Neot-Kdumim is a historical & Natural reserve, portraying the agricultural & rural life in the time of the Bible in ancient times of the land of Israel.
The reserve is located on route 443, via Jerusalem, near the city of Modiin.
The reserve ought to be visited -at all time of the year, however, during July & August, a variety of activities are offered, mainly for the youngsters , while on school vacation.
On Thursdays, at 17:00 pm, a biblical tent is opened and ancient activities are set in motion; such as pumping water from ancient wells, using old tools in order to farm the land, hearing Biblical stories of history & legend and more….
The reserve also offers a variety of events on its premises, such as Bar/Bat Mitzvahs, weddings, school-events or seminars.
There is a local Catering firm that escorts all events, with high-scale Gourmet food & Beverages.
Like Judaism and Islam, Christianity shares a long history with Jerusalem, a city that is considered the holiest in the world.
Jerusalem is important to Christians because it was where a very young Jesus impressed the sages at the Jewish Temple. It is also where he spent the last days of his ministry, and where the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the Pentecost took place.
Within Jerusalem’s Old City, the surrounding areas, and throughout Israel, Christian denominations live alongside one another.
The history of these Christian communities goes back to the time of Jesus, his life and ministry in Nazareth, and following his death they gained momentum and grew.
The Christian communities can be divided into four basic denominations: Eastern Orthodox (or Chalcedonian-Orthodox), Non-Chalcedonian Orthodox (sometimes called Monophysite), Roman Catholic (Latin and Uiate), and Protestant.
The Protestant communities in the Middle East only date from the early 19th century and the establishment of Western diplomatic representations in Jerusalem.
The intention of these missions was to evangelize the Muslim and Jewish communities, but their only success was in attracting Arabic-speaking Orthodox Christians.
One of the these communities is the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, that was founded in 1980 to demonstrate worldwide Christian support for Israel and for Jerusalem as its eternal capital.
It is a center where Christians from all over the world can gain a biblical understanding of the country and of Israel as a modern nation.
The ICEJs international network includes offices and representatives in 50 countries worldwide, such an Angola, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Denmark, Iceland and more.
Lunada is an interactive Science museum in the southern city of Beer-Sheva.
The museum was established a few years back in order to offer children, mainly up to the age of 12, to be introduced to the wonders of Science.
It’s a super-friendly place, where one walks in socks or bear-foot, on special mattresses.
The Museum offers tools for dealing with everyday challenges, such as interpersonal communication, emotional expression, meeting the variety of cultures and languages, and more.
The museum is encourages a pleasurable time while combining it with interactive play and with multi- disciplinary learning games.
the Museum’s motto is: “discover and investigate”, though the activity spaces in Lunada.
The Protestant communities in the Middle East only date from the early 19th century and the establishment of Western diplomatic representations in Jerusalem.
The intention of these missions was to evangelize the Muslim and Jewish communities, but their only success was in attracting Arabic-speaking Orthodox Christians.
Church of England
In 1841, the Queen of England and the King of Prussia decided to establish a joint Anglican-Lutheran Protestant bishopric in Jerusalem. The scheme came to an end in 1886, but the office was continued by the Church of England, which in 1957 elevated its representative in Jerusalem to the rank of Archbishop. This was ended in 1976, with the creation of the new (Anglican) Protestant Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East and the election and consecration of the first Arab bishop in Jerusalem.
It is the largest Protestant community in the Holy Land. The Anglican bishop in Jerusalem has his seat in the Cathedral Church of St. George the Martyr, which is maintained by the Church of England through an appointed dean.
German Lutheran Church
With the dissolution of the joint Anglo-Prussian venture in 1886, the German Lutheran Church established an independent presence in Jerusalem and the Holy Land. This community attracted an increasing number of Arabic-speaking members, many of them former pupils of schools and other institutions maintained by German Lutheran churches and societies.
Since 1979, the Arabic-speaking congregation has had its own bishop, existing independently of the small German-speaking congregation and the Lutheran Church in Germany, which is represented by a propst (dean). Both clerics share the premises of the Propstei on Muristan Road in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Missions
There are also small Danish, Swedish and English-speaking Lutheran congregations with representative clergy from the parent churches for the benefit of members who are visiting or resident in Israel. In 1982, the Norwegian Mission to Israel transferred authority and administration of its two mission churches in Haifa and Jaffa to the responsibility of the local congregations.
