B’nai B’rith’s tour of Israel for 11 Latin American journalists continued with visits to the Christian holy site of Capernaum and to Majdal Shams, a Druze village near Israel’s border with Lebanon. The delegation also met with a senior government official to discuss the current security situation involving Hezbollah and visited a B’nai B’rith project that is building a memorial for a soldier who was killed in Gaza.

The fourth day of the mission began at a site central to Christianity: Kfar Nahum—known in English as Capernaum—home to the remains of the synagogue where Jesus is believed to have prayed, and St. Peter’s Church, an iconic modern structure built above what is traditionally considered Peter’s house. Gabriel Ben Tasgal provided historical context at the site.

From the Ofir lookout point overlooking the Syrian border, Ben Tasgal also offered a political briefing on the status quo in the region.

The journalists were later hosted in the Druze village of Majdal Shams by Deputy Mayor Ihab Aluli, who described how many Druze citizens feel protected and cared for living in Israel. He also explained that Hezbollah’s missile attack less than two years ago which killed 12 Druze children playing soccer—including his own son—heightened tensions in the area.

In kibbutz Misgav Am, the delegation held a Q&A session with a senior government official about the war against Hezbollah following the Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, as well as the current security situation and the challenges ahead.

The group also visited a site in the Galilee capital Kiriyat Shmona, that will memorialize Capt. Elai Lugasi – an only child, resident of the city, who was killed fighting in Gaza on July 3, 2024. B’nai B’rith’s Israel Emergency Fund will underwrite the project—the rehabilitation of a natural habitat in the heart of the city frequented by Elai, just off the Israel trail.

For the past decade, B’nai B’rith has organized these missions to counter misinformation, provide journalists with a direct and unfiltered look at Israeli society, and increase global understanding of the realities on the ground.