A 10- Day St. Simons Island Interfaith Pilgrimage to the Holy Land: Past, Present, and Future May 27 June 5, 2019 Day 1 / Monday, May 27, 2019 - Arrive ITINERARY Arrive into Ben Gurion Airport and transfer to the hotel in Jerusalem on your own. Have a free night to relax and get ready for the next day. Have dinner on own Day 2 / Tuesday, May 28, 2019 Old City of Jerusalem Experience the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim history of Jerusalem and the city through the eyes of your Israeli and Palestinian guides and local religious leaders. Meet your guides over breakfast at the hotel. Ascend to the Temple Mount/Al- Haram al- Sharif and tour the precinct. An imam from the mosque will explain the importance of the site to Muslims (FYI Only Muslim can enter the Dome of the Rock). Visit the Kotel (Western Wall) plaza and learn about the current state of affairs to create an egalitarian section. Then, explore the excavated hidden layers of the Western Wall tunnels. Have a falafel lunch at Abu Shukri s. Learn about the Christian Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa with a local pastor (ideally Rev. Naim Ateek from the Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center). The pastor will lead the group through the incense- filled halls of the Holy Sepulchre Church, the place identified as both the site of the crucifixion and the tomb of Jesus. Weave through the shops and alleyways of the Arab shuk (market) in the Old City, where you can practice your haggling skills.
Have dinner together at the hotel. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 3 / Wednesday, May 29, 2019 - Jerusalem See the human side of the Israeli- Palestinian trauma with visit to the Holocaust Museum, Ein Karem, and Har Herzl. In the evening, participate in a discussion about prospects for the future in the Middle East. Take a sobering journey through Yad Vashem (the Israel Holocaust Museum), and meet with a Holocaust survivor. Have lunch on your own in Ein Karem. There, learn about John the Baptist and hear a variety of perspectives on the 1948 War and founding of Israel. Visit Mount Herzl, to learn about Israel s wars and have a conversation with an Israeli soldier. Conclude with a visit to the Memorial of Ethiopian Jews at Mount Herzl to learn about the waves of immigration of Ethiopian Jews to Israel via Sudan that started in the 1980s. The memorial site at Mount Herzl commemorates the thousands who died along the journey due to the harsh conditions that these immigrants faced. This evening, have dinner at the hotel, and hear from two peacemakers, one Israeli and one Palestinian, from the Parents Circle/Families Forum. Both speakers lost close family members in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Day 4 / Thursday, May 30, 2019 - Jerusalem See Jerusalem through the eyes of the Christian, Muslim and Jewish faiths and gain an understanding of the political complexities that can surround archeology in an East Jerusalem neighborhood. Come together with people of multiple faiths to pray for peace. Take in the view of Jerusalem from the top of the Mount of Olives. Descent the hill through the Jewish cemetery. Visit the Garden of Gethsemane where according to the gospels, Jesus and his disciples are said to have prayed the night before Jesus s crucifixion. Lunch provided. In the afternoon, tour the City of David archaeological site using a critical analytical approach.
Be invited into the home of an Israeli settler living in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan that surrounds the City of David archaeological site. Then meet a local Palestinian activist from the Silwan neighborhood. At 6:45 pm, join with Praying Together in Jerusalem, a movement whose participants believe in the power of side- by- side prayer to bring friendship, respect and, ultimately, peace between people of all faiths. Meeting once a month, the participating groups hope to be joined by members of all faiths who wish to show their love of the Holy City and all of its inhabitants through a public expression of their faith. Participating organizations includes: Tantur Ecumenical Institute, the Elijah Interfaith Institute, Abrahamic Reunion, Interfaith Encounter Association, Kids4Peace, the Sisters of Sion, Microphones for Peace, Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution, ADAShA The Jerusalem Center for Interreligious Encounter and Dibbur Hadash. Have dinner on your own. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Day 5 / Friday, May 31 - Tent of Nations and Bethlehem Explore the many facets of the West Bank by engaging in service work and visiting the Christian community of Bethlehem. Experience Shabbat in Jerusalem with a local Jewish community. Depart hotel for the West Bank. Spend the morning volunteering at the Tent of Nations and Dahers Vineyard on the land owned by the Nassar family. The family seeks to bring people from all over the world together to build bridges of understanding, connecting people to each other, and to the land to which we all belong. Have lunch there. Spend the afternoon in Bethlehem. Tour of the Church of the Nativity and meet Dr. Mitri Raheb, President of Diyar Consortium and of Dar al- Kalima University College in Bethlehem, as well as the president of the Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, the Senior Pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Christmas Church in Bethlehem, and in the leadership of Kairos Palestine. Return to the hotel and prepare for Shabbat. Join with a progressive Jewish congregation for Shabbat services. Be hosted by families for Shabbat dinner. