Anyone been to Israel?

[leesw]

Has anyone been to Israel and to the Holy Lands? There's some pictures here and I've always wanted to go. I've been told that it can be a faith-building experience. My question is, did you feel safe? They are surrounded by their enemies and that area has just also seemed unstable to me. But I've had friends who went tell me they felt safe. Does anyone have experience who has traveled there and would you recommend it?

 

[Rob_BW]

The news plays it up for ratings, and to get Palestinian sympathies from viewers.

I felt totally safe when my wife and I went to Israel, on the coast, driving through the west bank, in Jerusalem. We even went up north to the Golan, where we could look across the border into Syria, where rebels were lobbing artillery at Syrian positions.

I would totally recommend going. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[crixus]

I've been to Israel and there was absolutely an edge. I was in a group at the Pool of Bethesda (pictured below) and gun fire went off nearby. We all scrambled and fortunately nobody was hit. And I found out after I booked the hotel room that I was staying in a place that was bombed by terrorists in the past. And when we were leaving Jerusalem we saw an implosion of missile fire in the distance. I suggest that you travel in a group if possible, but you should definitely go. It's the Holy Land and every Christian should visit there if they can. But be cautious of your surroundings. The US State Dept. always has a warning regarding travel in Israel. Yes, it can be dangerous, but so are many cities around the World. Go, stay aware and trust the Lord to keep you safe. Have fun!

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings.html

 

[Revmitchell]

It is easy to feel safe when you are not living there day in and day out. I was there in 12 on a mission trip, We went and did manual labor for some Christian ministries and home churches. It is required that all homes be built with a bomb shelter. There is a common and regular understanding that bombs could be on their way any time.

 

[crixus]

It is easy to feel safe when you are not living there day in and day out. I was there in 12 on a mission trip, We went and did manual labor for some Christian ministries and home churches. It is required that all homes be built with a bomb shelter. There is a common and regular understanding that bombs could be on their way any time.

I didn't know that homes are built with bomb shelters over there. But it sure does make a lot of sense!

 

[Dr. Bob]

I have been in Israel many times and felt "safer" there than in Illinois cities like Rockford, Chicago, East St Louis, Downtown Los Angeles, etc. Extremely rare for an American to be involved in any terror-type event, although you will see jets screaming, armed soldiers everywhere, tanks/trucks moving on the highways all the time.

A lady on the last trip I led asked about danger for tourists and our guide said that only one tour group member had been killed in the past 25 years, and he had left his hotel at 3 am and was in an alley near the Old City and police found drug paraphernalia on the body. We did have one of our men "pick-pocketed" in the souks of the Old City, but think that is just as common in Times Square.

 

[HappyMole]

Its one of my travel goals to visit Israel ( known as the holy land) . I'd love to see the city of Bethlehem and the baptism site which is the Jordan River.

 

[Dr. Bob]

Most tours will cover "basic pilgrim" sites.

Some cater to what they call "catholic" sites - lots of churches and shrines on holy sites and give opportunity to pray or meditate at each site.

While we prefer to visit more of the "land" itself, many of these sites ARE historic and a good tour should take you to briefly see them. But if you are not catholic/orthodox type believer, it gets tiresome to see all the churches built on a site, gag on the incense and wonder if there are any real Christians around.

Go and enjoy ...

 

[Dr. Bob]

I notice the writer of the desire to go to Israel was a non-Baptist, posting in a Baptist-only forum. It takes a while for new folks to understand the way this site operates. BUT, Baptist or Not, a trip to Israel is a great boon to the Christian life.

St Jerome wrote that the Land is the fifth Gospel, to help us understand the other four.