11 DAY ISRAEL EXPERIENCE – MAY 15

ISRAEL EXPERIENCE

May 15 – 25, 2023

Experiencing Israel / Love Israel Tours

Day 1 – Monday, May 15: Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport

We have finally arrived in the Promised Land after our overnight flight from home. We are met at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport and escorted to our transportation. We climb up to Jerusalem, (the “City of Gold”), unlike any other city in the World. Orientation Meeting, dinner and overnight in Jerusalem

Day 2 – Tuesday, May 16: Jerusalem

We begin our day in Jerusalem, atop the Mount of Olives, with its expansive view of the entire Ancient/Modern city. We begin our day with a visit to the Israel Museum we will walk through the Shrine of the Book which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls and the scale model of Jerusalem in the time of Jesus. At Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Museum, for a sobering and enlightening understanding of what forced the establishment of the modern State of Israel. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem

Day 3 –Wednesday, May 17: Jerusalem

We climb up to Jerusalem, the City of Gold and go directly to the Mount of Olives, we grasp the significance of Jerusalem from its Old City Walls and Temple Mount, to the modern-day building miracle. Then, we enter the place “Where it all began”: The original Jerusalem, also called The City of David. We will walk the foundations of the palace of the ancient kings, beginning with David and slosh through Hezekiah’s water tunnel. We will work alongside archaeologists, sifting through Temple Mount debris looking for ancient treasures. Today is dedicated to the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City. and then visit the Western Wall. We finish the day descending deep beneath the Western Wall to the Tunnels and the street where Jesus walked with His disciples. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem

Day 4 – Thursday, May 18: Samaria

After breakfast, we travel into Samaria where our bus climbs the Mountain of Blessings (Mt. Gerizim) which stands across from the Mountain of Curses (Mt. Eval) where the remnants of the Samaritan people still live today. From here we can see the Valley of Alon Moreh, the first location mentioned in the Bible in the Promised Land. Here Abraham first beheld God’s promised inheritance. We arrive at Shiloh for a picnic. Here, the wilderness Tabernacle of Moses finally found its resting place after the Land was subdued by Joshua. Leaving Shiloh, we have the unique privilege of being invited to visit the Orthodox Jewish Community (and home) of our Tour Operator where we will be treated to a Bar B Que dinner, Overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 5 – Friday, May 19: Jerusalem

After breakfast we visit the Great Jerusalem Market, called “The Shuk”, where we will purchase our lunch. We drive to Bethlehem were David and Jesus were born. We will see the beautiful Shepherd’s Field and the Church of the Nativity. We return to our guesthouse to freshen up for our Shabbat Dinner with a Christian couple and several of Israel’s “Lone Soldiers”. This experience is not available on any ordinary “tour” and has been one of the highlights for all of our groups. On the way to our Shabbat meal, we visit a unique place which was Abraham’s first connection with biblical Mount Moriah. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 6 – Saturday, May 20: Jerusalem of Jesus

Jesus spent much of his time in and around Jerusalem. We will visit the biblical sites of His ministry: The Garden of Gethsemane and the Pool of Bethesda. We will walk the traditional Via Dolorosa and eat lunch in the Arab Quarter of the Old City. We then walk through the Arab Market to the Garden Tomb. After Shabbat, and as Jerusalem again comes to life after sunset, we will take time to shop along Ben Yehudah Street, Jerusalem’s outdoor shopping mall. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 7 – Sunday, May 21: Negev Desert

We now leave Jerusalem for the battlefield where David defeated Goliath. We will have time to pick up our own 5 smooth stones from the very same brook where David took the stones he put into his pouch before facing Goliath. We will hear the stories of Abraham’s desire to spread the good news of his discovery of the one true God as we stand at the entrance to Tel Beer Sheva and the well Abraham dug 4,000 years ago. Time permitting, we will ride Bedouin camels. Dinner and overnight in Arad or a Bedouin Encampment

Day 8 – Monday, May 22: Dead Sea Area

We take the cable car up to Masada, where our guide shares the story of the building of Masada and its eventual fall to the Romans in 72 AD. Next is a swim (float) in the Dead Sea, the saltiest Sea in the World, followed by the oasis of Ein Gedi to retell the story of David’s flight from King Saul. We stop at Qumran where in 1949 the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. We will discuss the community that wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls and their connection to Jesus. As we travel north along the Jordan River Valley, we can hear the wonderful stories relating to the city of Jericho. Dinner and overnight on or near the Sea of Galilee

Day 9 – Tuesday, May 23: Sea of Galilee Ministry of Jesus

Then we follow Jesus where He traveled, ministered, and taught in the areas around the Sea of Galilee. This will include the village of Capernaum, the town where Jesus lived with Peter’s family; Peter’s Primacy, here He healed and fed multitudes. We will also visit the Mount of Beatitudes. We now drive north near the border with Syria, visiting biblical Caesarea Philippi. This is one of our traveler’s favorite places to visit and it will also be yours! We will spend time on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Dinner and overnight on or near the Sea of Galilee

Day 10 – Wednesday, May 24: Galilee

We cross the Galilee for a visit a reconstruction of Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth. Located within sight of the original village of Nazareth, this reconstructed village is exactly as Jesus would have known it in His day. Our bus will climb Mount Carmel where we will observe the Valley of Armageddon as we read of the battle between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. We drive down the coast where we will spend time at King Herod’s amazing port city of Caesarea. What Herod accomplished here on the sand dunes of the Mediterranean Sea is more than astonishing. Dinner and overnight in the Tel Aviv area

Day 11 – Thursday, May 25: Jaffa, Depart

In May, 1948, Israel became a nation after 2,000 years of exile: Independence Hall, for a reenactment of its reestablishment in 1948. We stop in Rechovot to explore the home of the First President of Israel, Chaim Weizman and to the Ayalon Institute where we will see a “bakery” and a “laundry” which are, actually, not what they seem. We will then visit the world’s oldest port city, Jaffa, where Jonah set sail to try and flee from God, and where Peter saw his vision that prepared him to share the “good news: with the Gentiles. At our final dinner we can share with one another our impressions of our time together. We will now say our “goodbyes” as we are taken to the airport for our trips home.

When you arrive home, people will ask about your trip to Israel. You will have had such a spiritual