Touring Israel with a tour guide

The dove #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael #imagineisraeltours Simon says: "Let's find out about doves in the Land of Israel" The dove appears over 50 times in the Bible; the Hebrew word for dove, "yonah," is thought to come from a word meaning "to mourn" - & it's actually an imitation of the dove's mournful cooing sound. In Jewish tradition, the Talmud teaches: "Just as a dove is saved only by her wings, so Israel is saved only by the mitzvot" (Talmud Brachot 35b) The Song of Songs (Shir HaShirim Rabbah) captures the enduring loyalty between the Jewish people & G-d: "Just as the dove never changes its mate, so Israel has never exchanged G-d for another" Noah's Ark: the dove brought back an olive leaf, signaling hope & new beginnings after the flood Doves are often used in Israeli art & symbolism, often paired with the Magen David to represent how Israel's strength is guided by its desire for peace. Several...

#imagineisraeltours #simonostertourguideisrael The burial caves in Jish ('Gush Halav') Here archaeologists have documented something extraordinary: one of the largest & best-preserved Jewish family burial caves from the Second Temple period - 516 BCE > 70 CE The tomb contains 20 kokhim - long, narrow burial niches carved into the rock. With four niches in the rear wall & eight on each side, this complex stands out as exceptionally large, suggesting it belonged to a wealthy or prominent extended Jewish family. What makes this discovery so significant? During the Second Temple period, Jewish families practiced a two-stage burial custom: The deceased was first placed in a kokh (niche). About a year later, after decomposition, the bones were gathered & placed in an ossuary (a stone bone box) or elsewhere within the family tomb. This practice allowed the niche to be reused for future generations; we see the same Jewish burial practices in the incredibly deep, ancient ...

#imagineisraeltours #simonostertourguideisrael The Umm Khalid Sycamore, in Netanya On Mintz Street is one of Israel’s most remarkable natural treasures: an ancient sycamore tree that has witnessed over a thousand years of history Its trunk is about 8 meters in circumference, making it one of the oldest trees in the country Legend says it marks the burial place of Umm Khalid, mother of a 7th-century Muslim army commander, which is how the surrounding village got its name The tree appears in illustrations alongside a Crusader fortress built here by Roger the Lombard between the 11th-13th centuries, and it was already massive back then! Napoleon’s troops allegedly camped in its 25 meters of shade during their 1799 campaign Moses Montefiore’s wife Judith even mentioned it in her diary in 1839 Today, the tree stands in a lovely public park, bearing fruit that attracts thousands of bats at night. It’s a living link to the layers of history that make Israel so extraordinary - from the ancient...

Tilapia/ Amnon/  (אמנון), St. Peter's Fish #ImagineIsraeltours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael In 1941, the first fish ponds were dug at Kibbutz Dan in the Upper Galilee, to raise carp & tilapia. In 1946, 2 more ponds were added, fed by the waters of the river Dan. What began as a modest food-growing initiative for a pioneering community, later evolved into something extraordinary. Founded in 1939, Kibbutz Dan was named after the ancient Israelite city of Dan mentioned in Genesis 14:14 & 1 Kings 12:29, as it sits in the territory of the ancient Tribe of Dan, at the foot of Mount Hermon in the Hula Valley. The tilapia raised in those early ponds carry a remarkable story of their own. In Israel it is known as amnon (אמנון), & to Christians around the world "St. Peter's Fish". The name comes from the Gospel of Matthew (17:24–27), where Jesus tells Peter to go fishing in the Sea of Galilee, promising that the first fish he catches would have a shekel coin in its mo...

#SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael #ImagineIsraelTours The rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) also known as rock rabbit At first glance, this little guy might look like a large guinea pig or a rabbit, but you’d never guess who its closest living relative is... the ELEPHANT! Here are 3 wild facts about the Rock Hyrax: Despite its size, the hyrax shares a surprising ancestor with elephants & manatees. Like its massive cousin, it has tiny tusk-like teeth & similar skull & toe structures He is a master of his rocky habitat, thanks to his rubbery, sweat-gland-covered feet that act like suction cups, allowing him to scale steep cliffs with ease. The Rock Hyrax is mentioned multiple times in the Bible. In Leviticus 11:5 it is described as unclean because it "chews the cud" but does not have a split hoof (though they aren't true ruminants, their digestive process looks very similar!) . “The high mountains are for the wild goats; the cliffs are a refuge for the hyrax” Psalm 104:18...

#imagineisraeltours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael The Persian cyclamen, (cyclamenpersicum), known in Hebrew as the Rakefet (רקפת). This is Israel's national flower & one of the most well-known late winter sights in nature. Its delicate petals have inspired legends, songs, & even a hill named in its honour. The Rakefet carries a rich history of folklore. One legend tells that King Solomon wore a crown modelled after the cyclamen's distinctive shape, giving the flower its Hebrew nickname "Nezer Shlomo" (Solomon's Crown). Another tradition says that after the First Temple was destroyed, the flowers were so grief-stricken they bent their heads in sorrow - & will only lift them again when a son of David sits on the throne. In Christian tradition, the flower is associated with the Virgin Mary; its downward-facing blooms symbolise her grief, & its heart-shaped leaves represent her aching heart. Cyclamens bloom across Israel from January to early March, carpe...