Discover Israel 2010
We are so excited to be making this tour available to you! The pictures on the left represent some of the places that we may be visiting on this tour. Clockwise from the top middle: the old city of Joppa on the Meditteranean as seen from Tel Aviv (not on the tour, but a great picture!), the city of Tel Aviv as seen from the old city of Joppa, the Israeli flag, the mountain fortress of Masada, the Dead Sea as seen from Masada, the Sea of Galilee, and the modern city of Jerusalem. This is a trip that you are NOT GOING TO WANT TO MISS!
Besides the usual tour stops, we will visit Independence Hall where David Ben Gurion announced the independence of the Modern State of Israel. We will have worship time as we sail on the Sea of Galilee. How does lunch in a Bedouin restaurant with a camel ride for dessert sound to you. And there is more. There will be spa time available at the Dead Sea and instruction in Israeli Dance for those who are interested.
The price for this tour is ONLY $2,995 per person. This will include round trip airfare from a major city in the US (probably NYC), 9 nights accommodations in Israel, all entrance fees to sites visited, porter’s fees at hotels and airport, tips to hotel staff, three special lunches and a farewell dinner. It does NOT include possible airport taxes and/or fuel surcharges, tips to tour guide and bus driver, travel insurance, health insurance, lunches other than the three special lunches or any personal expenses.
Here is the final itinerary. It is the actual tour that we will be taking, not a sample, not an example, the real deal! Take a look:
Discover Israel Tour November 8-19 2010
Monday November 8
We board our flight to Israel.
Tuesday November 9
Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport. We will then stroll through the picturesque alleys of Old Jaffa and enjoy its historic atmosphere. Continue for a visit at the Tel Aviv Messianic Center before transfer to our hotel in Tel Aviv. We’ll check-in, refresh ourselves and have dinner. After dinner we’ll take a short walk along the beach promenade.
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Wednesday November 10
In the morning, we visit the Independence Hall for a briefing on Israel’s fight for independence, while listening to a recording of David Ben Gurion proclaiming Israel’s independence. Continue on to Caesarea, the ancient capital of Roman Judea. Here history comes alive as modern technology enables visitors to “see” and “speak” to major figures throughout history and then drive up the Carmel Mountain, to the Druze village of Daliat El Carmel where we will meet a local family whose son was killed by a suicide bomber. We will then join them for a traditional Druze lunch in their home. After lunch we will stop at Muhraka, where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal. On our way to our hotel near the Sea of Galilee we drive through Tel Megiddo (Armageddon).
Overnight: Near Tiberias
Thursday November 11
We start the day with a drive to the Golan Heights. During the ride, we can understand the strategic importance of this high plateau by visiting the ’73 Syrian Fort Lookout and observing why kings went to war in this area. We visit Oz 77, a small hill overlooking the border with Syria, where during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, a brave tank battalion halted a Syrian attack of a thousand tanks. Afterwards we travel below Mt. Hermon to the site of the ancient city of Caesarea Philippi. From there we continue onto the biblical city of Dan, where we will walk, bible in hand, below the impressive 4000 year-old Canaanite walls and bring the ancient biblical stories to life. Our walk takes us from the ancient town into the Eden-like haven of the Dan Nature Reserve, where we hike along and across running streams.
Overnight: Near Tiberias
Friday November 12
Our first stop will be Capernaum, where we will visit an ancient synagogue and Peter’s home, which stand side by side. Afterwards, we will not only get to view an ancient boat* from the Messiah’s era, but we will also board a replica of one and take a leisurely ride on the Sea of Galilee. We enjoy the local St. Peter’s fish for lunch and end the day with a visit to the Mount of Beatitudes with time for worship and personal meditation.
Overnight: Near Tiberias
Saturday November 13
Today we leave the Sea of Galilee. On our way south we visit the ruins of Beit She’an, another Roman city, upon whose walls the bodies of Saul and his sons were fastened. On to Beth Alpha, an ancient Jewish synagogue located below Mt Gilboa. Continuing south along the Jordan Valley, we pass by biblical Jericho and continue on to Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. In the afternoon we relax at the hotel Spa at Ein Bokek, near the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth.
Overnight: Dead Sea Spa & Hotel
Sunday November 14
A free day at the Dead Sea
Overnight: Dead Sea Spa & Hotel
Monday November 15
A cable car ride will take us to Massada, listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO (those who wish can walk up the “Snake Path” at sunrise). We then take a “living history” tour of King Herod’s palace-fortress and hear the dramatic story of the Jewish Zealots in their rebellion against the Romans. We then visit a few scenic spots representing the beauty of the Negev (Israeli desert), take a camel ride, and enjoy a special Bedouin Hafla, an authentic Bedouin lunch. After that we will tour the lower Judean plain and visit Elah Valley and Tel Azaka, the site of the historic battle between David and Goliath where we will have an “on site” Bible study.
Afternoon we will enter the Golden City, Jerusalem.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Tuesday November 16
Today we start our visit in Jerusalem, the historical capital of the Jewish people, and capital of the State of Israel with an overlook of Jerusalem from Mount Scopus. We continue with visiting both the Israel Museum, which hosts the newly relocated Second Temple Model, and the Shrine of the Book, where the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls are kept. Continue to Mt. Herzl, we will visit the Herzl museum and then walk through the Har Herzl National Cemetery and then onto the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. Afterwards, we will go to the famous Jerusalem marketplace and experience the life in Jerusalem. After dinner we will have a night fellowship at the Jerusalem Messianic Center.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Wednesday November 17
Today we enter the Old City through Zion Gate and enter into the Jewish Quarter. We stroll through narrow ancient alleyways and visit some of the important sites, such as the Temple Mountain, and the Davidson Center at the southern archeological park. Afterwards, we visit the Western Wall, from there we proceed to a tour Temple Tunnels for an exciting underground walk through history. We will continue to the Pool of Bethesda and then exit through the Lion’s Gate. Afternoon, we explore the City of David by walking down Warren’s Shaft into Hezekiah’s Tunnel (the amazing water project of 4000 years ago that saved Jerusalem during the Assyrian siege) and exiting by the Pool of Siloam.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Thursday November 18
We begin our last day in Israel with a beautiful lookout over the Golden City from the Mt. of Olives, and then follow the path of our Messiah’s footsteps down to Gethsemane. We finish our experience in Israel with a special time at the Garden Tomb, a peaceful spot where we can remember the Messiah’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection. We will drive to Yad Hashmona and have a farewell dinner. Afterwards we will head to the airport for our late evening transatlantic flight back home.
Friday November 19
Arrive back home in the morning.
If you are interested in taking this tour with us, and will commit to saving your shekels for November of next year, please fill out the form below. You will receive updates on the tour as we get them, and will be notified about deposit dates and such.
Kim and I will be your hosts from the US to Israel, and from Israel back to the US. While in Israel, we will be hosted by our good friends, Dennis and Tina. They will be our guides and teachers through the Holy Land. So on behalf of Dennis, Tina, Kim and myself, we look forward to seeing you in Israel in November of 2010!
Click here for complete payment information and cancellation policy.
