I\’ve started 2019 with a pretty awesome 8 day trip to Israel. I did a LOT of writing of new material from Oct-Dec (for a new album I\’ll be recording in 2019) – ideas were REALLY flowing. To keep that inspiration flowing I wanted to throw myself into some place completely new, and I also wanted to re-connect with an old high school friend living in Jerusalem now, so I made the trek. It\’s been beautiful, mind blowing, inspiring, and somewhat life-changing. Israel and Palestine are such incredibly special places on the earth. I walked the streets fo old Jerusalem, swam in the Dead Sea, drove through the desert, visited Tel Aviv and the old per of Jaffa, and checked out Bethlehem (Palestine). My experiences in each of those places could fill a book. There is so much inspiration in this tiny part of the world that visiting it while in creative-mode is like being hooked up to a battery of ideas – creative juices just flow, like a river roaring to the sea. It\’s honestly overwhelming in the best of ways and new songs are brewing. I\’ll be updating the website show-calendar in the next few days so please check that out! I also have a really really interesting trip coming up within Canada, to do some songwriting with students in the far north. Check back for a post on that too. I hope your 2019 is off to a great start. js
Inspiration: Israel!
![](https://www.jeffstraker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Jerusalem-1024x861.jpg)