Rampant Roots
The large ancient Jewish burial caverns at Beit Shearim are in danger of eventually collapsing if a solution to the roots penetrating the caves is not found.
The Seven Species of Sea Turtles
Sea turtles have survived from the days of the dinosaurs. Today, these big, floppy, lovable reptiles are in danger of extinction. Twenty years ago, Dr. Yaniv Levy decided to save them, singlehandedly, by creating the Israel Nature and Parks Authority’s National Sea Turtle Rescue Center, which has recently moved to its new home at the mouth of the Alexander River.
Healing Circles
Lee and Oded Amitai of Moshav Netiv HaAsara, in the Gaza Envelope, have lived through it all: surprise, shock, horror, evacuation — and now, return. In the wake of devastation, they have chosen to rebuild not only their home, but themselves. Oded gathers and shapes fragments of wood — burned, broken, displaced remnants of war — and gives them renewed form. Lee adorns them with mandalas, intricate circles that draw the eye and spirit toward a center. Together, their creations become more than art: they are acts of restoration, works grounded in process, patience, and healing.
Epiphany Season
The Christian Epiphany Season begins on January 6 and lasts for more than a month. It focuses on Jesus’s divine manifestation, commemorating the Magi’s visit, the baptism, and the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The central event, the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, is held at Qasr al-Yahud, on the Jordan, today a National Site maintained by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. The ERETZ team attended the celebration of the Greek Orthodox and Ethiopian Orthodox Churches.
Pharaoh’s Singing Statue
Amenhotep III was one of the greatest pharaohs of the New Kingdom in Egypt. His temple was the largest burial temple in the kingdom, with two massive statues, the Memnon Colossi, standing in front of its third pylon. Last December, after a 20-year effort, the statues damaged by earthquakes, flooding, and time were restored to their ancient glory. At the same time, a few months earlier, Amenhotep’s tomb in the Valley of the Kings was opened to visitor.
Between the Lily and the Rainbow
Since ancient Egypt, the Iris has been a beloved plant used for decoration and gardening, with many Iris images integrated into art from East Asia to Europe. Is one of the most beautiful of the irises the Lily of the Valley from the biblical Song of Songs.
