Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.—Exodus 3:5.

 A strip of sun-warmed land along the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, a land no larger than the state of Mary- land, is "holy ground" to more than a billion people. Palestine is revered by the world's Jews and Christians because it is the motherland of their religions. It is holy also to the Moslems, who believe Mohammed sprang heaven- ward on horseback from Jerusalem. Forming a crossroad between Egypt and Asia Minor, between the Mediterranean and the Euphrates, Palestine has lured conquer- ors from all directions for 4,000 years. It was called Canaan before the Hebrews settled in it. They named it Israel, after their patriarch Jacob's alternate name. By the time of Christ the southern part had become known as Judea, after the tribe of Judah; and the term "Judean" gradually changed into "Jew." The rapid growth of Christianity in Constantine's day spurred pilgrims to want to visit the places Jesus had known. By the fourth century many of these spots had been identified—some no doubt erroneously; but the sites— each commemorated, not by a monument, but by a church built over it — are now hallowed by tradition. To visit all these sites is particularly difficult now because they are shared by two hostile nations, Israel and Jordan. Even the Israeli Jew may not cross the border into Jordanian Jerusalem to pray at his sacred Wailing Wall — the only part of Herod's Temple that still stands. Our View-Master Picture Tour, however, allows us to ignore boundaries and make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land — a pilgrimage through time as well as through space.

VIEW-MASTER REEL ONE

A WELL OF ABRAHAM, MAMRE Then Abram . . . came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre.—Genesis 13:18. Nearly 4,000 years ago a family of semi-nomads, with their flocks, moved southward down the hilly backbone of the land of Canaan. They had come from Haran, in what is now northern Syria; still earlier their home had been Ur, an ancient city near the head of the Persian Gulf. It was the family of Abram and his nephew, Lot. Abram's name soon would be changed to Abraham, "Father of Multitudes" — for had not God promised to make of his descendants a great nation possessing this land? One of the places where he pitched his black goathair tent was Mamre, in the hill country south of Bethlehem. Today, amid ruins dating from a later era, the well he dug remains, and gnarled oak trees still grow.

 SITE OF ABRAHAM'S TOMB Then Abraham . . . died . . . And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah.—Genesis 25:8-9. At Hebron, near Mamre, stands a Moslem mosque. Under its floor is a site sacred to both Jew and Moslem: the cave of Machpelah, traditional tomb of Abraham, his son Isaac and grandson Jacob, together with their wives. An American archaeological expedition led by Dr. Phillip Hammond of Princeton has been working here since 1962.

WALLS OF JERICHO So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets: and . . . the wall fell down flat. . . and they took the city.—Joshua 6:20. The Bible tells how Abraham's descendants, in bondage in Egypt, were delivered by God and wandered in the wilderness toward their ancestral home in Canaan, led by Moses. After Moses' death, his successor Joshua led them across the Jordan to invade Canaan. The first city barring their way was Jericho, and the story of how its walls fell to their trumpet blast is well known. Archaeologists, digging deep into the site of Jericho, say it may be the world's oldest city, going back to 7800 B.C.! The walls seen here belonged to a Jericho that existed many centuries before Josh- ua's time.

 MOUNT TABOR FROM NAZARETH 5o Barak went down from Mount Tabor . . . —judges 4:14. Mount Tabor, in the brooding Galilean hills, was the scene of a notable victory in the days of the Judges. From its slopes Barak led his 10,000 Israelites against the chariot troops of Sisera the Canaanite. The rain-swollen River Kishon swamped the chariots, and the enemy was routed. In the Christian era. Mount Tabor became the traditional site of Jesus' Transfiguration. Moses brings Ten Commandments, finds people worshiping idol.