JERUSALEM THE GOLDEN
Duration: 9 HOURS Including Lunch
In the morning after breakfast drive from Ashdod to Jerusalem, the holiest
city for the Jewish people. Drive to Mt. Scopus and then to Mt. of Olives and
experience a breathtaking view over the city of Jerusalem. Continue to the walls
of the Old City and take a walk through the recently restored ancient Jewish
quarter. Continue on through Cardo Maximum. Walk to the Western Wall (Wailing
Wall), the only remains from the 2nd Temple period and the holiest place for the
Jews the world over. Following the visit to the Western wall passengers will and
enjoy a virtual walk through “Beit Hamigdash” at the Davidson Center. On to Mt.
Zion where you will visit the traditional tomb of Kind David. Proceed to kibbutz
Ramat Rachel for lunch.
Continue on to Yad Vashem, and visit the memorial to
victims of Nazi Holocaust. Drive by Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University to
arrive at Mt. Herzel for a visit to a military cemetery where Theodore Herzl,
Golda Meir and the assassinated Israeli Prime Minister Itzhak Rabin are
buried.
En route to Ashdod, drive past the Prime Minister’s Residence, Israel
Museum and the Knesset (Israeli Parliament).
ASHDOD (JERUSALEM), ISRAEL
JERUSALEM & BETHLEHEM
Duration: 9˝ - 10 HOURS Including Lunch
From Ashdod, which is the most important Mediterranean port of Israel after
Haifa, we shall drive through the Judean Mountains to Jerusalem (60 km), one of
the oldest towns In the world which has been inhabited without
Interruption.
On arrival we shall pass through the New City, dominated by the
Knesset, Israel's Parliament building and the Monastery of the Cross, then
proceed through the exclusive Rehavia, one of the oldest and most pleasant
residential areas, to the Mount of Olives. It is at this spot where you will
experience an unforgettable view of the old city. A quick glance at the area at
the foot of the mount, "Gethsemane", (it is derived from the Hebrew word for
oil press), which is of particular significance. It witnessed the Agony of
Christ when he prayed there after learning of his betrayal. This is the site of
the arrest of Christ and his prophecy of the Second Coming to the disciples
Peter, James, John and Andrew. The Basilica of the Agony or the Church of all
Nations commemorates these events. It contains a segment of the Garden of
Gethsemane. Legend has it that the eight ancient olive trees found there are so
old that they beheld Christ at prayer. The church of Mary's assumption with
Virgin's Tomb is also to be found there.
We shall then continue to the Old
City for a tour on foot (approx. 1˝ to 2 hours), surrounded by a 12 m high and 4
km long wall, with 8 gates built in the 16th C. by Sultan Suleiman the
Magnificent.
We shall enter the city through the Jaffa Gate, from where we
reach the Via Dolorosa, the route Jesus took to his crucifixion. The route has
14 marked stations and the last 4 are situated in the church of the Holy
Sepulcher, a complex of various chapels built on the traditional site of the
Crucifixion and Tomb of Jesus. It was there that Christ appeared to Mary
Magdalene, who was the first to witness his resurrection. We continue to the
Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall (Wailing Wall), the location of King
Solomon's Temple. There, on the site of the former Temple, the Dome of the Rock
was built some time after the Moslem conquest of the Holy Land in the 7th C.
Through the colorful Arab Bazaar, out of the Old City and drive to Kibbutz
Ramat Rachel for Lunch., before proceeding to Bethlehem to visit the Church of
the Nativity, the only original Byzantine church in Israel. It was built in 328
AD by the emperor Constantine and his mother St. Helene, over the very spot
where the Messiah of the Christians was born. The basilica was destroyed two
centuries later and rebuilt by Justinian. The church miraculously escaped
destruction during the many upheavals that occurred within this area, which is
presently administered by various orders: Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian.
The Grotto of the Nativity is situated on the lower level of the church. Before
our return to Ashdod to meet the ship, passengers will have some time for
souvenir-shopping in Bethlehem.
Subject to circumstances, this tour may be
operated in reverse order. It will also be required to change buses in order to
enter to Bethlehem but this is done in a back-to-back procedure.
For the
visit of the churches discreet clothing is required.
Please Note:
Passengers are advised to bring a bottle of water with them -
wear comfortable shoes and bring a hat with them as there is considerable
walking during this tour.
As there will be entry to holy shrines appropriate
dress is required.