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Book NookTOURING THE PASTOut of a negative emerged a positive. Duringthe second intifada (2000-2005), licensed tourguide Adrian Wolff from Ramat Hasharonfound himself virtually out of business. The touristswere staying away and Adrian suddenly had “moretime on his hands and less income.” Why not useit profitably? After years of study and an intimateknowledge of Israel’s landscape and history, madehim think, “Why not write a book?”Tour guide andauthor Adrian Wolffwith overseastourist at MasadaThe result is a 360 page chronology of Israel,from prehistoric times until the present day, coveringall three religions - Judaism, Christianity andSWEET REVENGEAs a tour guide, you must meet someinteresting people with fascinatingstories? One of the many Adrian relatedwas of an 85 year old lady, on her firstvisit to Israel. “She told me how as ayoung married woman in Prague, theNazis took her and her husband to aslave labour camp. At some stage,her husband was killed. One day whenthe nearby town was bombed by theAllies, she noticed that the guards atthe gate had left their positions. Shesimply walked out, barefoot and inher prison garb. She made it back toPrague where she found that her entirefamily had perished. With the help of anon-Jewish friend, she obtained a job asthe telephone operator in the GestapoHeadquarters in Prague. Every eveningshe would pass on information to thelocal underground.”Islam. Says the author: “The book is of value tonewcomers to the region’s history, as well as forthe more knowledgeable, who would appreciatean aide-memoire.” Adrian has sold over 1200copies.While readable as a reference book, it serves asa comprehensive guide, categorizing places andevents. Interspersed, are photographs taken byAdrian from his tours as well as biblical quotationsthat bring alive the historical content andlocation.The opening paragraph invites the reader. “TheJews have lived continuously in Israel since about1750 BC in an area defined in the Bible as theLand of Israel or “Eretz Israel” (I Samuel 13:19).The Greeks called the region Ioudaia (Judeo);the Romans, Iudaea (Judea); the Christians,Terra Sancta (The Holy Land); and the Arabs,Palestine.”The rest of course, is all history.You can visit Adrian’s website at www.israeltours.co.il oremail him at aewolff@inter.net.il27