About Nazareth and Mary's Well
Point of view from the Locals of Nazareth, what it is, how important it is to the whole world and where is it standing today... 2025
So this is the land and the city where it all began… the place where Jesus lived most of his life, where His mother Mary received the Annunciation from the Angel Gabriel, and where the Savior of humanity came to pay for the sins of the world.
This land became holy, the spiritual center of the world. Pilgrims and tourists have come from every corner of the earth to visit the Holy Land, and in Nazareth they seek the place where Jesus lived most of His life, where His journey began.
Today, more than 2000 years later, much has changed. The Christian population of Nazareth now stands at around 25%. The majority of the city’s residents are Arabs, with Muslims making up the rest of the community.
In recent years, after the pandemic and the ongoing war, things have worsened. The city has become like a “ghost town.” There are no tourists, no Jewish visitors, and not even Arabs from nearby towns. Even locals from Nazareth no longer spend their time in the city as they once did.
There are many reasons for this, which we will explain one by one.
First, the war has taken its toll. Wars are costly, and life has become more difficult financially: higher taxes, fewer jobs, and no tourists able to come. The ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict also prevents Jews from visiting, leaving the atmosphere tense and divided, with both sides feeling less welcome.
Second, organized crime has worsened. Even before the war, about eight months earlier, the underground world had grown increasingly violent. Today, many locals are afraid to go out and enjoy life. The police, for political reasons, are unable to enforce the law effectively. For Arab communities, this has meant living in an environment where law and order feel absent—almost as if we are citizens of another country without protection or rights. (It’s important to clarify: this problem affects Arabs within Nazareth, not tourists or Jews. Visitors remain safe, as the danger is mainly internal within the Arab community.)
Third, political leadership has become a tragedy in itself. Left-wing and right-wing leaders alike play with laws and people’s rights, while citizens feel powerless. Although most people oppose the war, the government continues with its plans as if in a dictatorship, hiding behind the façade of “modern democracy.”
Because of the war and political dysfunction, powerful tycoons who control basic markets—bread, milk, coffee, even electricity and water—have made life even harder by raising prices. Ordinary people are consumed with survival as the Holy Land is stuck in this crisis.
On top of this, municipal corruption runs deep. Local authorities are tied to criminal networks, leaving the municipality in over 280 million shekels of debt. More than 400 “phantom employees” were given salaries while doing no real work. Huge public projects worth millions were handed to family members and dangerous groups, who pocketed the money and left the city dirty and neglected. The situation is unbearable: the streets stink, garbage piles up, and swarms of oversized flies with green and blue hues are now a disturbing sight.
As a result, many moderate, ordinary citizens are constantly thinking of leaving this holy city for distant lands.
And yet—we do not give up. We still hold onto hope. We continue to spread love and faith in Nazareth, making small changes where we can. This is the land where everything began: where the Annunciation took place, where the new age started over 2000 years ago. And to this day, we still believe.
Here are some works of hope and renewal that we created at Mary’s Well, crafted from rose and rosemary, as a symbol of the change and beauty we still nurture in Nazareth.
This land became holy, the spiritual center of the world. Pilgrims and tourists have come from every corner of the earth to visit the Holy Land, and in Nazareth they seek the place where Jesus lived most of His life, where His journey began.
Today, more than 2000 years later, much has changed. The Christian population of Nazareth now stands at around 25%. The majority of the city’s residents are Arabs, with Muslims making up the rest of the community.
In recent years, after the pandemic and the ongoing war, things have worsened. The city has become like a “ghost town.” There are no tourists, no Jewish visitors, and not even Arabs from nearby towns. Even locals from Nazareth no longer spend their time in the city as they once did.
There are many reasons for this, which we will explain one by one.
First, the war has taken its toll. Wars are costly, and life has become more difficult financially: higher taxes, fewer jobs, and no tourists able to come. The ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict also prevents Jews from visiting, leaving the atmosphere tense and divided, with both sides feeling less welcome.
Second, organized crime has worsened. Even before the war, about eight months earlier, the underground world had grown increasingly violent. Today, many locals are afraid to go out and enjoy life. The police, for political reasons, are unable to enforce the law effectively. For Arab communities, this has meant living in an environment where law and order feel absent—almost as if we are citizens of another country without protection or rights. (It’s important to clarify: this problem affects Arabs within Nazareth, not tourists or Jews. Visitors remain safe, as the danger is mainly internal within the Arab community.)
Third, political leadership has become a tragedy in itself. Left-wing and right-wing leaders alike play with laws and people’s rights, while citizens feel powerless. Although most people oppose the war, the government continues with its plans as if in a dictatorship, hiding behind the façade of “modern democracy.”
Because of the war and political dysfunction, powerful tycoons who control basic markets—bread, milk, coffee, even electricity and water—have made life even harder by raising prices. Ordinary people are consumed with survival as the Holy Land is stuck in this crisis.
On top of this, municipal corruption runs deep. Local authorities are tied to criminal networks, leaving the municipality in over 280 million shekels of debt. More than 400 “phantom employees” were given salaries while doing no real work. Huge public projects worth millions were handed to family members and dangerous groups, who pocketed the money and left the city dirty and neglected. The situation is unbearable: the streets stink, garbage piles up, and swarms of oversized flies with green and blue hues are now a disturbing sight.
As a result, many moderate, ordinary citizens are constantly thinking of leaving this holy city for distant lands.
And yet—we do not give up. We still hold onto hope. We continue to spread love and faith in Nazareth, making small changes where we can. This is the land where everything began: where the Annunciation took place, where the new age started over 2000 years ago. And to this day, we still believe.
Here are some works of hope and renewal that we created at Mary’s Well, crafted from rose and rosemary, as a symbol of the change and beauty we still nurture in Nazareth.
