Travelling is not that easy this summer due to the pandemic restrictions. Therefore, local tourism has boosted. Israel has not been an exception and this situation has strengthened the trend of Israelis visiting the Christian sites in their country.
Haaretz, a local newspaper, highlights the attraction that gardens inside monasteries are generating lately. There are about 50 monasteries scattered around the country and mostly unknown to the local tourist. A book written by Dr. Ami Zoran, “Gardens of God in the Holy Land”, uncovers the charm of these nature oases in many places: Judea, Sea of Galilee, Haifa, the desert, Mount Tabor or Jaffa. According to him, the best ones are the ones inside monasteries that also work as guest houses.
View from Mount Tabor
In conversation with the same newspaper, Hana Bendcowsky, director of the Jerusalem Center for Jewish-Christian Relations, said that there is an increasing interest in the Christian sites in Israel. In her opinion, these places are more open to the local public and there is growing curiosity among the Israeli visitors.
Bendcowsky says that places like the gardens of the monasteries are attractive to visitors because they can feel like being abroad. These sites are closed foreing bubbles in which another language is spoken and people live a very different lifestyle.