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Travel Home: A Hadassah Family Experience
Led by Miriam Aron
December 22, 2020 - January 1, 2021

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.

Super Early Bird Discount:
Save $600 per person if registered by June 22, 2020!
(Discount applied after clicking "book" above)

Group flights coming soon.

Tour Overview:

INCLUDED ON THIS JOYFUL TRIP:

4 nights Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem
2 nights Kibbutz Hagoshrim, Upper Galilee
2 nights Sheraton Hotel , Tel Aviv
All touring and sightseeing in a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle with an expert English-speaking guide
Breakfast daily
Welcome dinner in Jerusalem
Private Shabbat dinner in Jerusalem
2 kibbutz dinners
Farewell dinner in Tel Aviv
Neot Kedumim program with shepherd's lunch
Bedouin lunch
Salad Trail with light lunch
Emek Tzurim sifting project
Scavenger hunt in Yemin Moshe
Sound and Light show
Camel ride
Golan Heights jeep tour
Chocolate workshop
Hummus making competition
Hula Valley surrey ride
Druze home hospitality
Tree planting
Visit to Eshkol Protected School
Meeting with artist Yaron Bob
Visit to Taglit Innovation Center
Transfers if arriving/departing with the main group
Entrance fees as per itinerary
Porterage
Bottled water on the bus

NOT INCLUDED:

Roundtrip airfare, departure taxes and fuel surcharges (group flights coming January 2020)
Border taxes or visa fees
Tips to guide, driver and dining room waiters ($22 per person, per day; pre-collected)
Meals not listed above
Items of a personal nature
Travel insurance (highly recommended)

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Tuesday, December 22, 2020: DEPARTURE

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

Day 2: Wednesday, December 23, 2020: WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

• We arrive in Israel and are met and assisted by an Ayelet Tours representative.
• We travel to Neot Kedumim Biblical Gardens for a special program about the ancient olive oil press and water gathering, sheep herding and a shepherd's lunch.
• We ascend to Jerusalem, stopping atop Mt. Scopus to say the “Shehecheyanu” as we look out over the City of Gold for the first time together.
• This afternoon, we enter the Old City and visit the Western Wall with time for personal reflection.
• We go underground for a tour of the Western Wall tunnels, where we discover the archaeological wonders that once remained untouched for centuries.
• Later this afternoon, we check into our hotel and refresh before our welcome dinner this evening.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 3: Thursday, December 24, 2020: ANCIENT JERUSALEM

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we visit Emek Tzurim, where we sift through the Temple Mount rubble. New and important finds are made here every day.
• Optional: We host a B'nai Mitzvah ceremony at Hadassah Hospital's Chagall Synagogue. Mazel tov!
• This afternoon, we visit Ein Kerem Hadassah Hospital for a tour of the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower, featuring the most modern hospital facilities in the region. We meet with staff and patients and take an in-depth look at this cutting-edge medical facility and how it has adapted to ever-changing needs.
• We return to the Old City for a walking tour of the Jewish quarter, including time to shop in the Cardo market.
• From the streets to above the rooftops, we walk the ramparts, providing us a birds-eye view of the different quarters.
• We complete our day at Ir David, the City of David, where we wander through the archaeological excavations dating back to the time of King David, including Hezekiah's water tunnel.
• Evening at leisure and dinner on own.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 4: Friday, December 25, 2020: ISRAEL THEN AND NOW

• Breakfast at our hotel joined by a journalist who will speak about the current state of Israel.
• At Yad Vashem, the national memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, we explore some of the newly found materials relating to places, people, and events connected to the Holocaust, including:
o Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations
o Exhibit of children's drawings
o Children's memorial
• We complete our visit at Yad Vashem with a group memorial service at the Valley of the Lost Communities. (Small children and parents will visit the Biblical Zoo instead).
• This afternoon, we visit Ammunition Hill, the official museum symbolizing the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem. Its new multi-media film will help us better understand the events and battles of 1967.
• As the sun sets, we join together to welcome Shabbat at the Kotel with the people of Jerusalem, followed by private Shabbat dinner at our hotel.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 5: Saturday, December 26, 2020: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Free morning to attend Shabbat services on own or just relax.
• This afternoon, we set out on a scavenger hunt in the Yemin Moshe neighborhood; a great way to get to know the area.
• As day turns to night, we join together for Havdallah at our hotel, marking the end of Shabbat and the beginning of a new week.
• Dinner on own, followed by the spectacular Sound and Light show at the Tower of David.

