the following evening. In 2021, Yom Kippur begins at sundown on September 15, and ends the following evening. Yom Kippur in Israel is an unusual, but interesting experience.WHAT’S YOM KIPPUR IN ISRAEL LIKE?Yom Kippur in Israel is the one day when normal life across Israel stops. All businesses close, including all restaurants and places of leisure. All transportation stops. Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s major airport, stops functioning, as does all public transport. Almost all private vehicles also stop so the roads become totally empty for the day, apart from the odd emergency vehicle and children and adults riding bikes! Biking on Yom Kippur has become something of a tradition.BEING A TOURIST OVER YOM KIPPUR IN ISRAELAs a tourist, during Yom Kippur in Israel there are almost no museums or cultural sites that are possible to visit. The best option is to walk, observe the varying ways Jews across society mark this day, observe the peace and unbelievable tranquility of a country where nobody is moving, no cars, and no noise, and observe a country where a large proportion of the population is fasting.It is not forbidden to drive on Yom Kippur, however all citizens (religious or secular) refrain from driving. There are virtually no cars on the road. Driving is incredibly dangerous because there are many kids and families who will bike on major roads in Israel. It’s one of the best days to explore big cities like Tel Aviv by bike.EATING OUT ON YOM KIPPUREating out during Yom Kippur in Israel can be slightly difficult as so much of the country is fasting. Hotels will run an almost skeleton staff. All leisure services such as gyms will be closed and there will be very few staff around. It is therefore highly unlikely that there will be fresh food or usual food service. Instead, it is likely that there will be a limited buffet of simple, pre-prepared food available to those guests who want it. Remember that many guests and tourists will also fast. If you are not staying in a hotel, it is likely that many hotels will prohibit you from eating in their restaurant. The best option is to purchase food the day before from a supermarket. Many sell great prepared food.Ultimately, Yom Kippur in Israel is a unique experience and very interesting. It is important to know in advance that there is very limited service around on this day.Zahi Shaked A tour guide in Israel and his camera zahigo25@walla.com +972-54-6905522 tel סיור עם מורה הדרך ומדריך הטיולים צחי שקד 0546905522My name is Zahi ShakedIn 2000 I became a registered licensed tourist guide.My dedication in life is to pass on the ancient history of the Holy Land.Following upon many years of travel around the world, which was highlighted by a very exciting emotional and soul-searching meeting with the Dalai Lama, I realized that I had a mission. To pass on the history of the Holy Land, its religions, and in particular, the birth and development of Christianity.In order to fulfill this "calling" in the best way possible, I studied in depth, visited, and personally experienced each and every important site of the ancient Christians. I studied for and received my first bachelors degree in the ancient history of the Holy Land, and am presently completing my studies for my second degree.(Masters)
One of the most famous prayers in Judaism with 100,000 people gathered at the Western Wall Jerusalem The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-11 | ...
The Armenians near the Tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem #israel #jesus #jerusalem #travel #holyland The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-10 | Information aboutthe Church of the Holy Sepulchre itself will be provided after this announcement (Sharon Landers). Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8fo33 candles, symbolizing the years of Jesus' life, are the energetic gift every Christian in need of healing should have. The candles will be blessed at all the significant locations in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most holy and special sites in Christianity. Located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the church is home to two of the holiest sites in Christianity – the site where Jesus was crucified, known as Calvary, and the tomb where Jesus was buried and then resurrected. Today, the tomb is enclosed by a shrine called the Aedicula. The final four Stations of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, are also located inside the church.The New Testament tells that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, “the place of the skull”. This is commonly thought to be an area of stone quarries outside the city’s walls at the time. Around a decade after Jesus’s crucifixion, a third wall was built to enclose the area of his execution and burial within the city. This provides validation for the Holy Sepulchre’s location inside today’s Old City of Jerusalem.After he had a vision of a cross in the sky in 312 CE, Constantine the Great converted to Christianity and sent his mother, Empress Helena, to Jerusalem in search of Jesus’s tomb. She found a relic of the cross near a tomb, leading her to believe she had found Calvary. In 326 CE, Constantine ordered a church built at the site. All the soil and debris over the centuries was removed from the cave, revealing a rock-cut tomb identified as the burial site of Jesus.The Church now stands over the two holy sites. The great basilica or Martyrium encloses the traditional site of Calvary in one corner. Across the way the Anastasis (“Resurrection”) encloses the cave tomb of Jesus’s burial. The church was finally consecrated on September 13, 335 CE. The wooden doors of the church’s main entrance are still the original doors from 326 CE. This puts into perspective the ancient grandeur of this holy church.Calvary (golgotha)Inside the church entrance, a stairway leads up to Calvary (Golgotha), the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and the most extravagantly decorated part of the church. The exit from this site is down another stairway that leads to the ambulatory.Calvary is two chapels, one is Greek Orthodox and the other is Catholic. The Greek Orthodox chapel’s altar is over the rock of Calvary, also the 12th Station of the Cross. You can touch the rock through a special hole in the floor beneath the altar. Be ready to wait in a line as this is one of the main reasons people visit the church. You can also see the rock through protective glass on both sides of the altar. In between the Catholic and Greek altars, a statue of Mary marks the 13th Station of the Cross.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre may well be the only church in the world where six of the most ancient Christian branches worship while rubbing shoulders. According to “Saving the Holy Sepulchre,” a book by Hebrew University professor Raymond Cohen, major communities like the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Orthodox churches have rights of possession and usage of all holy spots. The smaller Egyptian Coptic and Syriac Orthodox churches have limited rights to use the holiest places and almost no property rights over them. Instead, they preside over the other chapels, passageways and monasteries that sit close to the tomb of Jesus Christ. However, the Ethiopians have no rights in the church at all. They get to use only the roof.
Dar al-Consul: 8 Years of Restoring a Historic Gem in Jerusalems Old City, Israel (Zahi Shaked) The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-10 | Information about the ar al-Consul: Historic Gem in Jerusalem's Old City, Israee itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foAyelet Orpaz: facebook.com/AyeletOrpaz1/about_contact_and_basic_infoOn November 9, after eight years of restoration work, the historic complex "The House of the Consul", known in Arabic as "Dar al-Consul", was inaugurated in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem. It was an initiative by the Custody of the Holy Land, owner of the building, and financed by the European Union and the Custody itself. This project is managed by the United Nations Habitat program - UN Habitat - in collaboration with Al-Quds University.After the opening ceremony, Br. Ramzi Sidawi, Bursar of the Custody of the Holy Land, guided an introductory tour, attended by: Br. Francesco Patton, Custos of the Holy Land, the members of the Discretorium, Zeyad Elshakra, Head of the United Nations Habitat Program Office for Palestine, Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, Head of the European Union Delegation and Imad Khatib, Executive Vice President of Al Quds University in Jerusalem.Br RAMZI SIDAWI, ofmBursar of the Custody of the Holy Land"The work was divided between the rehabilitation and renovation of 42 housing units, not only in their interior, but also on the exterior. We renovated all the inner courtyards, corridors and the infrastructure of the whole area.As for the ground floor, it was a huge project, as we discovered many artifacts from the Roman, Byzantine and Mamluk periods. The site contains several spaces that will be enjoyed by pilgrims and visitors guided by local people."Engr PHILIP DAHABREHDirector of the "Dar al-Consul" project - Custody of the Holy Land"We found a tomb dating back to the sixth or seventh century before Christ. It was one of the most amazing things. This also allowed us to understand the historical period, the oldest found at this site."In Roman times, this site was located on the cardo maximus, the main street of the city.Engr PHILIP DAHABREHDirector of the "Dar al-Consul" project - Custody of the Holy Land"During the excavations we found traces of stores that faced the Cardo, but also traces of other side streets that intersected with the main one, demonstrating how the old city was at that time. We found Roman canals carved into the rock."Among the archaeological findings there is also a Byzantine bathroom partly decorated with mosaics, proof that prestigious people lived in this place.Engr PHILIP DAHABREHDirector of the "Dar al-Consul" project - Custody of the Holy Land"We also found a Byzantine-era well paved with mosaics measuring 15 square meters."Dar al-Consul - underlined Engineer Dahabreh - is well identifiable on the ancient map of Madaba where many buildings of Jerusalem are represented, some without name.During the inauguration an olive tree, a symbol of peace, was planted inside the site by Brother Patton.Br FRANCESCO PATTON, ofmHoly Land Custos"We hope that this kind of projects will help the development of the Old City and of the whole Holy City.For me it was a pleasure to know that many young students of the local university were working on this project."Prof IMAD KHATIBExecutive Vice President of Al Quds University in Jerusalem"For Al-Quds University and its students and professors, this was a great opportunity. First, they were able to share their experience but also learn during the eight years of restoration. Then they can collaborate in the future on this complex, which will also serve as a business incubator and will be managed by Al-Quds University."