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 / Saturday, June 1, 2019 - Masada / Dead Sea / Ein Gedi Take in the breathtaking views from Herod s mountaintop fortress at Masada. Later, float in the mineral- rich and hypersaline waters of the Dead Sea and visit the site of Jesus s baptism. Head south to Masada, Herod s mountaintop fortress with its breathtaking views. Then take a dip in the mineral- rich waters of the Dead Sea the lowest point on earth. See evidence of how the Dead Sea is shrinking and learn about the environmental impact. Visit the Baptism site at Qasr al Yahud (The Jews' Castle or Palace) on the banks of the Jordan River. Christian tradition associates Qasr al Yahud with the site of Jesus s baptism by Matthew. In Jewish tradition, this is considered the location where Joshua led the Israelites into the Land of Israel. Return to Jerusalem for a free evening and dinner on your own. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Day 7 / Sunday, June 2, 2019 Jerusalem / Nazareth Worship with a local Jerusalem Christian community and visit Christian and Muslim holy sites in Nazareth. Check out of the hotel after breakfast. Worship at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer English- speaking congregation service in the Old City. Have lunch on your own in the Old City. Drive north to Nazareth. Tour the Old City including the White Mosque, Christ Anglican Church, and the Basilica of the Annunciation, where according to Roman Catholic tradition, the angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus. At Christ Anglican Church meet with interfaith peacebuilder Rev. Nael Abu Rahmoun. Have dinner together at the hotel. Hotel: Nazareth Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Day 8 / Monday, June 3, 2019 - Galilee See the wild beauty of Israel s northern region, including the Sea of Galilee, the northern mountains, and Christian and Jewish holy sites. Meet a Muslim interfaith peace leader.
Drive through the village of Kafr Kana, identified in Christian tradition as Cana of the Galilee where Jesus performed the miracle of the wine, Tiberias, one of the four Jewish holy cities, and along the coast of the Sea of Galilee to the Christian holy sites of Capernaum and the Mount of Beatitudes. Then, travel to the picturesque town of Tzfat (Safed) in Upper Galilee. A center of Kabbalah and another of the four Jewish holy cities. Have lunch on your own upon arrival. Enjoy walking the village s narrow stone lanes and art galleries, and visit its synagogues. If available, Sheikh Ghassan Manasra, the Director of the peace organization Anwar al Salaam (Lights of Peace) Society, will join the group for dinner or a talk after dinner at the hotel. Anwar al Salaam fosters dialogue within Islam and dialogue with other faith and community groups. Hotel: Nazareth Meals: Breakfast, Dinner Day 9/ Tuesday, June 4, 2019 - Nazareth Harvest fruits or vegetables for Israel s food bank, sample wine at a socially responsible winery, and visit the birthplace of the Virgin Mary. Spend the morning volunteering with Project Leket in Nahalal harvesting fruits or vegetables for Israel s food bank. Then visit the Tulip Winery, which integrates the production of quality wines with social responsibility. The winery is located on a mountainside in Kfar Tikva (Village of Hope), a small pastoral settlement whose population consists of people with special needs. Sample their wines and have lunch there. Drive to Tzippori and visit the birthplace of the Virgin Mary. Have dinner together at the hotel. A briefing session will be available for those participating in the Jordanian extension. Hotel: Nazareth Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10 / Wednesday, June 5, 2019 - Caesarea and Jaffa Visit the ancient port cities of Caesarea and Jaffa. Check out after breakfast at the hotel. Drive along the Mediterranean coast to Herod s port city of Caesarea Maritima, whose extensive sandstone ruins overlook the peaceful blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. There, see the theater, hippodrome, and baths. Learn about the area s Roman and Crusader histories, and enjoy the ocean breezes along the beach. Have lunch on your own in one of the many restaurants in the port. Conclude the tour in historic port of Jaffa. Discover the Old City s artists quarter and flea market. End at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation dedicated to the life and legacy of the late Prime Minister and President of Israel, Shimon Peres. Group transfer to the airport for those not partaking in the tour extension. Those participating in the extension will be dropped off with the guides at the hotel. Meals: Breakfast