Pastors Arrive in Israel for King-Inspired Pilgrimage
Hundreds of African-American and African Christian leaders have begun a mission inspired by Martin Luther King's planned 1967 trip to Israel.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Judaism
Hundreds of African-American and African pastors and Christian leaders arrived in Israel for the "Unfinished Business Pilgrimage," a mission modeled on the trip Martin Luther King planned in 1967. The rest of the participants arrive the day after publication.
Why it matters
Organizers said they feel a burden in their hearts about rising antisemitism on both the right and the left. The mission connects the civil rights movement's history with Israel and renewed support for Jewish communities.
Hundreds of pastors arrived in Israel, with the full group arriving the day after publication. Organizers plan to expand the pilgrimage to thousands of participants next year, though the final size of the group remains unstated.
The players
Martin Luther King Jr.
American civil rights leader who planned a 1967 pilgrimage to Israel and Jordan before his assassination in April 1968.
The details
Pilgrimage leaders presented gifts to freed hostages Elkana Bohbot, Hila Abir, and Daniel Lischinsky, and to victims of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre. Participants will visit biblical sites across the country and the site of the Nova massacre.
Timeline
1967: King's planned pilgrimage to Israel and Jordan was postponed due to the Six Day War.
April 1968: Martin Luther King was assassinated.
October 7, 2023: Hamas-led massacre in Israel.
This week: Hundreds of leaders arrived in Israel.
Next year: The pilgrimage expands to thousands of participants, marking 60 years since King's planned visit.
Historical Thread
The mission revives Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1967 plan to bring thousands of pilgrims to Israel and Jordan, a trip postponed by the Six Day War and later cut short by his 1968 assassination. Its organizers frame it as completing that unfinished work six decades on.
Readers interested in following or joining similar pilgrimages can track how the organizers expand the trip to thousands of participants next year. The mission's visits to biblical sites and the Nova massacre site show the itinerary such trips typically include.
The takeaway
Commemorating a historical plan can carry new meaning when it is revived in a different moment. The pilgrimage shows how a leader's unfinished goal can be carried forward by a new generation of faith leaders.
Further reading
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