The Heartfelt Prayers of Children at the Western Wall of the Jewish Temple in #jerusalem #israel The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-09 | Information about the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, due to the war, there are no tourists, and I haven't worked for about a year. Without your help, I would not be able to continue uploading many videos.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foThe Western Wall, or “Wailing Wall”, is the most religious site in the world for the Jewish people. Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, it is the western support wall of the Temple Mount. Thousands of people journey to the wall every year to visit and recite prayers. These prayers are either spoken or written down and placed in the cracks of the wall. The wall splits into two sections, one area for males and the other for females. It is one of the major highlights in any tour of the Old City.King Herod built this wall in 20 BCE during an expansion of the Second Temple. When the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 CE, the support wall survived. For hundreds of years, people prayed in the small area of the wall that could be seen. In 1967, following the Six-Day War, Israelis dug below the ground of the wall, exposing two more levels. They also cleared the area around the wall to create the Western Wall Plaza that visitors see today.The site is open to all people and is the location of various ceremonies, such as military inductions and bar mitzvahs. The Western Wall is free and is open all day, year-round. Women and men should dress modestly in the Western Wall Plaza. To pray at the wall, women should have their legs and shoulders covered. Men should cover their heads.Zahi Shaked A tour guide in Israel and his camera zahishaked@gmail.com +972-54-6905522 tel סיור עם מורה הדרך ומדריך הטיולים צחי שקד 0546905522My name is Zahi ShakedIn 2000 I became a registered licensed tourist guide.My dedication in life is to pass on the ancient history of the Holy Land.Following upon many years of travel around the world, which was highlighted by a very exciting emotional and soul-searching meeting with the Dalai Lama, I realized that I had a mission. To pass on the history of the Holy Land, its religions, and in particular, the birth and development of Christianity.In order to fulfill this "calling" in the best way possible, I studied in depth, visited, and personally experienced each and every important site of the ancient Christians. I studied for and received my first bachelors degree in the ancient history of the Holy Land, and am presently completing my studies for my second degree.(Masters)Parralel to my studies, and in order to earn a living, I was employed for many years in advertising. What I learned there was how to attract the publics attention, generate and, increase interest, and assimilate information. All this I use as tools to describe, explain and deepen the interest in the sites that we visit. From my experience, I have learned that in this way, the Holy Land becomes more than just history, and that the large stones that we see scattered about in dissaray, join together one by one until they become - a Byzantine Church. This also happens when I lead a group of Pilgrims in the Steps of Jesus. We climb to the peak of Mount Precipice, "glide" over the land to the Sea of Galilee, land on the water, and "see" the miracle which enfolds before us. Different traditions identify different primary components of Shacharit. Essentially all agree that pesukei dezimra, the Shema Yisrael and its blessings, and the Amidah are major sections. Some identify the preliminary blessings and readings, as a first, distinct section. Others say that Tachanun is a separate section, as well as the concluding blessings. On certain days, there are additional prayers and services added to shacharit, including Mussaf and a Torah reading.
Is there no religious freedom in Israel? Can Muslims pray in Jerusalem, Israel? The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-09 | Information about guarantees freedom of religion for all itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishaked/extrasSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foThe Declaration of the Establishment of the State of Israel (1948) guarantees freedom of religion for all. Each religious community is free, by law and in practice, to exercise its faith, to observe its holidays and weekly day of rest, and to administer its internal affairs. Each has its own religious council and courts, recognized by law and with jurisdiction over all religious affairs and matters of personal status such as marriage and divorce. Each has its own unique places of worship, with traditional rituals and special architectural features developed over the centuries.Synagogue: Traditional Jewish Orthodox worship requires a minyan (quorum of 10 adult males). Prayers take place three times daily. Men and women are usually seated separately, and heads are covered. Services may be led by a rabbi, cantor, or congregant. The rabbi is not a priest or an intermediary with God, but a teacher. The focal point in the synagogue is the Holy Ark, which faces the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and contains the Torah scrolls. A prescribed weekly portion is read cyclically throughout the year. Services are particularly festive on the Sabbath (Saturday, the Jewish day of rest) and holidays.Mosque: Muslim prayers take place five times daily. Men and women pray separately. Shoes are removed and a ritual ablution may be performed. Muslims pray facing Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the direction of which is indicated by a mihrab (niche) in the mosque wall. Services are performed by an imam, a Muslim prayer leader. On Friday, the traditional Muslim day of rest, a public sermon is usually preached.Church: The form and frequency of Christian services vary according to denomination, but all observe Sunday as the day of rest, with special rituals. Services are conducted by a priest or minister. Men and women pray together. Services are often accompanied by music and choral singing. Traditionally, churches are cruciform in shape.
A Sacred Journey: Mystical Encounter Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre Jerusalem (Zahi Shaked) The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-09 | Information aboutthe Church of the Holy Sepulchre itself will be provided after this announcement (Sharon Landers). Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8fo33 candles, symbolizing the years of Jesus' life, are the energetic gift every Christian in need of healing should have. The candles will be blessed at all the significant locations in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most holy and special sites in Christianity. Located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the church is home to two of the holiest sites in Christianity – the site where Jesus was crucified, known as Calvary, and the tomb where Jesus was buried and then resurrected. Today, the tomb is enclosed by a shrine called the Aedicula. The final four Stations of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, are also located inside the church.The New Testament tells that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, “the place of the skull”. This is commonly thought to be an area of stone quarries outside the city’s walls at the time. Around a decade after Jesus’s crucifixion, a third wall was built to enclose the area of his execution and burial within the city. This provides validation for the Holy Sepulchre’s location inside today’s Old City of Jerusalem.After he had a vision of a cross in the sky in 312 CE, Constantine the Great converted to Christianity and sent his mother, Empress Helena, to Jerusalem in search of Jesus’s tomb. She found a relic of the cross near a tomb, leading her to believe she had found Calvary. In 326 CE, Constantine ordered a church built at the site. All the soil and debris over the centuries was removed from the cave, revealing a rock-cut tomb identified as the burial site of Jesus.The Church now stands over the two holy sites. The great basilica or Martyrium encloses the traditional site of Calvary in one corner. Across the way the Anastasis (“Resurrection”) encloses the cave tomb of Jesus’s burial. The church was finally consecrated on September 13, 335 CE. The wooden doors of the church’s main entrance are still the original doors from 326 CE. This puts into perspective the ancient grandeur of this holy church.Calvary (golgotha)Inside the church entrance, a stairway leads up to Calvary (Golgotha), the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and the most extravagantly decorated part of the church. The exit from this site is down another stairway that leads to the ambulatory.Calvary is two chapels, one is Greek Orthodox and the other is Catholic. The Greek Orthodox chapel’s altar is over the rock of Calvary, also the 12th Station of the Cross. You can touch the rock through a special hole in the floor beneath the altar. Be ready to wait in a line as this is one of the main reasons people visit the church. You can also see the rock through protective glass on both sides of the altar. In between the Catholic and Greek altars, a statue of Mary marks the 13th Station of the Cross.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre may well be the only church in the world where six of the most ancient Christian branches worship while rubbing shoulders. According to “Saving the Holy Sepulchre,” a book by Hebrew University professor Raymond Cohen, major communities like the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Orthodox churches have rights of possession and usage of all holy spots. The smaller Egyptian Coptic and Syriac Orthodox churches have limited rights to use the holiest places and almost no property rights over them. Instead, they preside over the other chapels, passageways and monasteries that sit close to the tomb of Jesus Christ. However, the Ethiopians have no rights in the church at all. They get to use only the roof.
