“EXPERIENCING THE HOLY LAND”

A Special Wisconsin Area Israel Tour

Tour Guide – Raed Makhouli Tour Leader – Michael Ryder Travel Arrangements – Blossoming Rose

February 7 – 16, 2021

This tour is limited to 35 registrants in order to allow a maximum of personal interaction with each other. We want you to enjoy a life-changing journey as you travel to Israel and the Holy Land. Our carefully crafted itinerary is built on our own experienced travel to this most historic and spiritually significant land of all times. As Christians, we will grow in spirit, faith and understanding.

Tour Host: Michael Ryder

Michael went to Israel with Diane Ernst and Gary Madson and expressed an interest to others that he would like to return and learn more about the Biblical places in the scriptures. Talking to others in his parish and also to Diane and Gary, he realized that the timing was right to return, with family and other friends. They will, in the tradition of Tom Wiltzius, who was the first leader to take people to Israel in 1995, visit the sacred places that give us greater understanding of the .

Tour Guide: Raed Makhouli

Raed Makhouli will be the guide for our “Experiencing the Holy Land” tour of Israel. He has become our friend through the years, having travelled throughout Israel with us on previous tours. He visited Wisconsin for a week after our last tour to Israel. During that time, he did a presentation on Israel to the Fox Valley Area and met with our tour group for a cookout.

He lives in the north of Israel and is a Christian. He is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church and lectures on the diverse cultures and religions of Israel. He is a licensed, registered Israeli guide, and one of the most experienced in Israel, a specialist in guiding Christian groups. He truly brings the Bible to life.

Travel Arrangements provided by Blossoming Rose

Blossoming Rose was founded by Dr. DeWayne Coxon in 1984 with a mission to bless Israel through various educational programs, including the maintenance and restoration of the 55-acre, historic, Biblical Tamar Park. Dr. Coxon, currently President Emeritus, has visited Israel over 150 times and his knowledge of Jewish, Christian and Muslim history gives him a unique perspective on contemporary events taking place in the Middle East. Rob Coxon serves as the President and oversees the operations of the Park and tours. He has been involved with Blossoming Rose since 1984 and has travelled to Israel over 50 times. Blossoming Rose is the curator of the archaeology site at the Park. Itineraries are developed in coordination with tour hosts. Tour Itinerary

Day One Sunday – February 7: USA to Israel

A chartered bus will take our group from Wisconsin to the airport in Chicago. Our flights will depart Sunday and arrive in Israel on Monday, February 8. (We must be at the airport three hours prior to the flight.) Meals will be served during our flights.

Day Two Monday – February 8: Arrive in Israel, Netanya

Raed, our guide, will meet us at the airport and lead us to our chartered bus. Our bus driver will take us to our hotel on the Mediterranean Sea where we can rest from our long flight. We will be served a delicious buffet dinner and we’ll have time to enjoy the evening, walk on the beach, and get to know one another before we sleep.

Day Three Tuesday – February 9: Mediterranean Sea, Caesarea, Church of the Annunciation, Sea of , and Tiberius

Our first day in Israel will begin with a bountiful Israeli breakfast buffet and then we’ll take some time to enjoy the beautiful Mediterranean Sea beach by our hotel. Our friend and guide for several years, Raed, will join us and talk about the often overlooked significance of the Mediterranean Sea and Caesarea. From our hotel, we will go to Caesarea, an ancient wonder of the world that King Herod built 2,000 years ago. We will continue on to and to the Church of the Annunciation where we will see the latest excavations where 1st century remains have recently been found. By late afternoon, we will view the where Raed will share information about its history. Our evening will be spent at our beautiful hotel, in Tiberius, on the Sea of Galilee, where we can rest, shop, and enjoy their hospitality and good food.

Day Four Wednesday – February 10: Magdala, Mt Arbel, Mt of Beatitudes, , Tabgha, and Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee

After another huge breakfast, we will leave our hotel and visit the excavations at Migdal (Magdala) which was Mary Magdalene’s home town. A recently discovered first century synagogue likely frequented by and His followers is there. We will then head north, looking down on the striking Sea of Galilee from Mt. Arbel where Jesus spent many hours in prayer. We’ll continue on to the Mt. of Beatitudes where Jesus preached to the multitudes, and then on to Capernaum, an authentic reconstruction of the synagogue, in which Jesus preached in the 1st century and where Peter lived. We may have Communion at Tabgha on the Sea and then we will return to Nof Ginozar, where the Jesus boat is in the museum. We will board our Galilee boat and watch the sun set as we worship God together. We look forward to returning to our hotel and having private time walking on the shore of the Sea of Galilee before dinner.

