Thursday - Day 1: Usa To Israel - Departure
We will depart from a north American Gateway on a transatlantic overnight flight to Israel. Meals and movies on board.
Friday - Day 2: Welcome To Israel
Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport and will be met by a Shalom Journeys representative, who will assist us with our luggage and escorted outside the terminal to our deluxe motor coach. We will be escorted and transferred to the Carlton Hotel in beautiful Tel Aviv for check-in with welcome drinks. Our representative will brief and introduce us to the activities we will experience during our tour. Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure to wander the promenade or the streets of Tel Aviv prior to Shabbat. We will enjoy Shabbat dinner at our hotel. After dinner, on your own at leisure.
Overnight at Hotel in Tel Aviv
Shabbat - Day 3: Leisure Day In Tel Aviv
We will enjoy a Shabbat Israeli style breakfast at our Hotel and the day at leisure. At 9:00 PM, our Rabbi will come to the hotel and meet the B'nei Mitzvahs for a brief and a quick rehearsal with parents. Evening at leisure.
Overnight at Hotel in Tel Aviv
Sunday - Day 4: Tel Aviv And Surrounding Area
After breakfast 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 the ancient narrow streets. Next, we will drive to the "Palmach Museum" and experience a modern multi-media presentation, which will make you feel like you are participating in the 1941 War of Independence fighting with the Palmachim for the establishment of the State of Israel. Follow the lives and experiences of the young men and women who founded Israel’s Defense Forces. We continue with our day of touring 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 enjoy lunch (own expense) and have some time to walk on Sheinken Street. We will leave Tel Aviv and drive to Rechovot to visit the ‘underground’ at the Ayalon Institute, where to a once-secret munitions factory in a kibbutz supplying the Hagana. We will return to Tel Aviv and to our hotel for the remainder of the day at leisure. In the evening, we will enjoy dinner at Maganda Restaurant, a typical Yemenite restaurant).
Overnight at Hotel in Tel Aviv
Monday - Day 5: The Journey North To The Galilee
After breakfast, we will leave our hotel and the Tel Aviv area and drive 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 Theater, 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 with our drive north to Haifa and ascend Mt. Carmel, where we will enjoy a beautiful panoramic view of Haifa Bay and the Botanical Gardens below. We will continue to the northernmost point of Israel at Rosh Hanikra. We will descend by cable car into the limestone Grottos below. It is also the Israeli and Lebanese border. We will conclude our day with a drive through the Galilean Mountains and arrive at our kibbutz guesthouse for check in with refreshments. We will enjoy a special, but relaxing dinner at our kibbutz. After dinner, enjoy a Kibbutz Member talk about Kibbutz life.
Overnight at Kibbutz Hagoshrim in the Galilee
Tuesday - Day 6: The Golan Heights And The Galilee
Today, we will experience a “FUN” day. After breakfast, we will drive to the Golan Heights for an exciting bumpy jeep ride through the rugged terrain of the Golan Heights. We will ascend Mt. Bental to the Valley of Tears of the Israel/Syrian border to view the destroyed City of Kuneitra and beyond the border into Syria. We will continue to Kfar Blum for Rafting and Rope Challenge Park (climb walls, bow & arrow and more). Proceed to the ancient Talmudic town of Katzrin, which has been uncovered and partially restored and was described as the Capital city of the Golan. After lunch (own expense), we will travel to Kfar Kedem, to participate in village life as it once was in the Galilee, such as; pressing oil, crushing grapes, baking pita or making goat cheese, riding a donkey and experiencing the atmosphere of ancient days. In the evening, we will drive to Decks Restaurant (or similar) for a great grill restaurant meal facing the Kinneret. Enjoy the excellent taste of the many varieties of foods they have to offer. After dinner, we will enjoy a night cruise with dancing and entertainment on the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee).
Overnight at Kibbutz Hagoshrim in the Galilee
Wednesday - Day 7: Galilee Area To The Dead Sea
After breakfast, we will drive to the Mystical City of Safed, 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 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. We 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 beautiful Ein Gedi reserve to see the Oasis in the desert. See the incredible waterfalls, the gardens, the caves and study the biblical stories of King David and Saul in the book of Psalm. This is site is where David hid from King Saul in many occasions. We will conclude our day with our last drive to the Dead Sea resort of Ein Bokek and to our hotel for check-in with welcome refreshments. In the evening, enjoy dinner at the hotel.
