Touring Israel with a tour guide

#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...

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,...

#ImagineIsraelTours #SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) It once roamed across the Middle East, from the Mediterranean to Persia, & through the Land of Israel. Today, fewer than 600 survive in the wild - all in a single reserve in India. The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens (Jerusalem Biblical Zoo) currently houses endangered Asiatic lions. The zoo actively participates in an international breeding & conservation project with the European Association of Zoos & Aquaria to preserve this rare subspecies. In the Hebrew Bible, the lion appears over 150 times. It was so woven into daily life that the Hebrew language had 7 different names for it: arieh, ari, lavi, layish, shachal, shachatz & kfir (a cub) When Jacob blessed his son Judah, he called him "a lion's cub" (Genesis 49:9), & to this day, the lion remains the emblem of Jerusalem. In Proverbs 30:30, the lion is called "the mightiest of the beasts". Unlike their Af...

#imagineisraeltours #simonostertourguideisrael The Madonna Lily (Lilium candidum L) Pictured is a northbound view of Wadi Kelah, Mount Carmel, Israel. In the distance, Haifa University rises on the mountain ahead. But look closely at the left side of this image blooming on the hard limestone cliffs is the Madonna Lily (Lilium candidum). This pure white, deeply scented bloom is one of the few true lilies native to the high mountains of northern Israel, specifically the Galilee & Mount Carmel ranges. Early Jewish scholars identified this exact flower as the shoshana mentioned in the Bible. Its six-petaled crown was so significant that it directly inspired the decorative floral carvings on the columns & the golden Menorah of Solomon's Temple. Exodus 25:31 • 1 Kings 7:26 Want to explore the Carmel Mountains & find wild lilies? Let’s 'Imagine Israel' together! https://imagineisrael-tours.com/ TripAdvisor reviews https://shorturl.at/aIR47 Google Reviews: https://g.pa...

#SimonOsterTourGuideIsrael #ImagineIsraelTours 🍊 The Jaffa Orange Did you know? The Jaffa orange is named after the ancient port city of Jaffa (Yafo in Hebrew), one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited port cities. It appears in the Hebrew Bible as the port from which Jonah set sail, & where cedar wood from Lebanon was landed to build King Solomon's Temple. A fruit born from a happy accident 🌱 The Jaffa orange was originally known as the Shamouti orange. It was a natural mutation that appeared on a native 'Baladi' orange tree in the 1840s near Jaffa, producing a fruit with qualities perfectly suited for trade. But the industry truly flourished early 20th century when Jewish agriculturalists introduced advanced, scientific cultivation methods that dramatically improved orchard productivity & quality. What makes it so special? ✨ 🍊 Oval-shaped with a thick, deep orange, almost leathery rind 🍊 Very easy to peel, & the tough skin protects it during ...

#Imagineisraeltours #simonostertourguide The Egyptian Spiny-Tailed Lizard (Uromastyx aegyptia) Also known as the Dabb Lizard or Egyptian Mastigure, this is one of the largest members of its genus. Native to Egypt (east of the Nile) & the southern half of Israel, they can be found in the eastern Judean Desert, the Arava Valley & the central & southern Negev Desert. Primarily herbivorous, they love leaves, buds, fruits, seeds & flowers - they'll eat insects when no other food is available. During summer droughts, they rely on Acacia trees as their main food source. These lizards dig deep burrows (up to 10 metres long & 1.8 metres deep!) that provide shelter from predators & desert extremes. They also hibernate in these burrows during December & January. Listed as Vulnerable in Israel due to habitat loss & poaching, they're fully protected under Israeli law - it's illegal to disturb, capture or harm them. Spiny-tailed lizards were traditionally ...

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...