Victims Families’ ceremony commemorating the Palestinians October 7 attack - My personal message The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-08 | The commemoration ceremony organized by families of the victims of the October 7 attack begins at Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park. It will be broadcast on Israeli television stations and dozens of foreign broadcast networks.It is the first of two ceremonies this evening, with the official state ceremony to be held at 9:15 p.m. The latter, organized by Transportation Minister Miri Regev, has been surrounded by controversy, with critics of the government saying it should not be overseeing a ceremony marking its failures a year ago.Some 40,000 people had planned to attend the Yarkon Park event, but it will now be held with a limited crowd due to the IDF Home Front Command only allowing gatherings of up to 2,000 people in Tel Aviv amid the ongoing threat of rocket attacks.On 7 October 2023, dozens of Hamas militants attacked Alumim, a kibbutz close to the border fence with the Gaza Strip, as part of the surprise attack on Israel. There were 41 Thai and Nepalese foreigners working at the kibbutz. The militants killed between 16 and 17 of these workers and kidnapped between five and eight of them. The kibbutz's security team were too far away and unable to save the employees. The militants did severe structural damage to the Kibbutz's dairy farming operation.After heavy fighting, the security team were able to push the militants back with the help of the Israel Defense Forces and police. No deaths among the remaining civilian population of the kibbutz were reported, although one Israeli civilian who had fled to the kibbutz after escaping the Re'im music festival massacre was killed by the defenders in a case of mistaken identity. Three Israeli soldiers, two of them off-duty soldiers who had come to volunteer, and a police officer were killed in the fighting.[A few Israeli civilians who sought shelter in Alumim after fleeing the Re'im music festival massacre were killed in the kibbutz. Security camera footage in the kibbutz captured footage of a young woman killed while on her knees and another being shot while trying to flee. One survivor of the festival massacre, Ofek Atun of Holon, was killed after he and his girlfriend Tamar Kam broke into the home of an elderly couple that they thought was abandoned to take shelter. The two were subsequently shot after being mistaken for militants. Atun was killed and Kam was wounder. No Israeli civilian kibbutz members are mentioned as having been killed. Non-combatant civilians mainly hid in their safe rooms for the duration of the battle.During the fighting, brothers Yishai and Noam Slotki from Beersheba were killed. They were IDF reservists who had come to the area on their own initiative after hearing of the attack to take part in the defense of Alumim without having been called up. Noam Slotki, 31, held the rank of Master Sergeant and had most recently served as a combat medic in the Carmeli Brigade, while Yishai Slotki, 24, held the rank of Sergeant First Class and served in the Oded Brigade. Their bodies were identified five days later. The brothers were the grandsons of Rabbi Eitan Eizman, president of Tzvia educational institution network, head of the board of trustees at Orot Israel Teachers College, and former board member of Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva. They were among the seven children of Rabbi Shmuel Slotki, who was called up to help identify bodies in the aftermath of the attack and carried on this work during the five days his sons were unaccounted for. Two other IDF soldiers, Warrant Officer Ido Rosenthal of the Shaldag Unit and Lieutenant Itai Cohen of the Yahalom unit, were also killed. A police officer from the elite Yasam unit, Sergeant First Class Ran Gvili, was also killed.[1] Several defenders and civilians were wounded and treated by the on-site kibbutz nurse before being evacuated.Thai and Nepalese employeesOf the 41foreigners employed as farm workers at Alumim, between 16 and 17 were killed at the start of the attack. Between five and eight others were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Ten Nepalese nationals were killed and one kidnapped. Similar numbers for Thai nationals are less certain with one source giving the breakdown as seven[6] killed and fou kidnapped.
From King Davids Palace to Herods Temple: A Journey Through Ruins and Legacy (Zahi Shaked) The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-08 | Information about the City of David, Jerusalem itself will be provided after this announcement (Amy Keen).Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishaked/extrasSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foKing David’s PalaceAt the beginning of 2005, Eilat Mazar began excavating in the area that had already been partially excavated by MacAllister and Duncan in the 1920s.At the beginning of 2005, Ayelet Mazar, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, began excavating in an area that had already been partially excavated by MacAllister and Duncan in the 1920s, in the place where the office of the visitor center in the City of David stands. She proposed that the remains discovered are the foundations of a large palace from the 10th century BCE., the time of King David. There is a great dispute raging among researchers regarding these remains, and the date of the structure and its interpretation are still not known with certainty. During the excavation, a number of ‘stamps’, seal impressions with Hebrew names on them were discovered. Continuing her work at the site, Mazar excavated a tower, part of the city wall from the beginning of the Second Temple, the days of Nehemiah, Governor of Judea.When we travel abroad, we are drawn to the beautiful and monumental places in every city we visit. Jerusalem in the Second Temple period was one of the most beautiful cities in the world according to accounts at the time, and at the Archeological Garden – Davidson Center, we can admire the powerful construction of the city and its magnificence at that time and during other periods. This was one of the most important focal points of life in the city for generations, and in order to uncover it, around 350,000 cubic meters of earth were removed from the area during the archeological excavation process before the impressive remnants that you will see here were revealed!The earliest finding on this site is a gate from the days of the First Temple, which was possibly built during the reign of King Solomon. Near the gate, two extremely important artifacts were found: the personal stamp seal of King Hezekiah who lived during the 8th century BC, and possibly also the personal stamp seal of the prophet Isiah from the same period. In the days of the Second Temple, King Herod built the majority of the Western Wall using stones whose length could reach almost 14 meters. It appears that after the death of King Herod, a massive road was paved from the Pool of Siloam in the City of David over to the Western Wall, from where they climbed to the Temple Mount using a monumental stone arch known today as “Robinson’s Arch”. This arch holds two world records in the ancient world – it is the oldest overpass in the world, and the largest stone overpass built in the Roman Empire. When visiting this street, don’t forget to take a peek at the staircase that leads below it – under your feet is a large rainwater drainage channel in which amazing artifacts were discovered: a golden bell which may have fallen off the coat of the High Priest, a Roman sword that perhaps suggests a fierce battle had taken place in this channel during the War of Destruction in the year 70 CE, and a clay stamp that appears to have sealed a container of offerings to the Temple.
Innocent Voices Lifted in Prayer at the Western Wall of the Jewish Temple #israel #jerusalem The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-08 | Information about the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, due to the war, there are no tourists, and I haven't worked for about a year. Without your help, I would not be able to continue uploading many videos.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foThe Western Wall, or “Wailing Wall”, is the most religious site in the world for the Jewish people. Located in the Old City of Jerusalem, it is the western support wall of the Temple Mount. Thousands of people journey to the wall every year to visit and recite prayers. These prayers are either spoken or written down and placed in the cracks of the wall. The wall splits into two sections, one area for males and the other for females. It is one of the major highlights in any tour of the Old City.King Herod built this wall in 20 BCE during an expansion of the Second Temple. When the Romans destroyed the temple in 70 CE, the support wall survived. For hundreds of years, people prayed in the small area of the wall that could be seen. In 1967, following the Six-Day War, Israelis dug below the ground of the wall, exposing two more levels. They also cleared the area around the wall to create the Western Wall Plaza that visitors see today.The site is open to all people and is the location of various ceremonies, such as military inductions and bar mitzvahs. The Western Wall is free and is open all day, year-round. Women and men should dress modestly in the Western Wall Plaza. To pray at the wall, women should have their legs and shoulders covered. Men should cover their heads.Zahi Shaked A tour guide in Israel and his camera zahishaked@gmail.com +972-54-6905522 tel סיור עם מורה הדרך ומדריך הטיולים צחי שקד 0546905522My name is Zahi ShakedIn 2000 I became a registered licensed tourist guide.My dedication in life is to pass on the ancient history of the Holy Land.Following upon many years of travel around the world, which was highlighted by a very exciting emotional and soul-searching meeting with the Dalai Lama, I realized that I had a mission. To pass on the history of the Holy Land, its religions, and in particular, the birth and development of Christianity.In order to fulfill this "calling" in the best way possible, I studied in depth, visited, and personally experienced each and every important site of the ancient Christians. I studied for and received my first bachelors degree in the ancient history of the Holy Land, and am presently completing my studies for my second degree.(Masters)Parralel to my studies, and in order to earn a living, I was employed for many years in advertising. What I learned there was how to attract the publics attention, generate and, increase interest, and assimilate information. All this I use as tools to describe, explain and deepen the interest in the sites that we visit. From my experience, I have learned that in this way, the Holy Land becomes more than just history, and that the large stones that we see scattered about in dissaray, join together one by one until they become - a Byzantine Church. This also happens when I lead a group of Pilgrims in the Steps of Jesus. We climb to the peak of Mount Precipice, "glide" over the land to the Sea of Galilee, land on the water, and "see" the miracle which enfolds before us. Different traditions identify different primary components of Shacharit. Essentially all agree that pesukei dezimra, the Shema Yisrael and its blessings, and the Amidah are major sections. Some identify the preliminary blessings and readings, as a first, distinct section. Others say that Tachanun is a separate section, as well as the concluding blessings. On certain days, there are additional prayers and services added to shacharit, including Mussaf and a Torah reading.
