Due to the popularity of our May tour, a second tour is in the planning stages.  Please call or email us for more information.  This tour will focus on the Life of Christ, ministries to Arabs and Jews in Israel, biblical prophecies as related to Israel, and understanding the core issues of the Palestinian – Israeli conflict.   Therefore, we will have an option 4-day extension into Jordan.  More information will be posted as it becomes available.

“Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.” Psalm 122:2

Day 1 Wednesday May 4. Today we embark on the journey of a lifetime. We depart from Newark on El Al flight 28 at 2:15 p.m. Shalom and welcome aboard! Soon you will walk the land where Jesus walked and see the fulfillment of ancient prophecies.

Day 2 Thursday May 5. Arrival Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv at 7:45 a.m. Meet our tour guide Hela who will accompany us on our entire trip. Our driver will take us in a private motor coach to Old Jaffa to see Simon the Tanner’s House (Acts 10), the site where Dorcas was raised from the dead (Acts 9); and Napoleon’s Port before heading to the old city of Jaffa for the night. Perhaps a swim in the “Great Sea” before dinner (Jonah’s “big fish” has not been sighted lately).

You could enjoy walking on a short section of the 28 mile aqueduct built by Herod the Great that supplied Caesarea Maritima with fresh water. AD Capernaum synagogue.

Day 3 Friday May 6. Onto Caesarea Maritima, the port city built by Herod the Great, Roman amphitheatre and aqueduct, capital of Roman procurators of Judea, summer home of Pontius Pilate. Paul used this port to and from Tarsus, Paul defended himself before Felix, Festus and Agrippa prior to going to Rome (Acts 9:30-27:5). Philip preached in this city (Acts 8:40). The Holy Spirit fell first upon the Gentiles, Cornelius and his household (family and servants) were saved (Acts 10). Drive through the Jezreel Valley to Tel Megiddo and see 20 layers of civilization. This will one day be the Armageddon Battlefield. Then to visit the reconstructed first century Nazareth Village – it’s an incredible recreation with authentic costumed guides. You will enjoy a trip back to the first century. Continue to the District of Galilee for the next 4 nights. We shall celebrate a Shabbat dinner that includes candle lighting for the ladies.

We will walk through the reconstructed first century Nazareth village where local guides are dressed in authentic costumes. Shown above is the synagogue.

Day 4 Saturday May 7. Shabbat Worship at the Messianic congregation where we will have the opportunity to meet local believers.  Afternoon free to rest and personal Bible study and prayer in late afternoon before dinner. By now you will appreciate a deliberate time to “soak it in.”  Return to the Sea of Galilee for a lovely sunset dinner where Bill and Paivi were married.

A first century plough. You will learn why many scholars believe that as a “carpenter” Jesus and His father Joseph made wooden implements similar to this one.

Day 5 Sunday May 8. Onto Zippori (“like a bird”) to see the ‘Mona Lisa of the North.’  Mount Tabor, the traditional site of the Transfiguration.  Passing Nain where Jesus raised the widow’s son. Return to the Sea of Galilee to the ‘Jesus Boat,’ Capernaum Synagogue, Peter’s house (Mk. 1:29-31), Mount of Beatitudes (Mt. 5-7), Seashore of Tabgha, Miracle of loaves and fishes (Mk. 6:31-44), Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance (Jn. 21), Chorazim; Jordan River Baptism. End the day on a boat sailing across Sea of Galilee. This alone will be a memory of a lifetime!  Dinner on you in Tiberias along the Sea.

Members of our tour group enjoy walking around the Capernaum synagogue that was built in the late 3rd century AD. It was built upon the foundation of the previous synagogue in which Jesus taught.

Day 6 Monday May 9. Head north to Bethsaida where Jesus healed the blind man (Mk. 5:1-20); Caesarea Philippi (Banias) the site of Peter’s confession (Mk. 16:13-20); to the Golan Heights; up to Mt. Bental to visit Israeli fortification at Syrian front. See the UN Disengagement zone Evacuated Kunietra (20-22 miles from Damascus); pass the Middle East’s largest fruit processing plant (Israel is an agricultural miracle). Nimrod Fortress. Visit a kibbutz to see a short but astounding 1967 war movie. It is one of many military miracles since 1948.

This mortar was given the name “The Little David” because it was used to cause the retreat of an entire Syrian division in the War of Independence.

Day 7 Tuesday May 10. We leave Galilee and head south through the Jordan River Valley to Beit Shean (Scythopolis, a Decapolis city) where Saul and his 3 sons were killed by the Philistines (I Sam. 31).  It is one of the most significant archaeological sites in Israel. Travel through Samaria and see the predicted vineyards of Jeremiah 31, passing Jericho and Gilgal; to the Dead Sea for a float in the lowest spot on the face of the earth. Overnight in Arad. See the land of Abraham and prophetic “desert will bloom in Aravat Desert” (Isa. 35:1-2a) coming into fulfillment.

