Shellenberger Trip to Israel – November 2023

Activities:

• Welcome to Israel

• VIP Arrival - Arrival at Ben Gurion airport, flight UA-084. Your VIP agent will be waiting to greet you at the sleeve of the plane. After assisting with arrival procedures and collecting your baggage, you will be taken to meet your guide.

• Ascend to Jerusalem

• Mount of Olives overlook - 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.

• Machane Yehuda Market tasting tour - In the heart of Jerusalem sits this bustling, multi-ethnic market bursting with life, art, and flavor. Immerse yourself in the world of Middle Eastern cuisine as you indulge in a tasting tour through Machane Yehuda Market. Learn about the market's rich history, and meet the vendors who bring this place to life, as you experience the vibrant energy unique to this iconic culinary destination. (Tastings are included in the tour).

• Check in to your hotel rest and rejuvenate

• Dinner on your own - We can provide you with suggestions and recommendations! (Meal and transportation not included.)

• Mamilla Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Full day touring the Old City of Jerusalem - Tour Jerusalem’s Old City and meet the people and places that make this place so unique. In the Jewish Quarter, uncover the layers of Jewish history from the time of the First Temple until the present day. In the Christian Quarter, visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and, if conditions permit, visit one of the holiest Muslim sites, the Temple Mount. Throughout the tour explore the complexity of a city that is holy to the three major religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

• Church of the Holy Sepulchre - The church is situated on the hill called Golgotha or Calvary and contains the last five Stations of the Cross, including the sites of Jesus' crucifixion and burial. Several Christian denominations claim ownership to various parts of this site so holy to Christendom.

• Lunch on your own

• Via Dolorosa - Enter the Christian Quarter and walk the Via Dolorosa, 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 Sepulchre 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.

• Western Wall - Proceed to the Kotel (The Western Wall), sacred because it is one of the last remnants of the Second Temple that was destroyed by the Romans. Feel the stones that have witnessed so much in the history of the Jews. Place your special and personal prayer in the cracks of the stones.

• Mount Zion - Continue to 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.

• Leave the Old City and return to your hotel, with optional dinner at the hotel (meal is not included)

• Mamilla Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Drive south to the lowest place on earth

• Masada National Park (using the cable car) - 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.

• Enjoy the Dead Sea in a resort + have lunch - At 1,300 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. Known in Hebrew as "The Sea of Salt", it is also one of the saltiest lakes in the world - with about 34.2% salinity.
  This is 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 float in the Dead Sea.

• TIME PERMITTING: Qumran-National Park - Stop at the Qumran ruins, a fascinating site of great significance. In 1947 two Bedouin shepherds accidentally came across a clay jar in a cave near Khirbet Qumran that contained seven parchment scrolls. There is vast evidence that the manuscripts discovered in the Qumran caves belonged to the library of the occupants of the site in this period -a small hermit community referred to as the Dead Sea Sect. Today the scrolls reside in a specially constructed site for exhibiting the scrolls -the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

• Drive back to Jerusalem and rest for the day

• Dinner on your own - We will be happy to provide you with suggestions and recommendations! (Meal and transportation not included.)

• Mamilla Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Check out of your hotel

• Tour 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.

• Leave Jerusalem and drive north

• Stop for lunch enroute - (Meal is not included)

• Tour 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.

• Continue north and check in to your hotel - Dinner at the hotel restaurant (Meal is included)

• Mizpe Hayamim

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Baptize in the Jordan River - The Baptismal site Yardenit is situated at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee. This is where the Jordan River flows out of the Sea of Galilee on its way down to the Dead Sea. These are the waters in which Jesus was said to have been baptized by John the Baptist.

• Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee - The best way to appreciate the beauty of the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus walked on water, is by taking a boat ride across the blue water, especially at sunset as the sky changes color and the sun sinks behind the dreamlike hills that surround the lake.

