Read Sandy Tolan's book The Lemon Tree

This will be my sixth tour to the Middle East. I am pleased to be able to introduce participants to the wonder of this holy but troubled land through encounter with the land and its people. In blog posts to come, I will share ways in which you can prepare for this tour. I begin by recommending a book: Sandy Tolan’s The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East (Bloomsbury, 2006). It tells the story of the conflict between Israeli Jews and Palestinians through the experiences of two people who lived in the same house. This book is one of the the best places to start for coming to understand the conflict in the region.

I invite you to browse the tour itinerary by CLICKING HERE.

Notice the many links to biblical sites, organizations, and accommodations. We will again be visiting Petra and Sinai, two exotic side-trips that are a highlight for me. We have a very fine Palestinian guide, whom we thoroughly enjoyed on our 2008 tour. We will be staying in a hotel on Manger Square, in the heart of Bethlehem, as well as in the Old City of Jerusalem. Most tour groups visit Bethlehem for half a day, and do not stay inside the Old City. This tour allows for 21 days on the ground, not including travel days. Most commercial tours are 12-14 days, including travel days. A longer tour offers us a more robust experience, allowing for more than a superficial encounter with the land and its people. Rather than running where Jesus walked, we’ll have time to meet the people of the land, to take a good number of nature hikes, and much more. We’ll have some free time in Bethlehem, and a full day in Jerusalem.