Israel Tours with Pastor Tom

 
In the Footsteps of the Bible

 

 

Israel Tours

NOVEMBER 8 -
Depart your gateway on Delta Airlines to New York (JFK). Connect with Delta Airlines flight #268 nonstop to Tel Aviv.

NOVEMBER 9 – NAZARETH
Upon arrival at Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport, you will be met by a Ya’lla Tours USA representative and transferred to your hotel for a welcome dinner and overnight. NAZARETH PLAZA HOTEL is one of the Galilee’s best. It is located on a hill-top in Nazareth, with a view of the Church of the Annunciation. (D)

NOVEMBER 10 – NAZARETH
Visit to the Church of the Transfiguration atop Mt. Tabor. Continue to Tzipori to see the ruins of a Galilean Village from the days of Jesus. Then visit Nazareth Village for a first-hand experience of the way of life in the ancient Galilee, including a biblical style lunch. Visit the Church of the Wedding in Cana, the site of Jesus’ first miracle, converting water into wine. Back in Nazareth, visit the Church of the Annunciation and St. Joseph’s Grotto. Then, visit Mt. Precipice where Christ was taken “out of the city.. .in order to throw Him down the cliff.” (Luke 4:29) Take in the view of the Jezreel Valley (Armageddon), Mt. Tabor (The Mount of Transfiguration; Matthew 17) and Mt. Gilboa where Gideon chose his 300 brave men. (B,L,D)

NOVEMBER 11 – NAZARETH
Drive to Tiberias and take a private boat ride on the Sea of Galilee to see the 2,000 year old Genosar Boat discovered in 1986. Visit Peter’s House in Capernaum and then continue to the Mount of the Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount and the Miracle of the Fishes. Enjoy a St. Peter’s fish lunch at Kibbutz Hagoshrim. Then walk to a unique location on the River Jordan where you may reflect on your own baptism. In the Upper Galilee, visit Banias (Caesarea Philippi), the source of the Jordan River and the site of Peter’s confession “…you are the Christ” (Matt. 16: 18). (B,L,D)

NOVEMBER 12 – NAZARETH
Visit Megiddo, the “Hill of Battles,” where archaeologists have uncovered 20 civilizations built one upon another. At this site, King Solomon built his vast stables and good King Josiah died in battle. On Mt. Carmel, visit the Carmelite Monastery of Muhraka, the site where God caused Elijah to defeat the priests of Ba’al. Continue to Acko (ancient Acre), the maritime capital of the Crusader Kingdom. Visit the Knights’ Halls, one of the most beautiful and impressive remains from this period. (B,D)

NOVEMBER 13 – JERUSALEM
Visit the ruins at Beth Shean, one of Israel’s most ancient cities. In its 7,000 year history, the Egyptian, Roman and Byzantine empires have laid claim to the site, attracted by abundant water, fertile soil and the situation at an important east west crossroads. Continue to Mt. Gilboa and Harod Spring, where Gideon chose his 300 brave men. Drive to the ruins of Caesarea, a large port city built by Herod the Great. Herod built a port in the bay and erected all the cultural institutions found in every great Greco-Roman city – a theater, a hippodrome, and a luxurious bathhouse. In order to supply water to the city’s ever-growing population, he built an aqueduct system stretching from the springs of Mt. Carme1 to Caesarea. Part of this system is still visible today. The book of Acts refers repeatedly to Caesarea as the city Peter visited (Acts 10). Then climb the Judean Hills to the most beautiful city in the world, JERUSALEM, for, dinner and overnight. DAN HOTEL is a beautiful 4-star property with a great view of Jerusalem from Mt. Scopus, 10 minutes from the Old City. (B,D)

NOVEMBER 14 – JERUSALEM
Drive 6 miles south to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity, the oldest church in the holy land still in use. Construction began in the year 326, based on the local tradition that Jesus was born in a cave at the edge of the village. Return to Jerusalem and drive to the Mount of Olives for an awe inspiring, panoramic view of the city. Walk down to the Garden of Gethsemane. Along the way, stop at the Church of Pater Noster, where Jesus taught the disciples the Lord’s Prayer. The prayer is written on the walls of the church in more than 85 languages. Continue on foot to one of the newest churches in Jerusalem, Dominus Flevit. During construction in 1955, archaeologists uncovered artifacts dating back to the Canaanite period as well as tombs from both the Second Temple and Byzantine eras. Also unearthed were the remains of a lovely Byzantine shrine with an elaborate mosaic floor that was incorporated into the church. Originally built in 379 AD, the Church of Gethsemane was rebuilt in 1919 – 1924. Long considered one of the most beautiful in Jerusalem, it was called the Church of all Nations because 16 nations contributed to its construction. The Garden of Gethsemane lies at the foot of the Mount of Olives. The garden has changed little in 2,000 years. Enter the Christian Quarter of the Old City through the Lion Gate. Here is the Pool of Bethesda and St. Anne’s Church, perhaps the finest example of Crusader architecture in Israel. Walk the Way of the Cross, the Via Dolorosa, to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. In 325 AD, Constantine’s mother Helen first requisitioned the area for a church. The 4th century church was largely destroyed by the Turks in 1009 AD and partially restored in 1048 AD. (B,D)

NOVEMBER 15 – JERUSALEM
Visit the House of Caiaphas, where Jesus was held prior to his trial. Continue to the City of David to see the excavations of the oldest part of Jerusalem, dating back to King David. If weather permits, walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel. At Mt. Zion, visit King David’s Tomb and the Last Supper Room. Then, enter the Jewish quarter of the Old City through the Zion Gate for a walking tour. Walk down to the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism and the only visible remains of Herod’s Second Temple where Jesus walked and taught. See the Temple Steps, the original steps leading to the Temple’s Entrance to the Court of the Israelites. At the Davidson Center, watch the multi-media presentation about Jerusalem in the days of Jesus. Walk through the Western Wall Tunnel, huge arched spaces just north of the Western Wall. (B,D)

NOVEMBER 16 – JERUSALEM
Depart Jerusalem and drive east to the lowest place of earth, the Dead Sea. See Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947. Continue to Masada, a natural fortress with majestic ruins overlooking the Dead Sea. Take a cable car to the top of the plateau for a tour. Jewish zealots held the rock against the unrelenting 10th Roman legion until 72 AD, when a monumental siege, using an astounding attack ramp, conquered the fortress. The camps and other fortifications that encircle the mesa constitute the most complete Roman siege works to have survived to the present day. Descend by cable car and drive to the Dead Sea for a float in the water. (B,D)

NOVEMBER 17 – JERUSALEM
Drive to Neot Kedurnim Biblical Landscape Reserve, a unique project to recreate the physical setting of the Bible in all its depth and detail. Far more than a garden showing various biblical plants, Neot Kedurnim embodies the panorama and power of the landscapes that helped shape thevalues oftheBible and provided a rich vocabulary for expressing them. Continue to Beit Guvrin and participate in an archaeological dig. (B,D)

NOVEMBER 18 – JERUSALEM
Visit the Israel Museum and the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition at the Shrine of the Book. Then see the model of the city as it was in the days of Jesus. Continue to Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial. A local cantor will join us for a short memorial service there. We end our journey with a visit to the Garden Tomb. Many Protestant denominations hold the Garden Tomb to be the location of Jesus’ Resurrection. Return to your hotel for a farewell dinner. (B,D) You will be transferred to the airport for your nonstop Delta Airlines flight to New York (JFK).

NOVEMBER 19 -
Clear U.S. Customs and Immigration and connect with your flight home.