Tour 2025

February 24-March 11, 2025

I am delighted to share the finalized itinerary for my Israel: Yesterday, Today and Forever tour. Departure date: February 24, 2025, Return date: March 11, 2025.

I have worked very closely with our travel partner in Israel, Travex, to create an extraordinary experience in Israel. We all appreciate your patience up to this point, as we have needed the time to arrange for the many customized aspects of the tour. 

Let me share my goals with you. If this is your one-and-only trip to Israel, I want you to — 

    • Feel that you have truly gained a foundational understanding of the sacred history of Israel and its people, including your own covenantal blessings that have come down through Father Abraham and Mother Sarah, and the other ancient tribal leaders, including Judah and Joseph, and their brothers. “Israel” is the name of God’s covenant family, and all are invited to join, from all nations, tongues and people. What tribe are you from? What does that mean? What are the blessings — and responsibilities you have inherited?

    • Remember and honor the life of the Savior, Jesus Christ, as we walk beside the shores of  His beloved Galilee, sit by the Banias Falls, where Peter bore his witness that Jesus is the Messiah, stand on the precipice of Nazareth, and overlook His hometown, and visit Shepherd’s Field in Bethlehem. We’ll pray in quiet reflection in a private garden on the Mount of Olives, trace His final steps along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem, see what is believed to be the “Place of the Skull (Golgotha) and visit the Garden Tomb, while we reflect upon His Atonement and glorious resurrection.

    • Meet and interact with the varied people of Israel, and learn firsthand from their perspective. We will lunch with a Druze family, share a shabbat meal with a Jewish family, and on a second shabbat, with IDF soldiers. We will meet Bedouins, Arabs, Orthodox, religious, and non-religious. We’ll receive a rabbi’s blessing as we enter Jerusalem, and we will attend Sacrament Meeting at the BYU Jerusalem Center. We’ll talk with people who have been preparing for the building of a third temple on Temple Mount, and also get the perspective of those who dread such an occurrence. We will tour a kibbutz and learn about their philosophy and way of life. On our last trip, we met Arab Bedouins who joined the IDF, and we also met with family members of hostages in Gaza. With our very special local guide, Shooki, we have a truly unique opportunity of genuine interpersonal interaction with “everyday” people, including an Irish priest in Magdala. With this tour, you will come to understand and feel Israel’s people on a deep level — and you will love them! You will be warmed by the genuine welcome you will receive; the people of Israel want us to know them, and to hear their stories.

    • Enjoy the remarkable beauty of the land. The scenery is as varied as its people; from the Dead Sea and desert of Masada, to the lush agricultural lands in the Galilee, and the beautiful beaches of Tel Aviv and Caesarea, Israel is breathtaking, and you will come to understand why all of its desert neighbors have longed to take it for themselves for more than 4,000 years.

In order to achieve these goals, our tour is limited to a total of 13 people. We currently have 11 reservations. A large group could never have these kinds of very intimate encounters with locals that we have arranged for you, nor could they meet in the private garden on the Mount of Olives, the VIP underground tour of David’s City, or the culinary tour in Tel Aviv. As you read through the following itinerary, you will see that I have only lightly touched upon the very special experiences this tour provides.

The price for the tour is $9899 per person. This is not the least expensive tour available, but I promise you that you will not leave Israel wishing that you had _______ (fill in the blank). This tour is comprehensive. You will not feel like an “onlooker” filing away facts, but you will literally experience Israel and its people with all five senses. Your heart will be touched, and you will be forever changed by the experience.

Thank you for accompanying me on this Israel: Yesterday, Today and Forever tour! In order to enhance your experience, I am committing myself to monthly zoom firesides, where I will teach, and we will have a group discussion so that you feel you have a good foundation preparatory to going. We will be so active while there, that it will be difficult to learn new things on the spot. You will enjoy yourself much more by knowing in advance why each site holds meaning and importance. I will share those fireside dates with you once we have processed all of the paperwork.

I share all of this with you because of my love for Israel. For me, this is a mission, perhaps best understood in the books I have written. In terms of any credentials, I have been a BYU Continuing Education teacher, a CES teacher, and have taught at BYU Education Week. I have taught Gospel Doctrine for more than 25 years, and have been teaching an adult religion class for more than a decade for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Please contact me, or Ric Rodman, my partner and the tour’s programming manager from Stellar Travel to let us know if you are interested in joining me on this experience of a lifetime.

lyndacherrydesign@gmail.com

Please contact my travel associate, Ric Rodman at Stellar Travel for additional information on pricing, deposits, etc.

Ric@stellartravel.com

425.586.4503

Daily Itinerary:

Monday, February 24 — Depart from your Gateway City for Tel Aviv, Israel

Tuesday, February 25 — Arrive Tel Aviv. Hotel Check In at The Carlton, Tel Aviv

Wednesday, February 26 — Tel Aviv

  • Discover art, local culture, architecture and history of the exciting city of Tel Aviv on a unique tour that includes a private culinary tour in Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market. Experience one of Tel Aviv’s colorful open-air markets. Sample a variety of local specialties, meet the vendors and hear their stories, and learn about the cultural food mosaic that is Israeli cuisine.