Honoring the Memory: A Year Since Gaza’s Brutal Killing of Thai and Nepalese Workers of Alumim The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-07 | On 7 October 2023, dozens of Hamas militants attacked Alumim, a kibbutz close to the border fence with the Gaza Strip, as part of the surprise attack on Israel. There were 41 Thai and Nepalese foreigners working at the kibbutz. The militants killed between 16 and 17 of these workers and kidnapped between five and eight of them. The kibbutz's security team were too far away and unable to save the employees. The militants did severe structural damage to the Kibbutz's dairy farming operation.After heavy fighting, the security team were able to push the militants back with the help of the Israel Defense Forces and police. No deaths among the remaining civilian population of the kibbutz were reported, although one Israeli civilian who had fled to the kibbutz after escaping the Re'im music festival massacre was killed by the defenders in a case of mistaken identity. Three Israeli soldiers, two of them off-duty soldiers who had come to volunteer, and a police officer were killed in the fighting.[A few Israeli civilians who sought shelter in Alumim after fleeing the Re'im music festival massacre were killed in the kibbutz. Security camera footage in the kibbutz captured footage of a young woman killed while on her knees and another being shot while trying to flee. One survivor of the festival massacre, Ofek Atun of Holon, was killed after he and his girlfriend Tamar Kam broke into the home of an elderly couple that they thought was abandoned to take shelter. The two were subsequently shot after being mistaken for militants. Atun was killed and Kam was wounder. No Israeli civilian kibbutz members are mentioned as having been killed. Non-combatant civilians mainly hid in their safe rooms for the duration of the battle.During the fighting, brothers Yishai and Noam Slotki from Beersheba were killed. They were IDF reservists who had come to the area on their own initiative after hearing of the attack to take part in the defense of Alumim without having been called up. Noam Slotki, 31, held the rank of Master Sergeant and had most recently served as a combat medic in the Carmeli Brigade, while Yishai Slotki, 24, held the rank of Sergeant First Class and served in the Oded Brigade. Their bodies were identified five days later. The brothers were the grandsons of Rabbi Eitan Eizman, president of Tzvia educational institution network, head of the board of trustees at Orot Israel Teachers College, and former board member of Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva. They were among the seven children of Rabbi Shmuel Slotki, who was called up to help identify bodies in the aftermath of the attack and carried on this work during the five days his sons were unaccounted for. Two other IDF soldiers, Warrant Officer Ido Rosenthal of the Shaldag Unit and Lieutenant Itai Cohen of the Yahalom unit, were also killed. A police officer from the elite Yasam unit, Sergeant First Class Ran Gvili, was also killed.[1] Several defenders and civilians were wounded and treated by the on-site kibbutz nurse before being evacuated.Thai and Nepalese employeesOf the 41foreigners employed as farm workers at Alumim, between 16 and 17 were killed at the start of the attack. Between five and eight others were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Ten Nepalese nationals were killed and one kidnapped. Similar numbers for Thai nationals are less certain with one source giving the breakdown as seven[6] killed and fou kidnapped.
Gethsemane, Jerusalem - Alone at the Place of Jesus’ Heartbreaking Betrayal (Zahi Shaked) The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-07 | Information about Gethsemane, Jerusalem itself will be provided after this announcement (Colleen Hann). Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foGethsemane:"...Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was an olive grove, and he and his disciples went into it." (John 18:1)Built in 1924 on the traditional site of the Garden of Gethsemane, the Basilica of the Agony enshrines a section of bedrock identified as the place where Jesus prayed alone in the garden on the night of his arrest. Although it is not certain that this is the exact spot, the setting does fit the Gospel description, and the present church, designed by the architect Antonio Barluzzi, rests on the foundations of two earlier shrines: a 12th-century Crusader chapel, abandoned in 1345; and a 4th-century Byzantine basilica, destroyed by the earthquake in 746. (A rock on the way up to the Mount of Olives is mentioned by the Pilgrim of Bordeaux in 333, who identifies it as the place where Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus.)The windows in the present church are made from translucent purplish-blue alabaster, which gives an intended dimmed-lighting effect to the interior. Six monolithic columns support 12 cupolas, the insides of which are decorated with mosaic tiles depicting the national emblems of the donor communities. This decoration gave rise to the popular name, "Church of All Nations".The name Gethsemane is a Greek form of the Hebrew gat shemanim ([olive] oil press). Eight olive trees in the adjoining garden are very ancient. (The dating of olive trees is difficult as they renew both trunk and root structure so that a young-looking tree may in fact have ancient roots).In the garden is an open altar, placed there by the Franciscan fathers in an ecumenical gesture to the Anglican community, which holds Maundy Thursday services there on the eve of Good Friday.Zahi Shaked A tour guide in Israel and his camera: zahishaked@gmail.com +972-54-6905522 tel סיור עם מורה הדרך ומדריך הטיולים צחי שקד 0546905522My name is Zahi ShakedIn 2000 I became a registered licensed tourist guide.My dedication in life is to pass on the ancient history of the Holy Land.Following upon many years of travel around the world, which was highlighted by a very exciting emotional and soul-searching meeting with the Dalai Lama, I realized that I had a mission. To pass on the history of the Holy Land, its religions, and in particular, the birth and development of Christianity.In order to fulfill this "calling" in the best way possible, I studied in depth, visited, and personally experienced each and every important site of the ancient Christians. I studied for and received my first bachelors degree in the ancient history of the Holy Land, and am presently completing my studies for my second degree.(Masters)Parralel to my studies, and in order to earn a living, I was employed for many years in advertising. What I learned there was how to attract the publics attention, generate and, increase interest, and assimilate information. All this I use as tools to describe, explain and deepen the interest in the sites that we visit. From my experience, I have learned that in this way, the Holy Land becomes more than just history, and that the large stones that we see scattered about in dissaray, join together one by one until they become - a Byzantine Church. This also happens when I lead a group of Pilgrims in the Steps of Jesus. We climb to the peak of Mount Precipice, "glide" over the land to the Sea of Galilee, land on the water, and "see" the miracle which enfolds before us. This is a many-faceted experience. Not only history which you will remember and cherish, but an experience which I hope will be implanted in your hearts and minds
