We still have a few spaces left on the Israel tour but we will have to close it out soon. The price will likely never be cheaper. We have also added a “slimmed down” version of the Petra/Jordan ad-on at much less money.  The cost is $475 now and includes 2 extras nights at Tamar and 2 day trips (October 29-30), one to Petra in Jordan and the other to the spectacular Mitzpa Ramon Crater in the Beersheva area with the final day in Jerusalem (October 31st), flying overnight and arriving back November 1st.

I am your personal guide on this tour and everyone who goes has personal access to both Dr. Coxen and me the entire time. The itinerary speaks for itself, it is not the average “Holy Land” tour, though we of course do see all the main sites–we just do a lot extra that tours almost never do. See link and pricing options here, and you can register and hold your place with a deposit immediately here.

I have made forty-four trips to Israel since 1990 but I have only led two tours. One was a private group from my university; the second, last year, I opened to the public–primarily various readers of my books who had followed some of my career as a biblical scholar. This is not the standard “Holy Land” tour. I have shaped the special itinerary myself, teaming up with Dewayne Coxen, as I did last year. Dr. Coxen has traveled to Israel over 150 times over the past 50 years–I think he has actually lost count. In addition to this rich experience he also provides us with our connection to the archaeological site of biblical Tamar, in the Negev desert, one of the centerpieces of this tour. Not only do I want to give participants a survey of the Land of Israel, from “Dan to Beersheva,” quite literally–and everything in between–but I want them to have a chance to get their hands dirty actually working for a day at an archaeological site. One could not find a better opportunity for this than Tamar, not to mention the inspiring experience of staying two nights in the Desert.

My idea on this tour is to take a limited group of 45 people together on one bus and give them an overview of the archaeological and historical side of my work as a Biblical scholar–and particularly one who has worked on the historical Jesus and the Origins of Christianity for the past 40 years. We are also doing our best to hold the prices down, despite rising airline and hotel costs. Neither Dr. Coxen or I charge a fee for leading this tour. We both do what we do because of a love of history, a fascination with our research, and the satisfaction of introducing others to the Land of Israel.

This fascinating piece by Bruce Feiler is well worth reading and including in your family Thanksgiving table discussion today…Best wishes to all!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-feiler/how-moses-created-thanksg_b_787077.html?ref=fb&src=sp

Hollywood is rediscovering the Bible.

Two rival films about Moses, both by established producers, are vying to become the next chapter of the century-long love affair between the merchants of sin in Tinsletown and the prophet of hope in Israel. But no matter how far the filmmakers stretch their story, there are unlikely to reach the least known but perhaps most influential impact of Moses today: He is the Patron Saint of Thanksgiving.

The real story of Thanksgiving has surprising biblical roots. A few years ago, I set out on a 10,000-mile journey through the hidden symbols of American life that became the basis for my book, America’s Prophet: How the Story of Moses Shaped America. My journey began on a visit to Plymouth, Mass., where I boarded a replica of The Mayflower. A re-enactor was reading from the Bible. “Exodus 14,” he explained. “The Israelites are trapped in front of the Red Sea, and the Egyptians are about to catch them. ‘Hold your peace!’ Moses says. The Lord shall fight for you.’ Our leader read us that passage during our crossing.”

I hadn’t ever associated the biblical prophet with this most American holidays, but his fingerprints are all over our turkeys. How did this happen? How did a 3,000-year-old story become the inspiration for a contemporary American national holiday?

The answer begins with the Protestant Reformation. All through the Middle Ages, Catholics were not allowed to read the Bible directly, but the Reformation, coupled with the printing press, brought vernacular Bibles into the hands of everyday believers. Many of those believers were Protestants who felt oppressed by the Church. They related to the story of the Israelites, the descendants of Abraham who were enslaved in Egypt around 1200 B.C., were set free by Moses, then set out for the Promised Land.

The Pilgrims, a band of Protestant outcasts, saw themselves as fulfilling this biblical story. In coming to the New World, they, too, had to cross a tumultuous sea, arrive in an untested wilderness and create a new “Promised Land.” As a result, when they set sail on The Mayflower in 1620, they described themselves as the chosen people fleeing their pharaoh, King James. On the Atlantic, their leader, William Bradford, proclaimed their journey to be as vital as “Moses and the Israelites when they went out of Egypt.” And when they got to Cape Cod, they thanked God for letting them pass through their fiery Red Sea.

The pilgrims were so enamored of Moses, the Bibles they brought with them were emblazoned with pictures of Moses on the title page, and they named their children biblical virtues like Fear, Patience and Wrestling, as in “Wrestling with God,” the English translation of Israel.

As Peter Gomes, the preacher of Harvard told me, “They weren’t trying to recreate the biblical narrative. They were trying to fulfill it.” Because of them, the story of Moses became the story of America.

And because of the biblical roots of this most secular of American holidays, if your gathering threatens to descend into a familiar fracas among different faiths, factions and political persuasions, Moses, precisely because he has been used by believers and non-believers alike, Republicans and Democrats, Jews, Catholics and Protestants, may be the one figure who can unite the family and allow them all to enjoy their pumpkin pie.

This entry is part of a series, “This Month in Moses,” chronicling the 400-year relationship between the United States and “America’s Prophet.” For more information, and to read the entire series, visit Bruce Feiler’s website, or follow him on Twitter.

Some of us are old enough to remember June, 1967, where we were and how deeply affected we were over the incredible crisis of the war with its amazing, truly miraculous ,results. For me it was one of the defining events of my life and my generation.  I was 21 years old, living in Texas, and like so many others was glued to the television 24/7 as the fate of Israel hung in the balance. None doubted that the shrill words over Egyptian, Jordanian, and Syrian radio about finishing the job that Hitler began would be carried out in full should it be militarily possible.  The ancient words of Psalm 83 and Psalm 124 seemed uncannily relevant, as if history does indeed repeat itself in some strange cycle of protagonists.

Today on the Hebrew calendar is called Yom Yerushalayim, Iyyar 28th, which commemorates the liberation of the city of Jerusalem, putting it back in Jewish hands after 2300 years of what the prophet Daniel calls the trampling of the nations (Daniel 8:13-14). Despite all the directions things have gone since that fateful day in terms of Israeli and Arab conflicts over the city of Jerusalem and its holy places I am convinced that we will look back someday on this date in history and know it is one of the most important and significant in world history.

Here is a video that captures the moment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E63AKJpa1Tk