HOSJJ Holy Land Tour – Feb. 2024

Activities:

• Welcome - arrival at Ben Gurion Airport - After you finish with the arrival procedures and collect your baggage, you will head out to meet your guide and driver. VIP fast track assistance is available for an additional cost.

• Transfer to Tel Aviv and check-in to your hotel - Please note: check-in time is after 3:00 pm.

• Rest and acclimate to the local time

• Welcome group dinner - Introduction to your trip, get to know the group participants and enjoy a delicious local meal.

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel - Every morning you'll enjoy a delicious Israeli buffet breakfast in the hotel's dining room.

• Old Jaffa Tour - One of the most ancient port cities in Israel and the Mediterranean basin. This is the port from which prophet Jonah attempted to escape the word of God (Jonah 1:3). For centuries, the port of Jaffa was the gateway to the Land of Israel. Today Jaffa is a mixed city, where Jews and Arabs live alongside each other. Tel Aviv, Jaffa's much much younger sister, was established much later, in the year 1909, but the two were united into one municipality already in 1949, yet each part kept its unique feel and atmosphere. Jaffa has been regenerated in recent years with the old narrow streets and courtyards becoming a highly popular part of Tel Aviv’s urban tapestry.

• St. Peters Church - Visit the late 19th century Catholic beautiful church which commemorates specifically the visit and mircale of St. Peter in Jaffa. St. Peter came to Jaffa (Joppa) to raise Tabitha from the dead (Acts 9:36-43 ). St. Peter's Church marks the traditional site of Peter’s vision of the Great Sheet (Acts 10:9-16). It was from here that he journeyed up the coast to Caesarea to tell about Jesus at the request of the Roman centurion, Cornelius, whose household became the first converts from paganism to be welcomed into the Church.

• Free time at the Jaffa Flea Market - Wind your way through the Flea Market which features everything from antiques to hip new clothing and design stores, cafes, restaurants, and bars. Take time to try local street food (meal not included).

• Jaffa Stories and Coffee - You're warmly invited into the home of Doris Hiffawi to hear about her life as a Christian Arab living in Jaffa. Over coffee brewed by her family and Arabic sweets, she'll talk about whether the Jewish, Muslim and Christian populations interact or merely live side by side. We'll also find out how female entrepreneurs like Doris are bringing change to this socio-economically deprived neighborhood.

• Dinner on your own in a local restaurant - (meal and transportation is not included)

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel & check-out

• Caesarea National Park - On the Mediterranean coast, Caesarea National Park is one of Israel’s most impressive archeological sites. Here, amazing ancient harbor ruins, beautiful beaches, and impressive modern residences sit side-by-side. The city was initially built by King Herod in the 1st century BC, who dreamt of a major seaport to connect the Province of Judea with Rome. For this purpose, the king's men designed an entirely artificial harbor that was in use for about a millennium. Caesarea became a central city in Roman and Byzantine times as can be seen from the massive archeological remains on site. View the spectacular Roman amphitheater, still used today as a performance venue, as well as the hippodrome that held 20,000 spectators for chariot races.

• Lunch in Akko's souk - (time on own, meal not included)

• Akko historical tour - Walk through 4,000 years of history in this ancient city and UNESCO World Heritage site. The ancient city of Akko, situated on the Mediterranean coast, is one of the oldest ports in the world, and a city shared by Jews and Muslims. Walk narrow streets past towering ramparts, deep moats, green domes, venerable synagogues, slender Muslim minarets, and secret passageways. Discover the subterranean city built beneath Akko in the Middle Ages by the Crusaders. See some of the most impressive remains from the Crusaders era in the Knights' Halls, an enormous Fortress, built by the Knights Hospitaller (AKA Knights of Malta or the Order of Saint John) that vowed to assist and tend to the Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land. Learn about the city’s ancient history, as well as its important role in Israel’s modern history.

• Travel to your hotel on the banks of the Sea of Galilee

• Dinner at the hotel - (meal included)

• Nof Ginosar Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Magical morning bike and golf cart tour in Agamon HaHula - The Hula Valley sits in part of the northern Syrian African Rift Valley which stretches as far south as Mozambique in Africa. Each migration season, over 500 million birds travel through the Hula Lake. This wetland paradise is the perfect stopover for small waterbirds, cormorants, heron, pelicans, raptors, storks, and cranes.

