March 2023
Dear Friend of Israel,
Spring is on its way and our Christian friends are visiting with us in growing numbers. It has been three years since COVID shut down tourism and it’s been less than a year since the doors were reopened. At first a few people came, sort of testing out the waters. But since this past fall, there has been a deluge of tourists coming to Israel. And what a welcome deluge that has been! Last November, we welcomed a wonderful group of visitors from our own CFOIC Heartland tour and it was a fabulous success. Participants came from all over the USA, from Australia and from the UK. A few people knew each other but many did not. But by the end of the tour, everyone was fast friends. And as one participant put it: “I have made friends from all over the globe!”
We started working on the next tour almost as soon as the last tour left Israel. We tweaked it a bit, added a few new things, and have come up with the tour that I believe is the best possible tour of Israel. In just under two weeks, you will not only visit the key Biblical sites featured in both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures, but you will meet Israelis and visit with them in their homes.
This is a tour that is ideal for both those who have never been to Israel and for those who have been before. If you have never been to Israel, this tour includes all the highlights that are must-sees for any Christian visitor. But if you have been to Israel before on any one of the standard tours, you will experience places and people that no other tour includes. And particularly, you will experience Judea and Samaria.
You will visit the ancient Biblical sites of Shiloh and Hebron, but you will also visit with the pioneers who have settled the Heartland of Biblical Israel, despite the enormous challenges and dangers involved. You will join them for coffee in their homes and visit with their children in their pre-schools. You will plant a tree in the Land, setting down roots in fulfillment of prophecy. But most of all, you will be a witness to all that G-d is doing in the Land of Israel. You will come back a changed person.
I have enclosed a tour brochure and registration form. Please review it and let your imagination take you on the journey of a lifetime. I hope you will decide to join us and turn your imagination into a reality. I am looking forward to welcoming you to Israel this fall!
Shalom,
Sondra Oster Baras
Director, Israel Office
P.S. Enclosed is a brochure and registration form for the CFOIC Heartland 2023 Israel Tour. The cost is $4,200 per person and the dates are October 21 – November 2, 2023. Please read over the brochure and let your imagination take you on the journey of a lifetime. I hope you will decide to join us and turn your imagination into a reality. I am looking forward to welcoming you to Israel in October!
