Thursday, March 24
Begin the day with a visit to the excavations at Zippori (or Tsipori), once a major city
near the then-village of Nazareth. Here the highlights include a mosaic synagogue floor
from the 5th century A.D., and a Roman villa featuring the mosaic “Mona Lisa of the
Galilee.” Continue to the Jordan River at a spot after it exits the Sea of Galilee.
Next we travel to Beit Shean considered the most magnificent archeological site in
Israel. Located at the juncture of the Jezreel and Jordan valleys, it has been almost
continuously occupied throughout recorded history. After defeating Saul and his sons on
Mt. Gilboa, the Philistines hanged their bodies on the walls of Beit Shean.
Following the Jordan Valley south to Jerusalem, we end our day at Yad Vashem,
the memorial to the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust. A new museum (2005)
uses artifacts and multimedia to document Jewish life in Europe under the Nazis. By
arrangement of Pastor Derr, our tour will be led by the Rev. Susanna Kokkonen, the
Director of Christian Friends of Yad Vashem.
Overnight: Jerusalem