Page 4 - Holyland Magazine - 2025 Edition
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A LIVING LAND

WHY NOW IS THE TIME TO JOURNEY TO THE HOLY LAND

IJill Daly l Photos: IMOT                         visitors with the same warmth and heartfelt            Mount of Beatitudes, to pray at the Garden of
       srael is not just a destination for me.    hospitality they always have.                          Gethsemane, to walk the Via Dolorosa—these
       I’ve traveled to many bucket list places                                                          are moments that move beyond tourism. They
       around the world—each special in its       Hotels are open, with new ones opening.                become spiritual milestones.
       own way—but in Israel, something           Pilgrimage sites are active. Licensed tour
       deeper happened. My faith was              guides are ready. The streets of the Old               While the biblical stories remain unchanged,
awakened. Scripture came alive. I have walked     City in Jerusalem are filled once again with           Israel itself is constantly revealing new chapters
streets where prophets once preached, looked      songs, prayers, and the awe of travelers               of its ancient past.
out over valleys where miracles happened, and     who are rediscovering the joy of walking
prayed where Jesus wept. This is not just a land  where Jesus walked.                                    Recently, a 3,000-year-old moat – used to
of history—it is a place where faith breathes.                                                           divide Jerusalem into two parts was found
                                                  New restaurants are opening throughout                 hidden beneath a parking lot in the City
Today, more than ever, this sacred land calls     the country, new archaeological discoveries            of David. It is believed to be one of the
out—not only as a land of stories past, but       are being made, and a renewed spirit of                monumental fortifications that protected the
as a living, breathing testament to resilience,   connection fills the air. Israel is not paused. It is  kings of Jerusalem. The site provides strong
faith, and hope.                                  preparing, evolving, and inviting.                     evidence of complex, fortified societies
                                                                                                         existing in Israel.
Despite the challenges Israel has faced since     For Christian travelers, Israel offers more than
October 7, 2023, Israel’s doors remain open.      sightseeing—it offers a journey that deepens           And in May 2025, Israeli archaeologists
From Jerusalem to the Galilee, from the Jordan    faith in profound and unforgettable ways. I            unveiled to the public for the first time a
River to the shores of the Mediterranean,         have seen this in my own life. To stand on the         1,600-year-old mosaic floor from a Byzantine
the people of Israel continue to welcome                                                                 Christian monastery located at the Merhavim

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