MONDAY
Depart From New York for our flight to Israel. Beverages and meals will be served on board.
TUESDAY
Arrive in Tel Aviv and meet our guide. Transfer by deluxe motor coach to our hotel in Tel Aviv. Have dinner and a good night’s sleep.
Dinner and Overnight: Dan Panorama, Tel Aviv
WEDNESDAY
After breakfast drive to Caesarea, an excavated city built by Herod the Great 2000 years ago. It served as the administrative capital of Judea for over 600 years. Climb up Tel Megiddo, one of Solomon’s ancient chariot cities, for a view of the Jezreel Valley and future site of the battle of Armageddon. Next, we will visit Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus. End the day at the baptismal site of Yardenit, at the place where the Jordan River flows out of the Sea of Galilee and into the Dead Sea.
Dinner and Overnight: Kibbutz Ein Gev, Sea of Galilee
THURSDAY
We will start our day early today with a visit to the site of ancient Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus demanded to know of His disciples who people were saying He was. Visit Mt. Beatitudes where Jesus gave his “Sermon on the Mount". Continue to the quiet cove of Tabgha on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, the scene of many Gospel stories, including the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes. Proceed to Capernaum – known as Jesus’ “own town” – “walking where Jesus walked” takes on thrilling new meaning. As you sit on the stone benches of Capernaum’s ancient synagogue, you’ll be reminded that right here, Jesus taught and healed a man possessed by an evil spirit. It was the synagogue on this very spot, whose foundations you can still see, which Luke says was built by the centurion whose servant Jesus later healed. Jesus also raised from the dead the daughter of this synagogue’s leader. Then you will enjoy a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.
Dinner and Overnight: Kibbutz Ein Gev, Sea of Galilee
FRIDAY
We will stop and visit the Harod Spring which bubbles in a cave on the slopes of Mount Gilboa and from here we can enjoy a fine view of the Jezreel Valley and lower Galilee. Continue to Beit Shean, historical gem that unfolds the fascinating story of a rich period full of changes, was the capital of the Decapolis cities, through which word of Jesus’ miracles and teachings spread (Matt. 4:25, Mark 5: 20). It has also been a scene of tragedy: more than a millennium earlier, the Philistines hung the body of Saul from its ramparts. Visit the alternative baptism site of Qasr el Yahud, located near Jericho and the Dead Sea on the Jordan River, Continue to Qumran and stand among the 2,000 year-old ruins overlooking the Dead Sea on the edge of the Judean wilderness, we will experience a dramatic view of the cave in which most of the Dead Sea Scrolls, containing the oldest Bible ever found, were discovered.
Dinner and Overnight: Ramada, Jerusalem
SATURDAY
After breakfast, begin the day with the glorious view of the Old City of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. Visit Gethsemane and see its ancient olive trees, remembering Jesus’ agony in prayer for us. Visit the Pool of Bethesda, the site of the miraculous healing of a paralyzed man by Jesus, as recounted solely in the gospel of John, and also the site of the birth of Mary's mother. Here over the original pools St. Anne’s church was built. Walk through the Old City and see the Church of Holy Sepulchre. Visit Mount Zion and the Upper Room and remember the Last Supper and the outpour of the Holy Spirit. Below we can pray and pay homage to Israel’s famous king and ancestor of the Messiah at King David’s Tomb. Then head to St. Peter in Galicantu Church built over the site of the House of Caiaphas where Jesus was imprisoned. End the day at Gordon’s Calvary and the Garden Tomb.
Dinner and Overnight: Ramada, Jerusalem
SUNDAY
First we visit the spot where Abraham offered Isaac in sacrifice on Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount. “Awestruck” is the way many describe their feeling at the Western Wall, destroyed 2,000 years ago by the Romans. Stroll through the Jewish Quarter and visit the stores along the Cardo, a typical Roman street built in the 6th century. Visit the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament. Drive to Gush Etzion, the region south of Jerusalem, with its picturesque rolling hills adorned with grape arbors and olive groves, brimming with biblical and modern history. For millennia, the main road through here passed near Bethlehem, which in Bible days was called Efrat. Stop at the Kfar Etzion visitors' center, which showcases the region’s heritage in a moving audio-visual presentation.
Dinner and Overnight: Ramada, Jerusalem
MONDAY
After savoring our early morning breakfast, we will head to the mountaintop fortress of Masada overlooking the Dead Sea. Less than 40 years after Jesus was crucified, Jewish rebels took over Masada. In contrast to Jesus’ instruction to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s”, the rebels believed in zero-tolerance for Roman rule. The rebels were surrounded by the Roman army, and took their own lives rather than become slaves. This act has made Masada a symbol of the human spirit’s yearning for freedom. Continue to the oasis of Ein Gedi on the shore of the Dead Sea combines a wild, natural setting, history and archaeology. Nakhal David and Nakhal Arugot flow year-round through deep canyons surrounded by lush vegetation – a sharp contrast to the surrounding desert. This is where David took refuge from King Saul. Afterwards, we will descend to the lowest point on Earth to bathe in the healing waters of the Dead Sea.
Dinner and Overnight: Ramada, Jeruslaem
TUESDAY
Visit the Israel Museum, the largest cultural institution in the State of Israel and one of the leading art and archaeology museums in the world. Visit the Yad Vashem museum, Israel’s Holocaust remembrance and education center which is an emotional and heartrending experience, but seeing the exhibits and remembering the Holocaust gives the more than one million individuals, world leaders and dignitaries who pass through its doors annually a meaningful way to commemorate the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Farewell Dinner before heading to the airport for our return flight home or additional overnight and departure transfer the next morning.
WEDNESDAY
Arrive to the USA from a “Life Changing Experience” that will stay with you for all your days.
Surprise activities and hotel visits will be scheduled throughout the tour.
PLEASE NOTE! We reserve the right to omit any site and/or change the itinerary
Should it be necessary due to local conditions.
DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
Pastors & Spouses Israel Solidarity - Familiarization Tour
POSTPONED - DATES TO BE DETERMINED
REGISTER HERE
