Abraham's Children-Listening Tour, June 15-29, 2013

Abraham’s Children in Contemporary Israel and Palestine
A two-week listening tour, June 15-29, 2013

Tour participants will listen to a diverse array of Israeli Jews tell their stories, and then Christian and Muslim Palestinians, and finally the Samaritans, Druze, and Bahá’í. Participants will explore how the devotees of the six religions of Palestine and Israel live in a land where ethnic and religious preference is state sanctioned.

Trip Highlights

*Overnight stays in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Ramallah and Haifa

*The most geographically far reaching of any tour in Palestine and Israel

*The most religiously inclusive of any tour in Israel and Palestine

*Visit with groups like Sabeel Christian Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center, The Christian Peacemakers, Rabbis for Human Rights, Bethlehem University, the Druze social service organization Golan for Development, and Adalah—the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel.

*Visit with rabbis, imams, priests, pastors, settlers, and refugees. Listen to people like Jeff Halper of ICAHD, Jean Zaru of the Ramallah Friends, Sufi Sheikh Ghassen Manasra, Samaritan Priest Abu Wisam, and an official of the Palestinian Authority.

*Explore places such as refugee camps, settlements, the Seraj Children’s Libraries, Masada, the Dead Sea, the Dome of the Rock, the Western Wall, the Bahá’í Gardens, the Holocaust museum, the Old City and market of Nablus, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and the mosques of Omar and of Ibrahim.

Tour Leaders

Dr. Pauline Coffman has led tours to Lebanon, Syria, and Israel/Palestine. She studied in Beirut as an undergraduate and is active in the Middle East Task Force of Chicago Presbytery, a co-sponsor of this tour.

Dr. Paul Parker is the chair and a professor of the Department of Religious Studies at Elmhurst College. He has led public tours and student courses in India, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine. Both are pleased to serve as volunteer tour leaders through the Siraj Center for Holy Land Study, Beit Sahour.

Cost Summary

Total cost is $2500. This includes hotels; two meals/day; a licensed tour guide; entrance fees; and ground transportation. This price does not include airfare, personal expenses, or travel insurance. Prices are based on double occupancy or $520 additional for a single room. Prices are based on a minimum of 15 travelers, and subject to change should circumstances arise beyond the organizer’s control. Travelers are to arrange their own flights and must have a passport valid six months beyond the date of reentry into the US. Paul and Pauline will assist in coordinating flights to and from Israel/Palestine. A deposit of is required by March 11, 2013.

More Information? Please Contact:

Pauline: (708) 524-5444 or p.coffman@sbcglobal.net

Paul: (630) 617-3559 or paulp@elmhurst.edu