Journey to Israel with Dr. Ike & Robin Reighard - Piedmont Church

               JOURNEY TO ISRAEL WITH REV. DR. IKE REIGHARD

                                           PIEDMONT CHURCH

Day 1 – SAT, MAY 27   Departure from the USA

Depart from Atlanta, GA (ATL) for our overnight flight to Israel. Meals are served on board.

Day 2 – SUN, MAY 28   Arrival in Tel Aviv – Transfer to Hotel in Herzliya

We arrive in Tel Aviv, and upon arrival meet our local guide and driver. The only stop for today is Jaffa (time permitting). After our tour in Jaffa, we transfer to our hotel in Herzliya for dinner and overnight.

Day 3 – MON, MAY 29   Caesarea Maritima – Megiddo – Mount Carmel

After breakfast, we depart for Caesarea Maritima, a magnificent city with Roman, Byzantine, and Crusader ruins. Here we elaborate on the story of the baptism of Cornelius, the first gentile convert into Christianity (Acts 10), and on the travels of Paul: the events that led Caesarea Maritima to become the springboard of Christianity to the West. We then visit Tel Megiddo (Armageddon) and see the Solomon city gate, stables, and palaces from the times of Ahab, the “high place”, and the impressive water system dating to the 9th century BC. Later, we visit Mount Carmel – Muhraqa (“The Place of Fire”) and consider the contest between the Prophet Elijah and the false prophets of Baal (I Kings 18), discussing the reasons why the Prophet chose that place for the contest, and the lessons we learn from the story. We return to our hotel in Herzliya for dinner and overnight.

Day 4 – TUE, MAY 30   Nazareth – Cana of Galilee – Magdala – Tiberias

After breakfast, we check out from our hotel in Herzliya and travel north to Nazareth. We visit the Church of the Annunciation, built over the 1st century ruins of the house where the Angel appeared to Mary. We then visit Cana of Galilee, where Jesus performed his first miracle of changing water into wine. We visit Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene, where we see a 1st century Synagogue, the oldest Synagogue discovered on the shores of Galilee. We marvel at the Synagogue’s beautiful stone-carved model of the Temple, which includes a Menorah. In the afternoon, we check into our hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight.

Day 5 – WED, MAY 31   Sea of Galilee – Capernaum – Mt. of Beatitudes – Yardenit

After breakfast, we begin our day with a sail on the Sea of Galilee in a replica of a boat from Jesus’ time. We dock in Ginosar and visit the ancient boat museum, where we see a remarkably well-preserved 2,000-year-old wooden fishing boat. After the boat ride, we drive to Capernaum, the hometown of Jesus as described by the Gospel and Jesus’ Galilean ministry base. There, we see the house of Peter’s mother-in-law and the ancient synagogue where many of Jesus’ teachings took place. We visit the Mount of Beatitudes, where we enjoy the enchanting gardens and reflect on Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. Passing through Tabgha, we visit the Church of St. Peter’s Primacy, where Jesus appeared to his disciples for the third time after the Resurrection. During the lunch break, we have the opportunity to try St. Peter’s fish, commonly eaten by people in Jesus’ day. In the afternoon, we visit the Yardenit Baptismal Site, where we have the opportunity to renew our baptismal vows. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.

Day 6 – THU, JUNE 1   Beit Shean – Bet Arabah – Jericho – Jerusalem

After breakfast and check-out, we leave the Galilee area and travel south through the Jordan River Valley. We visit Beit Shean, the capital of Decapolis, where we see the ruins of the Roman and Byzantine cities. We also discuss the demise of King Saul and his sons, whose bodies were hanged on the walls of Beit Shean. We then depart toward Jericho. On the way, we visit Bet Arabah (“Qasr el Yahud”), also known as Gilgal, where the Israelites crossed into the promised land, where Elijah was taken into heaven, and where Our Lord was baptized. In Jericho itself, we visit Tel Jericho to see the location of the city from the time of Joshua, and view the Mount of Temptation. We then enjoy a panoramic tour of Jericho including the Sycamore Tree, which reminds us of the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus. We proceed to Jerusalem and check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 7 – FRI, JUNE 2   Masada – Qumran – Dead Sea Swim – Jerusalem

