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Simon says: 'Let's explore the story behind a date palm on Mount Herzl"

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# ImagineIsraelTours # SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael I want to tell you about a very special date palm." 🌴 During World War I, 'Nili' was a secret Jewish spy network operating in Ottoman-controlled Palestine. Their mission: help the British defeat the Turks, ease the suffering of the local Jewish population, & advance the cause of an independent Jewish Homeland. In 1917, Avshalom Feinberg - one of Nili's leaders -set out across the Sinai Desert on foot, accompanied by Yosef Lishansky. Both were disguised as Bedouin. Their destination: Egypt, where they hoped to establish contact with British intelligence. They never made it. Near Rafah, they were attacked by Bedouin. Feinberg was killed. Lishansky, though wounded, managed to reach British lines. Feinberg's fate remained unknown for 50 years. Feinberg had been carrying dates in his pocket. Over the decades, a solitary palm grew from one of those seeds, on the very spot where his remains lay hidden. When Israeli for...
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Simon says: "Meet the Diagonal Butterflyfish (Chaetodon fasciatus)

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#imagineisraeltours #simonostertourguideisrael The Diagonal Butterflyfish (Chaetodon fasciatus) -also known as the Red Sea Raccoon Butterflyfish This is one of nature's most dazzling creations; it is endemic to the Red Sea, meaning it's found nowhere else on Earth. And right here, in the Gulf of Eilat, Israel, we have a front-row seat to one of the most spectacular underwater shows on the planet. The rainbow effect you see is caused by dispersion of sunlight as it enters the water creates a stunning spectrum of colours. This picture was taken at less than 0.5 meters deep. The diagonal bands aren't just for show; they help the fish blend into the coral reefs, breaking up its outline & confusing predators. These fish are monogamous, forming pairs & staying together for life. You'll often spot them swimming side by side among the coral. During breeding season, they form distinct pairs & spawn in open water. The eggs are released into the water column, where th...
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Simon says: Let's explore some of the synagogues in the Old City of Safed"

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Joseph Caro Synagogue #simonostertourguideisrael #imagineisraeltours This week I took a group to the Old City of Safed - & stepped into history that spans over 400 years. We visited four synagogues, each with its own story, its own legends, & its own connection to the golden age of Jewish mysticism. *Joseph Caro Synagogue Named for Rabbi Yosef Caro, who authored the Shulchan Aruch -the foundational code of Jewish law - while living in Safed in the 16th century. He headed the rabbinical court on this very site. The synagogue was destroyed in the 1837 earthquake & later rebuilt, but the room where Rabbi Caro reportedly studied with a maggid (angelic teacher) can still be seen nearby. *Abuhav Synagogue Built in the 16th century & named for the Spanish Kabbalist Rabbi Yitzhak Abuhav, who never actually visited Safed! His followers carried his Torah scroll with them after the expulsion from Spain and built the synagogue according to kabbalistic principles. The southern wall,...
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