Israel Together:
Mothers & Daughters
Led by Ellen Hershkin & Lisa Hershkin Roth
December 6-15, 2020


Tour Rates & Dates:

This package is currently unavailable. Please check back later or call Ayelet Tours, Ltd. for more information.
*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 6, 2020!
(Discount applied after clicking "book" above)

Group flights on El Al from JFK now available!  For connecting flights, contact Anjie at anjie@ayelet.com or 800-237-1517 x340.


Tour Overview:

INCLUDED ON THIS MEANINGFUL TRIP:

2 nights Crowne Plaza, Tel Aviv
2 nights Beresheet Hotel, Mitzpe Ramon
3 nights Leonardo Plaza, Jerusalem
All touring and sightseeing in a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle with an expert English-speaking guide
Chanukah candle lighting
Breakfast daily
Welcome dinner in Tel Aviv
Levinsky market chef tour and dinner
2 dinners in Mitzpe Ramon
Private Shabbat dinner in Jerusalem
Farewell dinner with "Women Cook"
Old Jaffa co-existence tour
Meeting with Rachel Korazim
Visit to Taglit Innovation Center
Beit Guvrin archaeological dig
Bedouin home hospitality
Ramon Crater sunrise jeep tour
Sand surfing in the desert
Meeting with artist Yaron Bob
Salad Trail
Painting workshop in Jerusalem
Emek Tzurim sifting project
Transfer if arriving/departing with the main group
Entrance fees as per itinerary
Porterage
Bottled water on the  bus
Whisper headsets

NOT INCLUDED: 

Roundtrip airfare, departure taxes and fuel surcharges (group flights coming soon)
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: Sunday, December 6, 2020: DEPARTURE

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

Day 2: Monday, December 7, 2020: WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

• We arrive in Israel and are met by an Ayelet Tours representative.
• We begin in Old Jaffa with a co-existence tour as Jewish and Arab guides lead us side by side. We trace the different historical narratives as we explore the possibility of creating a common future and shared society.
• Next, we visit the home of scholar Rachel Korazim for a discussion about mothers in the Jewish tradition.
• Later this afternoon, we check into our hotel and refresh before our welcome dinner this evening.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 3: Tuesday, December 8, 2020: A TASTE OF TEL AVIV

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we stroll through Neve Tzedek, the first Jewish neighborhood to be built outside Old Jaffa.
• Next, we follow Independence Trail for a walking tour through the Ahuzat Bayit neighborhood, where the city was originally developed.
• We continue at the cutting-edge Taglit Innovation Center for a glimpse into Israel's advances in the high-tech fields of science, medicine, security and space in the interactive exhibition, followed by a meeting with one of Israel's up and coming entrepreneurs.
• This afternoon, we stroll through the Florentin neighborhood to see the artistic graffiti painted on the walls and buildings and learn how it is an important form of expression in the community.
• We experience the multi-ethnic weave of Tel Aviv as a chef leads us through the Levinsky Market, for a sensual immersion, engaging with the vibrant colors, smells and flavors that will be found in this bustling marketplace. We wander through the pyramids of spices, bright-colored exotic vegetables, nuts, olives, and delicious halva creations. Our chef will introduce us to the most characteristic ingredients of the local cuisine and to the Israeli food habits, while we prepare dinner together with our purchases.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 4: Wednesday, December 9, 2020: DIGGING INTO ISRAEL

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We begin our day at 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 Beit Guvrin and participate in a hands-on archaeological dig, allowing us the opportunity to unearth remnants from Israel's ancient past.
• We continue to a nearby Bedouin village and meet with a local Bedouin woman to learn about female empowerment in their community while enjoying traditional home hospitality.
• We travel to Mitzpe Ramon to check into our resort and refresh before Chanukah candle lighting and dinner together this evening.

Overnight in Mitzpe Ramon

Day 5: Thursday, December 10, 2020: DESERT ADVENTURES

• We arise early and set out on a sunrise jeep tour into the Ramon Crater, watching as it bathes majestically in the first light of day.
• We return to our resort for breakfast.
• After breakfast, we stop at the Mitzpe Ramon Visitor's Center to learn about the area and former resident and astronaut, Ilan Ramon.
• This afternoon, we enjoy trying out sand surfing in the desert.
• We return to our resort for a relaxing evening, including lighting the Chanukah candles and enjoying dinner together.

Overnight in Mitzpe Ramon

Day 6: Friday, December 11, 2020: SOUTHERN EXPLORATION

• Breakfast and check out of our resort.
• Today, we travel to Sde Boker to view David Ben Gurion's gravesite and original hut.
• Our next stop is near Eshkol at the workshop of artist Yaron Bob. 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".
• This afternoon, we visit 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 from the self-picking farm and encounter flying strawberries, tiny orange orchards, racing pigeons and herbal gardens.
• We continue to the settlement of Netiv HaAsara located on the Gaza border, to see the Peace Wall and meet with local residents to better understand their experiences living here.
• 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.
• We check into our hotel and refresh.
• As the sun sets, we join together to light the Chanukah candles and welcome Shabbat at the Kotel with the people of Jerusalem, followed by Shabbat dinner at our hotel.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 7: Saturday, December 12, 2020: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Free morning to attend Shabbat services or relax.
• This afternoon, we set out on a walking tour of Rehavia and Talbiya, upscale garden neighborhoods built in the 1920s-1930s.
• We return to our hotel for Havdalah and Chanukah candle lighting.
• This evening, we enjoy dinner on own, followed by a painting workshop.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 8: Sunday, December 13, 2020: DISCOVERING JERUSALEM

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, 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 also visit the synagogue featuring the famed Chagall windows.
• Next, we visit Emek Tzurim, where we sift through the Temple Mount rubble. New and important finds are made here every day.
• We enter the Old City for a tour of the Western Wall tunnels, where we discover the archaeological wonders that once remained untouched for centuries.
• We continue with a walking tour through the Jewish quarter, including time to shop in the Cardo market.
• From below the streets to above the rooftops, we walk the ramparts, providing us a birds-eye view into the different quarters.
• Later this afternoon, we enjoy a tour of several of Jerusalem's art galleries.
• We return to our hotel for Chanukah candle lighting and a chance to refresh.
• Tonight, we visit the lively Machane Yehuda market for dinner and nightlife on own.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 9: Monday, December 14, 2020: THE YOUTH OF ISRAEL

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day at Yad Vashem, the 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, 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.
• Free time for shopping and relaxing.
• This evening, we check out of our hotel and join together for a festive farewell dinner by “Women Cook” who come from different culinary traditions; Moroccan, Tunisian, Ethiopian and many more. This initiative was created to empower women and give them an opportunity to be economically independent and preserve their rich cultural traditions. We will also have time for reminiscing about 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 10: Tuesday, December 15, 2020: WELCOME HOME!

• We arrive back in the United States this morning.


THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!!
*itinerary subject to change