Atlanta Israel Coalition doing new series of Israel virtual tours

Caesarea

The Atlanta Israel Coalition is bringing back its popular “Re-Discovering the Land of Israel” virtual tours, with tour guide David Sussman.

The series of five Sunday tours is produced in partnership with the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeastern U.S., Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta and the Atlanta Jews of Color Council.

Sussman visited Israel in 2001 and never left. In 2009, he became a licensed tour guide after graduating from the Archeological Seminar’s two-year course. A combat lone-soldier in the Second Lebanon War, he had a near death experience, where he realized the importance of teaching people about Israel.

The first tour, on Nov. 14, will be Israel’s Hula Valley and the Great Bird Migration. The Hula Valley divides the Golan Heights from the Naftali Heights and the city of Tzfat, with biblical archeology like Tel Dan, and over five million birds pass through it every migration season. This tour is during the migration season, exploring its national parks, biblical archeology, and beautiful nature.

The Nov. 28 tour is Ancient Caesarea. Built over 2,000 years ago by King Herod, this was the first-ever man-made port. Built to compete with Athens, it could fit over a hundred ships at a time. It made Caesarea one of the most important cities along the Mediterranean shore during the Roman period.

Masada will be the focus in Dec. 12. The fortress in the Judean Desert is one of the most popular places to visit in Israel. People from all faiths and walks of life visit this mountain even though there is no mention of it in the Bible. The session will explore the reason for Masada’s popularity, and recount the final moments of the great revolt and the fall of Masada.

The Jan. 9 session visits Eilat, the Southern port to Asia, which has amazing nature, modern history, innovative farming, and great museums.

The series concludes on Jan. 23 with Haifa, the location of Mt Carmel, the Bahai, the Druze and so much more. The holy site for the Bahai, the world’s newest monotheistic faith, is in Haifa, and the tour will include a visit to meet the Bahai.

Registration is free and is available here. One may select one tour or all five, and all tours are at 8 a.m. Central.