• Stop for lunch enroute - (Meal is not included)

• Tour Magdala - The ancient town of Magdala was established in the Hellenistic Period and grew to a thriving fishing village by the time the Romans invaded the Galilee in 67 AD. Situated at the shores of the Sea of Galilee Magdala was an active city filled with fishermen, shopkeepers and townspeople. A decade ago archaeological discoveries indicate the presence of an observant Jewish community in Magdala, as is evidenced in its First Century Synagogue, one of seven in the world.

• Visit Capernaum - Located on the northern shore of the Kinneret, Capernaum, or Kfar Nahum, was a fishing village in the days of the Second Temple. We can still visit a very well preserved synagogue. Today it is a site of pilgrimage for Christians as it was one of the places where Jesus and Peter, the Apostles, lived and preached.

• TIME PERMITTING: 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.

• Dinner at the hotel restaurant - (Meal is included)

• Mizpe Hayamim

Activities:

• Have breakfast and check out of the hotel

• Drive south towards Nazareth

• Nazareth - Set in the Lower Galilee, Israel’s biggest Arab city, Nazareth, is a fascinating place. It combines traditional, simple Arabic charm, Christian history, and grand old Arabic architecture. Nazareth is home to many important early Christian sites, including the Basilica of the Annunciation, Mary’s Well, and the Synagogue Church, as well as an authentic, living Arab souk (market).

• Basilica of the Annunciation - Nazareth, the childhood home of Jesus, is closely associated with Christianity and attracted many pilgrims throughout the last two thousand years. Although it is not the birthplace of Jesus, it is the town where he grew up from the age of 3 (upon the return of the Holy Family from Egypt). In the time of Jesus, 1st century AD, this was a small Jewish village in the hills of the Lower Galilee. One can imagine the quiet life in Nazareth, away from the Politics of the Priests and the Rabbis of Jerusalem, amongst the simple hard-working people of the Galilee, and understand how a true leader of the people can immerge from such a peripheral community.
  
  The standout site in Nazareth is the Basilica of the Annunciation, the largest Christian church building in the Middle East. This church was dedicated in 1964 on the Papal visit of Pope Paul VI. We will also visit Mary's Well - the spring and its water are considered holy by both Muslims and Christians. Earlier generations attributed unusual healing properties to it.

• Have lunch in the Nazareth market - (Meal is not included)

• Continue south towards Caesarea

• 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 magnificent 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.

• Drive along the Mediterranean Sea shores to Tel Aviv - Check in to your hotel and dinner on your own

• The Norman Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Leave your hotel late, to start a walking tour

• Old Jaffa - Jaffa is one of the most ancient port cities in Israel and the Mediterranean basin. Today, Jaffa is a mixed city, where Jews and Arabs live alongside each other. Tel Aviv, Jaffa's younger sister, was established centuries later, in the year 1909. Though the two were united into one municipality in 1949, each part has retained 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.

• Visit and rest at the Jaffa Flea Market, and have lunch - Wind your way through the Flea Market which features everything from antiques to hip new clothing and design stores, cafes, restaurants, and bars. (Meal is not included)

• Tour the White City - Explore Lev Ha'ir, the Heart of the City, where the first roots of Tel Aviv were planted in 1909. Lev Hair contains some of Tel Aviv’s most beautiful buildings, being at the center of the UNESCO designated “White City” known for its Bauhaus, Eclectic, and International Style architecture. The area is densely populated, rooted in history, and with a glance towards the future with impressive skyscrapers, and a high concentration of start-up companies. Bordered by Habima Theater in the north and Florentin and Neve Tzedek in the south, Lev Ha’ir is a gateway to almost every district in the city. Lev Ha'ir is a cultural hub, filled with galleries, restaurants and parks.

• Dinner on your own - We can provide you with suggestions and recommendations! (Meal and transportation not included.)

• The Norman Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Farewell - We hope to host you again in our beautiful country!

• VIP Departure - Your VIP agent will meet you at the departures terminal to assist with check-in and security procedures for your flight UA-085 at 11:30am.