Baptist Church
Baptist Church activities in the Holy Land began with the formation of a congregation in Nazareth in 1911. Today the Association of Baptist Churches has eighteen churches and centers in Akko, Cana, Haifa, Yafo, Jerusalem, Kfar-Yassif, Nazareth, Petah Tikva, Rama, Turan and other places. The majority of the congregants are Arabic-speaking.
Presbyterian Church of Scotland
The (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland sent out its first mission to the Galilee in 1840, and for the next 100 years was actively engaged in the fields of education and medicine. Today a small, mostly expatriate community serving pilgrims and visitors, the Church of Scotland maintains a church and hospice in both Jerusalem and Tiberias. The independent Edinburgh Medical Missionary Society maintains a teaching hospital for nurses in Nazareth.
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) established a small community in Haifa in 1886 and in Jerusalem in 1972.Membership of the church today includes students of the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, a branch of Brigham Young University of Provo, Utah (USA).
Protestant Communal Agricultural Settlements.
Three Protestant communal agricultural settlements were established in different parts of Israel in recent years. Kfar Habaptistim, north of Petah Tikva, was founded in 1955, and provides conference and summer-camp facilities for the Baptist and other Protestant communities in the country. In 1963 a group of Dutch and German Protestants founded Nes Ammim, near Nahariya. The community was founded as an international center for the promotion of Christian understanding of Israel. Yad Hashmonah, founded in 1971 just west of Jerusalem, operates a guesthouse for Christian visitors and pilgrims from Finland.
International Christian Embassy
Like Judaism and Islam, Christianity shares a long history with Jerusalem, a city that is considered the holiest in the world.
Jerusalem is important to Christians because it was where a very young Jesus impressed the sages at the Jewish Temple.
It is also where he spent the last days of his ministry, and where the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, and the Pentecost took place.
Within Jerusalem’s Old City, the surrounding areas, and throughout Israel, Christian denominations live alongside one another.
The history of these Christian communities goes back to the time of Jesus, his life and ministry in Nazareth, and following his death they gained momentum and grew.
The Christian communities can be divided into four basic denominations: Eastern Orthodox (or Chalcedonian-Orthodox), Non-Chalcedonian Orthodox (sometimes called Monophysite), Roman Catholic (Latin and Uiate), and Protestant.
The Protestant communities in the Middle East only date from the early 19th century and the establishment of Western diplomatic representations in Jerusalem.
The intention of these missions was to evangelize the Muslim and Jewish communities, but their only success was in attracting Arabic-speaking Orthodox Christians.
One of the these communities is the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, that was founded in 1980 to demonstrate worldwide Christian support for Israel and for Jerusalem as its eternal capital.
It is a center where Christians from all over the world can gain a biblical understanding of the country and of Israel as a modern nation.
The ICEJs international network includes offices and representatives in 50 countries worldwide, such an Angola, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Denmark, Iceland and more
World famous artistic circus, Cirque du Soleil, is coming to Israel; they will be performing in Tel-Aviv, on July 3-16, 2015.
All performances will take place at the Nokia Stadium in Tel -Aviv .
This would be their second performance in Israel. The show is called “Quidam”.
Cirque Du Soleil offers an international amazing experience for young and older.
Cirque du Soleil was established in year 1985, in Canada. By now they have evolved into an international team, consisting of acrobats and artists of the stage.
The Jerusalem-Mamila neighborhood was established in the 19th century, when it had been built outside of the walls of the Old City; upfront of Jaffa Gate.
In year 1972, a company by the name of “Karta” was established in order to rebuild the entire Mamilla region, meaning, the vacation of property-owners and the refurbishment of old houses, so as to enable a redesign of the area that stretches over 130 dunams.
In 1994 -96, “Alrov Group” took over the venture, creating a well preserved old & new neighborhood; offering a glimpse of days gone-by. These days, it is a lengthy-stretched avenue of highly posh/luxury establishments, mainly international designers’ stores, embedded in old houses, of the former city of Jerusalem.
The avenue is also surrounded with give- stars hotels; offering a unique atmosphere of elegance aside ancient-old ruins, side by side.
