or a religious organization or site, bearing witness forever to the pilgrim’s stay in the Holy Land. Christian groups visiting Jerusalem - as all of them probably do - can receive pilgrimage certificates in a variety of languages, signed by Israel’s Minister of Tourism and the Mayor of Jerusalem. Stores displaying the Ministry of Tourism emblem offer purchasers the possibility of VAT refund (currently 17 percent - to be arranged at the airport upon departure). Study & Prayer The average pilgrimage tour does not allow much time for study sessions. However, even one or two evening lectures during the course of a tour will add content and interest. Some of the study possibilities include: A) Inviting speakers on a variety of subjects to the hotel, at convenient times; B) Holding on-the-spot discussions at local sites; C) Including structured study sessions of one, two, or more days during the tour; Since older Churches built and control most of the early churches and sites that attract Holy Land pilgrims today, Protestant visitors, although they may well visit these ancient churches, monasteries and the like, have few sites they can “call their own,” save for the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. Other than that, while they share many of the same motivations with Catholic pilgrims, their experience, more often than not, is one of direct communication with their Savior, and does not rely on any historical continuity, or even on the Church to which they are affiliated. As one Protestant commentator has noted: “Christian pilgrims ‘see’ the heart of Jesus when they visit the Dominus Flevit Sanctuary on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus wept for the city of Jerusalem. D) Making the total pilgrimage a study and prayer experience, with occasional trips and accommodations at the place of study. Promoting Pilgrimage Investing in tourism is a persistent ongoing endeavor on the part of both the Israel Ministry of Tourism and the private sector. Tourism is one of Israel’s top three foreign currency earning industries, employing a large percentage of the workforce, both directly and indirectly. The buoyancy of Israel’s economy is therefore directly related to the number of tourists visiting the country. Pilgrims stand in awe in the Garden of Gethsemane or the Church of All Nations when they sense the agony Jesus went through before He surrendered Himself to walk the Way of Sorrows. And when they see the empty Garden Tomb and read on the inside of the door ‘He is not here, He is arisen’ they know that their faith in a Living Savior is real.” Approaches t Pilgrimage The Christian pilgrim market is the greatest single segment of tourism to Israel and is therefore of prime importance. The pilgrim comes here for a specific experience, one that cannot be found anywhere else, and the Israel Ministry of Tourism is very conscious of this fact, making every effort via its Christian Pilgrimage Desk and overseas representatives to give practical assistance to tour organizers. It distributes a wide variety of flyers, shells, toolkits and other promotional materials, hosts educational groups of travel agents and prospective tour leaders from abroad and offers concrete assistance to tour groups and agents by subsidizing advertising costs and reaching out to the public via road shows, travel exhibitions and large public events. Contact the representatives of the IGTO (Israel Government Tourist Office), located in major cities around the world, for advice and assistance. The Ministry also utilizes social networking platforms, and it has inaugurated a variety of specialized Christian pilgrimage websites. These include a dedicated Catholic site (www.holyland-pilgrimage. many sacred holyland sites. The presence of the Greek Orthodox Church in the Holy Land is even older, and the Greek Orthodox patriarchate is in charge of dozens of monasteries and holy sites throughout Israel. While it is only in charge of the churches in Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter, the Armenian Church’s significant presence in Jerusalem began with the development of early Byzantine monasticism, and sixth-century ruins with inscriptions in Armenian have been unearthed near Damascus Gate and on the Mt. of Olives. While the Catholic pilgrim typically seeks to perform the sacrame tal rites in the various sanctuaries and shrines of Israel, the Protestant and Evangelical Christian usually wants to visit the actual sites written about in the Bible. For practicing Pr testants, the Bible is a very imp rt nt part of daily life a d Protestants and Evangelicals are extremely w ll versed in both the Old and New Testament, which have personal meaning for them above and beyond the liturgical significance of the texts.
Join us for a pilgrimage in the Holy Land, in the footsteps of Jesus.
Experience a spiritual re-awakening and renewal of your faith and beliefs.
Come on your own or ask us for a tailor-made group tour with daily masses at perfect locations.
Explore the country that is rich in culture and historic sites.
Our guides are knowledgeable and sensitive and they will be with you on every touring day from start to finish.
Contact us:
Target Conferences Ltd. 65 Derech Menachem Begin
PO Box 51227, Tel Aviv 6713818, Israel Tel: +972 3 5175150, Fax: +972 3 5175155
target@target-conferences.com www.target-conferences.com
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