Traveling to a War Zone

Editor’s note: On October 7 of this year, Israel was attacked by the terrorist group Hamas, with more Jews slaughtered in a single day than any day since the Holocaust. Since then, Israel has vowed to dismantle Hamas and its networks inside of the Gaza Strip, an area crowded with civilians that the terrorists use…

Israel’s Yad Vashem

Editor’s note: the last time I visited Yad Vashem was in 1998, and the memory is still vivid. As Sam writes so eloquently, it is a place that will change you. For more of Sam’s articles here on The Royal Tour, click here to visit his index. Today is Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day as…

Chanukah in the Holy Land

Editor’s note: Chanukah is over now, as is Christmas, but the warmth of the holidays can last well beyond the actual dates. I am so thrilled for this unique look into what Chanukah is like in the one Jewish-majority country on the planet. For more of Tamara Parkhurst’s awesome writing, click here to visit her…

A Day in Bethlehem

Editor's note: it is impossible to capture the magnitude of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a huge book, let alone in an article about visiting Bethlehem. Some aspects of the conflict are necessary to explain as they affect the day-to-day experiences a traveler, like our Sam Spector, would have. We at The Royal Tour recognize that…

The Juice: A Story From Jerusalem

Editor's Note: It's amazing sometimes what seemingly small things from our travels become huge, even life-altering. This story from Madeleine reminds me that the best experiences are the unexpected ones. For more of her stories, click here. Before I tell you about the juice, it’s important for you to understand how much I don’t care…