April 10 - April 19, 2026

This Israel Tour was designed by Dr. Taylor Halverson, and will be led by Master Teacher & Scripture Scholar Sam Smith, Ph.D. Taylor and Sam have been friends and teachers for nearly 3 decades!

Immerse yourself in the world of Jesus Christ and the New Testament together with the vibrant sites and sounds of the living cultures of the Holy Land today.

[Note: This is a very active tour. You’ll need to be comfortable and capable of walking 3-5 miles in a day, climbing up and down stairs and hills unassisted, and walking on uneven surfaces.]

April 10 - Fly to Israel

Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport

April 11 - Flights Arrive in Tel Aviv, Israel

Schedule your flights to arrive in Tel Aviv this afternoon or evening. Transfers to hotel in Tel Aviv. 

April 12 - Caesarea Maritima; Megiddo; St. Peter's Fish Lunch; Capernaum; Sea of Galilee

Why was Caesarea Maritima built and by whom? And why did important New Testament events happen there? What is the symbol of the Jezreel Valley? What is the symbol of Megiddo? Why were the Jezreel Valley and Megiddo so strategically and vitally important for thousands of years? What do we learn about Jesus and his message and miracles from his ministry home base of Capernaum? What do we feel and experience when we are at the Sea of Galilee?

April 13 - Tel Dan; Caesarea Philippi; Druze Lunch; Qatzrin; Mount of Beatitudes

How does Qatzrin help us better imagine the life and times of Jesus? Why did Jesus take his disciples to Caesarea Philippi to specifically ask them “Whom do men say that I am?”? Why is Tel Dan so important for understanding Old Testament history? What connection does that site have to Abraham, King David, the fall of the northern 10 tribes of Israel, and Jesus? What is the covenantal significance of the Sermon on the Mount? Why does Matthew place it in his Gospel where he does? Why is Mount Arbel significant for understanding Jewish history as well as Jesus’s great commission?

April 14 - Nazareth; Qasr al Yahud (River Jordan baptism site); Jericho; Jerusalem

What understanding unfolds about the life and times of Jesus unfolds as you visit the Nazareth Biblical village? Why is Nazareth significant for Jesus and for understanding his ministry? Where did Jesus choose to get baptized and why? Why is Jericho important to civilization, the Israelite conquest of the Holy Land, and the ministry of Jesus? What is significant about the Mount of Transfiguration? Why is Mount Carmel important to Biblical history and teaching?

April 15 - Bethlehem; City of David; Hezekiah’s Tunnel; Pool of Siloam; Mount of Olives; Garden of Gethsemane; Olive Wood shopping

What is the significance of Jesus being born in Bethlehem, and of Shepherd’s field? Why is the city of David located where it is? Why did Hezekiah build his tunnel? What is the significance of the Pool of Siloam? Why did Jesus choose the Garden of Gethsemane to suffer? Why is Jerusalem called the city of peace?

April 16 - Dome of the Rock; Western Wall; Temple Steps; Via Dolorosa; Church of the Holy Sepulcher; Hezekiah’s Broad Wall

What is the symbolism and significance of the Dome of the Rock? Why is it where it is? Why is the Western Wall so significant to Jews? What is the Via Dolorosa and why do pilgrims walk this route in the Old City of Jerusalem? What is the significance of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher?

April 17 - Masada; Qumran; Dead Sea; Wadi Qelt

Who built Masada and why? What is Qumran and how is it related to the Dead Sea Scrolls? Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls such a significant discovery? What do we learn about the Judean Wilderness, Jesus’s temptations, and the Good Samaritan story at Wadi Qelt?

April 18 - BYU Jerusalem Church (if available); Last Supper; St. Peter in Gallicantu; Garden Tomb; late night flights home

What did Jesus do during his last supper, and when on trial with the Jewish authorities and why? What can we experience at the Garden Tomb? How will you be different now that you have experienced the Holy Land?

April 19 - Arrive home with incredible memories!

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