“As Christians, Israel has always been a special place to us, a place where the Scriptures come alive. In Israel, you experience the depth of the history and the richness of our faith. I would love to share this experience with you, and I can’t wait for you to join me for this trip of a lifetime.”–Dr. William Attaway
I’m excited to invite you to join me on a trip to Israel in the fall of 2024! I will be teaching at sites throughout Israel as we travel and tour sites from the Old and New Testaments. The trip will be November 8-19, 2024. Register at the bottom of this page!
Who’s Leading This Trip?
Dr. William Attaway is the Lead Pastor of Southview Community Church in Herndon, Virginia. With a Ph.D. in Old Testament studies (with an emphasis in Biblical backgrounds and archaeology), Dr. Attaway has been to the Holy Land numerous times on archaeological digs as well as leading trips like this one. He is passionate about helping people understand the background and history of the Biblical text, and helping others learn to apply the text after understanding it in it’s proper cultural, historical, linguistic, and geographical context.
Who Should Go on this Trip?
We welcome all those age 7 and above who are willing, able and excited to participate in an active tour!
This tour will be from an evangelical perspective, exploring the land and culture and how it pertains to evangelical beliefs.
As always, I’m working with Immanuel Tours, a Christian owned and operated company that has been welcoming groups to the Holy Land for more than 50 years. Their service is outstanding – that’s one of the reasons we continue to use them again.
Tour highlights include:
- Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee
- Floating in the Dead Sea
- Visits to archaeological sites like Tel Dan, where the “House of David” inscription was unearthed
- Walking in Jesus’ footsteps at sites such as Palm Sunday Road, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Garden Tomb and many others.
Itinerary (subject to change)
Friday, November 8
- We will fly into Tel Aviv, arriving at our hotel there for dinner and overnight.
Saturday, November 9
- We begin this first day of our tour driving north to the ruins of the ancient city of Caesarea (Acts 10, 12), a city built by King Herod and which later became the seat of government for the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, who sat in judgment over Jesus and sentenced Him to be crucified. We visit the extensive excavations of the site including the harbor, the Crusader City, the Amphitheatre, the Hippodrome and the Roman Aqueduct. Then we continue our drive over the crest of Mt. Carmel, where the Prophet Elijah challenged the priests of Baal (1 Kings 18:17-40). Our next stop is at Nazareth, a town in the hill country of Galilee where Jesus grew up (Matt. 2:23; Luke 1:26; Luke 2; Luke 4:16-30) to manhood. Here we will visit the Nazareth Village, an open air museum that reconstructs and reenacts village life in the Galilee in the time of Jesus. We pass through Cana in Galilee where Jesus performed His first miracle at the wedding feast (John 2:1-11). We’ll travel to the Sea of Galilee and along its southern and eastern shores. We arrive at our hotel in the Galilee for dinner and overnight.
Sunday, November 10
- We start this day with a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee to Kibbutz Ginosar and visit to the so-called “Jesus Boat” Museum – a fishing boat of the kind used by the disciples of Jesus . From here drive to Magdala – the birthplace of Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2; John 19:25; Mark 16:9;), it was a prosperous fishing village at the time Jesus was active in this region. The ruins of this Roman village are now enclosed within a wall. The archaeologists uncovered the remains of the village dating from the time of Jesus, and a Byzantine monastery. A mosaic floor featuring a fisherman’s boat was found at the place. On the northern shores we stop and visit the site of the Mt. of Beatitudes, the scene of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and the nearby ruins of Chorazim (Korazim: Matthew 11:20), one of the small cities that Jesus visited but its inhabitants did not listen to Him (Matthew 11:21). After lunch we visit Capernaum where Jesus dwelt after He left Nazareth and where He performed many signs and wonders. We visit the ancient synagogue and the “House of Peter” (Matthew 8:14). We’ll visit Bethsaida, hometown of Apostle Peter and Andrew (John 1:14; Mark 6:45; 8:22). Next, we drive around to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee to Kursi, the “Land of the Gadarenes”, located on the Golan Heights slopes. It was here that Jesus cured two madmen, (Matthew 8:28-32). For our final stop of the day, we travel to the southern shores of the Sea of Galilee to the Tamar Kinneret Kibbutz grocery store. Here you will find the best “date honey” made! We arrive back at the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Monday, November 11
