Inspiration Tours – Jerusalem – Holy Land

After many month of sadness, grief, and incertitude, we have just received the following message. It gives us a new hope for the future! We pray that it may become true, so tat we may meet you all soon in the Holy Land!

Israeli authorities have begun early planning toward the resumption of incoming tourism to Israel by Mid December 2020.
The information we can share with you today is a bright point of hope following eight months of severe travel restriction. Please remember that these points reflect only the early planning stages, and future travel easing will have to be approved by the appropriate authorities before full implementation is announced.

1. Together with the opening of Israeli hotels on December 15, 2020, the government is considering allowing the entrance of tour groups from “green nations.”
2. Groups (of no more than 30 participants) have to be pre-authorized by the Ministry of Immigration and Health Ministry.
3. All group members must carry a valid Health Insurance Policy that includes Coronavirus treatment.
4. All group members must carry proof of a negative PCR test result.
5. Each group will be assigned their dedicated Guide and Driver who will stay with the group full time from arrival to departure. The Guide and Driver will be PCR tested before the group’s arrival, and will not return to their homes until the group’s departure.
6. During the tour, the group will remain in a “capsule mode” during site seeing and shopping, while using only their designated bus and assigned seating area in the dining halls or restaurants.
7. Pre-approval information that will be submitted to the Israeli authorities will include: Travelers’ information, Foreign Agent’s information, Israeli Agent’s information, and contact person per group, proof of Health Insurance, Detailed itinerary, including hotels and site visits and Names of dedicated Guide and Driver.
   Again, these are GOOD NEWS indeed, and we will continue to update you as the new rules firm up and as specific guidelines are finalized. Please do not hesitate to call our office with any questions you might have as we are standing by to assist you to make plans for your future groups to Israel.

On the 6th of August the Catholics celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. The place of the Transfiguration is traditionally located on the Mount Tabor.

The localization of the Transfiguration fluctuated at the beginning of the Byzantine period. Eusebius (d. 340) hesitates between Tabor and Mount Hermon, while the Pilgrim of Bordeaux (333) places it on the Mount of Olives. In 348 Cyril of Jerusalem decided on Tabor, and the support of Epiphanius and Jerome established the tradition firmly. The date of the first religious constructions is uncertain. The anonymous pilgrim of Piacenza saw three basilicas in 570. Willibaldus in 723, on the contrary, mentions only one church dedicated to Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. The contradiction disappears if we assume three chapels architecturally linked, as in the present building.

Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, The Holy Land : an Oxford archaeological guide from earliest times to 1700. Oxford University Press, 2008.

Three canonical Gospels give us an account about the event. Let us read the text written by Saint Luke:

Luke, chapter 9:
28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

New Revised Standard Version

We all suffer because of the global pandemic. All the travels had been cancelled. We have stayed at home. The streets of our cities and villages became empty.

The Holy Places were closed for many weeks as well. The Nativity Grotto in Bethlehem and the Holy Tomb in Jerusalem were not accessible for the faithful. Only the priests and monks who lived in the shrines continued to celebrate their liturgies.

These days many churches in the Holy Land are open, but only a handful of people come to pray there. The empty Tomb of Jesus is really empty, which is an unusual view for our pilgrims, who saw it full of multilingual crowds.

We pray that we may see you all soon in the shrines of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Galilee. We wait for you!

Our first website was built in 2007. Now it is time to refresh it completely. We hope that all our friends, clients, and pilgrim will be able to find here all necessary information to prepare their trip to the Land of Jesus.

Inspiration Tours is a Jerusalem based tour operator specialized in Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land – Israel and Palestine, Jordan, and Egypt. However, being aware of the richness of this land we are dedicated to providing professional services and custom designed itineraries based on the individual expectations.

Whether you are interested in visiting traditional Holy Sites, a historical, an archaeological tour or camping and hiking in the wilderness, we will be happy to assist you and meet your expectations.

We offer a full range of accommodations, from hospices (monastery and convent guest houses) through the tourist class to deluxe hotels depending on your interests and budget. Offering a full range of travel services, we remain a small company , so that from planning to farewell, every visit is handled with our personal commitment to excellence and oversight of every detail.

I look forward to sharing my heritage and my love for this land and its people with you.

Cordially,
Johnny Sayegh