pilgrimage websites. These include a dedicated Catholic site (www.holyland- pilgrimage.org), one for the Evangelical market in even more languages (www. evangelicalisraelexperience. com), a multilingual “Spirit of the Holyland” Youtube channel with films for the Catholic, Protestant and Provoslavic markets, and “Holyland Pilgrimage,” a second Youtube site for the Catholic market. All of these are available in a wide variety of languages. It also produces an annual Holy Land Calendar of Christian Feasts and Events, listing all the special events and feasts according to the Anglican, Armenian, Catholic, Coptic, Ethiopian, Lutheran, Orthodox, Protestant and Syrian churches. Another effort is entitled “A Holy Land Pilgrimage: In the Footsteps of the Virgin Mary,” which details a Catholic pilgrimage itinerary featuring sites central to the life of the Virgin Mary. Updates Sites that have received upgrades since the country was closed to tourists due to the Covid-19 pandemic, include: Megiddo National Park; the multimedia presentation at the Saxum Visitor Center; excavations at Magdala; new accessible paths at the Garden Tomb; the Northern Ramparts walk in the Old City of Jerusalem; the renovated Tower of David Museum in Jerusalem; the excavations in the Korazim National Park; the Emmaus and the Korazim-Capernaum trails; and spaces for prayer services at national parks such as Banias, the Good Samaritan, Avdat and Kursi. JERUSALEM “On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God.” (Psalms 87:1-2) “Shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem! The King of Israel, the Lord is in your midst.” (Zephaniah 3:14-17). For over 3000 years, ever since the rule of King David, Jerusalem has been set apart from other cities. No other place on earth has been so central to man’s dreams and aspirations. No other city is described with so much love and devotion, and no other city has been subject to so much killing and bloodshed. For Christians, Jerusalem’s place in the life of Jesus gives it great importance. Jesus was brought there as a child, to be presented at the Temple (Luke 2, 22) and to attend festivals (Luke 2, 41). According to the Gospels, Jesus preached and healed in Jerusalem, especially in the Temple courts. An account in the Book of Mark (11, 15) relates Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple by chasing various traders out of the sacred precincts. At the end of each of the Gospels, there are accounts of Jesus’ Last Supper in an “upper room” in Jerusalem, His arrest at Gethsemane, His trial, His crucifixion at Golgotha, His burial and His resurrection and ascension. In Christianity, the Jewish connection with the city is considered as the account of God’s relationship with His chosen people - the original covenant - and the essential prelude to the events narrated in the New Testament, including both universal commandments (e.g. the Ten Commandments) and those specific to Judaism- the “old order.”
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