The bridge; at the end of the avenue and upfront Jaffa gate, symbolizes past as well as future, a combination of history and modern luxury, the variety of religions in the city (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), peace as well as political uncertainty, old and new.
We all hope that it also symbolizes a window of opportunity for peace, economic prosperity, and prosperity.
When you visit Jerusalem, do not miss the Alrov-Mamila Avenue.
The Ariel Sharon Park is a unique example of a green slot in the midst of a highly urbanized area, that had been allocated to serve as a reservation for environmental rehabilitation projects.
Once, not many years ago, the Park; then called “Hiriya”, served as the main waste-ground for the center of Israel, a place that had been known to be polluted as well as neglected; a health-hazard for the inhabitants of nearby cities.
In 2005, the late PM, Mr. Ariel Sharon, took the brave decision to vacate the waste-ground to more secure, health-guarded and distant landfills, while turning this piece of land of some 8,000 dunams into a recreational park for the well-being of the public.
The Park offers a network of hiking and bicycle trails, among river-creeks, as well as leisure and recreational activities.
One of the Park’s major activities are the various guided tours (for schools, families and individuals) about the vision and its pragmatic turn-around of how to turn a waste-land into a flourishing environmental place and about the meaning of responsibly for our community.
The visitors’ center offers a breathtaking multi-dimensional movie about the Park, there are guided tours aside a variety if guidance as to the recreational activities in the Park.
Spirit of the Dance is an Irish world famous group that has been preforming internationally for several years now.
They will be returning to Israel for a series of performances between May 27- June 15, 2015 in various cities around the country.
The performance is highly energetic and lively, based on Irish folk dances & culture.
It’s been cited that : “this breathtaking show delivers the powerful rhythms of Irish Dance combined with the passionate Latino rhythms of Tango, Flamenco and Red-Hot Salsa to produce a thrilling, heart-pounding production that the International Post describes as “The World’s Greatest Irish Dance Show”.
The holiday of Shavuot, is one of the major festivals in Judaism.
The Holiday usually takes place around seven weeks after Pessach (Passover). This year it will be celebrated on May 23-24, 2015.
Shavuot’s tradition is celebrated with cheese, wine, fruit and… wearing of white clothes.
Initially, Shavuot had started out as an agricultural holiday. In the days of the Temple, Jewish pilgrims would bring lavishly decorated baskets of their “first fruits” to the Temple.
Judaism has stayed vital by reinterpreting its symbols into modern ones.Therefore, it was invested with additional meaning to make it more up to date.
It had turned into an Anniversary of the day the Torah (the bible) was revealed to the Jewish people at mount Sinai.
In the 16th century, the Kabbalia mentors (the Jewish Mystics) had introduced a new innovative practice to put more “meaning into Shavuot and called it “Tikkun Leil Shavuot” (amendment of Shavuot eve).
The Tikkun Leil Shavuot is an all-night group Torah study session. According to legend, the Israelites at Sinai all fell asleep, and Moses had to wake them up to receive the precious Torah in the morning. To show dedication to the tradition. people stay up all night.
Neot Semadar is an Israeli Kibbutz, located in the Southern part of the “Negev” Desert, in Israel, some 60 km. north of Eilat.
Neot Smadar is an Oasis in the desert. It offers an Arts center, tastes of a delicious boutique Winery and a story of a unique group of people who decided to team-up in order to create a harmonious way of life in mid-desert.
The Kibbutz was established in 1989 by a group of young people who dreamed of establishing a community that will focus on collaboration along with creativity in daily life.
These days, the Kibbutz includes 90 adults members, 70 children and even 50 volunteers-form both Israel and overseas countries. Neot Smadar is famous for several unique areas of practice, such as Organic farming, Desert architecture, Water recycling, an , a winery and more.
In spite of acute environmental conditions (extreme temperatures, scarce rainfall, salty soil, and low quality water), Neot Smadar’s team successfully grows a large variety of crops, including – apricot, nectarine, peach, plum, pear, apple and almonds, olive, citrus, date groves, and vineyards.
