Join Jerry and Karen Ellard on this 11-day Israel Journey of a Lifetime. We will take you to some of the country’s most significant cities and landmarks. See how the Bible comes to life before your eyes on this educational tour through Israel.
AT A GLANCE
STATUS
Registration is open. CLICK HERE to jump to the registration section.
DATES
Departing: May 14, 2026
Returning: May 24, 2026
PRICING
Trip cost is LAND ONLY* based on double room occupancy: $2,994
* To be updated once international air quotes become available.
A single room is available at a supplemental cost of $1,260
Your trip must be paid in full NO LATER THAN Saturday, February 28, 2026.
Each traveler must have:
Current US Passport valid until at least six months AFTER the return date;
Travel insurance.
Your tour includes:
First-class and deluxe hotels;
Land transportation via a deluxe motor coach (WiFi equipped);
Professional tour guide and driver;
Entrance fees to all activities listed on the itinerary;
Breakfast and dinner daily with special meals noted on the itinerary (lunch is purchased on own unless otherwise noted);
Luggage handling at hotels.
Your tour does NOT include:
Travel insurance (required);
International or domestic flights;
Gratuities for guide and driver (Please give at least $100 per registrant in cash to your tour host at the beginning of your journey. You may give more at the end of your journey if you desire.)
*See Terms and Conditions for details.
ITINERARY
Itinerary is subject to change
Day 1: Thursday, May 14, 2026
Today we depart on our Israel journey from New York (JFK) on our flight to Tel Aviv, Israel.
Day 2: Friday, May 15, 2026
Upon arrival at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport our Israeli host will assist us with the transfer of our luggage. We will meet our guide, board our deluxe motor coach, and drive to our hotel on the beautiful shores of the Mediterranean Sea in Netanya. Shabbat Shalom!
Day 3: Saturday, May 16, 2026
After our first Israeli breakfast, we will visit Caesarea Maritima, built by King Herod the Great in 22 BC. After viewing the extensive ruins of this ancient port city, we will travel to Haifa and visit Mt. Carmel where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal. We plan to attend the 11:00 am Shabbat Worship Service with a community of Messianic believers at Kehilat HaCarmel on Mt. Carmel in the city of Haifa. If possible, after lunch we will partner with Ima’s Goodies and deliver cookies to IDF soldiers. Next, we will visit Megiddo to see the site overlooking the Valley of Armageddon where the final battle is prophesied to happen. Then on to the ancient city of Zippori where Jesus would have visited and worked as a young man. We complete our first day with dinner and overnight at our Galilee region hotel.
Day 4: Sunday, May 17, 2026
After breakfast at the hotel, we set out to see the beautiful Mt. of Beatitudes believed to be the setting for Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. We will then stop at the Church of
the Primacy of Peter in Tabgha on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. This spot is traditionally thought to be where the miracle of the loaves and fish took place. Then we drive to Capernaum, known as Jesus’ hometown and the scene of many of his miracles and where he called his first disciples. Next, we will see an ancient boat dated to the time of Jesus, enjoy a delicious fish lunch and take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Afterward, we drive to Magdala, a major 1st century port on the Sea of Galilee, a center of trade and commerce, and an exporter of salted fish to markets as far away as Europe. It is here we will see a 1st century synagogue where Jesus would have taught. We end our day with dinner and overnight at our Galilee region hotel.
Day 5: Monday, May 18, 2026
After breakfast at the hotel, we begin our day with a drive to Caesarea Philippi (Banias), a city of Greek-Roman culture known for its worship of foreign gods and where Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” Next, we visit
Tel Dan, where the tribe of Dan lived. Dan introduced idolatry into the land of Israel, and it was here where King Jeroboam set up a high place of worship to a golden calf. After lunch we will visit the ancient city of Gamla and see the largest and oldest synagogue in the Galilee before we experience true Israeli hospitality and dinner in the home of Omer Eshel, CEO of The Bible Comes to Life, on the Cliffs of Gadara where Jesus cast the demons (legion) into the swine.
Omer’s wife, Michal, will offer jewelry that she designs originally for sale. Overnight at our Galilee region hotel.