After breakfast, we depart for Masada, the fortress built by King Herod the Great and made famous by the Zealots in 73/74 AD with the standoff against the Romans. We take a cable car to the top of the mountain to visit the fortress and see the ruins that are considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After descending again via cable car, we leave Masada and drive to Qumran, where we visit the caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered and the buildings that formed the Essenes’ public center. We end the day on the shores of the Dead Sea for a dip in its unique waters. We return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

Day 8 – SAT, JUNE 3   Bethesda – Mt. Olives – Herodium – Bethlehem – Shepherd’s Field

After breakfast, we leave the hotel and drive towards the Old City to visit the Church of St. Anne, a perfectly intact Crusader church. It is a wonderful place to gather and sing a song, sometimes with fellow Christians from all over the world. There, we also visit the Pools of Bethesda, where the healing at pool took place (John 5). We then drive to Mount of Olives for a breathtaking view of Jerusalem and a panoramic photo. Our guide points out the most important sites in Jerusalem, and then we walk the Palm Sunday Road. We drive south to visit Herodium, where King Herod challenged the forces of nature and created one of the most daring structures of the ancient world. The rest of the afternoon is spent visiting the Shepherd’s Field and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 9 – SUN, JUNE 4   Wailing Wall – Western Wall Tunnels – Mt. Zion – Yad Vashem

After breakfast, we leave the hotel and return to the Old City to visit Temple Mount, where the Jewish temple stood until its destruction in 70 AD. Here, we reflect on Jesus’ ministry at the Temple of Jerusalem, and see the Dome of the Rock, a possible location of the Holy of Holies. We exit Temple Mount through the Chain gate and visit the Western Wall, also called the Wailing Wall, a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount and Judaism’s holiest site. We enter the Western Wall Tunnels, reflecting on the massive stones, and reach Warren’s Gate, symbolic for Jews as it’s the closest point to the Holy of Holies that they can reach. We then depart for Mount Zion, where we visit the Cenacle, commemorating the Upper Room where Jesus shared the Last Supper with the disciples. We also visit King David’s tomb, a site considered to be the place of burial of the biblical king. We then tour the Jewish Quarter, one of the Old City’s quarters, where we can see the Roman Cardo, King Hezekiah's broad wall, Hurva Synagogue, and the Golden Menorah. We then visit the Southern Wall excavation site and walk on the very stones Jesus trod to Herod’s “second temple”, to see where our Savior taught the Scriptures. In the afternoon, we visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. 

Day 10 – MON, JUNE 5   Gethsemane – Kidron Valley – House of Caiaphas – Garden Tomb

After breakfast, we start our day by visiting the Garden of Gethsemane. Amid the 2,000-year-old olive trees, we see the Rock of Agony on which Jesus prayed, and the nearby Gethsemane cave where Jesus often spent the nights and where he was arrested at the hands of the High Priest guards. Later, we walk along the Kidron Valley, following the footsteps of Our Lord and seeing Absalom’s Tomb, Gihon Spring, and Water Gate. We reach the remains of the Pool of Siloam, accidentally discovered about ten years ago, which is the place where Jesus instructed the blind man to wash the mud off his eyes. We proceed to visit the House of Caiaphas, over which the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu was built, where we can see parts of the stone pavement where Our Lord was dragged by his captors. We have a chance to visit and pray at the dungeon where He was kept overnight. We return to the Old City, where we reach Ecce Homo, the site named for Pontius Pilate’s announcement, “Behold the man” – here, Jesus was beaten, crowned with thorns, and clothed in a purple robe. We see the Stone Pavement called Lithos-Stratos and have some time for prayers and meditations. We walk the Via Dolorosa, following Christ's passion toward the church of the Holy Sepulcher. In the afternoon, we visit the Garden Tomb, a peaceful spot where we can remember Christ’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. We see Calvary and the empty Tomb and celebrate communion service. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 11 – TUE, JUNE 6   Departure

After breakfast, we drive to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport and board our flight back to the US.

NOTE: The schedule is subject to change due to various factors and at your Tour Leaders’ and Guide’s discretion.