Israel Past and Present

Israel, the Promised Land of the Bible. Israel is a modern, thriving, bustling and vibrant country. In today’s Israel, cities, towns, villages, fertile farms, green forests, sophisticated industries, well-developed commercial enterprises and shopping malls, have all but replaced the barren hillsides and desert wilderness of this ancient land. Even in these modern times, the echoes of the past still reverberate. 

Jerusalem, the Holy City, retains its aura of sanctity and welcomes a constant stream of pilgrims of all faiths.

The contemporary city of Be’er Sheva (Beersheba) stands at the threshold of the Negev Desert, as it did in the days of the patriarch Abraham.

Eilat, Israel’s outlet to the Red Sea is a busy seaport, much as it was during the reign of King Solomon. Today it is a popular year-round tourist destination for both Israelis and foreign tourists seeking the warmth of the sun, especially during the winter months. 

The Dead Sea known in Hebrew as Yam Ha-Melakh (the Sea of Salt), is the lowest point on earth and surrounded by the stunning landscape of the Negev Desert. It is only a short distance to Masada, an isolated desert fortress where the last Jewish resistance to Roman rule was crushed in 73 CE.

Besides its religious and historical sites, Israel has much to offer the tourist – vast stretches of sunny beaches, modern cities and hotels, kibbutzim (collective villages), theaters and nightclubs, health resorts and colorful markets – all within a compact geographic area. Only a few hours’ traveling time separates the sun-warmed seashores and the snow-capped winter mountains, the forests and the scenic deserts. Israel is indeed a rich and varied bouquet of attractions.