The Land, the Heart & the Soul of Israel:
Hadassah Interfaith Tour
Led by Julie Morris
December 2-13, 2019


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:

Join us as we explore sites of significance to both Jewish and Christian travelers, and meet the people of Israel firsthand.

INCLUDED:

5 nights Dan Panorama, Jerusalem
3 nights Kibbutz Nof Ginosar Hotel, Galilee
1 night plus late check out Dan Panorama, Tel Aviv
All sightseeing per an agreed upon itinerary in a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking guide
Breakfast & dinner daily, including Shabbat dinners in Jerusalem & Tel Aviv
Tour of Ein Kerem Hadassah Hospital
Shabbat Old City walking tour
Jeep tour through the Golan Heights
Chocolate workshop
Druze hospitality and lunch
Kibbutz Malkia visit and Lebanese border tour
Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee
Visit to Hadassah's Meir Shfeya Youth Village
Taglit Innovation Center visit

NOT INCLUDED:

Roundtrip airfare, taxes and fuel surcharges (subject to change until ticketed)
Any border taxes or visa fees
Tips to guide, driver and dining room waiters ($20 per person, per day; pre-collected)
Meals not listed
Items of a personal nature
Travel insurance (highly recommended)


Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Monday, December 2, 2019: DEPARTURE

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

Day 2: Tuesday, December 3, 2019: WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

• We arrive at Ben Gurion Airport and are assisted by an Ayelet Tours representative. Welcome home!
• We travel to Jerusalem and stop atop Mt. Scopus to say the “Shehecheyanu” as we look out over the City of Gold for the first time.
• We check into our hotel and have time to refresh.
• This evening, we enjoy a welcome dinner together at our hotel.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 3: Wednesday, December 4, 2019: HISTORY OF JERUSALEM

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day at Yad Vashem, Israel's memorial to the Holocaust, for an eye-opening experience as we visit the many moving exhibitions, including the Hall of Names and the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations.
• Nearby at Mt. Herzl, Jerusalem's military cemetery, we visit the graves of many of Israel's beloved leaders, including Theodore Herzl, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres.
• We travel to the top of the Mount of Olives for a glorious overview of Jerusalem and an introduction to the city from where many Christians believe Jesus ascended to heaven. We also visit the Church of Pater Noster.
• Our next stop is at the Church of Dominus Flevit, shaped like a tear drop to symbolize the tears of Christ.
• We walk down to the Garden of Gethsemane, a beautiful green spot believed to have been a garden even in biblical times. It is believed that Christ and His disciples retreated to the garden after the Last Supper. It is here that Christ gave his last sermon to his students.
• We complete our day at the Jerusalem shuk, Machane Yehuda. Here, we take in the sights, smells and sounds as we make our way through this bustling outdoor market.
• This evening, we enjoy dinner together.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 4: Thursday, December 5, 2019: MODERN JERUSALEM

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day with a visit to Ein Kerem Hadassah Hospital, where we tour the Mother and Child Pavilion. We get an inside look at the Sarah Wetsman Davidson tower featuring the most modern hospital facilities in the region, and also visit the synagogue featuring the famed Chagall windows.
• We continue to the newly renovated Israel Museum to see the Shrine of the Book, home to the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as the miniature scale replica of Jerusalem from the time of the Second Temple.
• Next, we enter the Old City to visit the Jewish quarter, including a stop at the Cardo market.
• This afternoon, we experience the Friends of Zion Museum, where stories of love and heroism are brought to life using ground-breaking technology. We step back in time and experience the story as it unfolds before us, including music, lighting and interactive displays.
• We enjoy dinner together this evening at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 5: Friday December 6, 2019: ANCIENT JERUSALEM & BETHLEHEM

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Adjacent to the Old City, we visit Ir David, the City of David, where we wander through the carefully preserved archaeological excavations dating back to the time of King David.
• At the Davidson Center, we learn about the construction and history of the Temple Mount area through the multi-media exhibitions.
• Next, we tour the Western Wall tunnels, where we discover the archaeological wonders that once remained untouched for centuries.
• Later today, we travel to Bethlehem for a visit to the Church of the Nativity, originally commissioned by Constantine the Great on the site that was traditionally considered to be located over the cave where Jesus was born.
• As the sun sets, we join together for Kabbalat Shabbat at the Western Wall with the people of Jerusalem, followed by Shabbat dinner together at our hotel.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 6: Saturday, December 7, 2019: SHABBAT SHALOM

