English

Hadassah Autumn Mission
Israel
Led by Aileen Bormel
Oct. 31 - Nov. 10, 2017

Tour Rates & Dates:

There are no Departure Dates available for this Package.
*Please note that all rates displayed are based on standard room double occupancy.
All rates above are in US Dollars, and are based on full payment by credit card unless otherwise noted.
If check payment discount is available for this tour, it can be selected after clicking "BOOK" above.
(Deposit can still be paid by credit card). Upgraded room categories may be available to book later in the booking process.
If Land & Air price is displayed, the air portion includes tax and fuel surcharges, which are subject to change until ticketed.

Tour Overview:

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4 nights Dan Panorama Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
2 nights Kibbutz Hagoshrim Guesthouse, Upper Galilee, Israel
2 nights plus late check out Crowne Plaza Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel
All touring and sightseeing per an agreed upon itinerary in a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle with an English speaking guide
Breakfast daily
Welcome dinner in Jerusalem
Dinner at a restaurant in Jerusalem
Shabbat dinner with wine in a private room in Jerusalem
Lunch & swim at the Dead Sea
2 Kibbutz dinners
Farewell dinner with music
Transfers included if arriving/departing with the main group
Entrance fees as per itinerary
Porterage
Hostess throughout
Banner & hospitality desk

NOT INCLUDED - These prices do not include:

Roundtrip airfare departure taxes and fuel surcharges
(listed separately)
Any border taxes or visas
Tips to guides, driver, and dining room waiters
($20.00 per person, per day-pre-collected)
Any items of a personal nature
Travel Insurance (Highly recommended)
Tower of David Sound and Light show

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1, Tuesday October 31, 2017: DEPARTURE

• We depart the United States on our overnight flight to Israel.

Day 2, Wednesday November 1, 2017: ARRIVAL IN JERUSALEM

• Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, with assistance by an Ayelet representative. Welcome Home!
• We start our mission with a stop at Neot Kedumim, the Biblical botanical garden, where we connect to the country by planting a tree, view the ancient olive press, the winery, and enjoy a shared snack.
• Continue to Jerusalem.
• Upon arrival in Jerusalem, we stop atop Mt. Scopus to recite a special “Sh'hekiyanu!” blessing overlooking the City of Gold.
• Enjoy some time at the Kotel and experience the special atmosphere.
• We enjoy a tour through the famed Western Wall Tunnels.
• Check into our hotel.
• Enjoy a welcome dinner and orientation together this evening.

O/N Jerusalem 

Day 3, Thursday November 2, 2017: HADASSAH AND CITY TOUR

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin with a visit to the Knesset, Israel's parliament building, where we have a unique photo opportunity by the amazing outdoor bronze menorah sculpture.
• Visit Ein Karem Hadassah Hospital, where we tour the Mother and Child Pavilion. We also visit the new Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower that recently opened, featuring the most modern hospital facilities in the region including a visit to the beautiful Chagall windows.
• Lunch (on own) in the Jewish Quarter.
• Walk along the Cardo with time to shop at Hurva Square.
• Visit Ir David, just outside the Old City walls, where we wander through the carefully preserved archeological excavations dating back to the time of King David.
• Explore the bunkers at Ammunition Hill; the official museum symbolizing the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem. Its new multimedia film helps visitors better understand the events and battles of 1967.
• Dinner together at a local Middle Eastern restaurant.

O/N Jerusalem

Day 4, Friday November 3, 2017: WELCOME SHABBAT

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Visit the Yad Vashem complex, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Here we explore some of the newly found materials relating to places, people, and events connected to the Holocaust. Memorial service at the Valley of the Lost Communities.
• Visit Machane Yehuda, Jerusalem's outdoor marketplace, filled with foods of every variety. Allowing us the opportunity to enjoy a varied taste of the marketplace in a fun and new way.
• Time to relax in the market or at our hotel before Shabbat.
• We welcome Shabbat at the Western Wall with the people of Jerusalem.
• Tonight we enjoy Shabbat dinner in a private room at our hotel.

O/N Jerusalem

Day 5, Saturday November 4, 2017: SHABBAT SHALOM

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Free morning for Shabbat services or to just relax.
• Guided walking tour through the historical and charming neighborhood of Yemin Moshe.
• We continue our walk and explore the Jewish Quarter, Arab Market and the Christian Quarter.
• Havdalah with Barbara Goldstein on the rooftop of our hotel overlooking the Old City.
• Free evening in Jerusalem! Enjoy a stroll along Ben Yehuda Street, through Emek Refraim Street, or visit the Mamilla pedestrian mall, filled with shops and restaurants.
• OPTIONAL: Sound and Light show on the history of Jerusalem at the David Citadel (additional cost).

