Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Meet and Assist.

The Church of the Beatitude:

Lies on the Mount of Beatitude, it is the setting of Jesus most famous “Sermon on the Mount” which comprised the heart of his teachings.

 Church of Multiplication:

 The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish, is best known for Christ’s miraculous multiplication of loaves and fish to feed a multitude of 5000 men, plus women and children who were sitting on the grass. Then he took five loaves and two fish, “looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves . . . and the disciples gave them to the crowds”. After they had eaten, the leftovers filled 12 baskets, the miraculous feeding came after Jesus learnt that Herod Antipas had beheaded his cousin, John the Baptist.

Primacy of Peter:

Is the spot where Jesus is believed to have made his third appearance to his disciples after his   Resurrection. Peter and six other disciples had been fishing all night without catching anything. Just after daybreak Jesus stood on the beach, though they did not recognize him. Jesus told the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat and the net filled with 153 fish. When the disciples dragged the net ashore, they found that Jesus had cooked them breakfast on a charcoal fire. Jesus challenged Peter three times with the question: “Do you love me?” Peter’s positive response to this three-fold challenge cancelled out his three-fold denial of Jesus the night before his crucifixion. Then Jesus gave Peter a three-fold commission: “Feed my lambs …Tend my sheep . . . Feed my sheep.” And he also indicated that Peter would die by martyrdom. After this event Peter’s primacy as head of the apostles was recognized. The rock incorporated in the church floor is traditionally believed to be the place where Jesus prepared breakfast. It was known to medieval pilgrims as Mensa Christ (the table of Christ).                                                                                                                                          

Boat Ride on the Lake of Galilee:

Capernaum Is the small town where the Ruins of St. Peter’s House and the ancient synagogue where Jesus did most of His teaching and one of the three town Jesus cursed for not listening to his teachings and refusal to repent.

Chorazin:

The ruins are one of the three Galilean cities cursed by Jesus (“Woe to you, Chorazin!”) because their people did not accept his teachings and repent.

Beitsaida:

Is an ancient village located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is the third village He cursed It is the village of Jesus disciples Philip, Peter and Andrew. It is identified as the location where Jesus performed some of his most incredible miracles, it is here he led a blind man away from the village, restored his sight, and instructed the man not to re-enter the town and not tell anyone of the miracle he had performed.

Kursi:

 The village where Jesus healed the two possessed demonic men who came at him out of the tombs and transferred the demons afflicting them to a number of swine, that thereupon rushed down a steep hill and perished

Baptismal Site (River Jordan):

Both areas in Jordan and the West Bank take their names from the river. The river has a major significance in Judaism and Christianity, the Jews believe that the Israelites crossed it into the Promised Land. Christians believe that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in it.

Mt Tabor, Church of the Configuration:

Is the mountain where the Transfiguration of Jesus took place. The event in which Peter, James and John were introduced to the divine incarnation of Christ, the God-Man

Cana of Galilee:” the Wedding Church:

The village of Cana is renowned for Jesus first Miracle at a wedding ceremony when he turned Jars of water into the best Wines by the request of His Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Wedding Church was built on site of the miracle and nowadays where many couples go to renew their marriage vows.

Church/Basilica of the Annunciation:

The church was built at the site where Virgin Mary accepted the angel Gabriel’s announcement of her pregnancy with the Son of God.       

St. Joseph’s workshop:

Is where the Church of St Joseph in Nazareth is built over the carpentry workshop of Joseph the husband of the Virgin Mary. The church (also known as the Church of the Nutrition and the Church of Joseph’s Workshop). It stands on the southern site of the Church of the Annunciation.

Haifa-Mt Carmel:

Mount Carmel, also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias, is a coastal mountain range in northern Israel stretching from the Mediterranean Sea towards the southeast. The range is a UNESCO biosphere reserve. The view of the city of Haifa and the Bahai’ Gardens are phenomenal from up the mountain.                                                                                                                                                                

Muhraqa at Mt Carmel:

the challenge between the Prophet Elijah and King Ahab was to see which deity could light a sacrifice by fire. After the prophets of Baal had failed, Elijah had water poured upon his sacrifice to saturate the altar. He then prayed. Fire fell and consumed the sacrifice, wood, stones, soil and water, which prompted the Israelite witnesses to proclaim, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!" 

Elijah also announced the end to a long three-year drought, which had previously been sent as divine punishment for Israel's idolatry, then Elijah retreated to the caves hiding from the evil Queen Jezebel, who had sworn to kill him!

The Carmelite Monastery:

the Brothers of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel (known as the Carmelites or sometimes by is a Roman Catholic mendicant religious order for men and women. Historical records about its origin remain uncertain, but it was probably founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel in the Crusader States. Also on the Catholic complex is a chapel (built 1883) and the lodgings of monks from the Discalced Carmelite Order.  The monastery garden is inhabited by quaint frog statues and garden gnomes, plus a fairy-light-strewn Virgin Mary.

