Masada pronounced "Metzada" is the name for a site of ancient palaces and fortifications in the South District of Israel on top of an isolated rock plateau, or horst, on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea.

After the First Jewish-Roman War a siege of the fortress by troops of the Roman Empire led to the mass suicide of the Sicarii rebels.

I was recently at this extraordinary site with a group of Christian journalists from the United States, Canada and Mexico, as part of a tour organized by the Israel Tourism Board and, after taking the cable car with our guide, Tsion Ben David, I had the unique opportunity of interviewing Eitan Campbell, the Director the Masada National Park with is part of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

Campbell, a man with rugged movie star looks, told me that he was born in Delaware in the United States and has been living in Israel since 1968.

"My family wasn't from a Jewish background and they had question marks going through their heads and we all fell in love with Israel and pretty well much all of the family is still here and some have converted to Judaism."

Was he one of them?

"No, no," he replied.

"So you're still a Christian?

"I have no labels," he smiled.

I then asked him to expand on why he loved Israel. "It is a b

Thousands of years ago, the ancient Galilee was full of hundreds of small villages where the simple people raised their crops, tended to their flocks and lived according to their ancient customs. These villages served as the backdrop for the historic events that spawned the Gospels and inspire us to this day to follow in the footsteps of the ancient apostles and to seek the landscapes that Jesus knew.

A multitude of pilgrims sojourn to the Holy Land and visit the holy sites at Nazareth, Kana, the Sea of Galilee and many others. But what is often missing from their itinerary is a hands-on experience of the daily life in an ancient Galilean village.

That place is Kfar Kedem which was established six years ago on a scenic hillside facing Nazareth and Sephoris National Park. The project was the brainstorm of Menachem Goldberg, 36, an experienced tour guide and a resident of the Galilean village of Hoshaya.

After conferring with historians and archaeologists and studying the relevant Jewish and Christian texts, Kfar Kedem was built with the highest standards of authenticity regarding the agriculture and architecture of an ancient Galilean village. As part of that authenticity, Kfar Kedem is run according to halacha, the ancient Jewish law that proscribes that the village remains closed on the Sabbath as well as all Jewish holidays and that all food served at Kfar Kedem is strictly ko

LAKE FOREST, CA (ANS) - In my many years as a journalist, I have been able to visit the Holy Land on at least ten occasions, and each time the Bible has come alive for me as I have visited the many Biblical sites both in Israel, the West Bank and Jordan.

The highlight for me is always being in Jerusalem, one of the world's most exciting and historic cities, especially visiting the Old City which bustles with life and history as the world's three main religions, Judaism, Islam, Armenian and Christianity live side-by-side in this bustling area.

There are so many wonderful places to visit, especially for evangelical Christians, such as the Garden Tomb in East Jerusalem, and, of course, The Mount of Olives.

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem sign inside the Garden Tomb

Some years back, I took my wife Norma to the Holy Land for her first visit and there we experienced something that still makes us laugh today