Join me on a tour of the ancient Umm el-Qanatir Synagogue, in the Golan Heights:

We're standing opposite the ruins of a synagogue from the period of the Mishna and Talmud.

This synagogue belongs to a group known as the "Galilean" style.

We see here a typical basilica structure with a nave and two aisles. Based on the narrow columns found here, we understand that it's likely the building had two floors.

As is the case of the Galilean synagogues, such as Capernaum, the entrance to this one was from the south side, the direction of prayer towards Jerusalem. The Torah scroll during this period was actually a collection of 5 separate scrolls, one for each book. These scrolls were brought into the hall in a mobile wooden ark. We see here remains of the platform upon which the Holy Ark was apparently placed.

If you look carefully, you'll notice a menorah carving in one of the stones. Other elements found here that clearly link the site to Judaism include shofars, etrogs and incense pans - all classic Jewish symbols of the Talmudic period.

The archaeologists excavating here today are using high-tech methods to document and reconstruct this site. A laser is used to scan the ruins and create precise 3-D computer images. Each stone is implanted with a microchip, so that everything about it, including its original placement, is fully documented and

There are so many things to learn about the Holy Land. I'd like to share six interesting facts you probably didn't already know about the land of the Bible:

1. The olives trees in the Garden of Gethsemane are estimated to be anywhere between 1,000 and 2,000 years old.

2. When the Bible speaks of the land of milk and honey, the honey it refers to is the sugary liquid that drips from dates.

3. The synagogue at Gamla is one of the few that existed while the Second Temple in Jerusalem was still standing, making it one of the most ancient in the Land.

4. Popes Paul VI and John Paul II each celebrated Mass at the Church of the Beatitudes during their visits to the Holy Land.

5. Near the port of Old Jaffa, you'll find an Armenian convent. This building served as a hospital for Napoleon's troops on his expedition to the Holy Land. Napoleon stopped in Jaffa on his campaign through David's Land.

In 1804, Napoleon commissioned a painting called "Bonaparte Visiting the Plague Victims of Jaffa." The scene shows Napoleon in Jaffa in 1799 trying to raise his troops' morale by approaching and touching soldiers who had fallen victim to a plague epidemic that was decimating the French army.

The paint

Join me on a tour of the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, Galilee.

We are standing at the main entrance of the Basilica of the Annunciation in the courtyard facing the building's façade.

This church commemorates the place in which the angel Gabriel appears before the Virgin Mary and informs her that she is to give birth to the Savior.

This modern Catholic church was designed by Italian architect Giovanni Muzio. It was built in the late 1960s over the remains of earlier Crusader and Byzantine churches.

Let's have a closer look over our heads at the façade of the church. The symbolism is intentionally in the form of a pyramid hierarchy. At the very top, notice the bronze statue of Jesus. Below him, we see a relief of the Virgin Mary receiving the good news from the angel Gabriel. Mary appears to be looking to the side in embarrassment. Below this scene, we can see images of the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, each with his associated attribute. We see Latin inscriptions taken from verses of the Gospels relating to the Annunciation and the Incarnation (i.e. "the Word became flesh") as well as a verse from Isaiah alluding to the birth of the Messiah from a virgin.

I'm not permitted to speak to you inside the church, so when we go inside, I want you to pay attention to the remains of the Crusader and Byzantine churches in the

Most Christian visitors' travel itineraries in the central hill country of Lower Galilee are limited to Nazareth, Cana of Galilee and Mount Tabor. While all these places are central to the Gospel narrative, a visit to the Zippori National Park will give you new insight into the Galilee of Jesus' youth.

In the first century CE, Nazareth was only a tiny insignificant village off the beaten path. But when we travel just a few miles to the northwest, we come to an entirely different world. Zippori was the "New York City" of late Roman and Byzantine period Galilee.

Just at the time that Jesus was growing to manhood in Nazareth, a great building project was taking place in Zippori. In fact, many scholars claim that, although Zippori is not mentioned in the Bible, its building projects may have even employed the artisan Joseph, husband of Mary. Given that Zippori was the major Jewish metropolis in Jesus' time, it's very likely that he visited the city and may have even worked there.

From the Second Temple period to the Byzantine era, Zippori was a large and prosperous city with a Jewish majority. It reached its peak in the late Roman and Byzantine periods.

We have evidence of the wealth of its residents in the luxurious villa known as Dionysus House. Its prominent position at the top of the hill in the city and near the theatre indicates to us that the owner of this villa must surely have