Overnight in Jerusalem
Day 6: Sunday, December 27, 2020: THE DEAD SEA BASIN

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We depart early and travel south to the Dead Sea basin. Upon arrival, we ascend Masada by cable car to view the remains of King Herod's fortress, including the synagogue, walls and bathhouses, as we learn about the Jewish Zealots' last stand against the Roman forces.
• We descend the mountain and travel to a nearby Bedouin community for an authentic desert experience, including a camel ride and traditional lunch.
• This afternoon, we enjoy an unsinkable swim in the healing, salty waters of the Dead Sea.
• We travel north through the Jordan Valley to the Galilee to check into our kibbutz and refresh before dinner together this evening.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 7: Monday, December 28, 2020: NORTHERN ADVENTURES

• Breakfast at our kibbutz.
• Today, we set out on an exciting jeep tour through the Golan Heights to Mitzpe Gadot to take in the amazing views and see the memorial to those soldiers who lost their lives capturing this crucial spot from Syrian forces in 1967.
• We continue in our jeeps to Har Bental for views stretching far into Syria.
• Next, we enjoy a chocolate workshop, learning from the experts in a fun and delicious way at the DeKarina Chocolate Factory.
• This afternoon, we travel to the mystical city of Safed, where we stroll through the cobblestone streets to view the ancient synagogues and shop in the artist's quarter.
• Our final adventure today is at Dubrovin Farms, where we participate in a lively hummus making competition.
• We return to our kibbutz for dinner together this evening.

Overnight in the Galilee
Day 8: Tuesday, December 29, 2020: THE ROAD TO TEL AVIV

• Breakfast and check out of our kibbutz.
• This morning, we visit the Hula Valley Nature Reserve and enjoy a surrey ride through the bucolic scenery.
• We travel west to Haifa and drive to the top of Mt. Carmel for panoramic views overlooking the beautiful Bahai Gardens.
• At the nearby Druze village of Daliyat el Carmel, we experience home hospitality while learning about their unique culture and lifestyle.
• Later this afternoon, we visit Hadassah's Meir Shfeya Youth Village, where we interact with the kids and staff and visit the village, including their working farm and winery.
• We continue to Tel Aviv to check into our hotel and refresh before setting out for an evening at leisure to explore and enjoy dinner on own.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 9: Wednesday, December 30, 2020: SOUTHERN EXPLORATION

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we travel to the Be'er Sheva River Park, a massive water, environment and economic development project that is transforming the riverfront into a 1,700-acre civic paradise. We will plant trees, physically connecting us with the land of Israel.
• Next, we visit the Eshkol Protected School and witness the bravery of the students and teachers as we see their classrooms that double as shelters.
• Our next stop is at the “Salad Trail”, where we will participate in a unique hands-on agricultural tour and witness how Israeli innovation is literally making the desert bloom with crops grown out of some of the most inhospitable sands imaginable. We will pick and taste fruits and vegetables straight from the kibbutz's self-picking farm, and encounter flying strawberries, tiny orange orchards, racing pigeons and herbal gardens. We complete our visit with a light lunch.
• This afternoon, we meet Yaron Bob at his workshop. Struck by the terror of shell attacks, Yaron decided to transform something horrible into something beautiful, and so began his artwork, known as “Rockets to Roses”.
• We return to Tel Aviv for a relaxing evening and dinner on own.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 10: Thursday, December 31, 2020: TOURING TEL AVIV

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we follow Independence Trail on a walking tour through the Ahuzat Bayit neighborhood, where the city was originally developed.
• At the cutting-edge Taglit Innovation Center, we catch a glimpse into Israel's high-tech advances in the fields of science, medicine, security and space in the interactive exhibit.
• Next, we visit the Palmach Museum, where we “join up” with the paramilitary forces from Israel's pre-statehood days.
• At the Ayalon Institute, we discover the underground ammunition factory that played a pivotal role in Israel's fight for independence.
• This evening, we check out of our hotel and enjoy a festive farewell dinner, recalling all that we have experienced together on this journey.
• We transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for our overnight flights back to the United States.

Day 11: Friday, January 1, 2021: WELCOME HOME!

• We arrive back in the United States this morning. Happy New Year!


THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!!
*itinerary subject to change