Sunday, 26 June – Depart U.S.A.

Monday, 27 June – Going up into the Land

• Arrive in Israel on to be met and assisted by your ITC representative (today’s program depends on arrival time).
• Tour Old Jaffa, the ancient port city once known as Zion Gate from which Jonah tried to flee and where Solomon brought the Cedars of Lebanon on the way to Jerusalem.  Today paintings and sculptures have been installed in its ancient alleys.
• Shehehiyanu–Welcome ceremony on top of Tel Jaffa overlooking modern Tel Aviv.
• Check-in to the Carlton Hotel on Tel Aviv‘s Mediterranean Coast.
• Welcome dinner at Maganda Restaurant in Tel Aviv’s Yemenite Quarter.
• Overnight: Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv

Tuesday, 28 June – The Hebrew City and the Jewish State

• Walking tour of historic “Little Tel Aviv” – Discover the quaint Neve Tzedek neighbourhood 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.
• ITC Touch: Discover City of Sand and Sea, a mosaic fountain created by artist and writer Nachum Gutman portraying scenes from the history of Jaffa and Tel Aviv.
• Hear about the establishment of Tel Aviv at the Founders’ Monument.  Then stroll down Rothschild Boulevard to view the Bauhaus architecture for which central Tel Aviv was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Visit the new Israel Innovation Center, located in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, to learn though its interactive exhibit about new advancements by Israeli Start-Ups in fields such as science, technology, medicine, security, aero-space and more.
• Lunch on your own and free time to explore the Nachalat Binyamin crafts fair. While there checkout the nearby Carmel Market and great street food.  Then have a look at bohemian Sheinkin Street – All Three of these Tel Aviv icons meet at the “Magen David Junction”.
• Guided tour of the Ayalon Institute in Rehovot – an underground bullet factory used by Jewish forces before the founding of the State of Israel.
• Free time to swim in the Mediterranean Sea and enjoy Beachside Promenade.
• Free evening
• Dinner on own
• Overnight: Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv

Wednesday, 29 June – Cradles of Jewish Civilization in the Galilee

• Depart for northern Israel.
• Explore the ruins of Tzippori, the city where Rabbi Judah Hanasi sealed the Mishna.  Discover Tzippori’s Ramotsh ancient mosaic pavements, including Mona Lisa of the Galilee, Nile Flood Festival and Orpheus, who looks like King David (?). What do the ruins of Tzippori reveal about Jews and Hellenism?  Then ponder why an ancient synagogue floor features a wheel of the zodiac.
• Lunch on own
• Explore mystical Tzfat, cradle of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) in the 16^th century.  Visit its old synagogues and picturesque alleyways.  Then discover the origins of our Friday night service in the city where Lecha Dodi was written.
• Dinner at Decks Restaurant.
• Check–in to the Ramot Resort Hotel by the Sea of Galilee.
• Overnight:  Ramot Resort Hotel, Sea of Galilee region

Thursday, 30 June – Ancient and Modern Geopolitics and Israel’s Finest

• Walk in the lush Tel Dan Nature Reserve, one of the sources of the Jordan River, where you’ll discover biblical intrigue and one of the oldest arches in the world.
• Lunch on own.
• Jeep tour to the Golan Heights for a special perspective on Israel’s complex geopolitics as we visit former Syrian bunkers overlooking Israel.  Then look out over the Syrian border from strategic Mt. Bental.

The group can split between parents and children for the following two tasting activities located next t oeach other on Kibbutz Ein Zivan.

• Chocolate making workshop at the De Karina Chocolate Factory.
• Tour and tasting at the boutique Pelter Winery on nearby Kibbutz Ein Zivan.
• Dinner with young Israeli soldiers, who are giving some of their best years to the defense of Israel – Meet the Israeli army’s human side.
• Overnight:  Ramot Resort Hotel, Sea of Galilee region

Friday, 1 July – Across Israel: A Multicultural Jewish Society

• Discover Ethiopian Jewish culture at the Germachin Center in Beit Shean.  Learn about this community’s modern day Exodus story and the challenges facing the Ethiopian Israeli community today.
• Continue south through the Jordan Valley and ascend to Jerusalem.
• Shehehiyanu/Welcome ceremony overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem.
• Lunch on own in the bustling Machane Yehuda Market.  Take in a slice of local life as you see Jerusalemites preparing for Shabbatand pick up supplies for our group Seudah Shlishit picnic on Saturday afternoon.  Along the way, see the picturesque Nachalaot neighborhoods.
• Check-in to the Inbal in Jerusalem.
• Free time to relax and prepare for Shabbat.

