Wednesday, May 2, 2012 - Day 1: USA to ISRAEL - Departure
We will depart from the US on an overnight transatlantic flight to Israel.
Meals and movies on board.
Thursday, May 3 - Day 2: Welcome To Israel
We will arrive to Ben Gurion Airport and will be met by our representative, who will escort us from the plane's door right through to VIP customs with an airport vehicle. After VIP customs procedures, they will escort us to the luggage hall. Here our representative will also help us fetch our luggage and escort us outside the terminal to meet our guide, driver. We will have a short drive to beautiful Tel Aviv and to our hotel for check-in. We will be briefed of the activities we will experience during the tour, while driving to Tel Aviv. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure to wander the seaside promenade or the streets of Tel Aviv. In the evening, we will be transferred to Maganda Restaurant (Yemenite) for welcome dinner. Enjoy the remainder of the evening at leisure.
Overnight at the Renaissance Hotel in Tel Aviv
Friday, May 4 - Day 3: Tel Aviv Aviv
After our first breakfast in Israel (at our hotel), we will start our day at the Old Port City of Jaffa, just south of Tel Aviv for a beautiful panoramic view of Tel Aviv and to see the ancient narrow streets. Next, we will drive to Independence Hall to listen to an audio presentation of Late Prime Minister David Ben Gurion’s moving Declaration of Independence, establishing the State of Israel. We will drive around Tel Aviv and see the architectures, the fashion industry before arriving for lunch at Sheinken Street and have some time to walk and brows the artists at Nachalat Binyamin. After lunch, we will drive to Rechovot to visit Ayalon Institute, the once-secret underground munitions factory in a kibbutz supplying the Hagana. Learn of the bravery and ingenuity by the Palmachim, who built the factory under the noses of the British. We will return to our hotel in Tel Aviv for the remainder of the afternoon at leisure. In the evening, we will enjoy Kabalat Shabbat dinner at our hotel. Overnight at the Renaissance Hotel in Tel Aviv.
Overnight at the Renaissance Hotel in Tel Aviv
Shabbat, May 5 - Day 4: Shabbat At Leisure In Tel Aviv
After breakfast, enjoy a Shabbat day at leisure.
Overnight at the Renaissance Hotel in Tel Aviv
Sunday, May 6 - Day 5: The Journey North
After breakfast, we leave Tel Aviv area and drive north along the coastal Plain of Sharon to the ancient city of Caesarea, built by Herod the Great and once occupied at Roman rule, we will view the excavated Roman theatre, with its acoustic and theatrical sound. It was used for many performances throughout the centuries. A new audio-visual presentation brings to life the times of the Romans who controlled these shores 2,000 years ago. Today, it draws major venue attractions, for concerts and festivals. We will walk through the excavated fortress and view the aqueduct, once used for conveying water to the city. Continue driving north to the artistic village of Ein Hod, where we will explore the artists' galleries and workshops, purchase authentic art and craft. Ein Hod lies on the western slopes of Mt Carmel, surrounded by an ancient olive grove in a breathtaking landscape looking out toward the sea and the Crusader fortress of Atlit. We will ascend to Mt. Carmel for a beautiful panoramic view of Haifa Bay and the Botanical Gardens below. We will arrive to our hotel in Haifa for check-in. In the evening, we will enjoy dinner at a local restaurant in Haifa (TBA).
Overnight at the Dan Carmel Hotel in Haifa
Monday, May 7 – Day 6: The Journey To The Galilee
After breakfast, we will leave Haifa and drive north along the coast and stop at Akko (Acre) to see the ancient fortress, with its underground passages and secret rooms. Here we will visit the prison where members of the Hagana and Irgun were held captive during Israel's fight for Independence. This is where Leon Uris's famous novel “Exodus” was filmed. We will continue to the northernmost point of Israel at Rosh Hanikra and descend by cable car into the limestone Grottos below. It is also the Israeli and Lebanese border. We will conclude our day of touring and drive to our Kibbutz Guest House for check-in followed by dinner. After dinner, we will have an opportunity to listen to a kibbutz representative, who will explain to us about kibbutz life.
Overnight at Kibbutz HaGoshrim in the Upper Galilee
Tuesday, May 8 – Day 7: Golan Heights
After breakfast, we will drive to the Golan Heights to see where major battles took place. We will be amazed seeing the beauty of this very important strategic landscape. Visit Kibbutz El Rom-OZ 77 observation point, located in the "Valley of Tears" where the fiercest battles of the Yom Kippur War took place and where we will view a powerful film about that battle. There is a new Golan Heights center where we will watch an IMAX movie to gain better understanding about this property and what it means to Israel. We will continue south to the mystical City of Safed. It is considered to be one of the Four Holy Cities according to tradition and its Kabalistic studies (the birthplace of Kabbalah). We will stroll through the narrow, winding alleys; visit some of the beautiful synagogues and browse through the artists' workshops and galleries found in the flourishing artists' quarter. We will return to our kibbutz guest house for rest. Enjoy another kibbutz dinner and evening at leisure.