Mount of Olives:

Named for the olive groves that once covered its slopes. It stands 300 ft. above the city of Jerusalem

Dominus Flevit Church: 

or the little teardrop church where Jesus wept over the future fate of Jerusalem, it occurred during Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday, when crowds threw their cloaks on the road in front of him and shouted, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of Lord” Looking down on the city, Jesus wept over it as he prophesied its future destruction. Enemies would “set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side . . . crush you to the ground . . . and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognise the time of your visitation from God. “Within 40 years, in AD 70, Jesus’ prophesy was fulfilled. Roman legions besieged Jerusalem and, after six months of fighting, burnt the Temple and levelled the city.

Pater Noster Church:

Is where Jesus Christ’s taught the Lord’s Prayer to his disciples. On walls around the church and its vaulted cloister, translations of the Lord’s Prayer in 140 languages are inscribed on colourful ceramic plaques.

Church of the Ascension: is a shrine located on the Mount of Olives on the site believed to be the earthly spot where Jesus ascended into Heaven after his resurrection. It houses a slab of stone believed to contain one of his footprints.

Garden of Gethsemane/Church of all Nations/Church of agony:

 The tranquil garden has magnificent ancient olive trees that are dated back to approximately 2,000 years ago, still producing olives today. It is the place where Jesus prayed on the night of His betrayal and arrest with His disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Jesus despair in Gethsemane was so deep that He sweat drops of blood. Sitting at the foot of the Mount of Olives, within the grounds of the Church of all Nations also known Church of Agony.

The Church of all Nation/Basilica of Agony :

This Church enshrines a section of bedrock where Jesus prayed before his arrest ad His tears penetrated the rock and still visible to this day.

Mount Zion:

Is a hill just outside the walls on the southern end of the Old City. The hill has been called Mount Zion since sometime in the Middle Ages, even though Jewish scripture refers to the Temple Mount by the same name. Among the important sites and landmarks on Mount Zion are the Room of the Last Supper and the Dormition Abbey.

Dormition Abby:

Is one of the three earliest churches in Jerusalem and was regarded as the mother of all Churches. the Catholics believes that it is the site where Virgin died or rather “fell asleep “as the name suggests.

St. Peter in Gallicantu:

the church of the Cockcrow/Caiaphas house: where St. Peters denied Jesus three times on the eve of His arrest. Below the church is the dungeon where Jesus was detained the night of his arrest.  the mother of all Churches. The site is where Virgin Mary died or “fell asleep “as the name suggests.

Upper Room “Cenacle”:

The room is located on top of Mount Zion, where Jesus had shared the meal the Last Supper with his disciples the night before he died and during this meal he instituted the Eucharist which is the most momentous events of the Christian faith. The descending of the Holy Spirit, at Pentecost, which is recognized as marking the birth of the Christian Church

Wailing Wall:

it is the most sacred site to the Jewish people who believed the remains of the wall to be of the great Jewish temple or the wall surrounding the court yard of the temple. While Muslims considers the wall to be part of Al-Aqsa Mosque built in the seventh century by the Umayyads

Southern Steps:

 Found at the southern edge of the Western Wall, just around the southwest corner where Robinson’s Arch is located, this spot was the main entrance for the common man to enter the Temple, the stairs are irregular, with both original and replaced stones, which forced the faithful to pay attention as they ascended the alternating wide and narrow steps. It also prevented a hurried approach to the Temple.    

 Enter the old city through St. Stephen’s gate to the Church of St. Anne the origin of the church’s name is identified by being the home of Anne (Hannah) and Joachim, the parents of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus.

Pools of Bethesda: Behind the church are the remains of ancient pools, a Roman temple and churches. The pools have been identified as the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed a crippled man. During the Roman Period this site was the location of a temple to Asclepius, the Roman god of healing. A church was built over the ruins of the temple and the pool in the 5th century, and today we can see the great arches that supported the floors.

Church of the Condemnation and Flagellation where Jesus was condemned to death by crucifixion and was flogged then carrying His cross through the Via Dolorosa. 

Via Dolorosa:

The Via Dolorosa Latin for "Way of Grief, “or "Way of Sorrow," or “Way of Suffering" is a processional route in the Old City of Jerusalem, it is  the path that Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion. The winding route from the Antonia Fortress west to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre—a distance of about 600 metres (2,000 feet). It is marked by nine Stations of the Cross; the remaining five stations being inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre:

On the top of the hill in Jerusalem known as Golgotha stands the holiest Christian shrine in the Old City, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – the site of Christ’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

PM:

Ein Karem-Church of Visitation & Church of John the Baptist, Church of the Visitation :

Formerly known as the Abbey Church of St John in the Woods. It is where the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus visited Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. This is the site Virgin Mary recited her song of praise.