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Free morning to attend Shabbat services or relax.
• This afternoon, we set out on a tour of ancient Jerusalem. We begin at the Tower of David. A medieval fortress with additions from later periods, this citadel is of international significance and offers panoramic views of Jerusalem from the heights of its towers.
• We return to the Old City for a special visit to the Christian quarter, where we stroll along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
• Next, we visit the Arab market (shuk) filled with goods of every variety.
• We complete our day with Havdallah at our hotel marking the end of Shabbat and the beginning of a new week.
• We enjoy dinner together this evening.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 7: Sunday, December 8, 2019: THE DEAD SEA BASIN

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We depart early this morning and travel south to the Dead Sea basin.
• Upon our arrival, we take a short hike to the hidden waterfalls in the desert oasis of Ein Gedi.
• Next, 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 head to the beach for an unsinkable swim in the healing, salty waters of the Dead Sea.
• As we begin our drive north, we stop at Qasr al Yahud along the Jordan River, the site of Jesus' baptism, according to Christian tradition, and the site where Joshua crossed into the land of Israel, according to Jewish tradition.
• We continue to the Galilee to check in to our kibbutz and enjoy dinner together this evening.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 8: Monday, December 9, 2019: GOLAN HEIGHTS

• Breakfast at our kibbutz.
• We set out this morning on an exciting jeep tour through the Golan Heights, passing old Syrian bunkers along the way to the top of Har Bental, where we take in the views reaching far into Syria.
• We enjoy a chocolate workshop with one of Israel's top chocolatiers at Ein Zivan's Dekarina Chocolate Factory.
• This afternoon, we travel to a Druze village for lunch and home hospitality as we learn about their unique culture and lifestyle.
• We enjoy a short hike in the Banias Nature Reserve located at the foot of Mt. Hermon, to the Banias spring, the source of the Banias River.
• Later this afternoon, we return to our kibbutz for dinner together.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 9: Tuesday, December 10, 2019: SAFED AND THE SEA OF GALILEE

• Breakfast and check out of our kibbutz.
• Today, we enjoy a drive along the Lebanese border, stopping at Kibbutz Malkia, a strategic overlook, where we will meet with an IDF unit on the border and the kibbutz security personnel to learn about the steps they take to protect a small frontier community.
• Next, we travel to the mystical city of Safed, where we view the beautiful synagogues and stroll through the ancient cobblestone alleyways to admire the crafts in the artist's quarter.
• We continue to the Mt. of Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the “Sermon on the Mount”.
• Our next stop is at Kfar Nahum (Capernaum), the town of Jesus and home of St. Peter. It was from this city that Jesus did most of his work teaching, healing, and performing many miracles.
• We visit Tabgha, site of the Church of the Multiplication. The mosaic floor depicts a basket with loaves and two fishes, symbolic references to the miracle where Jesus was able to feed the multitudes.
• Our day is completed with a relaxing boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.
• Later this evening, we return to our kibbutz for dinner together.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 10: Wednesday, December 11, 2019: THE ROAD TO TEL AVIV

• Breakfast at our kibbutz.
• We begin our day at Tel Meggido, site of the Biblical Armageddon, to see the many excavations.
• We stop for a breathtaking view of the Valley of Jezreel and see the Statue of Elijah at Muchraka.
• This afternoon, we visit Hadassah's Meir Shfeya Youth Village, where we meet and work with the kids and staff.
• In Caesarea Maritima, we see the ancient Roman theater, palace and hippodrome, where Peter preached, and Paul was later imprisoned.
• We continue south to Tel Aviv to check in to our hotel and refresh before dinner together this evening.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 11: Thursday, December 12, 2019: TOURING TEL AVIV

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we enjoy a walking tour through Neve Tzedek, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Tel Aviv.
• We visit Independence Hall, where Israel's Declaration of Independence was signed in 1948.
• At the nearby cutting-edge Taglit Innovation Center, we get a glimpse into Israel's high-tech advances in the fields of science, medicine, security and space. We visit the interactive exhibitions and continue with a meeting with one of Israel's innovative entrepreneurs.
• We continue to the Palmach Museum, where we “join up” with the paramilitary forces from Israel's pre-statehood days.
• This afternoon, we take in the sights of charming Old Jaffa, where we stroll through the cobblestone alleyways and admire the artist's work in the galleries, as we take in the views of the sea in this ancient port city.
• Time for last minute shopping or relaxing.
• This evening, we enjoy a festive farewell dinner at an excellent local restaurant as we recall all that we have experienced together on our journey.
• We transfer to the airport for our overnight flight back to the United States.

Day 12: Friday, December 13, 2019: WELCOME HOME!

• We arrive back in the United States this morning.



THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!!
*itinerary subject to change