Page 28 - Holyland Magazine - 2025 Edition

"Again I will build you and you will be rebuilt"
(Jer. 31:4)
NEW PILGRIMAGE SITES AT
ISRAEL’S NATIONAL
PARKS
Miriam Feinberg Vamosh l Photos: INPA
Make sure to experience these
new highlights at Israel’s
national parks on your
next Holy Land pilgrimage:
At the new visitor center,
Tel Lachish, cutting-edge visual effects
shed new light on fateful biblical events,
while Ashkelon’s ingeniously reconstructed
basilica offers a novel look at the roots
of Christian architecture. High above the
Sea of Galilee, Hippos-Sussita’s restored
archaeological marvels bring the Gospels
alive, while the Enot Tsukim Visitor Center
unveils the Dead Sea’s natural wonders. At
Caesarea Maritima, be among the first to
enter “Paul’s prison cell.” To top it all off, join Ashkelon’s newly reconstructed basilica
the innovative program “Touching Time” to
restore biblical sites with your own hands.
Lachish Visitor Center: Prequel to a
Miracle
At Lachish National Park visitor center,
history intertwines with a state-of-the-
art video experience. This powerful city of
Judah fell to the Assyrian King Sennacherib,
who boastfully plastered his palace walls
with intricate reliefs that immortalized
his vicious conquest – these have been
meticulously reconstructed on the center’s
walls as an integral part of the presentation.
Confident of victory, Sennacherib marched
on to Jerusalem, where an angel of death
devastated his army, miraculously sparing
the Holy City (2 Kings 18–19; Isaiah 36–37).
Before you tour and touch stones that
actually witnessed the events, the visitor
center will take you from the tragic fall
of Lachish to the miraculous survival of
Jerusalem, leaving you awestruck by the
resilience of faith and heritage.
28 l HOLY LAND
Ashkelon: Gateway to Southern Israel
Ashkelon National Park tells a powerful
story spanning 4,000 years. Here,
Samson attacked the Philistines after
they threatened his wife and her family
(Judges 14:19). Ashkelon, once a Philistine
powerhouse, thrived again in the Roman
era, leaving behind the ruins of the largest
basilica discovered so far in the Middle East, views of all the places you came to Galilee to
and in the fourth century, after Christianity
defeated paganism, the city’s believers built
magnificent churches. After Christianity
blossomed, believers quickly outgrew their
“house churches” (Acts 2:46, 12:12 and
16:40) and adopted the architecture of the
former Roman basilica – a vast hall that
pagans once used for public proceedings.
blends ancient statuary and ultra-modern
design to illuminate the roots of later
Christian architecture. Take this opportunity
to continue from Ashkelon, Israel’s southern
gateway, to visit Negev communities,
bond with its people, and encourage their
resilience as they work to rebuild themselves
at this fateful time.
Hippos-Sussita National Park – “A City on
a Hill”
Towering over the storied Sea of Galilee, at
Hippos-Sussita National Park, over 20 years
of excavations have revealed a stunning
Roman-Byzantine city featuring eight
churches, a baptistery, intricate mosaics, a
Roman forum, a basilica, a theater, and more.
With its new visitor center, touring routes,
and thoughtfully designed and engaging
signage, the park brings ancient life into
vivid focus.
An ancient wall at Tel Ashkelon National Park.
Photo: Manu Grinspan
You’ll easily imagine Jesus gesturing
toward Hippos-Sussita saying: “A city set
on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14).
From lookouts set aside for prayer and
contemplation, you’ll take in unforgettable
experience – where Jesus gathered disciples
and apostles, taught and healed. Hippos-
Sussita’s inhabitants, along with those of the
other Decapolis cities, likely knew of Jesus’
teachings and miracles (Matthew 4:25).
Walking the ancient streets evokes Jesus’
parables with an “urban” flavor Matthew.
6:5), Nearby hills may have witnessed the
miracle of the swine (Matthew 8:28–34),
while the words of Psalm 148 just beg to
be recited in this stunning natural setting:
“Praise the Lord… mountains and hills…
wild animals and all cattle.”
Enot Tsukim Nature Reserve: Where the
Dead Sea Springs to Life
The Israel Nature and Parks Authority has
unveiled a brilliant new visitor center at Enot
Tsukim Nature Reserve near the Dead Sea,