Journey to the Holy Land
June 9–21, 2023
Optional Extension in Petra, June 21–24, 2023
Led by Matthew Marohl and Katherine Fick, St. Olaf Pastors
This program is custom designed to visit important biblical sites, engage in conversations with local scholars, and to explore a variety of religious expressions all staking their claim to this small place on earth. See the Overview to learn more about what you’ll see, do, and learn.
We invite you to explore with us the Holy Land and its people, visiting historical sites of significance to Christians, Jews, and Muslims, and engaging with the people who live there now. We will follow in the footsteps of Jesus and visit Bethlehem, Galilee, and Jerusalem, including the Mount of Olives and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. We will visit the Wailing Wall and the Temple Mount, and if possible, go into the Courtyard of the Dome of the Rock. In addition we will explore museums on the history of Israel and Palestine, meet with people who will give us their perspectives on contemporary issues, and even take a dip in the Dead Sea and walk around Masada.
Join us to get a sense of the Holy Land, past and present!
Use the Register Now button above to join us or expand the sections below for more details.
Whether you’re religious or not, there’s a lot to learn from these lands and their people. The Holy Land is a tiny place geographically, but packed with environmental and human diversity.
The biblical sites can be extraordinarily meaningful to you if you’re a Christian, Jew, or Muslim. We’ll visit all of the major sites. You’ll walk in the footsteps of Jesus in Bethlehem, Galiliee, and Jerusalem, including the Mount of Olives and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. We will visit the Wailing Wall and the Temple Mount, and if possible, go into the Courtyard of the Dome of the Rock.
If you’re not religious, this program will be equally enriching. We’ll explore museums on the history of Israel and Palestine and meet with several people who will give us different perspectives on contemporary issues. You’ll come away with a deeper understanding of the nuances of a millennial-old conflict.
The core tour starts and ends in Jerusalem, with visits to Jericho and Tiberias. The optional extension spends two nights in Petra before departing from Amman.
You can view — and download or print, if you like — the most current itinerary here.
Matthew Marohl has served as the College Pastor at St. Olaf since the summer of 2012. Matt completed his Master of Divinity degree at Luther Seminary, a Master of Theology degree at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago and a Ph. D. in New Testament from the University of St. Andrews in St. Andrews, Scotland. Along with his wife, Sarah, Matt led a “Footsteps of Paul” tour to Greece and Turkey with his congregation from the Chicago area. He has spent time in New Zealand and Australia, India and Nepal, and Europe. At St. Olaf, Matt assisted on the interim program “Theater in London” in 2016. Matt says, “I have the best job in the world! It is an honor to be a pastor to college students.” Why does he consider his the best job in the world? The worship life at Boe Chapel is vibrant and he enjoys having conversation with Oles about every matter of college life. Matt loves music and is actively engaged in a number of writing projects. He is the author of three books and most recently penned commentaries on The Gospel of Matthew and Hebrews for a forthcoming single-volume commentary on the New Testament (Bloomsbury Academic Press). Matt lives in Northfield with his wife, Sarah, and their two daughters, Noa and Greta.
Katherine Fick is in her fifth year at St. Olaf as Associate College Pastor. A graduate of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN, she has fostered her love of travel by taking Luther and Bach tours of Germany as well as visiting friends working in Kenya and South Sudan. She assisted on interim programs at St. Olaf to the Holy Land as well as Theater in London. She loves planning chapel and worship alongside fellow group leader, College Pastor Matt Marohl, as well as working with students from all backgrounds, providing pastoral care and programming – she loves talking with students about whatever is on their mind! She reads incessantly, runs periodically, enjoys movies and the theater, and goes to as many student events as possible. Her husband, Norbert, will also be joining the trip as a guest, and they hope someone safely looks after their cats while they are gone!
Expect to be awe-struck, to be enriched, to engage in thought-provoking conversations.
Movement between cities will be by air-conditioned private motor coach. Movement within each city and at cultural/historic sites will be on foot, requiring a lot of walking and standing. You should be capable of walking up to five miles per day over possibly uneven terrain, of climbing stairs that may not have handrails, of climbing in and out of various types of transportation, of keeping pace with an active group of travelers on long days of traveling, of dealing with the emotional highs and lows that can occur when experiencing different cultures, and of traveling with a group for several hours each day.