Friday/Shabbat evening options

• Light Shabbat candles at hotel.
• Attend the “Israeli Kabbalat Shabbat” service at the First Station Compound (begins at 5:00 pm, so it is also possible to continue to one of the other kabbalat options listed below).
• Join hundreds of other Jews from around the world to Greet the Sabbath at the Western Wall. Option to pray together as a congregation at the “Masorti Kotel“, where men and women can stand together.
• OR:  Attend Friday night services at a local Jerusalem synagogue.
• Festive Shabbat Dinner at hotel
• Overnight:  Inbal, Jerusalem

Saturday, 2 July – And on the Seventh Day… in Jerusalem

• Shabbat morning services at local synagogues/minyanim (options and walking maps to be provided).
• Shabbat Lunch at hotel
• Free time to relax, explore the city on own and enjoy hotel pool.
• Walking tour to the historic Montefiore Windmill to discover the first neighbourhood built outside the walls of the Old City.  Then continue to nearby Ketef Hinnom, a First Temple period burial site where archaeologists discovered the oldest biblical text ever found.
• Havdalah with Rabbi Sagal.
• Free evening.
• Dinner on own.
• Evening option:  Watch the Night Spectacular – Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David.
• Overnight:  Inbal, Jerusalem

Sunday, 3 July – The Old City of Jerusalem – An Ancient Jewish Legacy

• Briefing on Religious Pluralism in Israel and the Masorti (Conservative) Movement by Rabbi Andy Sacks, Deputy Director of the Masorti Movement.
• Discover the archaeological story of the Western Wall and episodes of Jewish life in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago at Robinson’s Arch and the Southern Wall Excavations.
• Walk through the Western Wall Tunnels to discover underground Jerusalem.
• Lunch on own
• Tour of Jewish Quarter including the Herodian Mansions, Cardo, Broad Wall and Rooftops followed by free time to shop and explore on own.

• Free evening
• Dinner on own
• Recommendation for the evening: Visit the First Station Compound, Jerusalem’s restored Ottoman railway station turned restaurant – cafe area.
• Overnight:  Inbal, Jerusalem

Monday, 4 July– Holocaust, Remembrance and Continuity 

• Update on Israeli and Middle East politics by Steve Linde, editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem Report and former editor of the Jerusalem Post.
• Guided tour of Yad Vashem Israel’s national Holocaust memorial and museum, including the Historical Museum and Children’s Memorial. 
• Lunch on own.
• Meaningful visit to the Mt. Herzl Cemetery to discover chapters in the history of Israel at the graves of Yitzhak Rabin, Golda Meir, Theodore Herzl and Hannah Senesch.
• Engage in hands-on tzedakah at Pantry Packers or Yad Ezra Veshulamith preparing food packages for distribution to some of Israel’s neediest people.
• Free evening
• Dinner on own
• Overnight:  Inbal, Jerusalem

Tuesday, 5 July– Masada and the Dead Sea: Freedom Fighters or Fanatics?

• Set out across the Judean Desert and ascend Masada by cable car to tour the ruins of Herod’s palace and the last outpost of Jewish independence.  Discussion: Which Jewish Legacy – Masada or Yavne? Which decision did our ancesters make?
• Swim in the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, at a local resort.  The resort also has a fresh water pool and spa facilities.  Massage and spa treatments available by prior reservation at own expense.
• Lunch at Dead Sea resort.
• Time permitting:  Walk in Ein Gedi Nature Reserve opportunity to bathe in waterfalls and hear how David hid there from King Saul.
• Stop off at “Abraham’s Tent” (Genesis Land) for a Camel ride and biblical dinner before returning to Jerusalem.
• Overnight:  Inbal, Jerusalem

Wednesday, 6 July – Wrapping Up

• 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
• Remainder of afternoon free to explore on own and get in last minute shopping.
• Late check out
• Farewell Dinner at Medita Restaurant
• Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport – See you again soon!

Thursday, 7 July  – Back in the USA

• Begin planning your next Israel trip with Rabbi Sagal and ITC Tours!

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