Overnight at Kibbutz HaGoshrim in the Upper Galilee.
Wednesday, May 9 – Day 8: Journey To the Dead Sea
After breakfast, we will leave the Galilee region, driving south through the lush Jordan Valley where the dessert now blooms with flowers and vegetation and arrive to the Judea Region. You will start to descend to the lowest point on the surface of the earth at 1305 feet (398m) below sea level and arrive at the shores of the Dead Sea. We will travel south to the legendary mountaintop plateau of Masada. You will take a cable car to explore the ancient fortress. We will explore the ancient plateau, where the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their struggle against the Romans. The Zealots held out for three years against the legions of Flavius Silva and chose to die as free men at their own hands in preference to Roman slavery. We will drive further south to the Dead Sea resort of Ein Bokek. We will check-in and enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure floating on the Dead Sea and using the many facilities the hotel has to offer. In the evening, enjoy dinner at the hotel.
Overnight at the Isrotel Hotel in Ein Bokek (Dead Sea)
Thursday, May 10 - Day 9:Journey to Jerusalem
After breakfast, we will enjoy most of the at leisure. Again take advantage of the many facilities or enjoy floating in the unsinkable waters of the Dead Sea. Pre-reserved treatments/massages can be arranged in advance. In the afternoon, we will leave our hotel and travel north towards Jerusalem. We will check-in and have some rest. In the evening, we will drive to Anna Ticho Restaurant for dinner.
Overnight at the Mt. Zion Hotel in Jerusalem
Friday, May 11 - Day 10: Old City Of Jerusalem
After breakfast at hotel, we will proceed to the Old City of Jerusalem and enter through the Dung Gate to the Southern Wall excavations. We will see the ruins and the Robinson Arch, which used to lead the high priests into the Temple. In the same complex, we will enter the museum of the Davidson Center, for an audio/visual presentation of the Temple Period procedures. We will proceed through the broad stone stairway down to the holy Western Wall - the "Kotel". We begin at the passageways descending through the many layers of Jerusalem’s past at the time of the Temple through the Western Wall Tunnels. Inside, a most interesting model shows the different dwelling periods and history of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Stand on the site believed to be the nearest spot to the "Holy of Holies". Continue to the Jewish Quarter, which was reconstructed after the city was unified at the conclusion of the Six-Day War in 1967. A special point of interest in the restored Jewish Quarter, is the "Cardo", meaning the "heart" of this ancient Byzantine City. We will view the unearthed main Roman thoroughfare and ancient marketplace lined with columns. Enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure to browse and shop in the Old City. Prior to Shabbat, we will enter into the Old City through the Dung Gate to witness the preparation of Shabbat at the Kotel. Return to your hotel to enjoy a traditional Shabbat dinner.
Overnight at the Mt. Zion Hotel in Jerusalem
Saturday, May 12 – Day 11: Shabbat At Leisure In Jerusalem
After Shabbat breakfast, we will enjoy a day at leisure in Jerusalem. Optional service at one of the many synagogues in Jerusalem or just relax at our hotel. Feel the special atmosphere of Jerusalem on Shabbat. In the evening, walk the streets of Jerusalem, such as Ben Yehuda Street, the many young Jerusalemites gather. Walk along the Midrehov and see the many artists displaying their jewellery and crafts, as well as many sidewalk cafes.
Overnight at the Mt. Zion Hotel in Jerusalem
Sunday, May 13 - Day 12: New City Of Jerusalem
After breakfast, we will drive around the new city of Jerusalem. Our first stop will be Yad Vashem and walk through the New Historical Museum, the Children's Hall, and the Memorial Hall and view the recently constructed Memorial to the Deportees. We will continue the visit by descending to the Valley of the Communities - a man-made valley in the form of the European Map built in remembrance of over 5,000 European Jewish communities that suffered under the Nazis. We will continue to the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament to see the Chagall Hall (Paintings), as well as the observation area of the Knesset. Proceed to Israel Museum to see the scale model, which recreates Jerusalem in 66 CE. In that fateful year, the Great Revolt against the Romans erupted, resulting in the destruction of the city and the Temple. The ancient city was then at its largest, covering an area of ca. 445 acres (more than twice the size of the Old City today). In the same complex, We will also visit the Shrine of the Book. Here we will see the original Dead Sea scrolls and where they are housed. We will continue to Ammunition Hill (Givat-Hatahmoshet), sight of one of the fiercest battles for Jerusalem, which took place during the Six Day War. We will see one of the battle scenes leading up to the liberation of the City of Jerusalem in June 1967. Tonight, we will be transferred to our Gala dinner.
Overnight at the Mt. Zion Hotel in Jerusalem
Monday, May 14 - Day 13: Day at leisure in Jerusalem and departure
After breakfast, we will enjoy the last day at leisure. We will have a choice to use our shared complimentary room to wash, change and store our luggage before our transfer, or you can pay an additional late check-out amount to use your own room. In the evening, we will be transferred to Ben Gurion Airport for our flight departure back home.
Thursday, May 15 - Day 14: Arrival Back Home
We will arrive back home with everlasting memories of Israel.
