Sunday, 15 October

• Depart Virginia, optional group flight TBD

Monday, 16 October 

• Group Arrival, optional group flight TBD
• Visit the Anu Museum to get an overview of the diversity of the Jewish people and our story in Israel.
• Proceed to check-in at your Hotel on Tel Aviv’s Mediterranean Coast.
• Opening reflection on the beach and walk to Welcome dinner at Stolero Restaurant
• Overnight: Crown Plaza Hotel, Tel Aviv

Tuesday, 17 October 

• Breakfast
• Guided tour of the Ayalon Institute in Rehovot – an underground bullet factory used by Jewish forces before the founding of the State of Israel. 
• Lunch (on own) in the vibrant Sarona Market
• Explore Tel Aviv’s urban art street scene with a guided Graffiti Tour reflecting the modern history, politics, and culture of Israel.
• Visit Nachalat Benyamin Craft Fair & Carmel Market, or Neve Tzedek
• Free night to experience Tel Aviv nightlife or explore Old Jaffa
• Overnight: Crown Plaza Hotel, Tel Aviv

 Wednesday, 18 October

• Breakfast
• Hotel Check out
• Visit the ruins of ancient Caesarea, its harbor, archeological artifacts, as well as an impressive visual display from the time of King Herod. 
• Time for lunch (on own)
• Make za’atar at Sindyanna, an economic cooperative between Israeli and Arab Women
• Hotel Check-in and Dinner 
• Evening study session/program 
• Overnight: K’far Blum Kibbutz Hotel

Thursday, 19 October  

• Breakfast
• Walk in the lush Tel Dan Reserve, one of the sources of the Jordan River. 
• Lunch (on own)
• Jeep tour of the Golan Heights for a perspective on Israel’s complex geopolitics as we visit bunkers where the Syrian Army “looked down” at Israel.  Then look out at the border region from Strategic Mt. Bental.
• BBQ Dinner with young Israeli soldiers who are giving some of the best years of their lives to the defense of Israel.
• Overnight: K’far Blum Kibbutz Hotel

Friday, 20 October 

• Breakfast
• Hotel Check out
• Tour mystical Tzfat’s old synagogues and picturesque alleyways.  Tzfat was the cradle of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) in the 16^th Century.  Meet with a local artist in their gallery and hear how they weave spirituality into their work.
• Time to shop and enjoy Lunch (on own)
• Continue South through the Jordan Valley and ascend to Jerusalem
• Stop for Sheheheyanu Blessing
• Hotel check in and prepare for Shabbat
• Walk together to the Kotel (Western Wall) and enjoy a meaningful Kabbalat Shabbat service together at the Egalitarian Plaza
• Festive Shabbat dinner at the hotel
• Overnight: The David Citadel

Saturday, 21 October  

• Breakfast
• Walking tour of the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s walled Old City which holds the most important Christian church, the Holy Sepulchre, and a number of monasteries, archaeological sites, and shrines along the Via Dolorosa.
• Lunch (on own)
• Afternoon to rest 
• Havdalah and time to reflect 
• Free evening to explore Jerusalem.. Bus option to Jerusalem’s First Station, the city’s first train station from 1892, now renovated with shops and restaurants, & live music.
• Overnight:  The David Citadel

Sunday, 22 October  

• Breakfast
• ·Set out early to travel across the Judean Desert, passing en route Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
• Ascend Masada by cable car for a unique tour of the ruins of Herod’s palace and the last outpost of Jewish independence, including the lower tiers of northern palace. 
• Swim in the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, at Hod Hamidbar resort.  The resort also has a fresh water pool and spa facilities. Massage and spa treatments available by prior reservation at own expense.
• Lunch included at the resort.
• Free night in Jerusalem (with dinner on own)
• Overnight:  The David Citadel

 Monday, 23 October  

• Breakfast
• Tour of the Old City’s Jewish Quarter, the Hurva Synagogue, Cardo, Broad Wall and Rooftops.
• Walk through the excavated Western Wall tunnels to discover underground Jerusalem.
• Travel to the Judean Lowlands through the Elah Valley, where David and Goliath fought, to Beit Guvrin National Park.
• Picnic lunch in Beit Guvrin National Park
• Participate in a real hands on archaeological dig in a cave in Beit Guvrin National Park.
• Stop off at Abraham’s Tent for camel ride and biblical dinner before returning to Jerusalem.
• Overnight:  The David Citadel.

Tuesday, 24 October  

• Breakfast
• Tour of Yad Vashem – Israel’s national Holocaust Memorial, including tour of the Holocaust History Museum and a moving visit to the Children’s Memorial.
• Lunch (on own) at Yad Vashem cafeteria 
• Meaningful visit to Mt Herzl Cemetery to discover chapters in the history of Israel while visiting the graves of Yitzhak Rabin, Golda Meir, Theodore Herzl and Hannah Senesch.
• Tasting tour of the bustling Machane Yehudah Market for a multicultural gastronomic adventure
• Free night in Jerusalem (with dinner on own)
• Overnight: The David Citadel

Wednesday, 25 October  

• Breakfast
• HOTEL CHECK OUT
• Visit Yad Lakashish– a unique employment project helping Jerusalem’s elderly, including a stop in its shop “where shopping is a mitzvah!”
• Visit the Israel Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Model of ancient Jerusalem in the first century.  Free time to explore additional exhibits on own. Recommendations: Modern Israeli art, Synagogue Interiors in the Judaica section and the Archaeology Wing.
• Lunch (on own) at the Museum Cafeteria
• Farewell dinner at Goshen Restaurant Tel Aviv
• Return to Airport for late night departure

Thursday, 26 October  – arrive in USA

Begin planning your next Israel Trip with Rabbi Spinrad and Israel Tours & World Travel!

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