Day 6: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
After breakfast at the hotel, we begin our day with a time of spiritual blessing as we stop at Yardenit, the baptismal site at the headwaters of the Jordan River. Here you are invited to be baptized if you choose. We will then travel to Beit She’an where we
will see the most extensive and best-preserved ruins of this Decapolis city. It is here that King Saul was defeated and killed, along with his three sons. This city was destroyed by an earthquake in AD 749. After lunch we will travel to Qumran, the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We will drive through Jericho and can see the Mt. of Temptation along the way. We have a brief stop at the beautiful desert oasis, Ein Gedi, where David hid from Saul when he pursued him to kill him, before arriving at the lowest place on earth, the Dead Sea. Dinner and overnight are at our Dead Sea hotel.
Day 7: Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Breakfast is at the hotel and today we will enjoy a later checkout to allow you to float on the Dead Sea, if you choose. Afterward, we set out to see the incredible rock-top
fortress of Masada. This once palatial refuge for Herod the Great, is better known as the location of a Roman siege against 960 Jewish defenders in AD 74. After lunch we will drive to Jerusalem and enjoy an amazing view of the city from Mt. of Olives before visiting the Garden of Gethsemane. This is the site where Jesus prayed in agony before his arrest. We will have a time of reflection and prayer in a private garden. Dinner and overnight at our Jerusalem hotel.
Day 8: Thursday, May 21, 2026
After breakfast at the hotel, we will have an early morning visit to The Temple Mount (depending on accessibility) and then we will see areas where Jesus would have walked and perhaps taught such as the Southern Steps of the Temple (Gate Beautiful) at the Davidson Center, the Trumpeter Stone and Robinson’s Arch. We
will visit the City of David, see the Pool of Siloam and walk through the Canaanite (dry) tunnel. Next, we will tour the Four Quarters and have lunch in the Old City with a short amount of free time at the Cardo, Israel’s oldest marketplace. Afterward, we will visit the Israel Museum and see a large model of Jerusalem from the time of Jesus, the Shrine of the Book, where you will see pieces of the Dead Sea Scrolls and many other artifacts. We will return to our hotel for dinner before an optional prayer and worship event at Succat Hallel, a 24-hour worship and prayer center in Jerusalem. Overnight at our Jerusalem hotel.
Day 9: Friday, May 22, 2026
After breakfast at our hotel, we will visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial and Museum. Afterward, we will drive to the Elah Valley where we will see an authentic 1st century tomb owned by a wealthy family and a Roman Theater where early Christians were fed to the wild beasts. Next, we will visit Tel Azeqa and look over the valley where the battle of David and Goliath took place. We will drive back to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight at our Jerusalem hotel.
Day 10: Saturday, May 23, 2026
After breakfast at the hotel, we will visit the Garden Tomb, the traditional Golgotha, believed by many to be the burial place of Jesus. We will observe communion with those who choose to participate. Next, we will visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher an alternative site of the burial place of Jesus. After lunch we will tour the Western Wall Tunnels before observing a time of prayer at the Western Wall (Kotel). Next, we will visit the Friends of Zion Museum dedicated to the Christian friends of the Jewish nation before ending our day with dinner and overnight at our Jerusalem hotel.
Day 11: Sunday, May 24, 2026
After breakfast at our hotel, we travel to the airport for our flight home to New York (JFK). Connections to your home airport are at your convenience on the airline of your choice.
Shalom blessings until next time!
HOW TO REGISTER
STEP 1: COMPLETE REGISTRATION FORM
Register for the trip by completing the Traveler Registration Form and paying the non-refundable registration fee of $300 (plus taxes and fees). For more info, please review our Terms and Conditions.
STEP 2: COMPLETE BOOKING
After you complete the Traveler Registration Form, click the event link below to select your trip options and complete your booking. Upon checkout via the event page, you can select from the following payment options: Online via Credit Card or PayPal; or Manual Payments via Check, Zelle, or Bank Wire. Instructions for each payment method will be available on the checkout page and are always available on our Payment Options page.