Day Five Thursday – February 11: Jordan River, Beit Shean, , Qumran, and

We will stop at the Jordan River as we leave the lush greens of the Galilee and see the brown hues of the Judean desert. During our drive, we will stop at Beit Shean, the huge Greek/Roman City built on the ruins of past civilizations. Jesus certainly stopped here on his way to Jerusalem for the Feasts. Next, we will stop at Jericho, to see the famous ruins dating to the times of Joshua and the Israelites. We will continue our day at Qumran, the site of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. There will be time to discuss the significance of the Scrolls and address the question as to whether or not John the Baptist or Jesus would have ever visited this desert spiritual headquarters of these people of the “Way.” We will also visit the newly discovered tomb of the Teacher or leader of the community and talk about his possible identity. We will then take the steep road up to Jerusalem and catch a glimpse of the Holy City before checking into hotel for the evening. After dinner everyone will be free to wander throughout the City or go to the Western Wall to pray.

Day Six Friday – February 12: Mt. of Olives, Bethphage, , Kidron Valley, Mt. Zion, , the Shepherd’s fields, and the

Our day will begin on the summit of the with a spectacular view of the Old City spread before us. We will then visit the area of Bethphage near , explore some 1st century tombs, and walk down the northern path of the Mount of Olives where Raed will show us the place believed to be “Golgotha,” the authentic site of the crucifixion of Jesus. We will then visit Gethsemane, cross the Kidron Valley and see the site where James, the brother of Jesus, was murdered. We will pray at the Western Wall and then enter the Old City through the Jewish quarter. Following that, we will go to the area of the Upper Room where Jesus had His meal with His disciples and James the brother of Jesus, along with Jesus’ mother Mary, who guided the Nazarene movement. We’ll learn about the most recent excavations in that area, including what has been identified as the Essene Quarter of ancient Jerusalem. We will continue on to Bethlehem to the Church of the Nativity and the Shepherd’s fields and then finish our tour, return to our hotel and have the evening free.

Day Seven Saturday – February 13: Jerusalem, Via Delarosa, Church of St. Anne, , Holy Sepulcher, Garden of Gethsemane, Church of Domitian, and Caiaphas’s House

We will begin the day by walking on the Via Delorosa and then on through the ancient historic places like St. Anne’s Church and ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We will go to the Garden of Gethsemane and other places around the Old City. We will then return to the Jaffa Gate in Jerusalem where we will have time to relax and shop. Our hotel is close to the Jaffa area, so there will again be time to shop either in the Souk or modern Mamilla Mall.

Day Eight Sunday – February 14: Elah Valley, Beersheva, Biblical Tamar Park, Dead Sea

We awake to the sound of the Muslims calling the believers to prayers and then we hear the church bells begin to chime. We will have breakfast, and then board our bus for the Valley of Elah where David killed Goliath over 3000 years ago. We will collect a few stones from the brook and then continue on to Beersheva where Abraham and Sarah lived 4,500 years ago. We then travel down below sea level to the Arava where Biblical Tamar Park is located and where we will have lunch. We will have a tour of this ancient city where Moses led the Israelites 3,500 years ago and where the Jewish nation began. Our afternoon and evening will be spent on the Dead Sea in the luxury hotel where we can swim and enjoy the mineral baths.

Day Nine

Monday – February 15: Dead Sea, Masada, Ein Gedi, Jerusalem, Airport

Today we will awaken and feel both the climate changes and elevation changes as we eat breakfast 1,500 feet below sea level on the Dead Sea. We will drive to Masada for a morning tour of the historic palace which King Herod built on his mountain and where over 700 Jews died. We’ll stop at Ein Gedi, the place where David hid from King Saul and then we will continue back to Jerusalem for our last minute shopping. We will be taken to the airport at 6 pm and prepare to board our flight back to Chicago.

Day Ten Tuesday – February 16: Jerusalem and the USA

Our overnight flight gives us opportunity to “catch up” on sleep we have missed during our exciting days in Israel. Welcome home TOUR INFORMATION TOUR COST: $2,595

Included in Tour  Hotels  Breakfast and Dinner (dinner February 15 not included)  National Park passes  Entry to all listed sites  All tips (except housekeeping)  Bus transfer to and from Ben Gurion Airport  Gondola at Masada  Galilee boat ride  Lunch at Biblical Tamar Park

Not Included  Flight Insurance  Lunches  Airline ticket  Baptismal gown - $10

Do not buy your airline ticket until notified. You will receive an email from Jodi, in our office, when there are sufficient registrations to buy your tickets. Blossoming Rose will provide transportation to and from Ben Gurion Airport at the designated times, which will be announced later. If you arrive or depart outside of these times you will be responsible for your own transportation to our Jerusalem hotel. This itinerary is subject to change.

The cancellation fee is based on the total tour price, and is: 181 days or more = $100; 180 - 151 days = $250; 150 - 121 days = $500; 120 – 61 days = 50% of total tour price; 60 – 31 days = 75% of total tour price; 30 days or less = 100% of total tour price. Refund may take up to 4 weeks. Trip insurance is recommended.

Reserve your place immediately by paying the $500 deposit on-line at www.blossomingrose.org. Balance is due 120 days prior to departure.

For additional information contact:

Jodi Coxon Blossoming Rose Michael Ryder E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected] Office: 616-696-3435 Phone: 920-205-6066 www.blossomingrose.org