Calvary Episcopal Church
A Pilgrimage of Jews & Christians to Israel Together

Led by Rev. Jonathon Jensen and Rabbi Aaron Bisno

Oct 11, 2023 - Oct 22, 2023

DESTINATION Israel
Who’s Going Adults Only
Trip Type Congregational
Duration 12 DAYS
Group Size 40+
Price From $5,750

J²way intro
Your journey
Itinerary
Rates & Lodging
What to expect

Program is tentative and subject to change. Connect with our Customer Care Team by calling: (888) 230-6008 Mon.-Thur. from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).

YOUR journey

J² crafts journeys of inspiration, education, and Jewish connections to Israel and worldwide. We are guided by a simple but powerful concept: No two trips are the same; each experience should be personal, meaningful, and backed by superb service. Travel is not just about the places you visit, but the connections you make along the way.

Active
Art & Culture
Food & Wine
Local Specialists
Heritage
Jeep Tour
Archaeology
Nature Walks
Expert Scholar

Program Itinerary

DAY 1

DEPARTURE

Wed. Oct 11, 2023

Depart the USA.

Overnight: Flight

DAY 2

WELCOME TO ISRAEL

Thu. Oct 12, 2023

Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport.
Meet your tour educator who will accompany you on this journey of education and inspiration.
Check into the hotel.
Israel 101 welcome dinner and orientation with staff.

Overnight: Jerusalem Meals: Dinner

DAY 3

JERUSALEM OF GOLD

Fri. Oct 13, 2023

Take a walking tour through Jerusalem's Old City and the Jewish Quarter and experience the center of Jewish life, history, and holiness. Among the highlights will be:
- A climb to the rooftops to see and discuss the ties and tensions between the different faith groups and communities of the Old City.
- The Jewish Quarter's famous Hurva Synagogue.
- The Cardo, the main street of Roman-controlled Jerusalem and its spectacular Byzantine-era columns.
- King Hezekiah's "Broad Wall," a massive wall built to protect Jerusalem from invasion 2,700 years ago.
- Hurva Square, the center of modern-day life in the Jewish Quarter.
- No visit to Israel is complete without experiencing the Kotel (Western Wall), widely considered Judaism's holiest site.
Explore the Western Wall Tunnel, the underground continuation of the Kotel, and examine important archaeological discoveries that are revising our understanding of daily life in ancient Jerusalem.
Experience Mahane Yehuda, Jerusalem's iconic outdoor market.
Return to the hotel.
Join Jerusalem in welcoming the Sabbath, the high point of the Jewish week, with Kabbalat Shabbat services. You can celebrate Shabbat alongside people from countless different traditions and countries at Judaism’s holiest site, the Western Wall, or sample some of the city’s dizzying variety of synagogues.
Enjoy a festive dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Jerusalem Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

DAY 4

SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM AND BETHLEHEM

Sat. Oct 14, 2023

Explore Bethlehem, a Palestinian town on the West Bank.
Explore the Israel Museum, housing more than 5,000 years of cultural treasures.
Return to the hotel.
Join Professor Reuven Hazan of the Political Science Department at Hebrew University for an introduction into Israel's turbulent political scene.
At nightfall, we will mark the end of a special Shabbat with a communal Havdalah ceremony overlooking the Old City.
Jerusalem at night provides a very different vision of the Holy City. Check out how the locals let their hair down during a free evening and explore Jerusalem nightlife. A few suggestions:
- The Mamilla Mall, an upscale, open-air food and shopping area located outside the Old City’s Jaffa Gate.
- Check out the First Station. Jerusalem’s rail link from the late 19th century has been transformed into a center of restaurants, shops, and culture.
- Join the crowds strolling through the Ben Yehuda and Nahalat Shiva Pedestrian Malls.

Overnight: Jerusalem Meals: Breakfast

DAY 5

HOPE AND CHALLENGE

Sun. Oct 15, 2023

Services at St. George Church.
See the Church of the Redeemer, one of the major Protestant churches of Jerusalem. In 1898, Kaiser Wilhelm came to Jerusalem from Germany to personally dedicate this church. Today, congregations worship here in four different languages (Arabic, English, German, and Danish).
Stop at the Pools of Bethesda.
Follow the Via Dolorosa.
Visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the place where Jesus is believed to have been crucified. This church is one of Christianity’s great pilgrimage sites and a testament to the remarkable diversity of the Christian world.
Visit the Old City Shuk (market) in the Christian Quarter.
Descend to the Garden of Gethsemane.

