A Time-Warping Technicolor Travelogue of the Jewish Land

Jan 9, 2025 3:22 pm | News, Ticker, Views, Virtual Jerusalem, VJ Views

Blending History, Passion, and AI to Reignite the Spirit of this Place in the Heart, I’ve Brought to Life My Vision of the Wonders Abounding as One Wanders Around the Land of Israel

Welcome to Zion began as a project to update Israel’s Story in Maps, but it quickly became something far more personal. Maps, for all their utility, fell short of capturing the vivid, technicolor Israel that burned itself into my memory during my first visits. The textures, the light, the sheer feeling of being in Zion—none of it could be reduced to flat lines and labels. I wanted to resurrect that Israel, to bring it back to life for myself and for others who may have only glimpsed its depth through the gray haze of news reports or academic detachment.

This frustration, however, was only part of the story. What truly propelled me forward was a deeper dissatisfaction: the way Israel’s story is often fractured. The mainstream media, and even some within our own community, speak of Judea and Samaria as though they are something apart from Israel, as though their history and spiritual resonance are somehow “other.” This false distinction between “little Israel” and “greater Israel” undermines the unity of our land and the strength of our story.

So I decided to take liberties—I think the right kind of liberties.

Welcome to Zion (available on Amazon as a paperback or a kindle ebook) is a vivid, technicolor travelogue that literally circles the land of Israel, breathing life into every hill, valley, and ancient site. To capture the spirit of the land, I’ve used AI extensively, not just as a tool but as a creative partner. With AI, I’ve reconstructed intense scenes from Israel’s past, from the heroic stand at Masada to the bustling marketplaces of ancient Jerusalem. Yes, liberties are taken, but isn’t that how we truly express what Zion means to us? By bending time and space, blending facts and feelings, to communicate the deep connection we hold in our hearts?

This project is a celebration of how I feel about Zion—not just as a physical place, but as an idea that transcends generations. Zion is the thread that ties us together, the promise that has sustained us, and the home we as Jews will never abandon. Especially because our enemies want us to.

Through Welcome to Zion, readers will journey across Israel’s breathtaking landscapes and uncover the layers of history that make this land extraordinary. About 100 places were re-imagined. You’ll travel from the arid expanse of the Negev, where David Ben-Gurion dreamed of making the desert bloom, to the fertile Galilee, where ancient miracles were witnessed and modern ones unfold daily. You’ll stand on the towering peaks of the Golan Heights and gaze down at the verdant Jordan Valley, a landscape carved by the hand of history, from the hilltops of Judea and Samaria. For this too is Zion.

This is more than a guided tour of places around Israel. It’s an invitation to embrace the whole of Israel. To walk the streets of Hebron and feel the echoes of our patriarchs. To traverse Judea and Samaria and understand that these are not just contested regions but the biblical heartland, the source of so much of who we are. To stand at the Kotel and touch the stones that have witnessed the resilience of our people. Is it any less meaningful the resting place of our fathers and mothers buried in Hebron, or the ancient capital of Shilo, where the Tabernacles dwelt when Joshua conquered the land.

I am not just a Jew. I am a Zionist. This is my declaration of love and pride for a land that is as alive today as it was in the days of Abraham, David, and Deborah.

Welcome to Zion takes liberties because Zion now demands it. Elsewhere, fellow Zionists are under siege. Some are murdered for identifying themselves. Others have their businesses and synagogues burned. Now is the time to stand up and be counted. Now is the time to welcome them into the beauties and wonders of Zion.

This is a project of passion and conviction—a labor of love for a land that continues to inspire and challenge us. I want readers to feel Zion as I do: a land of miracles, struggles, and triumphs, where the past and future collide in breathtaking technicolor.

So come along. Embrace the place. Welcome to Zion. Share it with those you love. Say it loud, say it proud—and feel it for yourself.

I am a Zionist. Welcome to Zion.

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