Hotels will be tourist class (four-star or superior rating) with private baths, air conditioning, and English-speaking staff.
We recommend you be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, including any boosters for which you are eligible, before departure. You should plan on seeing your family physician or a travel doctor at least four to six weeks prior to departure, preferably earlier, to talk about recommended vaccinations for this destination. For more information on travel health, visit cdc.gov or who.int.
The travel insurance included with your program fee covers illness overseas, including covid. You can read more, including the full FAQ and a Summary document, on our Travel Insurance page.
Inclusions and exclusions vary from program to program. Please read the following information carefully.
The program fee is $4,587 per person. Based on double occupancy, it includes discussions led by Matt and Katie, guest lectures, accommodations, breakfast daily and group meals as listed on the itinerary, admissions for group activities, ground transportation during the program (except initial and final airport transfers), gratuities to group guides, drivers, and meal servers, and some limited medical coverage while overseas. There is no single supplement for this program, but single rooms are limited to four available spaces.
Airfare to and from Israel is not included. Participants are solely responsible for all expenses not specifically included in the program fee. Examples of excluded expenses are: Airfare between your home town and Israel • Airport transfers • Any passport fees • Any recommended immunizations or vaccinations • Baggage insurance • Trip cancellation insurance above $2,000 lifetime coverage • Beverages at most group meals • Tips to housekeeping staff • Laundry • Dry cleaning • Phone charges • Room service or other items of a personal nature • Expenses incurred during free time or non-group activities • Lunch and dinner, unless specifically included on program itinerary.
The fee for the optional extension is $429 per person. A minimum of 10 participants are needed for this price to be valid. Based on double occupancy, the fee includes transportation in a private motor coach from Jerusalem to Petra to Amman, accommodations, two breakfasts and two dinners, entrance fees, gratuities to group guides, drivers, and meal servers, and some limited medical coverage while overseas. Once again there is no single supplement for the extension, but single rooms are limited to four available spaces.
A $500 deposit is required to guarantee your space. View the Payment Schedule below for more information.
This schedule is based on payments St. Olaf College must make to program vendors to guarantee group rates. We highly recommend that you purchase additional trip cancellation insurance at the time of registration to recover your payments should you need to withdraw from the program.
Because of ongoing uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, it is possible that a program could be postponed. In such a case, while we will strive to make full refunds when we can, there are certain expenses that may not be refunded to either St. Olaf or the participant.
Deposit due: $500 upon registration
Refund if you cancel: Full refund ($500) until September 14, 2022. If the deposit is made after September 14, 2022 there is no refund.
Interim payment due: $2,000 by September 15, 2022
Refund if you cancel: $1,000 until March 14, 2023
Final payment due: March 15, 2023
Refund if you cancel: None, unless the program is full and your place can be resold
Cancellations must be in writing.
View the limited travel insurance for international Alumni & Family Travel programs included with your program fee.
Get some helpful information from the Resource List and Trip Information Sheet.
Read the Terms & Conditions and Release & Waiver.
Review the latest information on recommended immunizations, visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Check your passport: no entry visa is required for Israel. However, you should look at your passport now and ensure that it has at least 6 months’ validity past the program return date. Should you need to renew, visit the U.S. Department of State for instructions.
Take time to Prepare for your adventure by checking out a variety of resources, including frequently asked questions, general health information, included travel insurance, safety overview, and more.
This program is an official GO — feel free to purchase your flights. We strongly recommend you consider adding flight cancellation insurance to that purchase, and that you also review what situations are covered by that insurance. Here are some additional notes:
— The program starts and ends in Jerusalem. You should fly in and out of Tel Aviv and transfers will be provided to and from Jerusalem.
— You should time your travel to arrive in Tel Aviv no later than 3 pm on Saturday, June 10. A group transfer will be arranged to Jerusalem.
— Your flight should depart Tel Aviv at 1 pm or after on Wednesday, June 21. Again, a group transfer from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv will be arranged for this timing.
This program is an official go and still has spaces available.
Registration closes April 1, 2023, so don’t delay.
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