O/N Jerusalem

Day 6, Sunday November 5, 2017: MASSADA & THE DESERT

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Check out of our hotel.
• We depart Jerusalem and drive toward the Dead Sea Basin.
• Ascend to the Masada summit by cable car. Here we view the remains of King Herod's palace and fortifications, and hear the story of the Jewish Zealots' last stand against the approaching Roman armies. We descend down the ramp to the West.
• For an authentic desert experience, we visit a Bedouin camp and enjoy a camel ride and Bedouin hospitality in the wilderness.
• Explore Ein Gedi, where we take a short hike to the hidden waterfalls in this desert oasis.
• Enjoy lunch and time to float in the healing salty waters of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth.
• Drive along the Jordan Valley to our Kibbutz in the north.
• Dinner at our kibbutz.

O/N in the Galilee

Day 7, Monday November 6, 2017: THE GOLAN HEIGHTS

• Breakfast at our kibbutz.
• Enjoy an adventurous Jeep tour of the Golan Heights. Atop the Golan, we take in the amazing view and see the memorial to those soldiers who lost their lives capturing this crucial spot from Syrian forces in 1967 at Mitzpe Gadot.
• Take in the views stretching far into Syria from atop Har Bental.
• We enjoy a fun chocolate workshop with one of Israel's top chocolatiers at Ein Zivan's Dekarina Chocolate Factory.
• We next cross the Galilee to visit the mystical city of Safed. Here we visit the ancient synagogues and have time to stroll along the shops of the Artists' Quarter, while the artists among us will enjoy a candle making workshop.
• We visit a winery and enjoy a wine tasting before returning to our Kibbutz
• Dinner at our kibbutz followed by a meeting with Kibbutz members and youth.

O/N in the Galilee

Day 8, Tuesday November 7, 2017: TO TEL AVIV

• Breakfast at our kibbutz.
• Check out of our kibbutz.
• Drive along the Lebanese border to Rosh Hanikra. Here we discover the beautiful and varied chalk-cliff grottoes carved out by the Mediterranean waters over thousands of years.
• Visit Akko, where we explore the Crusader-era fortifications and British Prison, as well as the secret Templar Tunnel. Here we also learn about this historically important port, and its current challenges as a mixed Jewish/Arab city
• Lunch (on own) this afternoon.
• Continue to Haifa for a panoramic view from Mt. Carmel, including the beautiful Bahai Temple and Persian Gardens.
• Visit Hadassah's Meir Shfeya Youth Village, where we interact with the kids and staff.
• Continue to our hotel in Tel Aviv for check in.

O/N Tel Aviv
 
Day 9, Wednesday November 8, 2017: STARTUP NATION

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin this morning with a visit to the Diaspora museum where we visit the Newly opened expeditions of Jewish History.
• Next visit Independence Hall, site of the 1948 signing of Israel's Declaration of Independence (if open to the public after renovations).
• The Story of Tel Aviv, a guided walk through Neve Zedek and what was Ahuzat Bayit, exploring the origins of the city of Tel Aviv, its people and places.
• Continue to Tel Aviv's White City, one of the largest concentrations of Bauhaus in the world.
• Continue to the Taglit-Birthright Israel Innovation Center- The center presents startups and technology companies In addition, entrepreneurial visionaries that makes Israel the startup nation it is today
• Enjoy an afternoon in Old Jaffa where we walk among the many artists, vendors and cafes as we hear the history of the ancient port

O/N Tel Aviv

Day 10, Thursday November 9, 2017: TEL AVIV

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We drive to Rehovot and uncover the secrets of the Ayalon Institute where an underground ammunition factory played a pivotal role in Israel's fight for Independence at the end of the British Mandate.
• Dig into history at Beit Gurvin. Here we will join the ongoing archaeological excavations. The pottery shards and other artifacts we find are being touched by human hands for the first time in thousands of years. Those willing can also enjoy a fun and adventurous cave crawl, including some very tight squeezes!
• Visit Nachalat Binyamin, the first and largest open-air craft market in Israel; also one of the most spectacular.
• Farewell dinner and tour of the new upcoming area of Sarona, Israel's largest, most unique indoor culinary complex that combines the old world with the new. Walk along the cobblestone streets to the quaint shops or enjoy a cappuccino at one of the many coffee shops.
• Transfer to the airport for our overnight flight back to the United States.


Day 11, Friday November 10, 2017: ARRIVE HOME

• We land back home in the USA.


The Memories Last Forever!



*Itinerary subject to change