Overnight: Jerusalem Meals: Breakfast

DAY 6

TO THE NORTH

Mon. Oct 16, 2023

Check out of the hotel.
Explore the similarities and differences between three religious groups – Jews, Samaritans, and Christians – who lived side-by-side in the Land of Israel. The Good Samaritan Site displays magnificent mosaics from synagogues (Jewish and Samaritan) and churches from the Byzantine Period, the time of the Mishna and Talmud. Located in the inn identified with the parable of the Good Samaritan, it also includes an exhibition on the once-numerous Samaritan people who still have a community in Israel today.
Visit Kasser Al Yahud, the spot where Christians believe the baptism of Jesus took place. According to Jewish tradition, it is where the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River and Elijah the Prophet ascended to heaven.
The beautiful area around the Sea of Galilee is rich with history and holy sites. A center of early Christianity, this is where Jesus is said to have walked on water. We’ll visit:
- Tabgha, where tradition holds that Jesus miraculously turned a few fish and loaves into a meal for thousands. See the restored 5th-century Church of the Multiplication and its mosaics of fish and bread.
- The Church of the Primacy of St. Peter marks where it is believed that Jesus tested Peter before declaring him preeminent among the Twelve Apostles (John 21). Located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, this 20th-century church still contains elements from the original church built here in the 4th century.
- The Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus is believed to have delivered one of his most influential sermons: the “Sermon on the Mount.”
- Capernaum often called the “town of Jesus.” This ancient fishing village was a mixed Christian-Jewish area where Jesus and his disciple Peter were based. Explore the churches and synagogues that have been discovered here and see the many pilgrims.
Check into the hotel.
Enjoy dinner on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Overnight: Sea of Galilee Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

DAY 7

NATURE AND SPIRITUALITY

Tue. Oct 17, 2023

Visit the Zippori National Park, known for its extraordinary ancient mosaics and its central role in Jewish life after the destruction of the Temple.
Continue to the Ari Synagogue.
See the Caro Synagogue, built originally, like the Ari Synagogue, in the 16th century.
Join an Israeli Arab family at their home to talk, over tea and coffee, about their lives and to join them for a GalilEat cooking workshop, followed by a traditional dinner and knafeh dessert.
Return to the hotel.

Overnight: Sea of Galilee Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

DAY 8

ALONG THE WATER

Wed. Oct 18, 2023

Check out of the hotel.
Visit Nazareth.
Continue to Caesarea, one of the Land of Israel’s most important cities during the Roman Period.
Take part in a special program with the Institute for the Advancement of Education in Tel Aviv-Jaffa (“The Jaffa Institute”), a private, non-profit, multi-service social agency, established in order to assist thousands of severely disadvantaged children and their families.
Stop at the Jaffa Overlook for an introduction to Tel Aviv.
Check into the hotel.

Overnight: Tel Aviv Meals: Breakfast

DAY 9

IT IS ALL ABOUT COMMUNITY

Thu. Oct 19, 2023

Follow the Independence Trail in Tel Aviv and embark on a remarkable journey that begins with the founding of Tel Aviv in 1909 and ends with the establishment of Israel in 1948.
Walk through colorful Neve Zedek, one of Tel Aviv’s earliest neighborhoods.
Eat, drink, and learn at Levinsky Market, where we’ll sample food, sweets, and spices from all over the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
Visit ANU - Museum of the Jewish People, which is dedicated to telling the ongoing story of the Jewish people.

Overnight: Tel Aviv Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

DAY 10

THE FIRST HEBREW CITY

Fri. Oct 20, 2023

Check out of the hotel.
Visit Yad Vashem, the national memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
Spend time at Mount Herzl, Israel's national cemetery.
Enjoy Kabbalat Shabbat and dinner at the hotel.

