Duration: 9 Days
Dates: November 7, 2023 to November 16, 2023
Departure City: Miami, Florida (MIA)

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Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – Tuesday, November 07, 2023: Depart USA To Israel

Day 2 – Wednesday, November 08, 2023: Arrive in Tel Aviv – Transfer to the hotel in Herzliya
Arrive in Tel Aviv and board a new, climate-controlled motor coach where our guide will greet us and give us an orientation of the land as we travel towards Jaffa. There we will consider the vision of Peter (Acts 10) and start following the sequence of events that lead to the opening of the gates of the early church to Gentiles. As we look at the very place where Jonah ran from the Lord, we will also reflect on our own walk with God. Dinner and overnight in Herzliya. (D)

Day 3 – Thursday, November 09, 2023: Caesarea Maritima – Mount Carmel – Megiddo – Nazareth – Tiberias
After a buffet breakfast, we depart the hotel on route to Caesarea Maritima (included), where we will visit the magnificent city with Roman, Byzantine, and Crusader ruins. Here we will elaborate on the story of the baptism of Cornelius, the first gentile convert into Christianity (Acts 10), and on the travels of Paul — those events that led Caesarea Maritima to become the springboard of Christianity to the West. We will then continue to Mount Carmel (included) and consider the contest between the Prophet Elijah and the false prophets of Baal (I Kings 18), discussing the reasons why the Prophet chose that place for the contest, and the lessons we learn from the story. We then travel to Megiddo (included), and explore the Tel that goes back in history to 4000 BC, looking at ruins from the times of King Solomon and King Ahab. Overlooking the Armageddon Valley, we will also discuss the reasons why we believe this will be the setting for the final battle between good and evil mentioned in Revelation 16:16. After a lunch break we travel to Nazareth where we will climb the Mount of Precipice, the brow of the hill on which the city was built (Luke 4).There we will reflect on the rejection of Jesus by his family and friends in Nazareth. In addition to discussing Jesus’ boyhood we will also consider the life and times of Deborah (Judges 4). Drive to the Sea of Galilee and check-in at our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias. (B/D)

Day 4 – Friday, November 10, 2023: Mt. of Beatitudes – Primacy of Peter – Magdala - Capernaum – Boat ride – Yardenit Baptismal Site
After a buffet breakfast, we will start on the Mount of Beatitudes and discuss the Sermon on the Mount. We will then visit Capernaum (included), Jesus’ Galilean ministry base. There we will see the house of Peter’s mother in law, in addition to other ruins of the village. We will stand in the ruins of the ancient synagogue where Jesus was confronted by the demoniac. We will then visit the Primacy of Peter, the location where Jesus appeared to the disciples the third time after the Resurrection. We will then visit Magdala (included), the hometown of Mary Magdalene with its synagogue and other town remains. We will end our day with a visit to the ancient boat museum (included), containing a recently discovered 2000-year-old fishing boat. We will then sail (included) on the Sea of Galilee on a replica of that boat. We conclude our day with a visit to the Baptismal site where you can get baptized in the Jordan River. We return to our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias. (B/D)

Day 5 – Saturday, November 11, 2023: Beit Shean – Bet Arabah – Jericho – Jerusalem
Buffet breakfast. Check-out. This morning after breakfast we will leave the Galilee area and travel south through the Jordan River Valley. Visit Beit She’an (included), the capital of the Decapolis. There we will see the ruins of the Roman and Byzantine cities. We will also discuss the demise of King Saul and his sons, whose bodies were hanged on the walls of Beit Shean. En route to Jericho, we stop at Bet Arabah “Qasr el Yahud” known also as Gilgal, where the Israelites crossed into the promised land, from where Elijah was taken to heaven and at where Our Lord was baptized. Proceed to Jericho. Lunch on your own. Visit Tel Jericho (included), where we will see the location of city from the town of Joshua, view the Mount of Temptation. Then, enjoy panoramic tour of Jericho, seeing the Sycamore Tree reminding us of the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus. We will then travel to Jerusalem to enter the Holy City and have an orientation from Mount Scopus. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B/D)