Fruit trees in the Aravat Desert are in full bloom by early March. This land was a desert in the days of Jeremiah, Isaiah, and later when Jesus walked this earth. Isaiah’s prophetic fulfillment began after a NASA satellite discovered massive amounts of underground water.

Day 8 Wednesday May 11. Up to Masada, the fortress of Herod the Great and ancient Zealot’s last stand against the Romans; then to Ein Gedi where David hid from Saul (I Sam 24) and where David penned many of his psalms. Onto Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. See the recently opened Samaritan Inn. Enjoy a Genesis Land Dinner in Abraham’s Tent where you will enjoy a trip back to the 20^th century BC! Then up to Jerusalem, the City of our God. We shall stand at an overlook and pray before heading to our hotel for the next 5 nights. Welcome to Jerusalem for the rest of our stay in the land of Jesus!

“The stones cry out.” Shown is Cave 1 at Qumran where a significant number of Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947. Because the biblical portions of the Scrolls are nearly identical to today’s Bible, they demonstrate that the Bible was transmitted accurately throughout the centuries. Other Scrolls provide insight of first century life and thought of the Essenes (the Jewish group who wrote the Scrolls). Some folks must have a lot of faith not to believe.

Day 9 Thursday May 12. Mount of Olives; Palm Sunday path; Garden of Gethsemane; Caiaphas House where Jesus was on trial;  Mount Zion; Cardo & Jewish Quarter; Western Wall; Church of the Holy Sepulcher; Judgment Hall of Pilate; visit to the Temple Mount where Jesus taught rabbis and crowds, overthrew the vendors and money changers (security permitting). It is also probably where Peter preached and 3,000 came to Christ.

You can walk the steps that Jesus walked when He was taken up these steps to face Caiaphas in an illegal trial.

Day 10 Friday May 13. Return to the Old City to see Burnt House and Temple Institute; visit the International Christian Embassy and the Home for the Bible Translators at their new home at Yad Hashmona for Shabbat dinner and fellowship with local believers. Shabbat Shalom!

Three young ladies on one of our previous tours enjoy floating in the Dead Sea. Be careful, your picture might be here next year.

Day 11 Saturday May 14. A free day to shop and explore in the Old City or go to a Messianic Service nearby.  Israel’s 63^rd Independence Day and festivities to be announced.

The administration building of the United Nations is located at a most unusual site. Ironically, it is on a hilltop known throughout history as “The Hill of Evil Council.” It is where Ahithophel advised Absalom on how to overthrow his father King David (2 Sam. 16:21, 17:2). It is amazing how God appears to speak through the convergence of people and places.

Day 12 Sunday May 15. Attend an Arab church and remainder of the day at leisure. Possible trip to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and the Herodian. There are many optional tours available as well as the Light and Sound Show at Jaffa Gate.

The Museum of the Good Samaritan opened to the public in 2009. It is one of the world’s largest mosaic museums. Throughout history an inn, or caravanserai, was located here. Jesus made reference to it in His Good Samaritan parable (Luke 10:25-37).

Day 13 Monday May 16. Return to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City to Davidson’s Southern Excavation and movie. Up to the Temple Mount (security permitting) exiting on the Via Delarosa to the Pool of Bethsaida, St. Anne’s Crusader Church and Ecco Homo (John 19) Walking through the ‘shuk’ to Christ Church and out Jaffa Gate. Return to our hotel and preparing for departure to the airport this evening for our flight home.

You can touch the stones that once were a part of the temple where Jesus taught. They now lay beside the retaining wall of the Temple Mount. In AD 70 the Romans disassembled the temple believing that gold was hidden between the stones. Yes, you can walk up and touch them. If there was any gold, its now gone (Dr. Bill already checked).

Day 14 Tuesday May 17. El Al 27 departs at 12:20 a.m. and arrives at Newark Airport at 5:00 a.m., just in time for you get to work and tell your friends about your wonderful trip. Now that you have returned home from the trip of a lifetime, start saving money for our next tour.  We already have a hotel and rental car reserved for you.

A partial listing of the sites we will visit.

As of now, the tour has not been finalized although some elements of the tour are standard with any one of Bill and Paivi’s tours. Therefore, please scroll down and see the exciting places you will see.

Day 1

9/21 Leave New York for an exciting trip to experience Israel

Day 2

9/22 Arrive in Tel Aviv and overnight in Natanya

Beyond the city gates of Meggido are the plains where there shall be one day a great and final battle.

Day 3

9/23 Visit Caesarea, Sepphoris, Meggido and the reconstructed first-century village of Nazareth.

Visitors walk through the Capernaum synagogue. The original synagogue where Jesus taught was destroyed, but it was rebuilt on the same site in the early 4th century. Visitors walk through the Capernaum synagogue. The original synagogue where Jesus taught was destroyed, but it was rebuilt on the same site in the early 4th century.

