Pilgrim Tours to Israel

The tiny land of Israel is packed with religious history spanning three religions. Pilgrim tours to Israel explore these religious landmarks and bring history one reads about in holy text to vibrant life. Some very important sites for pilgrim tours to Israel include Jerusalem, Bethlehem and the Dead Sea.

Jerusalem

Jerusalem’s rich and holy history has made it a destination of conflict as well as pilgrim tours to Israel. For Christians the Church of the Holy Sepulcher marks the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and is the most important holy site to visit. The Dome of the Rock is an Islamic holy site, which traditionally marks the place where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Ishmael and the Prophet Mohammad rose to heaven. The Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall are interconnected with the Dome of the Rock but represent important places of Jewish history. The close proximity of many holy sites in Jerusalem demonstrate how intertwined these three often antagonistic religions really are.

Bethlehem

Pilgrim tours to Israel frequently include trips to Bethlehem to see the place where Jesus was born. This is an enjoyable destination throughout the year but becomes even more special around Christmas time when there are many recreations of the birth of Christ. The Church of the Nativity is very popular in all pilgrim tours to Israel because it is one of the oldest surviving Christian churches in the world.

Masada

Any pilgrim tour to Israel should really include a visit to the ancient Jewish fort of Masada overlooking the Dead Sea. There are many tour guides and tours of the fort, which will tell the story of how Jewish soldiers were besieged by the Romans at this fort. In the end, 960 soldiers and their families chose suicide over surrender.