Why I Love the Holy Land

Israel is a land of contrasts. It's where women wear black suits, thick stockings and a hat over a wig, while blocks away it's bikinis. There are open-air markets with fresh spices and slow-cooked food, next to an international high-tech company's headquarters. A breakthrough is made in a medical research center at the same time that an archaeological excavation turns up informative remains. It is sophisticated, cutting-edge technology and a yearning to return "as in days of old". This is a place with streets and cafes named after Biblical figures, with soil that was tread by our ancestors, with blood that was spilled in the name of God. This is the land where the Bible was played out. Freedom of religion really feels free. The center for three of the world's major faiths attracts dedicated believers from each, and despite the constant media reports of violence, co-existence is a day-to-day reality. It's nothing but a source of attraction. In addition to being a place of ingathering for people, it is also a major migration path for birds, a techtonic plate fault line, and a smattering of different ecological zones all in one small piece of land. Its natural beauty comes in all forms, from the mountains of the Golan in the North, to the Arava Desert in the South; from the seashore in Tel Aviv to the hills of Jerusalem. It's a place with an underlying tension, an underlying feeling that it's a place worth fighting for.