Travel to the Holy Land

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happytime

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Location
Jacksonville fl
My church is planning a trip to Israel the first part of March. Is this a good time to go there? Have any of you ever been? We will be traveling the Northern part
from what I've read.To walk where Jesus walked would be so uplifting an amazing. But traveling there with all the events of the world ,kinda scary to. What do y'all
think about it. There has not been alot of trouble there but bad people are everywhere. I really want to go just don't know how safe we will be/ Thanks for the feed back
 

I have never been to the Holy Land, but would certainly like to join you. Over the years, the Mid-East has been given a lot of bad press for obvious reasons. However, I have spoken with many pilots that have flown in and out of the Mid East and they have told me that church groups, especially that have been there have enjoyed it tremendously. Those types of trips have become known as normally a safe trip, but no one is going to guarantee your safety 100% in that area. Stay with the group and do not stray out on your own. Keeping with the program is also important. No one wants to be considered collateral damage and I am sure that your tour guide or director will be kept up to date on a daily basis as to the safety in the area that you will be visiting.

If I had the opportunity, I would definitely consider going with a group compared to going it alone. As the old saying goes, " There is safety in numbers."
 
I have been to Israel back in the early 80s. I went with my mother and step father, the company that my step father worked for paid for our trip. We saw most of the attraction there, Masada, Dead Sea, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv.


Masada was very interesting...one thing that impressed me on the trip was the security, very tight, I'm sure it is even more so now.
 

I lived in Israel for 15 years so I can answer any questions you have about the country. I lived in Jerusalem for 5-1/2 years and in the North (on the Mediterranean) for the rest of the time. I returned to the US 4-1/2 years ago and I'm still in touch with friends in Israel so my information will be fairly current. While there, I traveled all over the country so I'm familiar with most of the sites and interesting and holy (Jewish and Christian) places to see.

As for security, most of the time I felt safer than I do in the US. Security is very tight everywhere and I'm certain on an organized trip even more precautions are taken. I took a few organized excursions into less safe areas and we always had an armed guard with us at all times so even in those areas, I felt safe. Trips aren't allowed into areas that are unsafe.

I would definitely recommend going on the trip. You won't regret it.
 
Wow, thank you all for your advice. Yes, staying with the group I know is a must. When we went to Africa I learned that. Every
elephant somehow knew I was there an they chased me,but that's another story. Baseball gal ,you lived there , that is exciting.
May I ask ,why did you come back to the US? We will of course walk where Jesus walked on his last day. An it looks like we are
going to Galilee,Western Wall,Syrian African Rift Valley, mostly in the Northern part an depart in Jerusalem. The only thing is it's 12 days.
Because the cancer took such a tole on my body,even tho I go to the gym 4 days a week, I still get very tired an there is alot of walking.
I'm def considering it an thank you B.B GAl I will have questions as time passes. What will the weather be like is a great concern of mine.
 
happytime said:
Baseball gal ,you lived there , that is exciting.
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Yes, it was a wonderful 15 years and I made lifelong friends.

May I ask ,why did you come back to the US?
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Personal reasons. Mostly because my sister lives here and she's the only real family I still have. I also found it frustrating to have to deal with the language. Even after 15 years, I could never be as fluent in Hebrew as I am in English. Most of my Israeli friends are fairly fluent in English but I still had to cope with doctors who weren't and government workers who weren't. But I miss the country and my people.


Because the cancer took such a tole on my body,even tho I go to the gym 4 days a week, I still get very tired an there is alot of walking.
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Walking in Jerusalem can be a problem because of the hills.


I'm def considering it an thank you B.B GAl I will have questions as time passes. What will the weather be like is a great concern of mine.
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The weather in the North should be warm and comfortable in March. There might be rain so take an umbrella. Jerusalem can be cold in March, especially at night. Even though Jerusalem is in the desert and is hot and dry in the summer, there can be rain there also in March. It sometimes snows in Jerusalem and in the Northern mountains, but as I recall, that's more likely in February.

I'm a poor judge of temperatures for "normal" people because I have a circulation disorder that's triggered by cold air. For me, 65 degrees is cold so you maybe wouldn't find Jerusalem to be cold in March.
 
The pix's are great thanks for sending them. Glad it's going to be warm ,I'm from Florida so warmth is important. I have a friend who has children living there an they love it.
They speak the language fluently. Infact they have duel citizenship , an live there all the time. Her son of course served in the Army there, but her daughter goes to school there.
They love it don't plan to return to the US at all.
 
He's an Atheist ? Wasn't moved or inspired when he went there???? To bad for him. Ya know ,I thought when going thru my cancer"What if I didn't believe in God". That would have been a very lonely road
to travel without Him. I think we all need something to believe in, someone we can talk to an pray to everyday. My life wouldn't be as complete if God were not in my life. When they told me a second time my cancer had
metaszied to my liver I just felt broken. That's when I turned everything over to God an said "You carry this cause I can't". What a relief
it was for me to feel someone was with me along the way. I feel sorry for your borther because if you don't believe in God what do you believe in.
 
happytime said:
He's an Atheist ? Wasn't moved or inspired when he went there???? To bad for him. Ya know ,I thought when going thru my cancer"What if I didn't believe in God". That would have been a very lonely road
to travel without Him. I think we all need something to believe in, someone we can talk to an pray to everyday. My life wouldn't be as complete if God were not in my life. When they told me a second time my cancer had
metaszied to my liver I just felt broken. That's when I turned everything over to God an said "You carry this cause I can't". What a relief
it was for me to feel someone was with me along the way. I feel sorry for your borther because if you don't believe in God what do you believe in.
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No, he wasn't moved or inspired. He loved the sites. He was there to speak at the university and did some touring. Don't feel sorry for him, he's got a very happy life and wonderful family.
 
I'd go and wouldn't worry about a thing, and really enjoy myself. When going was many moons ago, (1973) so much has changed since then. Our tour arrived in Jerusalem the eve of Yom Kippur. It is the holiest day in the Jewish New Year. The day of Yom Kippur at 3:00 pm Egypt and Syria declared war on Israel. "The Yom Kippur War." We couldn't do any sightseeing and within a week left. None of us seen much. I did get to the Whailing Wall. And had a list of all my friends and relatives, dead & alive typed out and placed in a crack.It doesn't matter what religion a person is, when walking the streets of Jerusalem it felt like it would be a walk with your ancestors. Hard to describe. There is a soft wind that never stops. That month we were there was October, and the weather was delightful.:love_heart:
 

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