Day 6 – Sunday, November 12, 2023: Masada – Ein Gedi - Qumran – Dead Sea – Jerusalem
Buffet breakfast. Depart for Masada. We begin our day visiting Masada (entrance and cable car included) the fortress built by King Herod the Great and made famous by the Zealots in 73/74 AD with the standoff against the Romans. We visit the fortress and see the ruins that are considered a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. We take cable car onto the mountain. We leave Masada and continue to Ein Gedi. We visit Ein Gedi, an oasis in the desert where the meeting between David and King Saul took place (I Samuel 24) and where some of the psalms were written by David. We proceed to Qumran. Lunch on your own. We visit Qumran (included), the caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered and the buildings that formed the Essenes public center. Depart towards the Dead Sea. Enjoy a dip in Dead Sea’s salty w         eturnto the hotel. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B/D)

Day 6 – Monday, November 13, 2023: Mt. of Olives – Israel Museum – Bethlehem – Jerusalem
After a buffet breakfast, we begin our day with an orientation over the holy city from the Mount of Olives, pointing out important locations within the Old City, connecting them with Biblical stories and prophecies about the return of Jesus. we travel to the Israel Museum* (included) where we will visit the Second Temple Period Model of Jerusalem, a 1:50 scaled model of the city from the year 66 AD. We will also visit the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are on exhibit, in addition to the archeological section where many artifacts are displayed we will play special attention to those items that relate to Bible history. After a self -hosted lunch we then travel to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. We begin with a visit to the Shepherds fields where the angels appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of Our Lord. These fields are also the setting of the Book of Ruth. We will then travel to the Church of the Nativity and view the actual place where Our Lord was born. Time will then be given to shop for olive wood and other items. We return to our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B/D)

Day 7: Tuesday, November 14, 2023: Temple Mount – St. Anne’s Church & Pools of Bethesda – Holy Sepulcher – Wailing Wall – Southern Wall excavations –Jewish Quarter
Quick buffet breakfast leave the hotel and drive towards the Old City to Temple Mount. Visit Temple Mount where the Jewish temple stood until it’s destruction in 70 A.D. Here we reflect over Jesus’ ministry at the Temple of Jerusalem, seeing the Dome of the Rock, a possible location of the Holy of Holies. Leaving the Temple Mount, we will visit the Church of St. Anne’s (included), a perfectly intact Crusader church. It is a wonderful place to gather and sing a song (sometimes with fellow Christians from all over the world). There, we will also visit the Pools of Bethesda where the healing at the pool took place (John 5). We will also visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jesus’ tomb. After a self-hosted lunch in the Old City, visit the Western Wall, a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, and Judaism’s holiest site. We will then visit the Southern Wall excavations (included) where ruins of the retaining walls of the Temple Mount are still visible. We will then gather at the teaching steps, the main entrance to the Temple where Rabbis met and taught their disciples. Tour the Jewish Quarter, one of the Old City’s quarters, where we can see Roman Cardo, King Hezekiah broad wall, Hurva Synagogue and Golden Menorah. We then return to our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B/D)

Day 8: Wednesday, November 15, 2023: Upper Room – Gethsemane – Caiaphas House – Antonia Fortress – Garden Tomb
After a buffet breakfast, we will visit the Upper Room where Jesus had His Last Supper. We will then visit the home of the High Priest, Caiaphas (included) where Jesus was taken after being arrested at the Garden of Gethsemane. We will then walk the Via Dolorosa (The Way of Suffering), the actual path that Jesus walked from the Antonia Fortress (included) to the crucifixion site. We end our day with a visit to the Garden Tomb (included), where we will worship together and celebrate communion. We return to our hotel for our last Dinner provided.

Day 9: Thursday, November 16, 2023: Departure
Buffet breakfast Check-out of the hotel. Drive to the Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport and board your homebound flight. (B)

***In case of unforeseen events, this itinerary is subject to change.***