Church of John the Baptist:

It was built at the site where Saint John the Baptist is believed to have been born.    

 Jericho

Means “City of palms “It is known to be the oldest town on earth, where the Israelites supposedly brought down its walls with a great shout and trumpet blasts when they entered the Promised Land.

Prophet Elisha spring:

Also called the Prophet’s Fountain/Elisha’s Fountain) is a fresh water spring near the archaeological mound of Tel Jericho where remains of settlements were found dating back to about 8,000 BC. It is believed that Prophet Elisha purified its waters by throwing salt into it. 

Zacchaeus tree:

Is a Sycamore tree which is over 2000 years old and is located in the City Centre of Jericho. This is the tree Zacchaeus the rich tax collector climbed when Jesus was passing through the town to see him as he was a very short man and couldn’t see over the heads of the crowds.

The good Shepherd Church:

Is the site Lord Jesus gave Bartimaeus back his sight and converted the rich Zacchaeus, performing for both his ministry of the Good Shepherd.

Qumran:

 Are the Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered not so long ago. Located on the north-western shore of the Dead Sea, Qumran is located between Jerusalem and the major Dead Sea beaches and attractions such as Ein Gedi and Masada.

The Dead Sea:

Also called the Sea of Lut, Sea of Salt: The Dead Sea, itself, is an inland body of water appropriately named due to the fact that it’s extremely high salt and mineral-rich waters are not conducive to sustaining life. In fact, the Dead Sea is nearly ten times saltier than any of the world’s oceans.

Masada:

Is the ancient fortress overlooking the Dead Sea. A cable car and a winding path climb up to the fortifications. Among the ruins is King Herod’s palace and a Roman style bathhouse with mosaic floors. It is famous for the last stand of the Zealots where the 960 living at the top of the plateau chose to commit suicide rather than to fall into the hands of the Romans alive. Masada is a UNESCO world heritage

The Mount of Temptation:

With a gravity-defying Greek Orthodox monastery clinging to its sheer face, is regarded as the mountain on which Christ was tempted three times by the devil during his 40-day fast. to prove his divinity by demonstrating his supernatural powers. Unlike some Greek Orthodox monasteries, the Monastery of the Temptation allows women visitors as well as men.     

Bethlehem Church of the Nativity:

Is one of the major Christians sites where the cave of Jesus birth is found. In 326 Constantine and his mother Helena built the church over the cave, which we know now as

St. Catherine Church:

Is located in the northern part adjacent to the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem. It works as a parish church in Bethlehem and Franciscan monastery. There is a complex of caves underneath the church. It was dedicated in 1347 to St. Catherine of Alexandria. This is the church where the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem celebrates Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

St. Jerome’s Cave:

Is two-room cave which lies underneath the Church of St. Catherine St on the right-hand side of the nave, steps lead down to a complex of subterranean chambers. The first cave on the left at the bottom of the stairs is identified as the Chapel of the Holy Innocents. This is said to be the burial place of infants killed by King Herod in his attempt to eliminate the new-born “King of the Jews. At the end, on the right, are the rooms where Jerome lived and spent 30 years translating the Scriptures from Hebrew and Greek into Latin. The adjacent caves have been identified as the burial places of Jerome (whose remains were later taken to Rome).

Milk Grotto: 

Is the place where the Holy Family found refuge during the Massacre of the Innocents, before they could flee to Egypt. The name is derived from the story that a "drop of milk" of the Virgin Mary fell on the floor of the cave and changed its colour to white. There are three different caves, which are visited by some in hope of healing infertile couples, the shrine being a place where prayers for children are miraculously answered.

Shepherds Field in Beit Sahour:

Is a village 2 Km East of Bethlehem. It Is the place where the Angel of the Lord appeared to the Shepherds and informed them about the birth of Jesus in a cave in Bethlehem.

Shopping -Optional

The Old City of Jaffa is home to winding alleys filled with craft shops and art galleries, and stalls selling antiques and jewellery at the lively Jaffa Flea Market. Ottoman-era landmarks include the Clock Tower and St. Peter’s Church.

 Saint Peter’s Church:

Is a Franciscan church which was built in 1654 and was dedicated to Saint Peter and located in the historical old city of Jaffa.

Old Port of Jaffa:

Is an ancient port situated on the Mediterranean Sea. It is located in Old Jaffa. The port serves as a fishing harbour, a yacht harbour, and as a tourist destination. It is reputed to be one of the oldest ports in the world, notably being the port from which Jonah set off in the famous Biblical story of Jonah and the Whale.

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