Years ago we spent 4 days of our honeymoon in Israel, in 1968… the year after the Six Day War. Although we saw a couple of burned-out tanks and we gave rides to hitchhiking Israeli soldiers, we were naively oblivious to the potential danger we might be courting. We realized there weren't many tourists, but considered that our good luck. Our second trip to Israel, as part of a trip to the Middle East, occurred earlier this year, bookended between the revolutions of Egypt and Syria. More politically aware than forty+ years ago, we deliberately chose to go despite cautions by family and friends and are very grateful that we did. The focus of the trip was biblical history. Israel is replete with sites that anchor the Bible stories we've heard since childhood. Although religious traditions stake out specific pieces of real estate as THE place where certain events happened, to me, those are unlikely and really of no import. What touched me most was knowing that we had the opportunity to walk, if not literally where Jesus walked, we were at least in the neighborhood. Just knowing that he lived and laughed and taught and loved in that geography was enough. The Sea of Galilee was the venue for much of the teachings of the Nazarene. This synagogue in Capernaum is built on the site of the one where Jesus preached. The Dome of the Rock sits on the ground where Solomon's Temple was built and houses the rock where it is said Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac and from which Mohammed is said to have ascended into heaven.
