THE 2013 TRIP TO ISRAEL ITINERARY!!!
BFM Israel Itinerary - 2013
Monday April 1: Depart from Newark, NJ on non stop to Israel
Tuesday April 2: Early morning arrival at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. Meet our guide and friend Susan Marcus and board our deluxe coach bus to begin local sightseeing in Tel Aviv/Joppa before checking in at the beautiful Renaissance Hotel on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. At Joppa Jonah boarded the ship to Tarshish to escape the call of the Lord to go to Nineveh. It was also there at the house of Simon the Tanner, where Peter received the vision to take the gospel to the Gentiles at the home of Cornelius in Caesarea.
Wednesday April 3: You may wish to stroll the beach before a full Israeli buffet breakfast and our departure to Caesarea, site of major events in the lives of Peter and Paul. We will see the city, hippodrome and harbor built by Herod the Great as well as the aqueduct and the restored Roman theater, where proof was discovered of the existence of Pontius Pilate. We will then go on to Megiddo, the strategic city and military facility for Solomon and others; where archaeological digs reveal 20 layers of civilization. We will move on to Mt. Carmel where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal; then across the Jezreel Valley to Nazareth, the childhood home of our Lord Jesus and finally arriving at Kibbutz Ma’Agan where we spend three nights on the shore of the beautiful Sea of Galilee.
Thursday April 4: Today we will explore northern Israel. We will ride along the Golan Heights and go to Hazor, which was first conquered by Joshua and later became a fortress city of Solomon. Then we will see the ancient city of Dan and the actual gates through which Abraham entered the Promised Land. We will move on to Caesarea Philippi, at the foot of Mt. Hermon and the headwaters of the Jordan River, where Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Before returning to our Kibbutz we will visit Gamla, often known as the Masada of the north and Bethsaida.
Friday April 5: This day alone is worth the trip as we sail on the Sea of Galilee and literally walk where Jesus walked. We will visit Capernaum including its ancient synagogue and the home of Peter’s mother in law. We will see the possible location of the Sermon on the Mount and the feeding of the 5,000. We will stop on the shore of Galilee to consider Christ’s post resurrection challenge to Peter – Lovest thou me? Also we will see the ancient boat from Jesus’ day which was lifted from the Sea of Galilee in 1986.
Saturday April 6: This morning we drive along the Jordan valley briefly stopping to view the Jordan River and moving on to the Roman Decapolis city of Beit She’an where the bodies of Saul and Jonathan were hung by the Philistines. We will visit Gideon’s spring, before continuing through the Judean wilderness and a stop at Qumran where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered. We will see Ein Gedi and pass by Jericho before checking in at Isrotel our Dead Sea Spa hotel. You will enjoy the spa facilties, pool and private Dead Sea beach.
Sunday April 7: A late morning start will allow us to enjoy our hotel and the Dead Sea before riding by cable car to Masada, the desert palace and fortress built by Herod the Great and occupied by zealous Jews who made their last stand against the might of Rome in AD 73. Then the heart stirring trip, “up to Jerusalem”, where you will be spiritually moved as no where else on earth. We will check in and stay for the balance of our tour at the Jerusalem Dan Panorama hotel.
Monday April 8: We will go to the top of the Mt. of Olives today and then descend to the Garden of Gethsemane where 2,000 year old Olive trees still stand. We will visit the House of Caiphas, “an” Upper Room, Church of St. Anne, Pools of Bethesda and stand on the very pavement where our Lord was tormented at Pilate’s Judgment hall and walk the narrow twisting streets, much the same as in Jesus’ day. We will drive to Shepherds’ fields just outside of Bethlehem, where the angel of the Lord announced the birth of the Savior.
Tuesday April 9: Today we explore the Rabbi’s tunnel under the Temple walls. We will visit the reconstructed Jewish Quarter, walk the Cardo, the original Roman Street and see Hezekiah’s Wall. We will visit the Temple Institute where worship implements and priestly vestments are being prepared for use in the restored Temple. Visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial and then go to the large outdoor model of Jerusalem at the Israel Museum.
Wednesday April 10: Pray at the Western Wall and then ascend to the Temple Mount, where the Temple once stood and will be restored. Visit the Southern steps where our Lord visited and taught on the days prior to His Passion. We will conclude our formal tour by going to Gordon’s Calvary and the Garden Tomb. Free time will then be available to visit the Old City or relax until our farewell dinner and later check in at the airport for our return flight to Newark.
Thursday April 11: Our overnight flight will bring us home with memories of a life changing experience in the Land of the Bible