Yesterday, I enjoyed a wonderful Shabbat dinner in a home located in Ein Karem, the traditional birthplace of John the Baptist. Ein Karem, in southwest Jerusalem, is situated in the Judean hills where supposedly John’s mother hid him from Herod the Great, who had already murdered his father and was planning to murder the infant John as well.

This morning I was privileged to add my book, The Upper Room and Tomb of David, to the holdings of the National Library of Israel, part of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The wonderful staff then took me on a tour of their amazing collection of original maps of the Holy Land dating back to before the Crusader period. The example above is by Frans Hogenburg ca. 1575. Much of their collection has been digitally scanned and can be seen online at http://web.nil.org.il.

Later, I met the good people at the Israel Exploration Society and poured over their extensive publications. They may agree to review my book in their prestigious Israel Exploration Journal. Naturally, I could not leave without acquiring a couple of new books for my own library.

Finally, I found some time to walk through the pedestrian marketplace (midrachov) on Ben Yehuda Street in downtown Jerusalem. The streets in this area are closed to vehicular traffic making for a pleasant shopping experience. There were many dining options as well including a kosher McDonalds.