Neot Semadar hosts a boutique winery that produces organic wines from local grape varieties. The wines are unique due to the arid desert conditions in which the grapes are cultivated. Surprisingly, it is the harsh desert conditions, such as the drastic differences in temperature between day and night, and the salty soil, as well as the natural, organic cultivation of the vineyards that influence and enhance these exceptional wines.
Neot Smadar offers lodging, a tasty restaurant and a beautiful art gallery.
This is a unique opportunity to enjoy spiritualism in the desert.
How to reach:
Neot Semadar is located in the southern Negev, half way between Mizpe-Ramon & Eilat, at Shizafon junction, on road 40
Contact details:
Winery: 054-9798962
Booking a tour: 972-8-635-8170
winery@neot-semadar.com
It is a pearl of a resort city, at the end of the desert.
The uniqueness of the city lies in its warm and sunny weather, throughout the year.
Eilat offers a wonderful sea (the red sea) , soft beaches and varied water sports; colorful mountains; the magnificent coral reefs to dive in and many sites of adventure, fun, outings and more. Among these, the city and its surrounding is characterized by very dry weather; being so near the desert.
The Biblical story tells of King Solomon’s days, during which Eilat was the major port of the country. Then, a fleet of Israelite-Phoenician sailed from Eilat to carry out trade with Africa and India.
Nabateans, Romans, Bysantines, Moslems and Crusaders, too, have mastered the city, digging its treasures- as copper mines and trading via its busy port.
A spices road had been built between Eilat and Damascus (by the Romans), to enable a trade route.
Eilat was dramatically liberated by the Israel Defense Forces in March of 1949, which marked the end of the War of Independence. Cease-fire agreements that Israel signed with Jordan and Egypt placed Eilat and all of the Negev within the boundaries of the new Jewish state.
Modern Eilat was founded in 1950, and today the city is internationally famous as a popular resort.
The city hosts International festivals such as classical and jazz music; desert concerts and many more, every year.
The city hosts many attractions, some natural ones (the beach, coral reefs, the Dolphin reef, etc), some theme parks. some natural parks and museums. A vivid night life attraction awaits the visitor every night throughout the pubs, restaurants and cafés. Visitors could also travel outside of Eilat to its neighboring sites.
Major attractions, not to be missed, are the following:
The Coral Reef
The richest part in marine life within Israeli borders is located within the Coral Beach Nature Reserve, some 8 km south from the city, in the direction of the Egyptian town of Ta’baa. Life jackets, masks and snorkels can be rented at the entrance of the reserve.
The highlight of the Reserve is the Coral World Park that includes a collection of aquariums and an Underwater Observatory. It has three big pools for sharks, rays, sea turtles and other big creatures. Other pools show species of coral fish that cannot be seen from the underwater observatory.
The most recent attraction at the Coral World is the Oceanarium – a virtual reality show. The plot of the show resembles a science fiction animation film. Chairs are moving according to the plot and rocking in full tune with the events on-screen. One surely feels as if events are real.
The Dolphin’s Reef
A reserve where visitors can observe dolphins, learn about them as well as swim and dive with them. The dolphins’ reserve is not closed, thus, all dolphines are free to leave to sea and return. The place also offers a special program of dolphin therapy for children.
The Timna Park
This is an ancient site of copper mines. Today the place is known for its beautiful colored rocks, cliffs and canyons. The most impressive stone/cave design is the “Solomon pillars”, a natural 50-m high red pillar site, carved from the stone by streams of water. Timna is located some 25 km north of Eilat, along Highway number 90. A tour trip, at daylight or best- at night, is hifgly recommended.
At you hotel you will find various brochures for many other attractions, at daytime as well as at night fall, to fully explore your experience at Eilat.
An additional important factor is Eiltat’s proximity to Jordan and to Egypt; just a bus drive away: one can easily book excursions to Aqaba or Petra (in Jordan) or to the beautiful sands of the Sinai desert in Egypt. All you need is a passport.
How to reach Eilat?
The most convenient way to get to Eilat is by plane. Flights get in from both two airports in Israel: “Ben Gurion International airport” or “Sde-Dov” (Tel Aviv) , or from international cities, flying in directly to Eilat’s airport.
By car, it is only a few kilometers before the southern end of Road number 90 (the Arava Road).
How’s the weather?
It is warm and sunny in Eilat, during most of the year. It is cooler during November-March and the water is cold.