- This morning we drive north into the Golan Heights to reach the Upper Hula Valley to visit the Tel Dan Nature Reserve near Mt. Hermon. We find at Tel Dan streams of flowing water and the ruins of the northernmost town of Biblical Israel (hence the saying “from Dan to Beersheba” [1 Samuel 3:20; 2 Sam 3:10].) Our next stop is at one of the sources of the River Jordan at Banias, the site of Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13-17:13), where the Apostle Peter made his great confession of faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. We arrive at Gamla – an ancient Jewish city in the Golan Heights. Inhabited since the early Bronze Age, it is believed to have been founded as a Seleucid fort during the Syrian Wars. The site of a Roman siege during the Great Revolt of the 1st century CE, Gamla is a symbol of heroism for the modern state of Israel and an important historical and archaeological site. It currently resides within the Gamla nature reserve. Before returning to the hotel, you will have the opportunity to be baptized in the Jordan River. Then we will see the sunset over the Sea of Galilee as we return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Tuesday, November 12
- Today we leave the Sea of Galilee. After breakfast we check out of the hotel and drive to Megiddo (Judges 5; 1 Kings 9:15), the Armageddon of the Book of Revelation (Revelation 16) which by Christian tradition is the symbol of the final overthrow of evil by God. From there drive to the spring of Ein Harod, along the slopes of Mt. Gilboa, where Israel’s first king, Saul, and his son Jonathan fell in battle to the Phillistines, around 1010 BC (1 Samuel 31). It was at the waters of Ein Harod that Gideon collected his people, in accordance with God’s command, (Judges 7:7). Next we visit the extensive excavations of the ancient Israelite city of Beit Shean. In New Testament times this city became one of the 10 cities of the Decapolis (Matthew 4:25; Mark 5:20; Mark 7:31). We then continue south, driving along the Jordan Valley via the ancient city of Jericho (Joshua 2; 2 Kings 2; Matthew 20:29). We continue our drive up to Jerusalem, the City of God. Before checking into our hotel we stop at an observation point to take our first glimpse of the City of Jerusalem, the capital city of Israel. We arrive to the hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.
Wednesday, November 13
- After breakfast we drive to the Mount of Olives overlooking the ancient and modern city of Jerusalem, the center of the Biblical world. We walk down the “Palm Sunday Road”, via the Chapel of Dominus Flevit where Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37f), to the Garden of Gethsemane where He prayed on the night of His betrayal (Luke 22:40-46). Next we enter within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem through the Lion’s Gate, walking from the Pools of Bethesda (John 5:2-9) and along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Crucifixion site).
We end this memorable day with a visit to the Garden Tomb and Gordon’s Golgotha (Matthew 27:33), where we will worship and celebrate the Lord’s Supper. We then return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Thursday, November 14
- After breakfast we start at Mt. Zion with a visit to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, the House of Caiaphas (John 18:19-27), where Jesus was interrogated by the High Priest. Continue to Herodian located south of Jerusalem and east of Bethlehem, on the edge of the Judean Desert, is one of the most fascinating antiquities sites in the country, it was built by King Herod the Great between 23 and 15 BCE, as a combined palace and powerful fortress. The complex was surrounded by a double wall 63 meters in diameter and seven stories high, within which Herod built a palace that included halls, courtyards and opulent bathhouses. Earth was heaped up around the walls, which created a cone-shaped artificial mountain. At its foot, Herod built a kind of royal ‘country club’, including a large pool, a bathhouse and a roofed pool. Despite its desert location, the complex was surrounded by magnificent gardens irrigated by the pool. A special aqueduct from the area of Solomon’s Pools near Bethlehem brought water to the palace. From here we drive to Bethlehem, the royal city of David, where Jesus was born (Luke 2). We visit the Church of the Nativity and the Field of the Shepherds where the Angel of the Lord proclaimed the birth of the Savior. Next we visit the neighborhood of Ein Karem where John the Baptist was born (Luke 1:39-45). We’ll visit Mary’s spring and the Church of St. John the Baptist. We return to the hotel in the late afternoon for personal time, dinner and overnight.
Friday, November 15
- We drive through the New City of Jerusalem via Mt. Herzl, the final resting place of Dr. Theodor Benjamin Herzl, the modern Prophet of the State of Israel, and the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament building) to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust History Museum and Children’s Memorial, the memorials to the victims of the Holocaust during World War II. From here we will drive to the biblical Samaria. We will start our day at the Psagot Visitors Center perched high on a mountain ridge between Jerusalem and Shilo. Here we will watch a movie that will give us a clearer idea of the area we will be visiting today. From here we will continue our drive passing by Beit El, where Jacob said “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the House of God and this is the gate of Heaven” (Genesis 28:17). We arrive at ancient Shilo which held a central place in the biblical history of the children of Israel for more than 300 years and was the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant until the death of Eli the High Priest. We return to our hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.