• Tour of Nazareth - Israel’s biggest Arab city, Nazareth is a fascinating place, set in Lower Galilee. It combines traditional, simple Arabic charm, Christian history, and grand old Arabic architecture. Nazareth is home to many important early Christian sites, visit the Basilica of the Annunciation and Mary’s Well.

• Free time and lunch on your own

• Kana of the Galilee - It was at Cana of the Galilee, hometown of Nathaniel (later known as St. Bartholomew) that Jesus was said to have turned water into wine at the wedding of a poor couple. The Greek Orthodox Church of St. George was built in the late 19th century on the site of the miracle. It houses two of the six stone jars that followers believe Jesus used in performing the miracle.

• Group dinner - Meal included

• Nof Ginosar Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Ancient Boat in Ginosar - See the 2,000-year-old boat excavated on the shores of Sea of Galilee. Radiocarbon dating shows that the boat dates back to 100 BC to 100 AD. This is both the time and place in which Jesus operated and in which in the Jewish tradition, the Battle of Migdal, part of the Great Revolt of the Jews against the Romans took place. At the exhibition you'll also see the 2,000 years old Magdala Stone bearing depictions of Jewish symbols and the Second Temple that stood in Jerusalem from 516 BCE to 70 CE.

• Mount Tabor - Rising above the flatlands of the Jezreel valley is the rounded peak of Mount Tabor. Mount Tabor is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as the site of the battle between ancient Israel and Canaan, and is believed to the location of the transfiguration of Jesus. Today, Mount Tabor is popular for paragliding, a honey farm, and a range of beautiful hiking and jeep routes.

• Group lunch

• Tel Megido - Megiddo, one of King Solomon’s main military centers in the Galilee, is perhaps best known as Armageddon - identified in the New Testament as the site of humanity’s final battle. Twenty-five layers of remains attest to the city’s importance as a strategic crossroads since ancient times. Explore the remains of Bronze Age temples and the secret underground waterway built by King Ahab of the Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century BC.

• Dinner at the hotel - (meal included)

• Nof Ginosar Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel & check-out

• Tour Capernaum - Located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, Capernaum was a fishing village in the days of Jesus. This is where Jesus called his first disciples, the brothers Peter and Andrew. The remains of the ancient village were excavated starting the 19th century - some of the findings are a testimony to the rich Jewish lives in the early Roman times, and the existence of a Judeo-Christian community as Christianity grew and evolved in the land. Amongst other astonishing relics, we can still visit a very well-preserved synagogue and remains of the House of Peter and the Byzantine church that was built over it. A modern octagonal church is situated above the site nowadays - its glass floor allows a look at the remains under it. As the place in which Jesus, Peter, and the Apostles lived and preached, Capernaum is a main site of pilgrimage for Christians.

• Visit Mount of Beatitudes - Mount of Beatitudes is a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount.
  A Catholic Church was built 1930's by the well-known "Architect of the Holy Land" Antonio Barluzzi, using the local dark basalt stone. Its octagonal walls commemorate the Eight Beatitudes, each graced with the first words of one of the eight verses of the Sermon on the Mount. The church is surrounded by a marvelous garden, that allows the visitors a quiet place to contemplate and pray.

• Lunch break on route - (meal not included)

• Travel south through the Jordan Valley

• Stop at Qasr el Yahud - According to tradition, Qasr el Yahud (Arabic: Palace of the Jews) is the Jesus' baptismal site on the Jordan river, marking his spiritual birth. It was here that John the Baptist called to the People of Judea to baptize in the Jordan River. In Jewish history, this is also believed to be the site where the Israelites crossed into Israel after wandering the desert for 40 years, as well as the site of Elijah the Prophet's ascension to heaven. The Jordan River was regarded as a sacred body of water, prominent in the scripts - it is mentioned 167 times in the Torah - more than any river, stream, lake, or sea in the Bible.

• Travel to Jerusalem & check-in to your hotel

• Dinner at the hotel

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Yad Vashem - Visit the museum at Yad Vashem, Israel’s National Memorial to the Holocaust. Tour this memorial to the darkest moment in world and Jewish history, its children’s memorial, and exquisite gardens. Yad Vashem is an unforgettable place of tribute and remembrance. You'll be guided by a member of the Yad Vashem staff.

• Lunch break - (meal not included)

• Tour of Ein Kerem - Tucked into the hills of Jerusalem is the biblical Ein Kerem, whose name means "the spring in the vineyard." In the Christian tradition, this is the place pf birth of John the Baptist. Step into another world while you visit this quaint neighborhood.