Bring Them Light | October 7 Remembrance. #israel #idf #gaza #hamas The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-07 | THE BRING THEM LIGHT PROJECT The BringThemLight project was born out of the profound grief and disbelief following the tragic events of October 7th, where over 1,600 lives were brutally taken.In the face of such darkness, we sought to find hope and light.It was not enough to mourn these souls—we felt a deep need to honor each one, not as faceless victims, but as individuals with rich, meaningful lives. The project has two powerful parts. First, the light monument in Habima Square, where over 1,600 bulbs shine to represent each life lost, stands as a public symbol of remembrance.Yet, as the project took shape, it became clear that simply commemorating these lives wasn’t enough.We needed to know each person, to share their stories.This led to the second, more intimate part of BringThemLight—a mission to celebrate how they lived.Through interviews with families, we’ve gathered precious memories, photos, and videos, translating these into personal tributes.Each video, set to the music that filled their lives, brings their stories to life. This project is not about how they died, but how they loved, laughed, and lived.It’s about husbands, wives, parents, sons, daughters, and friends who were taken too soon.Families have shared their memories with us, allowing us to preserve not just names, but legacies.While the creation of the light monument required an incredible fundraising effort, the process of creating these videos is more delicate—families, still grieving, need time to open up. Yet, when they do, the gratitude they express is overwhelming. These videos ensure that their loved ones are remembered as vibrant individuals, not just victims.But to continue this important work, we need your help.We must raise the necessary funds to keep telling these stories, ensuring that their light shines on, not just in memory, but in the hearts of those who knew them and those who never had the chance. As a clinical psychologist for 19 years, I have always believed in transforming pain into healing. But nothing prepared me for the devastation of October 7th.In a moment where I lost faith in humanity, from a place of disbelief and fear, BringThemLight was born.We cannot fix the pain of that day, but we can remember the beauty of those we lost.In their memory, let us find hope, and let us ensure that their light shines eternally, a testament to our commitment to never forget.Darkness cannot drive out darkness—only light can do that. All life stories can be found on the Instagram account: instagram.com/bringthemlight_oct7
Resilience in Motion: Israel’s Dance Festival One Year After Gaza Attack The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-06 | Death count from Re’im music festival massacre reportedly updated to 364 — a third of Oct. 7 fatalities. Near Kibbutz Re'im, Israel — In the scrubland of southern Israel is strewn the aftermath of a dance party that became a bloody massacre.Thousands of people were gathered for the Supernova trance music festival, around three miles from the border with the Gaza Strip, when in the early morning hours of Oct. 7, after a night of dancing in the Negev Desert near the Kibbutz Re'im, Hamas gunmen arrived with murder on their minds. As partygoers ran for their lives, they were cut down. Israeli officials said at least 260 people were killed in the massacre, and others were taken captive to be held as hostages.Young people who had come for celebration were slaughtered. Several days on, mattresses, tents and blankets still remain, along with clothing, food and even toiletries.The festival was one of the first targets of Hamas's surprise attack against Israel in the early morning hours of 7 October 2023. Israeli security services investigations have found it unlikely that Hamas had advanced knowledge of the festival, citing, among other evidence, that the festival had been planned to run until 6 October and was only recently extended to 7 October. The massacre was carried out by the 1st and 3rd companies of Hamas's Nuseirat Battalion. Their original target is thought to have been the city of Netivot, but after noticing the party they turned back and headed in its direction, where they committed the massacre. Afterwards, they again headed towards Netivot but after seeing an Israeli tank turned back again and joined the Nuseirat Battalion's 2nd company at kibbutz Be'eri in perpetrating the Be'eri massacre.The attack opened with a rocket barrage starting at about 6:30 AM that provided cover for infiltration. A rocket siren sounded in the area. Militants blasted through the border fence in numerous locations and began infiltrating into Israel. Some of the Hamas gunmen who attacked the festival infiltrated Israel via motorized paragliders. Following the start of the barrage, the police commander in charge of security at the festival, Deputy Superintendent Nivi Ohana of the Ofakim police station, ordered the party dispersed and requested additional security. Police began to disperse the festival-goers and backup arrived, including a team from the Yasam riot control unit. There were also private security guards present. It took infiltrating Hamas forces about an hour and forty minutes to understand the situation at the festival site, after which they headed in its direction.At around 7:00 AM, with militant infiltration from the Gaza Strip underway, police and private security personnel on the scene set up a checkpoint at the gate to the festival, positioning themselves to battle any assault. When the militants arrived, police officers and security guards, armed mainly with handguns, fought to hold off the militants who were armed with assault rifles, grenades, and other heavy weaponry. An Israeli tank arrived to assist and managed to kill dozens of the militants, but was hit by anti-tank fire. The fighting went on for hours, but after all but one of the tank's crew members were killed and the sole survivor drove away to avoid being killed as militants tried to storm the vehicle, the militants finally succeeded in breaking through the checkpoint at around 11:45 AM and entering the festival grounds.
Secrets of the Garden Tomb: Revealing Skull Hill and the Resurrection Site of Jesus in Jerusalem The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-06 | Information about the Garden Tomb itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foThere are many awesome places of Christian pilgrimage in Jerusalem, and faith or no faith they just entice you in to visit them. The Garden Tomb is one of those special places where you feel humbled as you experience the emotions felt by other pilgrims as they gaze on these sites with wonderment…The Garden Tomb is found just outside Jerusalem’s city walls, close to the Damascus Gate, and is considered by some to be the site of the burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Also known as Gordon’s Calvary, the Garden Tomb is what you could call the “rival” to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.The tomb was discovered in 1867, unlike the evidence to support the Church site which dates back to the 4th Century, and is the site more favored by Protestants. Although the Anglican Church has withdrawn its support for the Garden Tomb being the authentic place of burial and resurrection, its attraction for pilgrims and visitors remains.THE CASE FOR AUTHENTICITYGarden Tomb JerusalemBefore you visit the Garden Tomb you might want to learn a little about its history and why people believe it is the site of the burial and resurrection of Jesus. One of the keys points to support the authenticity of the Tomb is its location. Hebrews 13:12 states that the burial place is outside the city walls, which indeed the Garden Tomb is, unlike the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is within them.One other point about the authenticity of the Garden Tomb is that archaeologists have put the date of the tomb as being 9th-7th BC, corresponding with the late Old Testament era. There are several references to Jesus’ burial place being a new tomb, including Matthew 27:60 and John 19:41.Lastly, the burial benches in the Garden Tomb were cut down during the 4th – 6th-century Byzantine period. This gives credence to historians who claim that if it had been a site of such significance it wouldn’t have been disfigured in this way. At the time the tomb was being altered, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher was already being revered as the most important Christian shrine.WHAT TO SEEWhatever your beliefs and your thoughts on its authenticity, the Garden Tomb is still a magical place to visit; and is usually far easier to get “up close” without fighting the crowds you might encounter at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.One thing not to miss is the multilingual signs marking the site and a wooden door bearing the words “He is not here – for he is risen” (about 100 yards from the shape of a skull in the cliff-side). Powerful words…You can see the deep channel claimed to be the groove in which the tomb’s closing stone was rolled, but there is nothing that can substantiate this. There are doors and windows in the face which are generally thought to date from the Byzantine or Crusader times. Once inside you will see features that have also contributed to the debate about the tomb’s supposed occupant. The tomb itself is carved out of the rock while the burial chamber is located on the right, just as described in the Bible. This is one of very few tombs in Jerusalem that have the burial chamber located on the right…You can also still see where the body benches were cut down by Byzantine Christians and also signs of where the Crusaders of the Middle Ages lowered the rock surface in front of the Garden Tomb in order to convert the site to a stable.Zahi Shaked A tour guide in Israel and his camera zahishaked@gmail.com +972-54-6905522 tel סיור עם מורה הדרך ומדריך הטיולים צחי שקד 0546905522My name is Zahi ShakedIn 2000 I became a registered licensed tourist guide.
