Understanding Israel
Led by
Julia Fisher, Writer and Broadcaster
Author of 'Israel : The Mystery of Peace' and 'Future for Israel?'
True stories of reconciliation in the Holy Land Today
The purpose of these tours
NB A detailed itinerary, including details of some of
the people we will be meeting, will be sent to you nearer the time -
the above is intended as a rough guide only.
For details of future tours please email julia.fisher@btopenworld.com
Israel: The Mystery Of Peace Tour
Qumran - click image for larger version
Having just returned from leading a tour around Israel
and the West Bank, I'd like to tell you all about it! A combined
Canadian/British group, we've enjoyed 10 days of touring the land and
talking to the people who live there...Jewish and Arab believers and
finding out how they manage to get on together.
The title for the tour was taken from a book I wrote
last year called, 'Israel: the Mystery of Peace' in which I told the
stories of a number of Jewish believers and Christians (many of them
Arabs) who have discovered the secret of peace as described in the
Bible (for example in Ephesians where Paul talks about the 'one new
man'...Jew and Gentile, reconciled through a shared belief in the death
and resurrection of the Jesus on the cross which has the effect of
breaking down ancient hostilities.) On our tour was a former imam from
Ghana. He became a Christian quite unexpectedly some years ago and for
him this was his first visit to Israel. He was visibly moved to tears
on a number of occasions as he met and talked with Arab Christians who
now cherish the land of Israel and the Jewish people. We visited Jaffa,
Caesarea, Mount Carmel and Megido...and remembered what happened in
these places! We met local believers in each place we visited...heard
their stories...listened to their challenges, their pain, and their
stories of hope.
Southern Temple Steps - click image for larger version
In
Nazareth we met a local Arab pastor who represents a minority within a
minority. We sailed across the Sea of Galilee; walked down the Mount of
Beatitudes, wandered around the ruins of Capernaum, everywhere using
the Bible as our guide book. On Shabbat we worshipped with Jews and
Arabs together...a unique experience. The next day some of our group
chose to be baptised in the River Jordan.
We drove up into the Golan Heights...looked over Lebanon
and Syria. We visited Caesarea Philippi where Peter acknowledged that
Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. We saw the snow on the
summit of Mount Hermon. And then we drove down the Jordan Valley,
around Jericho and on up to Jerusalem. Our first view of Jerusalem was
from the top of the Mount of Olives. We climbed out of the coach and
walked down the Mount to Gethsemane. And what about Bethlehem where the
dividing fence becomes a giant wall? We walked through the security
gates...and emerged into another world...a silent world of pain and
hardship. But even here we saw how the Arab Christians are helping
their Muslim neighbours...providing health care, child care, education,
food and clothing. We saw that the darkness cannot put out the light.
At the Temple site looking towards the Mt of Olives - click image for larger version
We
walked through the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem, passed the
Pools of Bethesda, stood on the southern Temple steps...the very steps
Jesus would have climbed countless times as he visited the Temple. And
we shared a communion service in the Garden Tomb.
It is said that to understand Israel, you have to
understand the Holocaust...and so we visited Yad Vashem. Then we drove
down to the Dead Sea, to Ein Gedi and climbed the waterfall and thought
of David being pursued by Saul. And then it ended, but not before we
agreed to meet next year in Jerusalem and discover more about what God
is doing in the Middle East...reconciling people to Himself and to each
other.If you would like to join a similar tour, email me
