• Full day tour to the Upper Galilee to meet with Maronite Christians to hear their story of displacement and survival.
• Visit the Baram National Park to see a 6th century synagogue, a remnant of Jewish life in the aftermath of the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.
• Meet a local Aramean Maronite Christian who will show us the Lady of Kafr Bir’im Maronite Church and hear about the displacement of the village residents. 
• Drive to Jish to visit the Mar Maroun Church where we will learn about this Christian faith tradition.
• Eat a Lebanese-style lunch in Jish.
• Meet with George Samoun, a local Oud player who will perform some short musical pieces and explain the differences between Western and Oriental music. 
• Get ice cream at Buza, a Jewish-Arab collaborative venture that promotes peace and coexistence one scoop at a time.  

This full-day tour to the upper Galilee takes us to the northern border with Lebanon where we will learn about and meet with a community of Israeli Maronite Christians and hear their story of displacement and survival. The tour begins in the Baram National Park, the site of the ruins of a large 6th century Galilean synagogue that was discovered in 1905. 

Built in the shadow of Mount Meron, it is one of several synagogues unearthed in the Galilee and built after the fall of the Second Temple in 70 CE. We will take this opportunity to discuss Jewish life in the region after and through the rise of Christianity and the end of the Byzantine period in 638 CE.

Within the confines of the national park and a short distance from the ruins of the synagogue stands the Lady of Kafr Bir’im Maronite Church, the last remnant of the Maronite Christian community that lived here until 1948. Usually closed to the public, it remains an active church for the exiled community who now reside in the neighboring town of Jish. 

We will be met here by someone from the community who will open the church for us and tell us how their community, and that of nearby Ikrit, were removed from this place, and their peaceful struggle to get back their ancestral lands. Recently, the local Maronite Christians scored a symbolic victory by convincing the Israeli government to allow them to be categorized as Arameans rather than Arabs. Our host will explain this process and why it was important to the community.

From here, we will drive to Jish to visit the Mar Maroun Maronite church and learn about this ancient branch of Christianity. Dating back to the 4th century teachings of the Saint Mar Maroun and originating in Lebanon, the Maronites are an ancient and autonomous Syriac church in full communion with the Pope and Catholic Church. If this sounds a bit confusing, then this tour will help remedy any confusion by providing the opportunity to inquire into this unique Christian faith tradition.

Following lunch in one of the delicious Lebanese restaurants in the village, we will visit musician and Oud player George Samoun in his beautiful home. George will perform some short pieces and discuss the differences between Western and Oriental music. 

On our return drive to your hotel or ship (and time permitting), we will make a pit stop at Kibbutz Sasa for some Buza Ice Cream. A Jewish-Arab collaborative venture, Buza promotes peace and coexistence one scoop at a time.