Day 4

9/24 Bethsaida, Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes, Banias, Tiberias

Golan Heights (where Bible prophecy is profoundly evident)

Day 5

9/25 Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, Baptism Site, Beit Shean, Jordan River Valley.

Swimming in the Dead Sea is an unusual experience. Non-swimmers will love it because it is impossible to sink. The Sea has ten times more salt than the oceans.

Day 6

9/26 Dead Sea “Swimming,” Masada, Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls), Ein Gedi, Desert Farming.

Opening Session at the Christian Embassy.

Day 7

9/27 Morning and Evening Feast Session

Afternoon: Western Wall, The Cardo, Jewish Quarter, Garden of Gethsemane

Day 8

9/28 Morning and Evening Feast Session

Afternoon: Garden Tomb, the Old City

Possibly nothing symbolizes the spiritual and physical warfare more than this Moslem shrine on the Temple Mount.

Day 9

9/29 Morning and Evening Feast Session

Afternoon: Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Temple Mount

Day 10

9/30 Morning and Evening Feast Session

Afternoon: Shopping on your own in the Old City

Among the special guests in the 2006 Feast celebrations is Ron Kenoly. At this time, the 2007 itinerary has not been completed, however, every Feast is always filled with talented men and women who understand the move of God in this generation.

Day 11

Morning and Evening Feast Session

Afternoon: Israel Museum

A typical Feast has drama, praise and worship, and excellent speakers. This illustration from a 2006 Feast of Tabernacles brochure.

Day 12

Morning and Evening Feast Session

Afternoon: Holocaust Museum

Day 13

Closing Session

Day 14

Leave Israel with a lifetime of memories. Your life will never be the same.

Day 15

Return home and make plans to return with us next year.

NOTE: The annual Feast of Tabernacles is sponsored by the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, and is one of the largest celebrations in Israel brining in thousands of visitors from more than one hundred countries. The Feast features morning and evening sessions featuring dynamic speakers. Past speakers included prime ministers and other dignitaries as well as ministry leaders.

* Date and price subject to confirmation. Price includes all Feast of Tabernacles celebrations, sessions and activities.

Wouldn’t you like to experience Israel for yourself?

A partial listing of the exciting sites we will visit.

On this tour we will tour Israel for several days and then work with a ministry. A tentative itinerary is below.

Day 1

6/16 Leave New York for an exciting trip to experience Israel

Day 2

6/17 Arrive in Tel Aviv and overnight in Natanya

At the reconstructed first-century Nazareth Village you will see how Jesus lived during His years prior to His ministry. All buildings, garments, tools and other elements of the Village have been authentically reproduced. This is a must see for anyone visiting Israel.

Day 3

6/18 Visit Caesarea, Sepphoris, Meggido and the reconstructed first-century village of Nazareth.

When you visit the Bay of Parables at the northwestern end of the Sea of Galilee, you will understand how Jesus could have spoken to thousands from a boat with everyone hearing Him.

Day 4

6/19 Bethsaida, Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes, Banias, Tiberias, Golan Heights (where Bible prophecy is profoundly evident)

Day 5

6/20 Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, Baptism Site, Beit Shean, Jordan River Valley.

Day 6

6/21 Dead Sea “Swimming,” Masada, Qumran (Dead Sea Scrolls), Ein Gedi, Desert Farming.

Day 7

6/22 Western Wall, Temple Treasurers, The Cardo, The Old City, Church of the Holy Sepulcher

A visit to the Garden Tomb is a moving experience, knowing that our Lord has risen. As St. Augustine once said, “Jesus died for everyone of us as if there was only one of us.”

Day 8

6/23 Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Garden Tomb

Day 9

6/24 Bridges for Peace, Christian Embassy

Day 10

6/25 Christ Church (am)

Afternoon on your own in the Old City, King of Kings Church (5:00 pm, optional)

Paivi explains the work she did and where she lived in Jerusalem’s Old City during her ten years of volunteer work to Holocaust victims and the elderly.

Days 11-15

6/26-30 Volunteer at Bridges for Peace **

Leave Jerusalem in the evening for a return flight home.

Day 16

6/31 Arrive home with a lifetime of memories, knowing that you played a small part to fulfill Isaiah 40:1 (you brought comfort to a special people).

Make plans to return with us next year.

* Date and price subject to confirmation, price includes BFP fee of $100.

** Bridges for Peace distributes more than 10 tons of food monthly to the poor throughout Israel. Food that is received never stays in storage more than 11 days. Therefore, volunteers are desperately needed to help with the re-packaging food that will be received by various people throughout the land. Bridges for Peace is also in need of individuals skilled with home repairs, computers, etc.

Wouldn’t you like to experience Israel for yourself?