Saturday evening depart USA on and over night flight to Israel 

Day 1: Sunday, December 22, 2024

• Afternoon arrival in Israel to be met and assisted by your ITW representative (today’s program depends on arrival time).
• The Shekhiyanu-Welcome ceremony is on top of Tel Jaffa, overlooking modern Tel Aviv.
• Check-in to the Dan Panorama Hotel near Tel Aviv‘s Mediterranean Coast.
• Dinner on your own – recommendations supplied.

 Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Tel Aviv

Day 2: Monday, December 23, 2024

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Depart for northern Israel.
• Visit the ruins of Caesarea, including its Roman Theater, Amphitheater, Hippodrome, and Promontory Palace.
• ITW Touch:  Ponder a rabbinic debate over Jews attending gladiator games.
• Lunch on own
• Explore mystical Tzfat, the cradle of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) in the 16th century. Visit its old synagogues and picturesque alleyways.
• Head out for a Jeep tour in the Galilee or Golan Heights for a perspective on Israel’s complex geopolitics. We can look down at Israel from bunkers the way the Syrian army once did and then look out at Syria from the peak of strategic Mt. Bental.
• Take in the sights from the viewpoint of the picturesque Mount Arbel.
• Check into the Kibbutz Lavi Hotel near the Sea of Galilee.
• Dinner at the winery with wine tasting or dinner at Decks, a concept restaurant on the shores of the Sea of Galilee

Overnight: Kibbutz Hotel in Tiberias

Day 3: Tuesday, December 24, 2024

• Breakfast and check out at hotel
• Drive to ancient Tzippori and study Jewish texts in the ruins of the city where Rabbi Judah Hanasi sealed the Mishna. Discover its magnificent mosaics, including Mona Lisa of the Galilee and the Nile Flood Festival. Then, ponder why an ancient synagogue floor features a zodiac wheel.
• Encounter with Rabbi Yoav Ende on Kibbutz Hanaton, Israel’s only Masorti kibbutz 
• Take a trip to Givat Haviva, the national education center of the Kibbutz Federation, to learn about their work promoting a prosperous, peaceful society for all citizens of Israel. (Time permitting)
• Depart for Jerusalem
• Shehekhiyanu ceremony as you take in the panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem from the Haas Promenade
• Dinner on own

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem 

Day 4: Wednesday, December 25, 2024

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Explore the old city of Jerusalem
• Discover the archaeological story of the Western Wall from rabbinic texts, while standing where Jewish pilgrims walked 2,000 years ago at Robinson’s Arch and the Southern Wall Excavations OR Walk through the Western Wall Tunnels to discover underground Jerusalem
• Guided tour of the Jewish Quarter, the Christian Quarter, and the City of David
• Lunch on own in the Jewish Quarter
• Walk to the Jaffa Gate
• Free time for shopping at Mamilla, a stretch of designer clothing and jewelry boutiques mixed with posh restaurants and cafes
• Visit and explore the Tower of David, an ancient citadel and contemporary museum near the entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem
• Dinner on own

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem 

Day 5: Thursday, December 26, 2024 

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Set out early for a trip to ascend Masada by cable car to tour the ruins of Herod’s palace and the last outpost of Jewish independence
• Swim in the Dead Sea at a local resort, the lowest place on earth. The resort also has a freshwater pool and spa facilities. Spa treatments are available by prior reservation at your own expense
• Lunch at Dead Sea Resort 
• Time permitting, explore Ein Gedi Nature Reserve’s spectacular beauty, varied landscapes, and botanical gardens and hear how David hid from King Saul

OR

• Visit Qumran National Park, where you can unravel the mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls in a breathtaking desert atmosphere 
• Return to Jerusalem 
• Free evening, dinner on own
• Recommendation: Visit the First Station Compound, Jerusalem’s restored Ottoman railway station, which has been converted into a restaurant and café area

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem 

Day 6: Friday, December 27, 2024

• Breakfast at hotel
• Option 1
• Tour the Israel Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls in the Shrine of the Book and the Model of Jerusalem in the First Century.  Free time to explore additional exhibitions on your own – 
• Recommendations:  Modern Israeli art, Synagogue interiors in the Judaica section, and the Archaeology Wing.
• Option 2
• Tour of Yad Vashem (with headsets)– Israel’s national Holocaust memorial and museum, including the Historical Museum and Children’s Memorial. (Children under age 10 are not permitted in Yad Vasham’s Holocaust History Museum)
• Rejoin as a group and head over to the bustling Machane Yehuda Market
• Grab some lunch and take in a slice of local life as you see Jerusalemites preparing for Shabbat. Along the way, see the picturesque Nachalaot neighborhoods
• Learn how to make and bake your own delicious, braided bread at the Challah workshop
• Join hundreds of other Jews from around the world to Greet the Sabbath at the Western Wall. Option to join the new egalitarian Kabbalat Shabbat minyan run by the Masorti Movement at the Masorti Kotel, where men and women can pray together
• Festive Shabbat Dinner at hotel