  • Visit the new ANU Museum of the Jewish People, the largest Jewish museum in the world. It tells the ongoing and extraordinary story of the Jewish people and highlights the creative works and cultural riches of a variety of communities through the generations and up to the present time. Unique exhibits and fascinating resource center strive to make you part of the story. The tour will include the October 7th exhibition and end with the Codex Sasson — the museum recently acquired Bible masterpiece.

Thursday, February 27 — Tel Aviv, Jaffa, and Two Options

  • Begin your journey in the ancient biblical port city of Jaffa, the oldest functional seaport of the last 4,000 years. Here Jonah departed in the belly of the big fish, Peter raised Tabitha from the dead, and Simon the tanner lived. View St. Peter Church with its steeple overlooking the picturesque fishing port that has for over a century been a beacon signaling to sea-weary pilgrims that the Holy Land is near.

  • Option 1: Depart Tel Aviv and head south to visit the communities in the Gaza Envelope. Pay a visit to Tekuma, where a haunting car graveyard serves as a testament to the devastation of October 7, 2023. Honor the memory of the victims at Re’im, the solemn ground where the Nova Music Festival massacre unfolded.

  • Option 2: Visit Save A Child’s Heart, an organization dedicated to help children all over the world, suffering from heart deficiency. After a short explanation about the project, time to volunteer and spend time with the children before and recovering from their heart procedures in the children’s home.

Friday, February 28 — Tel Aviv to Magdala, Sea of Galilee

  • Walk through the excavations of the port city of Caesarea, featuring the ancient Roman theater hippodrome and aqueduct, as well as ruins from the Byzantine and Crusader periods.

  • Visit Mount Carmel, the traditional site where Elijah fought the priests of Ba’al, then on to the Cave of Elijah and enjoy the panoramic view of Haifa bay, and the Jezreel Valley.

  • Visit the antiquities at Beit Shearim, once the seat of the Sanhedrin. In 2015, the Necropolis was named a UNESCO Heritage Site.

  • Shabbat Home hospitality dinner with a family in Galilee. Enjoy a sumptuous dinner prepared by a local family, a unique opportunity to meet with Israelis in their home.

  • Check in to the Magdala Hotel, on the Sea of Galilee.

Saturday, March 1 — Magdala, Capernaum, Sea of Galilee

  • Visit the first century fishing village of Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene, with ruins of the ancient synagogue and a new church built on the site, simple in design but rich in mosaics and murals.

  • Visit the ancient town of Capernaum, located on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, residence of Jesus during his ministry in the Galilee.

  • Visit Tabgha, the site of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes.

  • Perched above the Sea of Galilee, visit The Mount of Beatitudes, the site of the Sermon on the Mount.

Sunday, March 2 — Exploring the Galilee

  • Enjoy the spiritual experience of a Boat Ride on the Sea of Galilee, around which Jesus performed some of his most famous miracles. This is, for many Holy Land travelers, a highlight of their trip. It provides a genuine experience of what sailing and fishing were like in the time of Jesus.

  • Continue to Ginosar to view the Ancient Boat dating from the time of Jesus.

  • Private Druze Hospitality with Traditional Lunch in the Home of a Druze Family. The Druze are a unique religious and ethnic minority among Arab citizens of Israel. We invite you to meet them in person and hear their story, while enjoying some of their traditional foods.

  • Visit Banias, Israel’s tallest waterfall, located in the Golan Heights at the base of Mount Hermon. This is where Peter declared his witness that Jesus was the Messiah. Enjoy the surrounding nature trails and hear about the flora and fauna of the region.

  • Group Dinner

Monday, March 3 — Nazareth and Mount Tabor

  • Drive to Lavi Forest and contribute to the greening of Israel and leave your mark on the land by Planting a Tree in a local forest.

  • Drive to Mount Precipice overlooking Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus.

  • Visit the replica Nazareth Village, an open-air museum depicting village life in the Galilee at the time of Jesus.

  • Travel to Mount Tabor and visit The Church of the Transfiguration.

  • Group Dinner

Tuesday, March 4 — Beit Shean, Gilgal, Qasr el Yahud, and Up to Jerusalem

  • Explore the ancient ruins of the city of Beit Shean, one of the Roman Decapolis cities, with extensive on-going excavations revealing layers of civilization.

  • Continue to Gilgal, the location on the eastern border of Jericho where the Israelites encamped immediately after crossing the Jordan River.

  • Visit Qasr el Yahud, the site where it is believed that John baptized Jesus.

  • Proceed “up” to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel. Celebrate your arrival to the city with a traditional “Shechecheyanu” ceremony. It is said that of the ten measures of beauty given to the world, nine were bestowed upon Jerusalem.

