The Christian Century

• Depart USA on flight to Israel.

NOTE: The first day’s activities will depend on flight arrival time.

• Assistance upon arrival and board bus for Jerusalem.
• Ascend to Jerusalem via the Judean Hills.
• Welcome ceremony overlooking the Old City.
• Check in to the hotel.
• Festive welcome dinner and program orientation.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Jerusalem: Political and Spiritual Center, hevruta text study with Marcie Lenk.
• Morning in the Old City beginning with an introduction to the multi-ethnic weave of the city from atop the Old City Rooftops for a view of Jerusalem’s Four Quarters from above and continuing into the Jewish and Christian Quarters.
• Afternoon of Interfaith and Interethnic Dialogue, possibilities include:
  • Sharing of ideas with local Theologians and study with students.
  • A visit to the Yad be Yad – Hand in Hand bilingual (Hebrew-Arabic) school.
  • A special program with Kids4Peace, an initiative which develops long term immersive educational experiences for Jewish and Arab children for the ages of 12-18.
• Return to the hotel for rest and relaxation, followed by dinner on your own in Jerusalem.

• Early morning visit to the Temple Mount – Haram al Sharif.
• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Orthodox Jewish Communities, text study with Marcie Lenk focused on the differences between haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jews and dati-leumi (national Orthodox) Jews and how these differences affect Israeli politics.
• Does Secular Judaism Have Spiritual Meaning?, text study with Rani Jaeger, of the Shalom Hartman Institute and founder of Beit Tfilah Yisraeli.
• Visit Midreshet Lindenbaum, a women’s Jewish study seminary for a discussion with faculty and students on questions of Orthodox Feminism.
• Special program with Rabbis for Human Rights.
• Dinner at the hotel.
• Meet with Gabi Lev, theater director, and actors in her troupe to experience and discuss contemporary expressions of Jewish themes.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• The Memory of the Holocaust in Contemporary Israeli Society, with scholar Rachel Korazim.
• Visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s national memorial for the Holocaust, including the Avenue of the Righteous, the Holocaust History Museum, and the Children’s Memorial.
• Conversation with AMCHA, an NGO dedicated to working with the second- and third-generation children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors.
• Sabbath: Text study with Marcie Lenk.
• Depart the hotel for Kabbalat Shabbat (welcoming in the Sabbath) at the Kotel (Western Wall).
• Sabbath dinner together at the hotel.
• Processing at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Free morning for personal exploration.
• What Does it Mean to be Christian in Israel? with Hana Bendcowsky.
• Multi-ethnic walking tour in Western Jerusalem, exploring a weave of traditions and cross-cultural bonds and divisions which permeate the neighborhoods of Western Jerusalem.
• Meet with local Christian leaders.
• Dinner on your own at Machane Yehudah Market.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Church service at St. George’s Cathedral.
• Drive north of Jerusalem to the northern West Bank with guide Rami Nazzal.
• Drive through the Qalandia checkpoint and Jerusalem Envelope Barrier.
• Visit the El Amari refugee camp.
• Discuss issues of the proximity of Jewish settlements and Arab towns while looking at Psagot from El Bireh.
• Lunch and meet with Christian political activists near Birzeit.
• Free time in downtown Ramallah.
• Dinner in
• Drive to Bethlehem.
• Check in to Bethlehem hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Tour of the separation barrier and the Banksy Hotel
• Meet with Sami Awad of the Holyland Trust.
• Lunch in Bethlehem.
• Meet with the Mayor of Bethlehem.
• Guided tour around Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity.
• Return to the hotel, free time to explore Bethlehem.
• Evening discussion with Huda Abu Arquob, representative of Women Wage Peace, with dinner.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Continue to Roots – Judour – Shorashim, a project of Settlers and Palestinians, attempting to find a common language for living together with seemingly opposing narratives regarding national and religious rights to the land, with Noor Awad and Hanan Shlesinger.
• Drive to the Valley of Elah for a short text study on King David and continue to the Trans-Israel Highway.
• Lunch on own en route.
• Continue to Nazareth for a visit to the Church of the Annunciation, followed by a conversation with Muslim and Christian leaders
• Drive to Kibbutz Ginnosar and check in to guesthouse.
• Dinner at the guesthouse.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Ascend to the Golan Heights and Mount Bental, which overlooks the Israeli-Syrian border, for a look at the complex relationship between Israel and Syria in the wake of the Syrian civil war.
• Continue to the Druze village of Buq’ata and visit the home of Naseeba Samara, for a glimpse into life in the Druze community and her standing between Israel and Syria.
• Visit Capernaum, Tabgha and the Mount of Beatitudes on the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee, considering Jesus and the Apostles as Jews of their time.
• Drive to Tel Aviv.
• Check in to the Tel Aviv hotel.
• Dinner on your own and free time in Tel Aviv.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Dual-narrative walking tour of Jaffa.
• Guided walk through the first neighborhoods of Tel Aviv, including Neve Zedek and Rothschild Blvd.
• Israel, Zionism and Jewish Culture, visit Alma on Rothschild Blvd for a text study with Ruth Calderon.
• Free time for rest, relaxation and shopping.
• Afternoon concluding processing session.
• Festive farewell dinner at Goshen restaurant.
• Depart for Ben Gurion Airport.

• Return flight to the United States.

*Program is subject to change, pending confirmations.