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem 

Day 7: Saturday, December 28, 2024

• Breakfast at hotel
• *Optional Shabbat Morning Services
• Traditional Shabbat lunch at hotel
• Free time to relax or explore on own
• Shabbat afternoon options

• Walking tour to the historic Montefiore Windmill to discover the first neighborhood built outside the walls of the Old City

AND/OR

• Walking tour to the First Temple period burial site at Ketef Hinnom – Where archaeologists discovered the oldest biblical text ever found.

• Havdalah with Rabbi Rosenthal
• Dinner on own
• Watch The Night Spectacular– sound and light show at the Tower of David

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

Day 8: Sunday, December 29, 2024

• Breakfast at hotel, then check out
• Travel to Beit Guvrin in the Judean Lowlands, crossing en route the biblical Elah Valley, where David and Goliath fought. 
• Dig up Israel’s past by participating in a hands-on archaeological excavation in Beit Guvrin National Park.
• Lunch on own at Rehovot, a city well-known for its scientific, academic institutions
• Guided tour of the Ayalon Institute – An underground bullet factory in Rehovot used by Jewish forces before the founding of the State of Israel.
• Dinner on own

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Tel Aviv

Day 9: Monday, December 30, 2024

• Breakfast at the hotel

Option 1: 

• Walking tour of historic “Little Tel Aviv” – Discover the quaint Neve Tzeddek neighborhood that gave birth to the “first Hebrew city in 2,000 years”, once home to Zionist cultural pioneers Eliezer Ben Yehuda, S. Y. Agnon and Rabbi Kook.
• Visit the new Israel Innovation Center, located in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, to learn about new advancements by Israeli Start-Ups in fields such as science, technology, medicine, security, aerospace, and more through its interactive exhibit.
• At the Founders’ Monument, hear about Tel Aviv’s establishment, then stroll down Rothschild Boulevard to view the Bauhaus architecture, for which central Tel Aviv’s “White City” was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Free time to meet with family or enjoy Tel Aviv shopping scene. Check out Sarona!

Option 2: 

Rest of the group goes to Sderot

• Travel to Sderot and tour the city where Hamas launched its surprise attack on Southern Israel, and view the painted walls that share the stories of Oct 7th
• Hear first-hand testimony from an October 7 survivor/first responder about events on October 7 in Sderot at Founders’ House (Beit Hameyasdim). 
• Lunch at a local restaurant in Sderot.
• Walk to the site of Sderot’s former Police Station, which was the site of a fierce battle on October 7.
• Look out from Kobi Hill in Sderot at the Gaza Strip and surrounding region to appreciate its geopolitical proximity.
• Head to the Nova Memorial site and the Re’im Campgrounds and hear the powerful testimonies of the survivors
• Visit the Shuva station, which started as a makeshift coffee stand and now offers food, water, and amenities to soldiers.
• Return to Tel Aviv and refresh
• Dinner on own

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Tel Aviv  

Day 10: Tuesday, December 31, 2024

• Breakfast at hotel
• Visit the Palmach Museum in Ramat Aviv to learn about the elite underground organization, which played a critical role in founding the State of Israel.
• Check out The ANU Museum, filled with Jewish culture and art that tells the stories of the Jewish people.
• Graffiti tour of South Tel Aviv & Rothschild Avenue
• Visit the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters, the center of efforts to raise international awareness of the plight of the hostages.  The visit will include meetings with volunteer organizers, media specialists, therapists, and family members of hostages still in Gaza.
• Lunch on your own and free time to explore the Nachalat Binyamin crafts fair.
• While there, check out the nearby Carmel Market and bohemian Sheinkin Street – All Three Tel Aviv icons meet at the “Magen David Junction”.
• Dinner on own

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Tel Aviv

Day 11: Wednesday, January 1, 2025

• Breakfast at hotel
• Visit the Peres Center for Peace for a tour that highlights Israeli innovation in healthcare, security, agriculture, and technology.
• Tour the alleys of Old Jaffa, the ancient port city once known as the Gate of Zion. Take in the sights of the colorful Jaffa Flea Market. Conclude with a discussion on top of ancient Tel Jaffa overlooking modern Tel Aviv.
• Lunch on own
• Back to the hotel to prepare for the trip home
• Farewell Dinner TBA
• Depart for the airport, return to USA
• Begin planning your next Israel tour with Rabbi Rosenthal and ITW Tours!

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