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Interfaith Explore Israel Tour

with Petra Extension

Availability: all year round

15 days / 14 nights

Customizable

Private Tours Available

Interfaith Explore Israel Tour

Petra Extension

Sunday– Depart USA

Monday – Entering the Land

  • Arrive in Israel to be met and assisted by your ITC representative (today’s program depends on arrival time).
  • Tour of Old Jaffa – The ancient port city once known as Zion Gate. Hear about Peter’s vision in Jaffa and its impact on Jewish – Christian relations.
  • Shekhiyanu-Welcome ceremony on top of Tel Jaffa overlooking modern Tel Aviv.
  • Check-in to the Renaissance Hotel on Tel Aviv‘s Mediterranean Coast.
  • Welcome dinner and orientation at Maganda Yemenite Restuarant.
  • Overnight: Tel Aviv

TuesdayThe Hebrew City and the Jewish State

  • Walking tour of historic “Little Tel Aviv” to discover the historic Neve Tzeddek neighborhood that gave birth to the “first Hebrew city in 2,000 years”.
  • 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.
  • 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’s “White City” was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • Lunch on your own and free time to explore the Nachalat Binyamin crafts fair. While there checkout the nearby Carmel Market and bohemian Sheinkin Street All Three of these Tel Aviv icons meet at the “Magen David Junction”.
  • Visit the Palmach Museum in Ramat Aviv to learn about the elite underground organization which played a critical role in the founding of the State of Israel.
  • Free evening
  • Dinner on own
  • Overnight: Renaissance Hotel, Tel Aviv

Wednesday – Jordan Valley and the Sea of Galilee

  • Tour the Roman ruins of Caesarea, where Peter accepted Cornelius as the “first gentile adherent to Christianity”.  Explore its Roman Theater, Amphitheater, Hippodrome and Promontory Palace.  Ponder a rabbinic debate over Jews attending gladiator games.
  • Visit to Nazareth, site of the Annunciation, and meet with a local Christian Arab to hear his perspective on ethnic relations in the city.
  • Lunch on own.
  • Explore Jesus’ Ministry in the Galilee at Capernaum and at the Mt. of the Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount.
  • Check in to Kibbutz Lavi Hotel on Kibbutz Lavi in the Galilee.
  • Dinner at hotel
  • Overnight:  Kibbutz, Galilee

Thursday The Sources of the Jordan and the Strategic Golan Heights

  • 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.
  • Ascend to Golan Heights and lookout over pre 1967 Israel as Syrian soldiers once did.  Then continue to Mt. Bental to look over Israel’s current border with Syria and appreciate the region’s strategic significance.

Please choose one of the following two “touring and tasting” options.  Both located on nearby Kibbutz Ein Zivan (Possibility of splitting the group):

  • Chocolate making workshop at the De Karina Chocolate Factory.
  • OR:  Guided tour of the boutique Bahat Winery including wine tasting.
  • Return to Lavi
  • Dinner at hotel
  • Encounter with a kibbutz member to learn about kibbutz life.
  • Overnight:  Kibbutz, Galilee

FridayMystical Tzfat and Onwards to Jerusalem

  • Tour mystical Tzfat’s old synagogues and picturesque alleyways. Tzfat was the cradle of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) in the 16th century.  Kabbalat Shabbat, Judaism’s Friday night service and the hymn Lecha Dodi originated in Tzfat a that time.
  • Lunch on own
  • Explore the bustling Machane Yehuda Market and take in a slice of local life as you see Jerusalemites prepare for the Sabbath.
  • Check in to Prima Park Hotel or Dan Panorama Hotel in Jerusalem

Friday/Sabbath evening options:

  • Take in Jerusalem’s special atmosphere by joining worshipers Greeting the Sabbath at the Western Wall.  Option to pray together in the egalitarian section, where men and women can stand together
  • OR:  Attend Friday night services at a local Jerusalem synagogue.
  • OR:  Enjoy leisure time and relax before dinner.
  • Traditional Shabbat Dinner at hotel.
  • Overnight:  Jerusalem

Saturday/Shabbat And on the Seventh Day… in Jerusalem

  • Optional Shabbat morning services at a local synagogue.
  • OR: Visit picturesque Ein Karem, site of the Visitation and birthplace of John the Baptist.
  • Lunch on own
  • Travel to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square.
  • Tour Mt. Zion to visit David’s Tomb and the Cenacle (Last Supper room) – All under the same roof, crowned with a Minaret.
  • Free evening
  • Dinner on own
  • Recommendation for the evening: Check out the lively Ben Yehuda Street Pedestrian Mall for fun, food and shopping.
  • Overnight: Jerusalem

Sunday – Exploring Ancient Jerusalem

  • Option of attending Sunday morning worship service in Jerusalem.
  • Visit the Western Wall and then discover its archaeological story and episodes of Jewish life 2,000 years ago at Robinson’s Arch and the Southern Wall Excavations.
  • Walk through the Western Wall Tunnels to experience underground Jerusalem.
  • Follow the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the site of the Crucifixion and burial of Jesus.
  • Lunch on own
  • Tour of the Jewish Quarter including the Cardo and Broad Wall and rooftop panoramic view of Old City’s Four Quarters, each with its distinct form.
  • Free evening
  • Dinner on own
  • Overnight: Prima Park Hotel or Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