  • Check in to Hotel Inbal, Jerusalem

Wednesday, March 5 - Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Via Dolorosa, Garden Tomb

  • Before setting out on your exploration of the city, start the day at Mount of Olives with an all-encompassing panoramic view of Jerusalem.

  • Visit the Orson Hyde Memorial Gardens

  • Continue to the Garden of Gethsemane, and its private garden for reflection. Weave your way through the ancient olive trees and continue to The Church of All Nations.

  • Visit Mount Zion with Caiaphus’ House at St. Peter in Gallicantu Church.

  • Walk the final Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa to The Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

  • Visit the carved in stone Garden Tomb, possibly a site of the burial and resurrection of Jesus.

Thursday, March 6 — Ancient Jerusalem

  • Visit the Temple Mount, the elevated plaza above the Western Wall that was the site of both of Judaism’s ancient temples.

  • Walking through the Old City, we are drawn to The Western Wall, the holiest site in the Jewish tradion. The ancient Kotel, once a retaining wall for King Herod’s magnificent temple, now gathers people from around the world in prayer and celebration.

  • Visit The Temple Institute Museum dedicated to the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. See the newly-recreated ancient temple furnishings: Menorah, Altar of Incense, Laver, and even the Ark of the Covenant.

  • Continue to the Burnt House, a residential building from the Second Temple period discovered during the restoration of the Jewish Quarter.

  • The Wohl Museum of Archeology also called The Herodian Quarter is the largest and most important site from Second Temple times that can still be seen today in Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter. The compound consists of six houses, built on a hillside overlooking the Temple Mount.

  • Proceed to the over 3,000 year old City of David for a VIP tour descending ‘behind the scene’ into excavations that are not yet open to the public.

  • 8:00PM Concert at BYU Jerusalem Center

Friday, March 7 — Yad Vashem, Bethlehem Shabbat Dinner with a Jewish Family

  • Share a meaningful private escorted visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s official Holocaust museum, dedicated to the memory of the victims and honoring the survivors. The visit is enriched with a pause at the moving Children’s Memorial and a walk along the inspirational Avenue of the Righteous.

  • Visit the Kibbutz Ramat Rachel and discover its fascinating history that perpetuates the determination of the colonizing enterprise in the face of the challenges of the struggle for the establishment of the State.

  • Private escorted visit to Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus, including Manger Square, the Church of the Navity and Shepherd’s Field. Please note that the Bethlehem is part of the Palestinian Authority and this tour will be guided by a local Palestinian guide. Passports must be presented at the check point.

  • As the sun sets over the city, join in a traditional Shabbat Dinner at the Home of a local Jerusalem Family, featuring ethnic dishes, prayers and songs.

Saturday, March 8 — Sacrament Meeting BYU, Israel Museum, Birthplace of John the Baptist, Sound and Light Show

  • 10:30-12:30 Sacrament Meeting at BYU Jerusalem Center

  • The Israel Museum is the country’s national gallery. Explore the compound, including the Model of Jerusalem from the Second Temple Period and the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibited in the Shrine of the Book. Wander through the Billy Rose Sculpture Garden.

  • Visit the picturesque village of Ein Karem, birthplace of John the Baptist and Mary’s Spring. Walk through the neighborhood with charming stone houses adorned with arches and various galleries from many artists.

  • This evening, we invite you to be our guests at the Night Spectacular Sound & Light Show at the Tower of David Museum at Jaffa Gate. This is an outdoor activity. Please dress appropriately.

Sunday, March 9 — Friends of Zion

  • Lend a hand wrapping and packaging food and supplies for Israel’s poorest families and senior citizens at the Pantry Packers facility in Jerusalem.

  • Visit the Friends of Zion Museum, a collection of high-tech exhibits relaying the story of Jews and non-Jews in pursuit of the Zionist dream.

  • Meeting with Hooman Khalili, an artist who embarked on a personal project to paint a series of murals around Israel. His mission is twofold: to celebrate the kinship between the Iranian and Jewish peoples and to draw attention to the oppression of women inside the Islamic Republic (pending confirmation).

Monday, March 10 — Dead Sea and Masada

  • Drive through the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth.

  • Drive past Qumran, site of the secluded caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were first discovered.

  • Set off for a private motor Boat Ride on the Dead Sea, a truly unique adventure. Traveling by zodiac, discover the secrets of the ancient lake and take an unsinkable swim in the salty waters.

  • Ride the cable car to discover King Herod’s mountain-top fortress of Masada, the last stronghold and stand of the Zealots against Rome, on the edge of the barren Judean Desert.

  • Enjoy the therapeutic qualities of the Dead Sea, believed to have wondrous healing powers. Float on the salty waters, relax and enjoy the facitiliets and lunch on site. We have confirmed day-use rooms for you at a local resort hotel.

  • Last night in Jerusalem

Tuesday, March 11 — Depart Tel Aviv for Home