Overnight at the hotel in Ein Bokek (Dead Sea)
Thursday - Day 8: Bar/Bat Mitzvah Day – Journey To Jerusalem
After an early breakfast, we will drive north to the legendary mountaintop plateau of Massada. We will take a cable car to the ancient synagogue and here we will meet our Rabbi, who will conduct our B’nei Mitzvahs ceremonies (starts at 9:00 AM.). After ceremonies, 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 return back to our hotel for the remainder of the day at leisure. Check-out from our rooms will be 12 noon to 1 PM. Take advantage of the many facilities or enjoy floating in the unsinkable waters of the Dead Sea. Pre-reserve treatments in advanced can be arranged upon request. In the late afternoon, we will leave our hotel and travel north to Eretz Bereshit (Land of Genesis) for a desert camel ride adventure and where Abraham and his family will host us for a biblical-style dinner in their tent with a special surprise and celebrate a unique and exciting Bar/Bat Mitzvah Party Event! we will travel through the Judean Hills towards Jerusalem and to our hotel.
Overnight at hotel in Jerusalem
Friday - Day 9: The Old City Of Jerusalem
After breakfast, we will proceed to the Old City of Jerusalem and enter through the Dung Gate to the Southern Wall excavations. We will see the beauty of the ruins, including the famous 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 (Rabbinical 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". We will proceed to the Jewish Quarter, which was reconstructed after the city was unified at the conclusion of the Six-Day War in 1967. After lunch (on your own), 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 proceed back to the Kotel and experience the preparation of Shabbat at the Kotel, as well as a chance to stick a prayer note or a prayer. We will return back to our hotel and enjoy Shabbat dinner.
Overnight at hotel in Jerusalem
Saturday - Day 10: Shabbat At Leisure
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 jewelry and crafts, as well as many sidewalk cafes. Dinner will be at your own expense at leisure.
Overnight at hotel in Jerusalem
Sunday - Day 11: New City Of Jerusalem
After breakfast, we will drive around the new city of Jerusalem to see the modern capital of Israel. Our fist stop will be Yad Vashem. It is considered the first and most famous memorial to mankind's darkest period. We will visit the very moving exhibit at the Children’s Pavilion, followed by a special ceremony in the Valley of the Communities - a man-made valley in the form of the European Map built in remembrance of where over 5000 names of communities are engraved on the stone walls, each one remembering a Jewish community that was damaged or destroyed during the Holocaust. We will continue to Israel Museum to see the model city of Jerusalem to give us an understanding of what Jerusalem used to look like 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. Next, we will stop will be the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament to see the Chagall Hall (Paintings), as well as the observation area of the Knesset. 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. On this site, a most difficult battle between Israeli Paratroopers and the Jordanians. We conclude our day with a drive to Mount Zion to see King David Tomb. In the Evening, we will enjoy dinner at Anna Ticho Restaurant, followed by a sound and light show at David Citadel Spectacular.
Overnight at hotel in Jerusalem
Monday - Day 12: Jedean Hills And Tel Aviv Area
After breakfast, we will drive to the Judean Hills and stop at JNF National Forrest to plant a tree. Feel the connection with the land of Israel by planting a tree. We will continue to Beit Govrin for an archaeology experience, as we get on our knees to participate in a real archaeological dig. Here, we will learn about regional archaeology digging and history. This site served as a major crossroad for commerce in ancient Israel, and to this day new discoveries are being made that shed more light on our past. We will continue Avshalom (Stalactite) Nature Reserve to visit the Soreq Cave. Here, a crew of workers excavating a quarry on Mt. Yaela's western slope unwittingly discovered cave with a single explosion (in 1968). Scientists estimate the cave to be between 8 million and 25 million years old. We will visit the Children's Museum, located in Holon to see the "Dialogue in The Dark" exhibition (ages 9 years and up - also known as the Blind Museum), with a remarkable experience of “seeing” the world through Blind eyes. It will teach us to use all our senses, in particular; touch, smell and hear. Experience over the next hour a virtual world, in the dark, without pictures, but were sounds are helpful. Next, we will visit the "Invitation to Silence", an inter-active exhibition about communication guided by deaf guides. This exhibition that brings forth the non- oral communication skills that exist in every one of us, and which are best expressed in the absence of voice and sound. This is a unique ethical-educational project, directed by deaf guides for whom "sign language" is the main, and often only, communication channel available. we will return to our hotel. We will enjoy dinner at a local restaurant in Tel Aviv before heading back to our hotel in Jerusalem.
Overnight at hotel in Jerusalem
Tuesday - Day 13: Departure Back Home Or Eilat Extension
After breakfast (depending on flight time), we will be transferred to Ben Gurion Airport for our flight back home. Check-out time from hotel is 12 noon.
Friday - Day 14: Arrive Back Home
Arrive back home with everlasting memories of Israel.
SHALOM U’LEHITRAOT
