Nadi Rabadi (l) and Saliba Danho (r) enjoy a ride on the Sea of Galilee
Born and raised in the heart of Jerusalem, not far from the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Saliba Danho knows the Holy Land better than anyone I have ever met. As President of Voice of Faith Tours, Saliba, whose name means crucifix in Arabic, works with tour companies around the world to organize pilgrimages to the Holy Land (and Poland, though his other company, GM Travel).
I met Saliba in 2011, when Select International Tours invited us to join Cardinal Rigali and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Our series, The Faithful Traveler in the Holy Land, came about as a result. Whenever we were part of Saliba’s group, I was always so impressed by how well-spoken and knowledgable he was. We loved hearing him talk so much, we included him in the series three times! (Scroll down for the videos of Saliba in The Faithful Traveler in the Holy Land.)
Cardinal Justin Rigali looks on as Saliba speaks about the Church of the Pater Noster
Although Saliba lives in Poland now with his lovely Polish wife, he travels to the Holy Land regularly, especially since Voice of Faith Tours just opened a new office in Jerusalem. While his main responsibilities lie in managing his companies, he does give tours to a lucky few when he can.
I asked Saliba if he’d answer some questions I had about what the Holy Land means for him, and whether it’s safe for pilgrims to visit.
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DVG: What was it like growing up in the Holy Land?
SD: To grew up on the roof of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and play hide and seek in the church chapels was amazing. Just think for a second how it must feel for a child to hide in Jesus’ tomb! Growing up and later reflecting over these moments, leaves me speechless.
Saliba takes a break at the Church of St JOhn the Baptist in Ein Karem
DVG: You organize tours to the Holy Land for people all around the world through Voice of Faith Tours. Why do you think it’s important for people to visit the Holy Land?
SD: The Fathers of the Church called the Holy Land the “Fifth Gospel”. Jesus, while addressing his audience, used everything that was visible around him in his teachings. Simply enough, the Holy Land brings the word to life, giving us a better understanding of our faith. For example, coming up the Mount of Olives, the palace that Herod the Great built–called the Herodion–would be visible to all. All the travelers seeing it would have heard the stories about how Herod cut a nearby mountain and moved it to the other side to build his palace. So Jesus commented on this shared knowledge when he said if you have a little of faith, you could tell this mountain to move back!
DVG: When did you last visit the Holy Land?
SD: The last group I guided was there December 2 – 10. We had 135 pilgrims from Texas.
DVG: Where did you go on your trip?
SD: Tel Aviv, Caesarea Maritima, Mt Carmel, Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, Jericho, Bethlehem, and all over Jerusalem!
Saliba shares his love of his homeland atop Mount Tabor
DVG: The news makes the Holy Land seem very scary. What is your experience in the Holy Land? Do your pilgrims feel safe?
SD: People feel very safe. They are usually scared by the news they see on TV back in US, but once they arrive in the Holy Land, they start wondering where all the violence is they have been watching on the News. I always say, if it is not safe we would be the first to tell people not to travel, but as long as we are on the bus, it means that it is very safe. Throughout the conflict in the Middle East, not one tourist has ever been targeted by any party. Nowadays looking at the world, we see that there are terror problems everywhere! We are hearing about terrorist threats in New York, Madrid, or recently what happened in Paris.
Terrorists will not stop us from traveling and what is a greater place to visit than the Holy Land?!
DVG: You are a Holy Land local. What do you think of the people of your land—are they friendly? How do they feel about pilgrims?
SD: The people of the land, whether they be Israelis or Palestinians, love pilgrims and welcome them with open hearts! Yes, we do have few radicals, like in every country, but we never had any incident that jeopardized the life of our pilgrims.
DVG: What are some of your favorite places to go in the Holy Land?
SD: The Sea of Galilee. Nothing can beat the moments sailing on Sea of Galilee where our Lord sailed, seeing the same shores, hills, and mountains where his voice is still echoing.
Nadi Rabadi (l) and Saliba Danho (r) enjoy a ride on the Sea of Galilee
Here is Saliba, in The Faithful Traveler in the Holy Land, talking about the caves in Nazareth (skip to 22:22 if it doesn’t automatically take you there):
[youtube width=”550″ height=”344″]http://youtu.be/jcWwFmiH0eM?t=22m22s[/youtube]
Here he is talking about the Muslim call to prayer (skip to 9:57):
[youtube width=”550″ height=”344″]http://youtu.be/fsxKTjlZSPs?t=9m57s[/youtube]
And here he is talking about Pontius Pilate and Caesarea Maritima (skip to 21:22):
[youtube width=”550″ height=”344″]http://youtu.be/nGgLC8gXaDM?t=21m22s[/youtube]