Monday – Into the Desert: Masada and the Dead Sea

  • Set out across the Judean Desert on the Good Samaritan Route.  Then travel along the Dead Sea Coast passing Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.
  • Ascend Masada by cable car to tour the ruins of Herod’s palace and last outpost of Jewish independence 2,000 years ago.
  • Lunch on own
  • Timer permitting:  Walk in Ein Gedi Nature Reserve opportunity to bathe in waterfalls and hear how David hid there from King Saul.
  • Swim in the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth
  • Dinner on own
  • Free evening
  • Recommendation – Visit the First Station Compound, Jerusalem’s restored Ottoman railway station turned restaurant – cafe area.
  • Overnight:  Jerusalem

Tuesday – City of Faith and Remembrance

  • Tour of Yad Vashem – Israel’s national Holocaust memorial and museum, including the Holocaust History Museum and Children’s Memorial.
  • Lunch on own
  • See the world renowned Chagall Windows at Hadassah Hospital. Then watch audio-visual presentation about Hadassah Hospital.
  • Discover the story of Zionism’s founding father Theodore Herzl at the multimedia Herzl Museum, followed by a 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 Senesh.
  • Dinner on own
  • Free evening
  • Overnight:  Jerusalem

Wednesday – In the Heart of Three Faiths

  • Early morning tour of the Temple Mount – Islam’s holiest site in Jerusalem to see the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aksa Mosque.
  • Look out the Old City and Temple Mount and City of David from the top of the of Olives – Jerusalem’s most iconic view.
  • Visit the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus spent his last night of freedom and adjacent Church of All Nations/Church of the Agony.
  • Visit to 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 own – RecommendationsModern Israeli art, Synagogue interiors in the Judaica section and the Archaeology Wing.
  • Remainder of afternoon free to explore on own and get in last minute shopping.
  • Late check out
  • Farewell dinner
  • Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport – See you again soon.

Thursday Arrive in USA

 

Optional Eilat/Petra Extension

ThursdayEilat on the Red Sea

  • Morning airport transfer for domestic flight to Eilat.
  • Descend into a Red Sea coral reef at Eilat’s Underwater Observatory where you look out the window at the surrounding marine life.  Continue exploring Eilat’s remarkable undersea world at the observatory’s aquarium.
  • Lunch on own
  • Check-in to hotel
  • Dinner on own
  • Overnight:   Eilat

Friday – The Wonders of Petra

  • Early departure for Petra to explore the amazing red sandstone structures carved by the ancient Nabateans.  Enter Jordan at the Arava Crossing and travel to Petra by bus (approx. 2.5 hours). Tour its Treasury (“Khaznieh”), Roman theatre, impressive caves and rock formations of this Nabatean City.
  • Buffet lunch included.
  • Return to Eilat.
  • Overnight:   Eilat

Saturday – Red Sea Delight

  • Day at leisure
  • Late afternoon transfer to Ramon Airport for domestic flight to Ben Gurion Airport.
  • Check-in for U.S. flight at Ben Gurion Airport Terminal 3 

Sunday – Arrive in USA

All of this is Included in Your Tour

  • Deluxe accommodation, as per your itinerary
  • Touring and entrance fees, as per your itinerary
  • Meeting & assistance by your ITC representative within the arrivals terminal at Ben Gurion Airport
  • One of Israel’s finest English-speaking licensed tour educators (guides), to be with you for the duration of the tour and give insight into this beautiful, spiritual land
  • Deluxe air-conditioned, comfortable modern motor coach, featuring large panoramic windows, reclining seats, and foot rests
  • Professional, safety conscious bus driver
  • Professional ITC education director, to ensure an extraordinary Israel experience
  • Professional ITC tour manager
  • Snack and 1 small bottle of mineral water upon arrival in Israel
  • Hostess at Jerusalem hotel, based on a minimum of 25 travelers
  • Porterage at airport and hotels
  • Daily buffet breakfasts, lunches  and dinners as per itinerary.

Not Included in Package

  • Visa & border fees for Eilat/Petra  (Not applicable to U.S. citizens entering Israel).
  • Items of a purely personal nature
  • Private rooms for group meetings/at the hotel, unless specified in this offer
  • Meals and beverages not specifically mentioned in this offer.
  • Tips
  • Insurance

Eilat-Petra Extension

Package includes:

All transfers, to be assisted by ITC representative

Round trip flights to/from Eilat

Petra tour, including lunch

Accommodations on Bed and Breakfast basis, as per itinerary

Admission to Underwater Observatory, including transportation

  • All transfers, to be assisted by ITC representative
  • Round trip flights to/from Eilat
  • Petra tour, including lunch
  • Accommodations on Bed and Breakfast basis, as per itinerary
  • Admission to Underwater Observatory, including transportation

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Book your Interfaith Explore Israel Tour

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Why Book With Us

  • +30 Years Experience

  • Private, Flexible & Personalized Trips

  • Authentic and Local Experiences

  •  24/7 Ground Support From Locals

Tour Overview

Day 1: 

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