Saturday, November 16
- Today we will enjoy a free day in Jerusalem. Breakfast and dinner will be served at the hotel. You will have the opportunity for shopping in the Old City or just relax and enjoy a day off.
Sunday, November 17
- We drive through the Judean Hills to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth! Our first stop will be at the Inn of the Good Samaritan. Drive to Qumran, where the Essenes, a Jewish religious sect, lived over 2000 years ago and wrote The Dead Sea Scrolls.
We continue the drive along the shores of the Dead Sea to Ein Gedi Nature Reserve Park where David cut off a piece of Saul’s robe (1 Samuel 24). This is followed by a visit to the Mountain Fortress of Masada, the scene of the last Jewish Resistance against the Romans in 73 AD. We will stop at one of the Dead Sea shores and enjoy a float in the mineral rich waters. We return to our hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.
Monday, November 18
- We begin our day with a visit to Mt Zion on the South side of the Old City where we visit the Upper Room where Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper. We then visit the City of David and the Davidson Center which includes the Hulda Steps and The Southern Wall Archaeological Garden. Our next site is the Burnt House. Archaeologists believe that the house was burnt at the time of the conquest of the Upper City. It was named the Burnt House due to its singular testimony to the destruction and burning of Jerusalem by the Romans in the first century. Before returning to the hotel we will visit the Western (Wailing) Wall, the holiest Shrine of the Jewish people and the Western Wall Tunnel.
We return to the hotel for Farewell Dinner.
Tuesday, November 19
- We head to Ben Gurion Airport for our homebound flight from Israel to the United States.
Included in the Tour Price:
- A double occupancy room (additional charge for single occupancy).
- All sightseeing, admissions and luxury, air-conditioned motor-coach transportation on the tour itinerary
- A licensed, English-speaking driver and tour guide.
- Buffet breakfasts and dinners throughout the tour, with table water and coffee or tea.
- Meet and assist by Immanuel tours representative upon arrival/departure
- Entrance fees including: National Park ticket with un-limited entries, Mt. Carmel, Nazareth Village, Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, “Jesus Boat”, Magdala, Capernaum, Mt. of Olives, Pools of Bethesda, St. Peter in Gallicantu, Ancient Shiloh and Psagot Visitors Center, Masada Cable Car, City of David including the 3D movie, Davidson Center, Burnt House, Herodian Quarter, Western Wall Tunnels, Bethlehem.
- Other meals included – St. Peter’s Fish Lunch by the Sea of Galilee
- Porterage at airport & hotels
Not Included in the Tour Price:
- Medical coverage & travel insurance
- International and Domestic flights
- Israel visa fee if applicable
- Expenses of a personal nature
- Lunches throughout (except St. Peter’s Fish Lunch)
- Tips to guide, driver, hotel staff, and restaurants – suggested amounts:
- Guide: $7-9 per person per day
- Driver: $6-7 per person per day
- Hotels: $2 per person per day
- Beverages during meals
Hotels (subject to change, but this is where we have reservations for our group)
Herods Tel Aviv/Tel Aviv/Israel (first night in Tel-Aviv)
Leonardo Plaza Hotel Tiberias (three nights in Tiberias)
Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalem (seven nights in Jerusalem)
Trip cost: $3,999 per person (not including your airfare)
Single supplement is an additional $1950
Deposit of $750 per person due by February 15, 2024
2nd payment of $1,000 per person due by May 1, 2024
Final payment of balance due by August 1, 2024
FINAL DEADLINE TO SIGN UP IS AUGUST 1, 2024
Please Note: We are limiting the size of this tour group, so please register as soon as possible in order to hold your spot in the group.
Click here to register and pay your trip deposit with a credit or debit card
To register and pay your trip deposit by check, mail your check along with your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address to:
Catalytic Leadership LLC
Attn: Israel 2024 Trip
P. O. Box 60
White Post, VA 22663
Questions? Email us at william@catalyticleadership.net
Cancellation Policy
- More than 120 days out – no cancellation fee
- 90-119 days – cancellation fee of $250 per participant
- 60-89 days – cancellation fee of $500 per participant
- 31-59 days – cancellation fee of $1,000 per participant
- Less than 31 days – no refund
