35th anniversary year ‘pilgrimage to israel’

TORONTO

Day 1 – Saturday 
Departure from Toronto Pearson International Airport on Air Canada flying from Toronto to Tel Aviv at 4:50pm from Terminal 1.  Complimentary dinner and breakfast plus in-flight service will be provided during the flight.

TEL AVIV / JAFFA

Day 2 – Sunday
Arrive in Tel Aviv at 9:15am where our tour guide will meet us. We start with a tour to Jaffa, which affords us a breathtaking view of the city of Tel Aviv. At this picturesque port city of winding alleys, art galleries and crafts boutiques, King Solomon had the cedars of Lebanon rafted for the building of the First Temple in Jerusalem. You will view the spot of the House of Simon the Tanner (Acts 10:6).  Balance of day at leisure. Walk along the Mediterranean promenade to see the sunset before dinner. Dinner and overnight at the Metropolitan Hotel, Tel Aviv

CAESAREA / MT.CARMEL / MEGIDDO

Day 3 – Monday 
We drive north along the Plain of Sharon, the Mediterranean and the old coastal road- the Via Maris that linked Egypt and Babylon as we journey towards Galilee. We’ll stop at Caesarea the incredible fortress city built by King Herod the Great. Here, Pontius Pilate had his base; where Cornelius lived and was baptized (Acts 10); where Paul embarked to Tarsus (Acts 9:30) and where Philip preached (Acts 8:40). Visit the Roman Theatre and the Hippodrome. We then travel north towards Haifa and ascend Mt. Carmel the site where the prophet Elijah fought the 400 false prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:30). We will stop for an incredible panoramic view of Haifa. We turn inland and proceed to Megiddo, one of King Solomon’s walled fortified cities (1 Kings 9:15; 10:26), with ruins of 20 levels of civilization. From here the Books of Daniel and Revelation will come alive as we read about the final Battle of Armageddon, while viewing the Plains of Jezreel. Continue to Tiberias and the Sea of Galilee. Dinner and overnight at Lake House Hotel, Tiberias

JESUS MINISTRY IN THE GALILEE

Day 4 – Tuesday 
After breakfast, we start the day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee to Kibbutz Ginossar where we will see an ancient boat from the time of Jesus displayed at the Kibbutz Museum. Continue to Capernaum, the centre of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and the site of many of his miracles.  We will see the remains of Peter’s house and the synagogue site where Jesus taught and worshipped. Drive to Tabgha and visit the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes. Visit Magdala  to visit the oldest synagogue on the Sea of Galilee from the first century, and a complete first century city. Continue to the Mt. of Beatitudes where Jesus delivered what is perhaps the most famous sermon ever preached – “The Sermon On The Mount” (Matt.5).  We will drive north of the Golan Heights and visit Banias, one of the sources of the Jordan River and the site of ancient “Caesarea Philipi”, where Peter made the confession of faith in Christ (Matt; 16:16). After descending from the Golan Heights stop at Kursi the site which is identified as the place where Jesus cast the demons into the swine in the area of the Geresenes.
Dinner and overnight at Lake House Hotel, Tiberias

GALILEE / JORDAN VALLEY / JERU

Day 5 – Wednesday 
We start the day at Yardenit, the Baptismal Centre on the Jordan River. Drive to Nazareth, the boyhood town of Jesus. We will visit Nazareth Village depicting a village from the time of Jesus. We continue southward to Beit Shean, where we will walk through the incredible excavations of the largest ongoing archaeological dig in the land of Israel with its Roman theatre, colonnaded Roman streets, mosaics and Roman bathhouses. It is also the city where the body of King Saul and his sons where nailed to the walls by the Philistines (1 Samuel 31:10). We then drive through the lush Jordan Valley, where the desert now blooms with flowers and vegetation of every description (Isaiah 35:1-2). We make our ascent to Jerusalem through the Judean Wilderness. Dinner and overnight at the Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem

OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM

Day 6 – Thursday 
We start the day at the top of the Mt. of Olives, for a panoramic view of Jerusalem. Tracing the footsteps of Jesus, we will stroll down the Palm Sunday Route on the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations. Continue to Mt Zion to visit the traditional site of the Upper Room (Room of the Last Supper), King David’s Tomb and the Church of St. Peter’s in Gallicantu, built on top of the High Priest Caiphas’ house. We walk to the Zion Gate and enter the Old City of Jerusalem through this gate and walk through the Armenian Quarter to the Jewish Quarter. Walk along the Roman/Byzantine Street called the “Cardo” to the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest spot. We continue our walk along the Via Dolorosa to visit the Pools of Bethesda, St. Anne’s Church, Chapel of the Flagellation and Pilate’s Judgment Hall. We pass through the colourful bazaars, alleyways and marketplaces and reach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a brief visit. Walk through the alleyways of the Old City and exit from the Jaffa Gate where our bus will be waiting for us. Dinner and overnight at the Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem.

JERUSALEM / BETHLEHEM

Day 7 – Friday 
We start the day in the New city of Jerusalem by visiting Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the Holocaust commemorating the six million Jews who perished. Visit and walk through the newly opened Museum, visit the Children’s Memorial, walk along the Avenue of the Righteous Gentiles for those who risked their lives to save Jewish lives. Continue to the Israel Museum and visit the Shrine of the Book housing the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest manuscripts of the Bible ever found. Visit the model of Jerusalem from the Second Temple Period as it looked from the time of Jesus. Continue to the Davidson Center to visit the Southern Wall excavations. Continue to the City of David and explore the excavations from the time of King David and see the Pool of Siloam. Visit the Western Wall Tunnel excavations. We have a short drive to Bethlehem to visit the Church of Nativity, the birthplace of Jesus and the oldest church in the Holy Land.  We finish the day with a visit to the Garden Tomb or Gordon’s Calvary for a communion service before returning to your hotel. Dinner and overnight at the Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem

QUMRAN / MASADA / DEAD SEA

Day 8 – Saturday
Today is a fun day. We depart Jerusalem and descend to the lowest point on earth - the Dead Sea, 1300 ft below sea level. Drive to Qumran for a visit where a young shepherd boy discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947 in the cave, which you will see. These scrolls are the oldest scriptures of the Bible ever found. Drive south along the shores of the Dead Sea to Masada. You will take a cable car to the summit of this magnificent fortress built by King Herod the Great and the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots. As you’ll walk around these historic ruins you will see the palaces, bath houses, swimming pool, the oldest synagogue in the world on this mountain in the middle of the desert. After descending this mountain by cable-car we’ll continue north along the shores of the Dead Sea for a chance to enjoy the therapeutic “unsinkable” waters of the saltiest body of water in the world the Dead Sea.  Dinner and overnight at the Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem

JERUSALEM

Day 9 – Sunday
After breakfast, enjoy a day of leisure. Perhaps re-visit the Old City for shopping in the bazaars. Visit many of the Museums that Jerusalem has to offer that you did not see on the tour, shop in the largest indoor shopping mall in Israel or just relax at the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem

TORONTO

Day 10 – Monday 
Depart Tel Aviv on Air Canada at 11:55am flying Non-Stop to Toronto arriving at 5:00pm at Terminal 1.