Group members will make their own arrangements for air travel or may contact Progressive Pilgrimage for assistance. Flight should be booked so that pilgrims arrive at Ben Gurion Airport by 5:00 pm on November 4, 2020.

All travelers will arrive before 5:00 pm local time at Ben Gurion Airport. The group will gather at the airport and board a private coach to Galilee for dinner and overnight accommodations.

Today we explore Jesus’ adult ministry in Galilee led by a Palestinian Christian guide. Highlights include the Mount of Beatitudes, the churches at Tabgha, the ruins of Capernaum (home of Simon Peter), a lunch of “St. Peter’s Fish,” a museum with a 2,000 year-old boat, and a sunset boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Enjoy a final dinner and overnight accommodations on the shores of the sea.

Enjoy and “off the beaten path” tour of the Arab-Israeli city of Nazareth and the Basilica of the Annunciation, commemorating the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary. . We will visit the Synagogue Church and the White Mosque, before joining our friend and guide Ghada at her shop for lunch. Following lunch, we’ll board the coach for the drive down the Jordan Valley and into Bethlehem.

A Palestinian guide will lead our visits to Bethlehem holy sites beginning with the Church of the Nativity, the traditional site of Jesus’ birth. In the late morning, we visit with a cooperative of Palestinian women who are caring for disabled children. After a tour of their neighborhood, they will lead us in a cooking class that concludes in a delicious lunch. Following lunch, we visit the Shepherd’s Field church and an olive wood workshop. During our time in Bethlehem, you may also spot some original Banksy artwork. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Today, we’ll join Palestinian Christians for worship at Christmas Lutheran Church. Following worship, we’ll travel to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial and Museum. Following Yad Vashem, we’ll visit the Israel Museum. Here an impressive model of Jerusalem in the first century provides a helpful introduction to the rest of our time in this holy city. The Israel Museum is also the home of the Dead Sea Scrolls, an extensive Judaica collection, and impressive works of classical and modern art.

Today, we’ll depart Bethlehem, heading into the Judean Desert. We’ll start our morning at Qasr al-Yehud, a baptism site in the area where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Our group will then travel to the ancient Jewish fortress of Masada, built by Herod the Great. After touring Masada, experience the ruins of Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. End the day with a relaxing bob in the mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea. We’ll have dinner at our hotel in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Today, we’ll start early so we can arrive on the Temple Mount before the crowds. We’ll visit to the ruins of the ancient Temple built first by Solomon, rebuilt under Ezra and Nehemiah, expanded by Herod the Great, and destroyed by Rome in 70 CE. Led by an expert local Jewish guide, we will explore the original foundations of Jerusalem dating to before King David, sit on the Temple’s Southern Steps, and pray at the Western Wall.

Begin the day with morning walk along the Via Dolorosa, updated with reflections from modern residents of this ancient land. After lunch, visit the the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Take a stroll through Jerusalem’s winding markets and enjoy free time to explore the Old City. In the evening, we’ll enjoy a celebratory dinner before departing for our 1:00 am flight home. Later departures can be arranged individually

Following an overnight flight, the group will arrive home in mid-afternoon, depending on your location.