A sign of resurgence: Israeli flag raised high right in front of the Gaza Strip (Netiv HaAsara) The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-05 | The inauguration of a new garden in Gaza border community Kibbutz Netiv Ha'Asara to commemorate its members killed on October 7 included hoisting an Israeli flag 174 feet high, right in front of the border fence; 'Sends a clear message to the Gaza Strip's northern neighborhoods'. Alfredo Vachs, 84, from Kibbutz Netiv Ha'Asara, located on the border with Gaza, radiates an optimism that is truly remarkable. Despite the loss of his two sons, Amit and Yigal, in the terrorist attack on October 7, he has recently returned home and strives to keep a smile on his face. During the inauguration ceremony of the "Path of Hope" memorial, dedicated to the 20 victims from the kibbutz, Alfredo's wholehearted smile stood out as the tallest Israeli flag in the country was raised.The Netiv HaAsara massacre occurred during the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. Thirty-five Hamas militants, some via paragliders and most via car, attacked Netiv HaAsara, an Israeli moshav close to the border fence. The militants killed at least 20 people, including in some cases members of the same family. Before the massacre, the moshav was home to approximately 900 residents.Netiv HaAsara, a moshav founded in 1982, is home to a population of 900. Following the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005, Netiv HaAsara became the closest Israeli community to the Gaza Strip, situated 100 meters from the Palestinian towns of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanon. Residents in Netiv HaAsara have claimed to witness Hamas militants training.As part of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel on the morning of 7 October, 35 Hamas militants infiltrated Netiv HaAsara, 6 on motorized paragliders and the rest in cars through the breached Gaza–Israel barrier. At the time of the invasion, many residents had fled to their home's safe rooms after the initial rocket barrage at 6am local time. For the first two hours of the invasion, residents did not know that Hamas militants had entered Israeli territory due to the unavailability of power or internet access. The village's security team battled the attackers, and three were killed in the fighting, alongside 21 residents. At some point electricity in the village went out, leaving people trapped in safe rooms without power.After six hours of the residents fighting with the invading Hamas gunmen, the Israel Defense Forces arrived in the moshav.Survivors of the attack have criticized the Israeli government for not preventing the attack and for the lengthy response time of the IDF.The remains of the last victim from the attack, Bilha Yinon, were not found until August 6, 2024. All that was found were a couple of teeth and "other circumstantial evidence."[9] Yinon was the mother of Maoz Inon, an Israeli peace activist
The Hidden Tombs of the Prophets: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi on the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-05 | Information about the Tombs of the Prophets: Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi on the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem itself will be provided after this announcement (Betty, E.J, and James Anthony Arendt). Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8fo itself will be provided after this announcement (Betty, E.J, and James Anthony Arendt). Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foThe Tomb of the Prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi is an ancient burial site located on the upper western slope of the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem. According to a medieval Jewish tradition also adopted by Christians, the catacomb is believed to be the burial place of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, the last three Hebrew Bible prophets who are believed to have lived during the 6th–5th centuries BC. Archaeologists have dated the three earliest burial chambers to the first century BC, thus contradicting the tradition.Burial chamberThe chamber forms two concentric passages containing 38 burial niches. The entrance to the large rock-cut burial cave is on the western side, where a staircase descends, flanked on both sides by a stone balustrade. It leads into a large circular central vault measuring 24 ft (7.3 m) in diameter. From it, two parallel tunnels, 5 ft (1.5 m) wide and 10 ft (3.0 m) high, stretch some 20 yd (18 m) through the rock. A third tunnel runs in another direction. They are all connected by cross galleries, the outer one of which measures 40 yd (37 m) in length.Research shows that the complex actually dates from the 1st century BCE, when this style of tombs came into use for Jewish burial. Some Greek inscriptions discovered at the site suggest the cave was re-used to bury foreign Christians during the 4th and 5th centuries CE.[5] On one of the side walls of the vault, a Greek inscription translates:Entrance to the Tomb of the ProphetsThe site has been venerated by the Jews since the Middle Ages, and they often visited the site. In 1882, Archimandrite Antonin Kapustin acquired the location for the Russian Orthodox Church. He planned to build a church at the site, which aroused strong protests by the Jews who visited and worshipped at the cave. The Ottoman courts ruled in 1890 that the transaction was binding but the Russians agreed not to display Christian symbols or icons at the site which was to remain accessible for people of all faiths.
Northern Gaza in Focus: One Year After Gaza’s Brutal Assault on Israel (Netiv HaAsara, Israel) The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-04 | The Netiv HaAsara massacre occurred during the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. Thirty-five Hamas militants, some via paragliders and most via car, attacked Netiv HaAsara, an Israeli moshav close to the border fence. The militants killed at least 20 people, including in some cases members of the same family. Before the massacre, the moshav was home to approximately 900 residents.Netiv HaAsara, a moshav founded in 1982, is home to a population of 900. Following the Israeli disengagement from Gaza in 2005, Netiv HaAsara became the closest Israeli community to the Gaza Strip, situated 100 meters from the Palestinian towns of Beit Lahia and Beit Hanon. Residents in Netiv HaAsara have claimed to witness Hamas militants training.As part of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel on the morning of 7 October, 35 Hamas militants infiltrated Netiv HaAsara, 6 on motorized paragliders and the rest in cars through the breached Gaza–Israel barrier. At the time of the invasion, many residents had fled to their home's safe rooms after the initial rocket barrage at 6am local time. For the first two hours of the invasion, residents did not know that Hamas militants had entered Israeli territory due to the unavailability of power or internet access. The village's security team battled the attackers, and three were killed in the fighting, alongside 21 residents. At some point electricity in the village went out, leaving people trapped in safe rooms without power.After six hours of the residents fighting with the invading Hamas gunmen, the Israel Defense Forces arrived in the moshav.Survivors of the attack have criticized the Israeli government for not preventing the attack and for the lengthy response time of the IDF.The remains of the last victim from the attack, Bilha Yinon, were not found until August 6, 2024. All that was found were a couple of teeth and "other circumstantial evidence."[9] Yinon was the mother of Maoz Inon, an Israeli peace activist
Unveiling San Salvador Church, Jerusalem: The Epic Tale of the Franciscans Journey in the Holy Land The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-04 | Information about the San Salvador Church, Jerusalem itself will be provided after this announcement (Betty, E.J, and James Anthony Arendt). Unfortunately, due to the war, there are no tourists, and I haven't worked for about a year. Without your help, I would not be able to continue uploading many videos.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foAyelet Orpaz : facebook.com/AyeletOrpaz1The Catholic Franciscan Monastery of San Salvador (Sacred Savior) is located in Jerusalem’s Old City near the New Gate. This is the center of the Franciscan Order in the Holy Land and the Middle East. The extensive monastery complex encompasses a publishing house, offices, church, Catholic school, and the monks’ living quarters.History of the San Salvador Monastery, JerusalemIn 1560, the ruling Sultan Sulieman the Magnificent allowed the Franciscans to buy the property where the monastery stands, from the Georgian Orthodox Church. By 1850 the old church was too small for the parish, and Sultan Abdulmecid I gave permission to demolish the old structure and build anew. Construction was financed by donations including a contribution from the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph I and the church was completed in 1885.The monastery church was designed by Father Raffaele Cingolani and unlike most churches, it is built on the north-south axis. In 1932 two floors were added to the church clock tower in honor of the 700th anniversary of St. Anthony of Padua. In 1985 the complex was renovated in honor of the 100th anniversary of its construction.Highlights of the Franciscan Monastery of San Salvador, Jerusalem The Pope appointed the Franciscan Order to be custodians of the Holy Land, and preserve the interests of the Catholic Church in the east. As you enter the complex notice the Franciscan coat of arms and the symbol of the Custodia Terra Sancta carved into the gate. The magnificent church has a high ceiling covered with intricately patterned paintings.Marble-clad columns supporting arches divide the church into two aisles and a wide nave. The tiled floor is particularly beautiful with a unique geometrical pattern. Entrance to the complex is off-limits but visitors can tour the breathtaking San Salvador Church.
Inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem: Divisions Among Christian Denominations The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-03 | Information aboutthe Church of the Holy Sepulchre itself will be provided after this announcement (Melissa and Craig Butts). Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8fo33 candles, symbolizing the years of Jesus' life, are the energetic gift every Christian in need of healing should have. The candles will be blessed at all the significant locations in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most holy and special sites in Christianity. Located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the church is home to two of the holiest sites in Christianity – the site where Jesus was crucified, known as Calvary, and the tomb where Jesus was buried and then resurrected. Today, the tomb is enclosed by a shrine called the Aedicula. The final four Stations of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, are also located inside the church.The New Testament tells that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, “the place of the skull”. This is commonly thought to be an area of stone quarries outside the city’s walls at the time. Around a decade after Jesus’s crucifixion, a third wall was built to enclose the area of his execution and burial within the city. This provides validation for the Holy Sepulchre’s location inside today’s Old City of Jerusalem.After he had a vision of a cross in the sky in 312 CE, Constantine the Great converted to Christianity and sent his mother, Empress Helena, to Jerusalem in search of Jesus’s tomb. She found a relic of the cross near a tomb, leading her to believe she had found Calvary. In 326 CE, Constantine ordered a church built at the site. All the soil and debris over the centuries was removed from the cave, revealing a rock-cut tomb identified as the burial site of Jesus.The Church now stands over the two holy sites. The great basilica or Martyrium encloses the traditional site of Calvary in one corner. Across the way the Anastasis (“Resurrection”) encloses the cave tomb of Jesus’s burial. The church was finally consecrated on September 13, 335 CE. The wooden doors of the church’s main entrance are still the original doors from 326 CE. This puts into perspective the ancient grandeur of this holy church.Calvary (golgotha)Inside the church entrance, a stairway leads up to Calvary (Golgotha), the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and the most extravagantly decorated part of the church. The exit from this site is down another stairway that leads to the ambulatory.Calvary is two chapels, one is Greek Orthodox and the other is Catholic. The Greek Orthodox chapel’s altar is over the rock of Calvary, also the 12th Station of the Cross. You can touch the rock through a special hole in the floor beneath the altar. Be ready to wait in a line as this is one of the main reasons people visit the church. You can also see the rock through protective glass on both sides of the altar. In between the Catholic and Greek altars, a statue of Mary marks the 13th Station of the Cross.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre may well be the only church in the world where six of the most ancient Christian branches worship while rubbing shoulders. According to “Saving the Holy Sepulchre,” a book by Hebrew University professor Raymond Cohen, major communities like the Greek Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Armenian Orthodox churches have rights of possession and usage of all holy spots. The smaller Egyptian Coptic and Syriac Orthodox churches have limited rights to use the holiest places and almost no property rights over them. Instead, they preside over the other chapels, passageways and monasteries that sit close to the tomb of Jesus Christ. However, the Ethiopians have no rights in the church at all. They get to use only the roof.
Mystery of the Drimia: Why Does This Ancient Plant Thrive Near Judas Iscariot’s Tomb on Mount Zion? The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-02 | Information about the Samboski Cemetery on Mount Zion, Jerusalem itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, due to the war, there are no tourists, and I haven't worked for about a year. Without your help, I would not be able to continue uploading many videos.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foncient and mysterious: the Samboski Cemetery on Mount ZionThe circumstances of its establishment are not clear, nor is the date when burials began there. It was neglected for many years, until recently, when the tide turned. This is the story of the cemetery that served the poor of Jerusalem.The Samboski Cemetery is located on the eastern side of Mount Zion, just above the Valley of Hinnom. For hundreds of years, it was used as a burial site for the poor of Jerusalem whose money could not afford to buy a grave plot on the Mount of Olives.The Samboski Cemetery’s beginnings are unknown. Kushans or unequivocal findings indicating the purchase of the area and the beginning of the burial there have not been found, and the circumstances of its establishment are not clear. What is known is that there are centuries-old testimonies referring to the existence of the cemetery, and it is a place where mainly the poor and destitute of the city were buried.We find the first evidence of the existence of a Jewish cemetery on Mount Zion in the words of Rabbi Mordechai of Roistitz who came from Moravia to Jerusalem in 1616. Rabbi Gedaliah of Simiatitz, another traveler who came after him in 1700, tells of a cemetery “old from ancient times” located in the south of Jerusalem with caves . Apparently this is Samboski, since no other cemetery has been found in the south of Old Jerusalem where caves are found.One of the founders of Petach Tikva, Rabbi Aryeh Leib Fromkin, lived in Jerusalem for a time. He became aware of the existence of the Samboski. In his book, he noted that some of the graves in the cemetery are unrecognizable because there is no marking on them, which made it difficult for him to know how old the place was. However, he said that the oldest grave identified is the grave of old Moshe Ben Yakir who died in 1637.After the Six Day War, additional gravestones were found in Samboski with a date on them, the oldest of which date back to 1785 and 1792. This evidence shows that Jewish burials on Mount Zion probably existed at least from the 17th century and certainly in the 18th century, even though the area was outside the defined boundaries of the city.Starting from the first decade of the 2000s, extensive operations were carried out to restore the cemetery on several occasions, but the neglect of the place had not yet stopped.The turnaround happened about two and a half years ago when the City of David joined the restoration efforts, and began operations to improve the place together with the Jerusalem Municipality, the Ministry of Jerusalem and Israel Tradition, the Sephardic Burial Society, and the General Custodian. Among other things, the City of David took care of the removal of construction waste, regular removal of the garbage from the place, thorough cleaning of the area, orderly fencing of the cemetery, collection and restoration of gravestones scattered throughout the area, placing of new tombstones to mark the cemetery, and carrying out engineering support works.The recognition of the importance of the Samboski Cemetery and the importance of the works to restore it reached its peak in February 2023: for the first time since the establishment of the State, a state memorial ceremony was held there in memory of the unknown deceased who were buried there. The ceremony was held in the presence of the Minister of Jerusalem and Tradition, the Mayor of Jerusalem, and with the participation of hundreds of people.
Temple in the City of David: King Davids Tabernacle or Melchizedeks? Tour with the archaeologist The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-10-01 | Information about the Melchizedek’s Temple, City of David, Jerusalem itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, due to the war, there are no tourists, and I haven't worked for about a year. Without your help, I would not be able to continue uploading many videos.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foIn 2010 Archaeologist Eli Shukrun unearthed a very unusual ancient structure in the City of David above the Gihon spring. It comprised four parallel rooms along the eastern slopes, with foundations carved in the bedrock. The northernmost room had a square hole in one of its walls and a vat carved into its floor. Such features are typical of ancient olive presses. This room also contained a storage space where many pottery shards were uncovered. Most date to the 18th century BCE, and some to the 8th century BCE. Shukrun concluded that this structure functioned in the Middle Bronze Age (18th-17th centuries BCE) but was also known, perhaps even used, up to the 8th century BCE (The “Israelite period”).Room for an Altar?The room behind it had a rectangular raised platform in its NW corner, from which a drainage ditch was carved to its eastern end. Shukrun suggested this was the place of an altar, whose ditch drained the blood of sacrifices. The southernmost room had mysterious “V” shaped carvings on its floor and another carved round vat.Malchizedek temple matzebahBut the most significant discovery was made in the adjacent room, where a standing stone (“Matsevah”) was found in its NW corner. It is a thin (5 cm wide) stone, 55 cm tall, and supported by other stones to be raised. Having a seemingly cultic function, and set between a room with an altar and a room with “V” shaped carvings (tripods base for animal slaughter?), What was its purpose?Shukrun suggested that the complex was designed for worshiping a Canaanite deity and was in use, or at least known, up to the 8th century BCE. But which God was glorified here? And by whom?Biblical TiesThe Bible provides a hint. In the book of Genesis (14:18), the bible describes a meeting between Abraham and a Canaanite King – “Melchizedek King of Salem.” Psalms 76:3 indicates “Salem” is just another name for – Jerusalem (“His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion.“). Being so, Melchizedek was the king of Jerusalem when the cultic center was in use.But can Melchizedek be related to any cultic activity? And which God did he worship? Genesis 14:18 indicates ” King Melchizedek of Salem.. was a priest of God most high“.Is this the temple of Melchizedek, king of Salem? Did he worship a Canaanite version of the God of the Israelites? And was it so sacred that even centuries later, in the days of the Israelites, it was still known?Interestingly, the latest pottery found in the structure dates to the 8th century BCE, the time of King Hezekiah.Indeed, the bible indicates that, among others, King Hezekiah led a religious reform and abolished former cultic centers (2 Kings 18:4) –He [Hezekiah] removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones, and cut down the Asherah poles. Is it Hezekiah who also gave the order to abandon this Canaanite cultic center? If Shukrun is correct, this could be one of the most significant discoveries ever made in biblical archaeology. Sadly, no inscriptions were found to associate these finds with Melchizedek or even cultic activity clearly, yet the circumstantial evidence is quite intriguing and overwhelming.
