From the Caspari Center Media Review:
A column in the Calcalist (December 3) surveyed the "Most popular sites in Israel visited by Christians." In first place, rather surprisingly, came the Western (Wailing) Wall: "Despite the fact that Christians have no religious connection to the Wall, its proximity to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Via Dolorosa has made it one of the four sites everyone has to visit in Jerusalem." The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was second: "Although not all Christian denominations concur that Yeshu was buried here, this church in the heart of the Christian Quarter is of great importance . . ." Third was the Via Dolorosa, "along which Yeshu passed on his way to his crucifixion, stopping at nine places . . ." The fourth site was the Mount of Olives – "mentioned in the New Testament as the place whence Yeshu ascended to heaven and to which he will also return in the end times." In fifth place was Capernaum, where "after he left Nazareth, Yeshu transferred his activities . . . and also chose his apostles." The information was credited to the Ministry of Tourism, the statistics to the first half of 2008. Tourists visiting Kibbutz Ein Gev on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee will now be able to experience a "reconstruction" of one of Jesus’ miracles, according to a report in Israel HaYom (December 4). Having caught an enormous St. Peter’s fish (musht), the kibbutz’s veteran fisherman has decided to "preserve" it, put a gold coin in its mouth, and present it to tourists as a visual aid to Jesus’ catch of a "huge" fish, the proceeds from the sale of which he used to pay the border tax owed by his disciples.
3 thoughts on “Popular Sites in Israel for Christian Tourists”
Interesting to see them refer to Him as Yeshu not Yeshua. May them find Yeshua, not Yeshu.
Isn’t that the wrong kind of fish? I thought only a barbel had a mouth big enough to hold a coin, and that musht couldn’t catch a line? Or are they just maximizing on the tourists name of St. Peter’s fish for musht?
Mendel Nun, a recognized expert on fishing in the Sea of Galilee, does not believe that the fish with the coin was a musht (“St. Peter’s Fish”) because musht feed on plankton and therefore are not caught with a hook. Hooks have been used for barbels. You can read more in Nun’s book, The Sea of Galilee and Its Fishermen in the New Testament.