Overview

I am excited to invite you to join me on a moving pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  I lead a trip in 2016, and it was a powerful experience for all who attended. Now it is time to go again. We will learn and we will discover.  We will pray and we will be inspired.  Before the trip I will host learning sessions so that we can be prepared to get the most out of the experience.  If you have questions, reach out to me at any time.  I can’t wait to visit these holy sites and create new memories with you.

 

DETAILS:

  • Trip departs on Nov 1, 2023 and returns on Nov 11, 2023 

  • Departure Airport: Chicago, IL (ORD)

PRICING:

  • $3,890.00 per person based on double occupancy - book now as space is limited!

  • Single room supplement - $890.00

  • Land only (if booking your own flights) - $2,740.00 (airfare credit $1,150.00)

PAYMENT PLAN: 

  • $300.00 deposit per person with registration to secure space

  • $1,000.00 of the total amount is due on or before June 20, 2023

  • Balance due on or before August 1, 2023

REGISTRATION:

  • Registering online? Click the "BOOK NOW" button and fill out the online form; you can pay by check or with a credit card (a 4% platform fee applies)

  • Registering by mail? Please download and complete the registration form (both the personal information page and the terms and conditions page signed at the bottom) with a copy of your passport and a deposit of $300.00 per person made payable to Elias Tours and mail to: 4941 Chalden Ln NE, Marietta, GA 30066

  • Download the Registration Form

FLIGHT SCHEDULE:

 UA1283   01NOV   ORD - EWR    405P  755P 01NOV 
 UA 090    01NOV   EWR - TLV     1100P  320P 02NOV 
 UA 085    11NOV   TLV - EWR     1130A  445P 11NOV  
 UA1232   11NOV   EWR - ORD    625P  812P 11NOV

* Flight times, flight numbers, equipment, gates, and seats are subject to change. For the most current information check the airline website.

For more information, contact us at info@eliastours.com or (406) 261-7791

November 1 - 11, 2023 Available on request Holy Land
Inclusions/Exclusions

What is included in the tour

  • Airfare from Chicago, IL - Other cities available
  • 9 nights in 4-star hotels (Double Occupancy)
  • Breakfast, and Dinner daily 
  • Entrance fee to all sites
  • All ground transportation in a private tour bus

What is NOT included in the tour

  • All Personal Expenses
  • Passport fees
  • Lunch
  • Gratuities for guide and driver
  • TRAVEL INSURANCE: Travel Insurance is required and not included in the purchase price. For your convenience, we offer travel insurance through Travelex Insurance Services. For questions, quotes, or to purchase travel insurance, visit Travelex Insurance or call (800) 228-9792 and use the code 26-0057 for Elias Tours.
Itinerary

 

                               Light of Christ Lutheran Church

                                        Holy Land Pilgrimage

 

Day 1: Wednesday Nov 1 - Departure from the USA
Depart from Chicago, ORD, for your overnight flight to the Holy Land. Meals will be served on board.

Day 2: Thursday Nov 2 – Arrival Tel Aviv – Tiberias
We arrive at Ben Gurion airport and depart northward to our hotel in Tiberias. Dinner and overnight. 

Day 3: Friday Nov 3 – Caesarea - Mt. Carmel – Nazareth – Cana – Tiberias
After breakfast, we travel by private motor coach along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to Caesarea, where the Gentiles first heard the Good News from Peter and were baptized. We see the Roman Amphitheatre and aqueduct. 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. Afterward, we go to Nazareth where we visit the Basilica of the Annunciation, and the Church of St. Joseph. We end our day with a visit to Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle. Drive to Tiberias for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Saturday Nov 4 - Caesarea Philippi – Golan Heights – Mt. Arbel – Valley of Doves – Sea of Galilee
We start our day with a visit to Caesarea Philippi, at the source of the river Jordan, where Peter confessed that Jesus is the Messiah. Then we return to the Sea of Galilee via the Golan Heights with a stop overlooking the Road to Damascus. On to Mount Arbel, where we overlook the ancient road from Nazareth to Galilee part of the Jesus Trail. We then carry on to the Valley of the Doves and travel along the ancient road that leads from Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee along the Via Maris. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.

