The Society
The International Galilee Society begins with a simple conviction: the future of the Galilee matters far beyond northern Israel.
The region is home to extraordinary human, religious, cultural, and economic resources, but remains poorly understood and too weakly connected to the wider world. The Society exists to change that by building an international community with a sustained relationship to the Galilee—people who know the region, spend time there, form relationships there, and help create opportunities for its communities to flourish.
Why I Started the Society
For years I worked in education and advocacy around Israel and the wider Near East, but I wanted something more direct, more human, and more local: a community organized around a real place and people.
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I wanted members to spend time in the Galilee, know its people and institutions, and bring their own expertise, resources, networks, and imagination to those building its future.
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That’s why I started the International Galilee Society.
Robert Nicholson
Founder
The Upper Galilee Initiative
Connect every significant community in the Upper Galilee to the world through active international partnerships that produce tangible economic, civic, educational, and cultural results.
What We’re Building
The Society is developing a small number of ambitious initiatives designed to connect the Galilee more deeply to the world.
The Way of Jacob
Create an internationally recognized pilgrimage route from the Sea of Galilee to Jerusalem that connects sacred landscape, local communities, history, and hospitality.
The Galilee International Bible Quiz
Bring national Bible champions from around the world to northern Israel for a week of study, pilgrimage, encounter, and competition culminating in a global championship in the Galilee.
Why Membership?
The Society is built around membership because lasting engagement begins with relationships. Members do not simply support a collection of programs; they become part of an international community that has adopted the future of the Galilee as a shared concern. They have a stake in its future.
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Through briefings, gatherings, expeditions, and practical partnerships, the Society gives members increasing knowledge of the region, deeper relationships with its people and institutions, and meaningful opportunities to contribute to its future.
Learn more about membership →