Rich in history

Shalom friends and family!
Today was a day full of knowledge and traversing an incredibly beautiful landscape.

We started the day off visiting Masada.  A brave group of a few individuals took the hike up the snake path to the very top!  It is the place where a great fortress was built, and where Herod the Great built one of his many elaborate palaces, which was located on the edge of the cliff-seeing this in person makes me realize just how much of an architectural feat it was.  It is also the location of the last effort of Jewish resistance by the Zealots to Roman rule; this revolt eventually ended with tragedy in AD 70.

Next we made our way to Kfar Hanokdim where we went for an excursion atop the backs of a herd of camels.  They led us to the place where we would learn about true Bedouin Hospitality.  We had a firsthand experience enjoying hot tea, turkish coffee, and fresh made bread.  This hospitality was demonstrated in the very same tradition that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would have abided by.

We then traveled to Tel Arad, a southern city that has a small temple located at the top of the hill.  The temple, despite being destroyed for standing as a second place of worship that God did not call for, had been restored to exhibit its former glory with a replica of the Holy of Holies.

Lastly, once we arrived back to the hotel, we made our way down to bob like apples in the Dead Sea.  There are no living plants or animals in it due to the extremely high concentrations of salt, magnesium, and potassium; it made floating effortless!

As we have a chance to wind down and process the information we learned, I am astonished at how rich in history this land is, and I am reminded of how great God is.  Stay tuned to see what else we learn, and how dear these experiences are.

Much love, Katelyn Krezman