Day 5: Sunday Nov 5 - Sea of Galilee – Magdala – Capernaum – Mount of Beatitudes
We start the day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, followed by a visit to the Ancient Boat Museum that houses a 2,000-year-old fishing boat found buried in mud on the shores of Galilee. The boat provides a good example of what fishing boats looked like during the time of Jesus. Then we visit Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene, and see the 1st-century synagogue, the oldest synagogue discovered on the shores of Galilee, with a stone-carved replica of the Temple and Menorah. We then take a short drive to Capernaum, the biblical village and hometown of Jesus. Capernaum is closely associated with Jesus and His ministry as described in the Synoptic Gospels. There we see the house of the mother-in-law of Peter and an ancient synagogue that dates back to the time of Jesus and where much of His teaching took place. After a lunch of St. Peter’s fish, we drive to Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000. We then visit the site known as “Peter’s Primacy” where Jesus appeared to His disciples for the third time after His Resurrection. Later we continue to the Mount of Beatitudes, the scene of Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount. We enjoy the view of the enchanting gardens and reflect on Jesus’ sermon. Time for prayer and reflection. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias. 

Day 6: Monday Nov 6 - Jordan Valley – Baptismal Site - St. George Monastery – Bethlehem
After breakfast, we drive through the Jordan Valley and on to Bet Arabah where John baptized Jesus. The site is also known as the “Place of Crossing” of the Israelites. From Bet Arabah we drive to the city of Jericho. We see Tel Jericho , the old town of Joshua, to see the excavations of the ancient city and the Mount of Temptation. Upon reaching Wadi Qelt, we enjoy a view of St. George’s Monastery nestled in the wilderness. drive to our hotel in Bethlehem for dinner and overnight. 

Day 7: Tuesday Nov 7 – Yad Vashem – Shepherds Field – Bethlehem (ELCJHL)
After breakfast, we will visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum, for a needed reminder of what the Jews have suffered during WWII. We continue to Bethlehem to visit Shepherd's Fields, where the angels appeared to the shepherds announcing the birth of Our Lord. These fields are also the setting of the Book of Ruth. After lunch, we travel to the Church of the Nativity and view the place where Our Lord was born. We check in at our hotel, and enjoy dinner and overnight in Bethlehem. 

Day 8: Wednesday Nov 8, 2023 - Augusta Victoria Hospital – LWF – Mt. of Olives – Mt. Zion – (ELCJHL)
We start our day at Augusta Victoria Hospital to witness the work of the Lutheran World Federation in health and education. Later, we enjoy a panoramic view from the top of Mount of Olives, and then we continue to the Church of the Ascension and the Church of the Pater Noster. We continue down to Dominus Flevit and St. Mary Magdalene Church. We pray at the Garden of Gethsemane and visit the Church of All Nations. In the afternoon, we visit St. Peter in Gallicantu, where Jesus was denied by St. Peter. Then we visit the Upper Room, the place of the Last Supper, and King David’s Tomb. Back to our hotel for dinner and overnight in Bethlehem. 

Day 9: Thursday Nov 9, 2023 – Masada - Qumran – the Dead Sea
This morning we depart Bethlehem, travel south to visit Masada, situated on top of a high plateau, the site of one of Herod’s palaces and of the final tragic episode in the first-century Jewish-Roman War. According to Josephus, the siege of Masada in A.D. 73- 74 ended with the mass suicide of the 960 Jews hiding out there. We then drive to Qumran  and visit the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were accidentally found, and the buildings that formed the public centre of the Essenes. Then we proceed to the Dead Sea where we can enjoy a dip in the relaxing and healing waters. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem. 

Day 10: Friday Nov 10 - Via Dolorosa – Holy Sepulchre – Temple Mount – Pools of Bethesda – Jerusalem
This morning after breakfast, we walk the Via Dolorosa, the traditional path that Jesus walked from the Antonia Fortress to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. There, we visit Golgotha and the Empty Tomb. We then visit the Jewish Quarter and go to the Western Wall, a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site. We then ascend to visit Temple Mount itself, where the Jewish temple stood until its destruction in 70 AD, and see the Dome of the Rock, a possible location of the Holy of Holies. We then visit St Anne’s church and the nearby Pools of Bethesda where the healing at the pool took place. We Enjoy our farewell dinner in a Local Restaurant. overnight in Bethlehem.

Day 11: Saturday Nov 11 - Departure from Tel Aviv to the US
Check-out and departure from our hotel for the return home. We arrive on the same day. 

 

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