Sunday, 18 June – Depart USA

Monday, 19 June – Going up into the Land

• Arrive in Israel to be met and assisted by your ITC representative ( today’s program depends on arrival time).
• Shehehiyanu / Welcome ceremony overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem.
• Check-in to the Dan Panorama Hotel in Jerusalem.
• Welcome dinner and orientation at hotel.
• Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

Tuesday, 20 June – The Old City of Jerusalem:  An Ancient Jewish Legacy

• 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.
• Briefing on Religious Pluralism in Israel and the Masorti (Conservative) Movement by Rabbi Andy Sacks, Deputy Director of the Masorti Movement.
• 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:  Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

Wednesday, 21 June – Masada and the Dead Sea: Freedom Fighters or Fanatics?

• Set out across the Judean Desert and ascend Masada (9AM) 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:  Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

Thursday, 22 June – Holocaust, Remembrance and Continuity 

• Visit the mixed bilingual Arab-Jewish Hand in Hand School, which is helping to foster better understanding between Jews ansd Arabs.
• OR:  Visit a TALI School in Jerusalem to learn about pluralistic Masorti Jewish education in the Israeli school system.  (The above school visits are subject to availability).
• Guided tour of Yad Vashem Israel’s national Holocaust memorial and museum, including the Historical Museum and Children’s Memorial. (Children under age 10 are not permitted in Yad Vashem’s historical museum).
• Alternate program for younger children: Visit Jerusalem’s Biblical Zoo, where you’ll see animals which lived in Israel during biblical times. (Children must be accompanied by an adult.
• Lunch on own.
• Tasting tour of the bustling Machane Yehuda Market to discover Jewish delicacies from East and West.
• Free time to enjoy hotel pool
• Free evening
• Dinner on own
• Overnight:  Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

Friday, 23 June – Underground Adventure

• Travel to the Judean Lowlands.  En route cross the biblical Elah Valley, where David and Goliath fought. 
• Dig up Israel’s past at a real, hands on archaeological excavation in a cave in Beit Guvrin National Park.
• Picnic lunch (packed lunch from Holy Bagel or similar)
• Discover a magnificent underground world in the Avshalom Stalactite Cave.
• Return to Jerusalem.
• Free time to relax and prepare for Shabbat.

Friday evening/Kabbalat Shabbat options:

• 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 (begins at 6:30 pm).
• OR:  Attend the “Israeli Kabbalat Shabbat” service at the First Station Compound (begins at 5:00 pm).
• OR:  Attend Friday night services at a local Jerusalem synagogue.
• Festive Shabbat Dinner at hotel
• Overnight:  Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

Saturday, 24 June – 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

Shabbat afternoon options:

• Free time to relax and enjoy hotel pool.
• Late afternoon walking tour to the historic Montefiore Windmill to discover the first neighborhood built outside the walls of the Old City.
• Havdalah with Rabbi Berkowitz.
• 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:  Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

Sunday, 25 June – Modern Pioneers:  An Ecological Light unto the Nations

• Travel north through the Jordan Valley.
• Visit Bio-Bee on Kibbutz Sde Eliahu, world leaders in organic agriculture to hear

how they are using very effectively biological pest control, rather than toxic pesticides to protect their crops.

• Lunch at Kibbutz Sde Eliahu.
• Visit the Kinneret Cemetery, final of resting place of early Zionist pioneers, to discoverthe songs and the poetry of Naomi Shemer and Rachel the Poetess.
• Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.
• Check–in to the Ramot Resort Hotel by the Sea of Galilee.
• Dinner at hotel
• Overnight:  Ramot Resort Hotel, Sea of Galilee region

Monday, 26 June – Sources of the Jordan and Israel’s Finest

• Walk in the lush Tel Dan Nature Reserve to discover biblical intrigue, play in its refreshing wading pools and see one of the oldest arches in the world.
• Lunch on own.
• Tour the Golan Heights for a special perspective on the region’s complex geopolitics as we ‘look down’ at Israel the way the Syrian army once did and then look into Syria from the peak of strategic Mt. Bental.

Please choose one of the following two touring and tasting options on on Kibbutz Ein Zivan (possibility of splitting group).

• Chocolate making workshop at the De Karina Chocolate Factory.
• Taste wines and liqueurs at the boutique Bahat Winery.
• BBQ dinner with Israeli young soldiers. Meet the Israeli army’s human side.
• Overnight:  Ramot Resort Hotel, Sea of Galilee region

Tuesday, 27 June – Cradles of Jewish Life in the Galilee

• 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.
• Lunch on own
• Explore the ruins of Tzippori, the city where Rabbi Judah Hanasi sealed the Mishna.  Discover remarkable ancient mosaic pavements, including Mona Lisa of the Galilee, Orpheus, who looks like King David (?) and the Nile Flood Festival.  Then ponder why a 1,500 years old synagogue floor features a wheel of the zodiac.
• Travel to Tel Aviv
• Check-in to the Dan Panorama Hotel on Tel Aviv’s Mediterranean Coast.
• Free time to swim in the Mediterranean Sea and enjoy the Beach.
• Free evening
• Dinner on own
• Overnight:  Dan Panorama Hotel, Tel Aviv

Wednesday, 28 June – Exploring Greater Tel Aviv and Departure

• Guided tour of the Ayalon Institute – An underground bullet factory in Rehovot used by Jewish forces before the founding of the State of Israel.
• Family scavenger hunt in Tel Aviv’s historic Neve Tzedek neighborhood.
• Tour the alleys of Old Jaffa, the ancient port city once known as the Gate of Zion.  Concluding discussion on top of ancient Tel Jaffa overlooking modern Tel Aviv.
• Lunch on own
• Remainder of afternoon free to explore on own, enjoy hotel pool and get in last minute shopping.
• Late check out
• Farewell Dinner at Goshen Restaurant.
• Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport – See you again soon!

Thursday, 29 June – Arrive in USA

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

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