Holy Fire Candles from Jerusalem - 33 Candles, Lighting Ceremony at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-09-30 | Information abou tthe Church of the Holy Sepulchre itself will be provided after this announcement (Betty, E.J, and James Anthony Arendt). Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8fo33 candles, symbolizing the years of Jesus' life, are the energetic gift every Christian in need of healing should have. The candles will be blessed at all the significant locations in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, also known as the Church of the Resurrection in Jerusalem.The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is one of the most holy and special sites in Christianity. Located in the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, the church is home to two of the holiest sites in Christianity – the site where Jesus was crucified, known as Calvary, and the tomb where Jesus was buried and then resurrected. Today, the tomb is enclosed by a shrine called the Aedicula. The final four Stations of the Cross, or Via Dolorosa, are also located inside the church.The New Testament tells that Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, “the place of the skull”. This is commonly thought to be an area of stone quarries outside the city’s walls at the time. Around a decade after Jesus’s crucifixion, a third wall was built to enclose the area of his execution and burial within the city. This provides validation for the Holy Sepulchre’s location inside today’s Old City of Jerusalem.After he had a vision of a cross in the sky in 312 CE, Constantine the Great converted to Christianity and sent his mother, Empress Helena, to Jerusalem in search of Jesus’s tomb. She found a relic of the cross near a tomb, leading her to believe she had found Calvary. In 326 CE, Constantine ordered a church built at the site. All the soil and debris over the centuries was removed from the cave, revealing a rock-cut tomb identified as the burial site of Jesus.The Church now stands over the two holy sites. The great basilica or Martyrium encloses the traditional site of Calvary in one corner. Across the way the Anastasis (“Resurrection”) encloses the cave tomb of Jesus’s burial. The church was finally consecrated on September 13, 335 CE. The wooden doors of the church’s main entrance are still the original doors from 326 CE. This puts into perspective the ancient grandeur of this holy church.Calvary (golgotha)Inside the church entrance, a stairway leads up to Calvary (Golgotha), the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and the most extravagantly decorated part of the church. The exit from this site is down another stairway that leads to the ambulatory.Calvary is two chapels, one is Greek Orthodox and the other is Catholic. The Greek Orthodox chapel’s altar is over the rock of Calvary, also the 12th Station of the Cross. You can touch the rock through a special hole in the floor beneath the altar. Be ready to wait in a line as this is one of the main reasons people visit the church. You can also see the rock through protective glass on both sides of the altar. In between the Catholic and Greek altars, a statue of Mary marks the 13th Station of the Cross.Stone of AnointingInside the church’s entrance is the Stone of Anointing, believed to be where Jesus’s body was prepared for burial. The modern mosaic along the wall depicts the anointing of Jesus’s body. Lamps with candles and incense hang along an ornate stand over the stone.AediculeThe Crucifixion Altar Church of the Holy SepulchreThe Aedicule is a small chapel housing the Holy Sepulchre. It has two rooms – one holds the Angel’s Stone, believed to be a fragment of the stone that sealed Jesus’s tomb, the other is the tomb of Jesus. After the 14th century, a marble plaque over the tomb now protects it from further damage caused by flocks of pilgrims.
What Lies Hidden on the Sacred Ground of Herods Caesarea? (Zahi Shaked) The Holy Land, by Zahi Shaked 2024-09-30 | Information about Herod's Caesarea itself will be provided after this announcement. Unfortunately, I have not been able to work as a tour guide because of the war.Should you wish to support me and my videos please subscribe to my channel and let me guide you through the Holy Land via my videos. In this way, I will be able to continue to do my work of uploading to YouTube. Upon your request and in return I am very much happy to pray for you at the Western Wall and/or light a candle in your name at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or anywhere else in the Holy Land of Israel.Should you have a personal request I will be more than happy to respond and even film it in a personal video.Support and purchase of goods from the Holy Land: buymeacoffee.com/zahishakedSupport using PayPal: paypal.com/paypalme/zahishaked?fbclid=IwAR2RxU5bvJcA5UzxpzC28C480v9towo77GN60VuRZRR02M5Duycmh2UWYcIKindly share this site with your other friends/family that are interested in the rich and sacred history of Israel.Thank you so muchYour tour guideZahi Shakedfacebook.com/zahishakedisraelitourguideinstagram.com/zahi_shaked_israeli_tour_guidehttps://linktr.ee/zahishakedtourguide?fbclid=IwAR1Xad1mAX7Hzcvp2aXJO-t1q0chntMrdAEXlG0NdT5mFSNQIWmwUOHy8foCaesarea was built in Roman-ruled Judea under the Jewish client king Herod the Great during c. 22-10/9 BCE near the ruins of the small naval station of Straton's Tower.The site, along with all of Judea, was awarded by Rome to Herod the Great in 30 BCE. The pagan city underwent vast changes under Herod, who renamed it Caesarea in honour of the Roman emperor, Caesar Augustus. Caesarea was known as the administrative, economic, and cultural capital of the Judean province from this time.In 22 BCE, Herod began construction of a deep-sea harbour named Sebastos and built storerooms, markets, wide roads, baths, a temple to the goddess Roma and Emperor Augustus, and imposing public buildings. Herod built his palace on a promontory jutting out into the sea, with a decorative pool surrounded by stoas.Every five years, the city hosted major sports competitions, gladiator games, and theatrical productions in its theatre overlooking the Mediterranean SeaCaesarea, (“Ruins of Caesarea”), ancient port and administrative city of Israel, on the Mediterranean coast of present-day Israel south of Haifa. It is often referred to as Caesarea Palaestinae, or Caesarea Maritima, to distinguish it from Caesarea Philippi near the headwaters of the Jordan River. Originally an ancient Phoenician settlement known as Straton’s (Strato’s) Tower, it was rebuilt and enlarged in 22–10 bce by Herod the Great, king of Judaea under the Romans, and renamed for his patron, the emperor Caesar Augustus. It served as a port for Herod’s newly built city at Sebaste (Greek: Augusta), the ancient Samaria of central Palestine. Caesarea had an artificial harbour of large concrete blocks and typical Hellenistic-Roman public buildings. An aqueduct brought water from springs located almost 10 miles (16 km) to the northeast. Caesarea served as a base for the Herodian navy, which operated in aid of the Romans as far as the Black Sea.The city became the capital of the Roman province of Judaea in 6 ce. Subsequently, it was an important centre of early Christianity; in the New Testament it is mentioned in Acts in connection with Peter, Philip the Apostle, and, especially, Paul, who was imprisoned there before being sent to Rome for trial. According to the 1st-century-ce historian Flavius Josephus, the Jewish revolt against Rome, which culminated in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 ce, was touched off by an incident at Caesarea in 66 ce. During the Bar Kokhba revolt of 132–135 ce, the Romans tortured and killed the 10 greatest leaders and sages of Palestinian Jewry, including Rabbi Akiba. Caesarea was almost certainly the place of execution of Rabbi Akiba and the others according to tradition (c. 135 ce). The death of these Ten Martyrs is still commemorated in the liturgy for Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement).After this Caesarea became the capital of the province renamed Syria-Palaestina by the emperor Hadrian. Under the Byzantine Empire it was capital of the province of Palaestina Prima. The church historian and biblical topographer Eusebius (c. 260/264–c. 340) served as bishop of Caesarea. The city declined under later Byzantine and Arab rule. Its port and part of the ancient citadel were rebuilt by the crusaders; the city was successively taken and retaken by Muslim and crusader forces, until finally it was captured and razed by the Mamlūk sultan Baybars I in 1265. Between 1884 and 1948 Bosnian Muslims had a settlement there. In 1940 the fishing kibbutz of Sedot Yam was founded just south of the ancient site; this settlement has built a jetty over the Roman and crusader breakwater. It also engages in agriculture and operates a resort hotel.
