Sunday, June 11 

Depart U.S.A. 

Monday, June 12 – Going up into the Land 

• Arrive in Israel 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 Metropolitan Hotel in Tel Aviv.
• Welcome dinner at Maganda Restaurant in Tel Aviv’s Yemenite Quarter.
• Overnight: Metropolitan Hotel, Tel Aviv
  Tuesday, June 13 – The Hebrew City and the Jewish State
• Walking tour of historic “Little Tel Aviv”
  – Discover the historic 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.
• Lunch on your own and free time to explore the Nachalat Binyamin crafts fair. While there, check out 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”.
• 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.
• Mifgash – Meaningful encounter with Rabbi Jeff Cymet and members of the New Kehilla in Ramat Aviv, Shaarei Shalom’s partner masorti congregation in Israel. (Program to be determined by Rabbis Tow and Cymet).
• Free evening
• Dinner on own
• Overnight: Metropolitan Hotel, Tel Aviv
  Wednesday, June 14 – 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 remarkable 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 16th 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. 

Check–in to the Maagan Eden Hotel or Daria Resort by the Sea of Galilee.

Dinner at hotel

Overnight: Maagan Eden or Daria Resort, 

Sea of Galilee region 

Thursday, June 15 – Northern Exposure 

Tour the Golan Heights for a special perspective on Israel’s complex geopolitics as we visit bunkers where the Syrian
army literally looked down at Israel. Then we’ll look out over the Syrian border from strategic Mt. Bental. 

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.

Lunch on own.

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. 

Check-in to the Prima Kings in Jerusalem. • Free evening

Dinner on own

Overnight: Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem 

Friday, June 16 – 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.

Explore the City of David using the Bible and archaeology to make Jerusalem’s stones tell the story of the city’s ancient past. Wade through Hezekiah’s Tunnel –
A still flowing ancient water system that saved the city of Jerusalem 2,700 years ago (dry option available). 

Walk through the Western Wall Tunnels to discover underground Jerusalem.  

Lunch on ow

Tour of Jewish Quarter including the 

Herodian Mansions, Cardo, Broad Wall and Rooftops followed by free time to shop and explore on own. 

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 5:00pm, so it is also possible to continue to one of the other kabbalat options listed below). 

OR: 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: Prima Kings, Jerusalem 

Saturday, June 17 – And on the Seventh Day…in Jerusalem

Shabbat morning services – TBD with  Rabbi Tow.

Shabbat Lunch at hotel

Free time

Late afternoon 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 Tow.

Free evening

Dinner on own

Recommendation for evening: Check out  downtown Jerusalem’s lively Ben Yehuda 

Street Pedestrian Mall. 

Overnight: Prima Kings, Jerusalem 

Sunday, June 18 – 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” for a Camel ride and biblical farewell dinner before transfer to airport. 

Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport – See you again soon! 

Monday, June 19 – Arrive in U.S.A. 

• Begin planning next Israel trip with Rabbi Tow and ITW Tours! 

Print Application for Submission