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wow them with holy sites and possible
tourist locations in the Galilee. Israeli
officials also hope to use these sites to
disperse pilgrim traffic throughout the
county, in order to avoid logjams at
the more popular spots in Nazareth
and Jerusalem.
They also are beginning to market
Jewish locales such as the Qumran
Caves, with its messianic roots, and
Gamla, with its first century syna-
gogue, as alternative sites for pilgrim
groups.
Regardless of their religion, locals are
looking at the year 2000 as a godsend to
boost the lagging tourist trade.
In the West Bank city of Ramallah,
Issa Eways, managing director of
Rama Productions, is enthusiastic
about using the newest digital tech-
nology to produce a video on the life
of Jesus and the Holy Land.
Another high-tech group is the Israeli
company RealTime2000, which has put
together an Internet-satellite broadcast
service that allows the folks back home
to watch, in real time, as their friends,
relatives and religious leaders visit holy
sites in the Holy Land.
At his Shorashim store, which is
dedicated to transmitting an under-
standing of Judaism to Jews and
Christians alike, Moshe Kempinski
says the number of Christian groups
browsing in his store has increased.
Although he welcomes them into
his store and engages them in dia-
logue, most other Orthodox Jews view
the arrival of Christian pilgrims with
concern, mainly for fear of missionary
work, and, in general, avoid the mil-
lennium issue.
On the Mount of Olives, Muslim
hotel owner Ibrahim Dawod has
learned to turn his prime location
— next to the site where, Christians
believe, Jesus ascended into heaven
— into a prime attraction for pil-
grims.
Other Muslim Arabs in the vicinity,
such as Ibrahim Abu El Hawa, have
turned their homes into bed-and-break-
fasts for the Christian visitors.
They have learned to talk the talk.
As one visitor leaves his hotel,
Dawod calls pleasantly after him,
"God bless you."

❑

Judith Sudilovsky is a freelance writer
who lives in Jerusalem, Israel.