Recommended Travel Options

A partial list of recommended travel options for pilgrimages, fact-finding missions, volunteer projects and study abroad opportunities in the Middle East.

Palestine and Israel:

Palestine Summer Encounter
Spend one to three months in Bethlehem, Palestine studying Arabic, volunteering at a local nonprofit, school or youth program and meeting with local religious, community and political leaders. Sponsored by Middle East Fellowship and Holy Land Trust.
http://www.palestinesummer.org

Middle East Peacebuilders
2011 Northwest Churches Holy Land Reconciliation Trip. Dates: October 14-30, 2011.
More info.—http://www.middleeastfellowship.org/travel/2011/northwest_churches

Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding
Evangelicals for Middle East Understanding (EMEU) is an affiliation of Christian churches, agencies, and individuals that seeks to provide encouragement to, advocacy for, and fellowship with Christians and churches in the Middle East by sponsoring conferences, facilitating partnerships, and creating friendships in order to bridge the geographic and cultural divide.
http://www.emeu.net/upcoming_tours.html

Holy Land Trust
The Travel and Encounter program at Holy Land Trust offers a wide range of programs and personalized tours for Palestine and Israel. Stay for a day or a month! Customize your own tour or join one of their pre-existing programs.
http://www.holylandtrust.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2...

Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel
"The Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel (EAPPI) brings internationals to the West Bank to experience life under occupation. Ecumenical Accompaniers (EAs) provide protective presence to vulnerable communities, monitor and report human rights abuses and support Palestinians and Israelis working together for peace."
http://www.eappi.org/

Sabeel
Sabeel is a Palestinian Christian Jerusalem located in Jerusalem. They offer short tours for pilgrims as well as regular international conferences for Christians.
http://www.sabeel.org

Interfaith Peacebuilders
http://www.ifpb.org/

Bethlehem Bible College
The Bethlehem Bible College helps facilitate short tours and also offers a semester long program for international students wishing to study Arabic and the Middle East.
http://www.bethbc.com/

Bethlehem University
Offers a semester program for international students hoping to study Arabic, theology and the Middle East.
http://www.bethlehem.edu/int_student.shtml

Christian Peacemakers
"CPT maintains one team at two sites in Palestine. Half of the team is in the Palestinian city of Hebron/al-Khalil in the southern West Bank and half is located 25 kilometers (15.5 miles) further south in the Palestinian village of at-Tuwani." Teams participate in nonviolent action and monitors human rights violations.
http://www.cpt.org/work/palestine

Jordan

Salaam Program (Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary)
One to two semester program for those interested in studying Arabic, the Middle East and the Bible.
http://jets.schoolinsites.com/

Egypt:

Best Semester - Middle East Studies Program
The semester long program, sponsored by the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, is based in Egypt but also includes opportunities to travel to several other countries in the Middle East.
http://www.bestsemester.com/mesp/overview/

Hands Along the Nile
Links Americans and Egyptians through travel and cultural exchange programs, including medical missions.
http://www.handsalongthenile.org/

Lebanon:

Near East School of Theology
http://www.theonest.edu.lb/index.php?sid=34

Syria:

Damascus Summer Encounter
Spend one to two months studying Arabic, volunteering with a local church or organization and meeting with the religious, community and political leaders of Damascus, Syria. Sponsored by Middle East Fellowship and the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East.
http://www.syriasummer.org

Iran:

Fellowship of Reconciliation
Offers opportunities for interfaith groups to travel to Iran on peacemaking and cultural dialogue delegations.
http://forusa.org/