Zippori

Zippori is an ancient town in the Galilee also known as Sephoris. It is located just northwest of Nazereth. Two thousand years ago, Zippori was the capital city of the Galilee. There were plenty of building projects taking place during the time of the Lord Jesus. Before He started His ministry, it is possible that the Lord Jesus may have worked there as a carpenter or stone mason. Zippori was destroyed by an earthquake and many mosaic floors are still in tact.

This mosaic is known as "Mona Lisa of the Galilee" because nobody knows who she is. Israel's Ministry of Tourism frequently shows this mosaic in their brochures.

Mona Lisa of the Galilee is actually just a small portion of a larger room-sized mosaic.

The mosaic was located inside a building and is still there today to help preserve it.

Olive trees and picnic benches at the entrance to the National Park at Zippori.

Across the valley at the National Park entrance.

A fig tree without any leaves. Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Matthew 24:32-33.

The Galilee does have some "prickly pear" cacti.

Looking across the valley.

Zippori on the hilltop was the main part of the city.

Several rock streets are still intact from two thousand years ago.

Mosaic floors in many buildings and even some on the sidewalks.

From the Greek era before the Romans. A centaur, half-man and half-horse. Definitely strange.

Steps to the top of the hill will a large garden of cacti.

From the top of the old watchtower or guard tower, you could easily see Nazereth on the hill just to the southeast. "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee." Matthew 21:11

Busy Day in Sderot

One morning on the way to Sderot, just as I came down out of the Judean Hills, this fire was in the distance. It turned out to be just a kibbutz burning off their fields, but it made a good photo. They picked the right day to burn, no wind at all.

On some early mornings as you leave Jerusalem, you are higher than the clouds. Then you drive down through them and back above them. There is no place to turn off for photos so I am trying to take these pictures with one eye and one hand on the wheel going around the curves.

Here is a straight piece of road. You can see the next hilltop to climb beyond the clouds.

Just as I was going for walk in Jerusalem.

On Wednesday, September 16th, we met a tour group from America in Sderot. The previous week we had lunch with Jacob from Sderot Media to discuss the tour. Jacob made aliyah to Israel and has lived in Sderot for the past year. He was a good tour leader. My job was simple. I just had to introduce him.

We had arranged with the tour group to meet them in front of the police station at 2:30pm.

The first stop for all politicians, and today tourists, are the collection of kasssam rockets kept at the Sderot Police Station.

Then we went to the Catepillar Playground Park where the local children know to run inside the catepillar for shelter when they hear the "Color Red" warning announcement.

We drove to an overlook in Sderot where you can see Gaza in the distance approximately 1 kilometer away. Sderot receives the most kassam rocket attacks because it is the closest, largest target for Hamas to shoot at.

We then went to a trauma center in Sderot which is empty. Currently there is not any funding for the trauma center. There we had asked Avi, a fireman in Sderot whose home was totally destroyed last December, to tell his story. It is a fascinating story that we wrote about in the upcoming issue of For Zion's Sake.

Earlier in the day, we handed out food coupons for Rosh Hashana for 45 families at Sderot's Social Affairs. The number 45 came from nine Social Workers giving us five names each of the poorest families that needed help buying food for the holidays.

A video of Jacob talking about kassam rockets. I have four other videos of the day but they are difficult to upload successfully.


Just out for a walk on a pretty day last Sunday. This is part of the complex where I live in the German Colony neighborhood of Jerusalem.

Meeting a Tour Bus at the Airport

When you are out of photos to post on a blog, you are "out of photos". On Sunday, September 6th, I was scheduled to meet a tour bus from a church in Colorado. They were bringing blankets, afghans, and comforters for the upcoming winter. At CFI, we will distribute these to the elderly, poor, and needy. So I decided to take my camera and create some new photos of my trip to the airport. Below is Highway One just as we are leaving Jerusalem heading west.

Beer Sheva to the south. Haifa to the north. We are headed due west to Ben-Gurion Airport close to Tel Aviv.

Highway One thru the Judean Hills is full of hills and curves. The next photo I was able to take was at the bottom of the Judean Hills where you see an exit sign to Bet Shemesh (House of Sun). Bet Shemesh is where the two milk cows pulled the Ark of the Covenant in a wagon from the land of the Philistines which is near modern day Gaza today. The men of Bet Shemesh made a tragic mistake and looked inside the Ark. He struck down some of the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck down of all the people, 50,070 men, and the people mourned because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter. 1st Samuel 6:19.

Today we are headed to Tel Aviv and not Modi'in where 2170 years ago the Macabbees hid in the caves in order to fight. Their subsequent victory and cleansing of the Temple is still remembered today with the Hannukah Holidays (Feast of Dedication). The Lord Jesus observed this holiday. Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. John 10:22-23.

My airport exit.

Checkpoint to get into airport.

Highway inside the airport towards Terminal 3.

Ben-Gurion Airport.

Departures and arrivals to the the right. Today we will go to the left where the buses go.

Bus of Christian tourists that brought blankets for the winter.

They also gave CFI a nice check for our other projects. Since Communities Under Attack (me) was driving, surely some of that will be designated for the families of Sderot.

Grapefruit trees growing in the airport by the bus parking lot.

Back to Jerusalem.

Judean Hill in the background as we head east to Jerusalem.

You have to watch the slow trucks on Highway One. There are many curves and sometimes they are going very, very slow up to Jerusalem. After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. John 5:1.

Approaching Jerusalem.

" O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! Luke 13:34.

Central Bus Station in Jerusalem.

Making my way to the City Center.

Intersection of Gershon Agron and King George in the City Center. The bus on the left of me and the car on the right of me both had a green light. But since I was in the middle lane waiting to turn left, my light was red. Driving in Jerusalem keeps an old man thinking.

Where "new meets old". Intersection of Gershon Agron and King David. Modern luxury apartments and shopping on the left at Mamilla. Luxury hotel, David's Citadel, on the right. Two blocks away in the center you can see the Old City of Jerusalem with the ancient walls.

Tour Bus #99 turning in front of me. It is a good way to see major sites of Jerusalem.

Riding the clutch at the hilly intersection of King David and Jaffa. The Old City in view.

Shivtei Israel (Tribes of Israel) Road. CFI's former offices where here 5 years ago.

Young Orthodox man at corner of Shivtei Israel and Ha Neviim (The Prophets) Street.

Finally arriving at CFI.

New parking lot entrance.

From the CFI Rose Garden.

Blankets before I unloaded.

Banner in the stairway of CFI.

Banner at reception desk.

Banner in reception lobby.

CFI waiting area with cutout of Ruth, the gentile woman who identified herself with the Jews. But Ruth said, "Do not urge me to leave you or turn back from following you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. "Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may the LORD do to me, and worse, if anything but death parts you and me." Ruth 1:16-17.