Travel To Israel in 2018
Trips to Israel are always filled with interesting experiences and learning. The picture below is one of my favorites. It shows the rabbinic interest in education. We observed this “school group” from the Western Wall.
During trips to Israel, I have been able to learn from some great teachers. Our first trip, led by John Delancey, introduced me to Shlomo ben Asher. John is a great Bible teacher and Shlomo, a native of Israel, has an intense interest in architecture. This year, my daughters and I enjoyed touring with Dr. David Ilan, director of the school of Archeology at Hebrew Union in Jerusalem. Sarah shared what she learned from archaeologists she met while on a trip with her school. My family has toured at locations with various guides; a notable one was at the Underground wall tour.
A tour of Israel with great leaders will benefit every Bible teacher and every Christian. For one thing, many stories in the Bible are tied to features of the land. As one becomes acquainted with the Sea of Galilee, Jezreel Valley, Mt. Carmel with its three passes, the central mountain highlands, the valleys of the Shephelah, the wilderness of Judea, the Negev, the plains of Moab and the great rift valley, a new dimension is added to the Biblical narrative. By walking the land of Israel one is able to visualize where many stories took place.
A tour of Israel will enable the traveler to see where people of the Bible lived. Most tours will include a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. At Katzrin, travelers are able to enter and see the typical Jewish home. At Magdala and Gamala, tours include synagogues which were visited by Jesus. A great tour of Israel includes visits to the tops of mountains, visiting water sources, and experiencing the commotion and commerce of large cities like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
On my next tour of Israel, in addition to the Biblical sites, I would like to take people to the Palmach museum and Israel’s Independence Hall in order to discover the heart of the people of the land and further enrich the experience – bringing together ancient history with modern, and gaining an understanding that spans history.
I want to invite you to join my family and me on a trip in June 2018. While that seems to be a long way off, time will pass faster than we think. Before the trip, I need your help to identify any locations in Israel you would like to see. I also need to know how many days we should be in Israel (most trips last from 10-14 days). I also need to know if a trip in June would keep any from joining us on this trip. I would like to know if people are interested, and stay in touch with you. No deposit is needed, and there is no obligation. I would like to travel with about 50 people, filling one bus. This is the ideal experience, as each person will get to know our guides and ask questions. (This does not happen in large organizational tours).
If you are interested or have comments, please e-mail me. If you have an interest in one of the greatest educational opportunities of a lifetime, please mark June 2018 on your calendar, and begin to save money (about $5,000 per person) to cover the trip. (This amount will pay for airfare to Israel, transportation in Israel, lodging, 2 meals a day, tour guides, admissions, tips and other things.)