Overnight: Jerusalem Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

DAY 11

SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM

Sat. Oct 21, 2023

Explore the pastoral neighborhoods of Yemin Moshe and Mishkenot Sha'ananim, where the great banker and philanthropist Sir Moses Montefiore developed the famous windmill and the artists’ colony.
Enjoy lunch on own in the Muslim Quarter.
Late check-out of the hotel followed by a festive farewell dinner.
Group transfer to the airport for your departure flight.

Overnight: Flight Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

DAY 12

UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN

Sun. Oct 22, 2023

Return to the USA.

RATES & LODGING

participants

40+

Cost p/p in double room

$5,750

Cost p/p in single room

$8,300

Registration open

Jerusalem: Mamilla Hotel

Nights: 4

Room Category: Studio

Hotel Website

Sea of Galilee: Galei Kinneret

Nights: 2

Room Category: Standard

Hotel Website

Tel Aviv: Crowne Plaza Beach

Nights: 2

Room Category: Deluxe

Hotel Website

Jerusalem: Mamilla Hotel

Nights: 1+ LCO

Room Category: Studio

Hotel Website

9 nights' accommodations. Late check out on the day of departure is included.
10 days of touring with a tour educator (guide), 10 days of touring in a luxury, air-conditioned bus.
Daily breakfast, 1 lunch & 6 dinners.
Water on the bus.
Porterage at the airport & hotels.
All site entrance fees & program fees as per your final program.

Credit card fees.
Flights to & from Israel.
COVID related expenses, including tests.
Evening transportation when dinner is not included.
Amendments to the program: In the event that any sites, programs or meals etc. are added to the program, an additional fee may be required.
Personal extras: Items of personal nature such as laundry, wines, mineral water, beverages, coffee, tea, food other than the table d’hotel menu, passport and visa fees, insurance, and foreign port taxes, unless otherwise specified.
US and foreign airport taxes, Q fuel surcharge and border taxes when applicable.
Value Added Tax is currently not applicable to tourists visiting Israel. Should the law change, you will be notified accordingly, and VAT will be added to your final invoice.
Gratuities: Recommend guidelines for tipping are provided in the terms section.

Please review our terms & conditions (T&C’s) or request that we send you our full T&C’s. Until you do that, here is the small print, and other stuff you may want to know:
Validity | All prices quoted are based on exchange rates as of the proposal date and are subject to change without notice. Rates are per person and are based on shared twin room occupancy.
How to Make a Reservation | The quickest way to make a reservation is to register online or contact us by email. We accept VISA, MasterCard, and American Express credit cards. A non-refundable deposit is required in order to complete the registration process.
For any assistance with this registration process or other trip-related queries, please email Customer Care: [email protected]
Payments | The balance of your payment is due 90 days before your trip begins, or as specified in your invoice. You will receive an email reminder 2 weeks before this date. Various payment options are available as follows:
Credit card | We accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express. Please check with your credit card provider regarding international processing fees. We are unable to process payments of over $1,000 over the phone. Please submit payment online via a credit card or by wiring funds via your bank.
Domestic bank wire transfer | Payment should be wired in the same currency that is listed on your invoice. Please add the name of your group or invoice number as a reference and forward a copy of the transfer receipt by email. The bank transfer should clearly state the beneficiary’s name on the wire transfer.
Please use the following information: Citizens Bank: 1 Citizens Drive, Riverside, RI 02915 Routing number: 021313103 (Domestic only) ACH: 036076150 SWIFT Code: CTZIUS33 (International only)
Beneficiary Instructions: For the benefit of J² Adventures. Account number: 1001858331
J² Adventures reserves the right to automatically cancel your reservation on that date and it may be subject to reconfirmation should the final payment not be received.
Cancelation Policy | All cancelations need to be made in writing. The cancelation fee depends on the date when we receive written notification of your request to cancel your booking. Please note that the deposit is non-refundable.
Cancelation fees | Cancelations made 90 or more days prior to departure incur the loss of the deposit. Cancelations made 89 to 46 days prior to departure incur the loss of 50% of the full trip cost. Cancelations made 45 days or less prior to the departure incur the loss of 100% of the full trip cost.
Cancelation fees may also include: Hotel or supplier cancelation fees. J² Adventures reserves the right to adjust its terms of payment, including cancelation policies and initial deposits. Please refer to the small print tab on your trip’s webpage or in your proposal for your cancelation policy and fees.