• Free time and dinner on your own

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Magnificent lookout from the Mount of Olives - The Mount of Olives offers a panoramic lookout over the city. There are countless Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions about Mt. Olives, including that from here the Messiah will come, and from here the dead will be resurrected in the vision of the End of Days. Enjoy a beautiful lookout of the Holy Basin, the old and new city of Jerusalem.

• Visit the Church of All Nations - At the foot of the Mount of Olives, the Church of All Nations, or Basilica of the Agony, is built over the rock where Jesus is believed to have prayed in agony the night before his crucifixion. Inside, the atmospheric church is kept in semi-darkness, to reflect the somber and sobering location.

• Continue with a Tour of Bethlehem - Travel to Bethlehem and tour with a Palestinian Christian guide. Visit the traditional birthplace of Jesus, the site where the The Church of the Nativity now stands. This is also one of the oldest Christian churches in existence. During the Crusades, it was a primary place of pilgrimage.

• Lunch break - (meal not included)

• Saxum Visitor Center - Interactive tour in the Saxum Visitor Center. This center helps visitors to deepen their knowledge of the Holy Land through a tour of the main events of the sacred history, where the historical, geographical, and biblical contexts are brought together. The experience covers the heritage of the Holy Land from Abraham to the present day, going through the holy places across multiple historical periods. Visitors are immersed in the living story through various resources such as a timeline, maps, interactive screens, a model of Jerusalem, and a 360 degree movie screen.

• Dinner at the hotel - (meal included)

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Masada National Park - Ascend the mountain from the east to explore Masada, scene of the epic stand by Jewish rebels at the end of the Great Revolt against Rome nearly 2,000 years ago. The new museum at the Visitor Center reveals the secrets of the daily life of the rebels, the story of the excavations, and how the site became one of Israel’s most important symbols.

• Dead Sea Lunch & Swim - Israel’s Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth, a stunning, other-worldly landscape of shimmering blue water ringed by bare, orange and yellow hills. The waters of the Dead Sea hold a potent solution of minerals and salts that have strong healing properties. Together with its ethereal beauty, these health-giving minerals make the Dead Sea’s beaches and spas popular vacation spots for Israelis and tourists alike. At one of the local hotels, have lunch and 'swim' in the Dead Sea.

• Travel back to Jerusalem and free evening - (meal not included)

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• A full day touring Jerusalem's Old City - Throughout the tour explore the complexity of a city that is holy to the three major religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

• Mount Zion - The traditional site of the tomb of King David, holy to Jews, Christians, and Muslims. On the ground level are several Jewish synagogues. The second level the contains the Cenacle room where two major events in the early Christian Church are commemorated: the Last Supper and the coming of the Holy Spirit to the apostles.

• Jewish Quarter - See archaeological finds from the First and Second Temple periods, Roman ruins, vibrant synagogues, and learning institutions, all jostling for space in these busy stone streets.

• Lunch break at the Arab Market in the Old City - (meal not included)

• The Via Dolorosa and the Holy Sepulchre - Believed to be the path that Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion. This is one of the most celebrated places on a Christian pilgrimage. Continue to the Holy Sepulcher, situated on the hill called Golgotha or Calvary. The Church contains the last five Stations of the cross including the sites of Jesus' crucifixion and burial.

• After a meaninful day proceed back to the hotel, and eat dinner at the hotel - (meal included)

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel & check-out

• Tour of the Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book - Visit the unique collections and expansive grounds of the Israel Museum, the country’s national museum. Linger over the renowned international and Israeli art, the world’s most complete Judaica collections and the charming Billy Rose Sculpture Garden. You can also visit the Shrine of the Book, home to the exceptional archaeological finds of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other rare ancient manuscripts.

• Benedictine Monastery of Abu Ghosh - Abu Ghosh is dominated by the Crusader church of the Resurrection, whose builder adopted the Muslim caravanserai architectural element and pointed arch which became a feature that was to become characteristic of Gothic architecture. In 1899 the French government purchased the building and handed it over to the Benedictine order. The interior of the church is plain but full of atmosphere. In the crypt is the spring which has been an important feature of the site since its earliest days.

• Farewell group lunch

• Proceed to Ben Gurion Airport - Fly back home. We look forward to hosting you again in our beautiful country.