Sunday, October 30, 2016: DEPARTURE

Monday, October 31, 2016: ARRIVAL IN ISRAEL

• Drive through the Ayalon Valley to Tel Aviv.
• From Declaration to Reality, program introduction and welcome to Israel at Independence Hall, site of the signing of Israel's Declaration of Independence, with program introduction, followed by a short walk tracing the origins of the Tel Aviv.
• Check in to Tel Aviv Hotel.
• Free time for rest and relaxation.
• Depart the hotel for a festive welcome dinner at the Goshen Restaurant followed by Israel Toward 2016 - Israel Toward 2026, with Netali Ofir-Fink , CEO of the Reut Think Tank.

Overnight: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Tel Aviv

Tuesday, November 1, 2016: PARTNERSHIP IN THE NEGEV: ALABAMA-DIMONA

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Drive to the Jaffa Overlook, for an introduction to the city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
• Discover the secret underground ammunition factory that played a pivotal role in Israel's fight for Independence at the Ayalon Institute.
• Return to Tel Aviv.
• Visit the Nachalat Binyamin Pedestrian Mall, with its many artists and musicians.
• Visit Rabin Square, Tel Aviv's central square and the site of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, for an opportunity to visit the Rabin Memorial and remember his legacy for the State of Israel.
• Free evening and dinner on your own in Tel Aviv, possibilities include:
      o The Sarona Market, the Tachana Old Train Station, the Tel Aviv Port, Rothschild Blvd. (our guide can assist with finding Kosher restaurants)
     o Possible evening reunion with former Shlichim

Overnight: Crowne Plaza Hotel, Tel Aviv

Wednesday, November 2, 2016: A MOSAIC OF ISRAEL

• Breakfast at hotel.
• Depart Tel Aviv and drive along the coast to Caesarea.
• Drive toward Northern Israel, stopping at Moshav Bnai Zion for a visit to the Israel National Therapeutic Riding Association, a Federation Project, for a hands-on INTRA workshop.
• Guided visit through the remains of the Roman city of Caesarea, followed by a walk along the beach to the newly renovated Crusader city and port.
• Lunch on our own en route.
• Visit the crusader fortress at Akko, including the secret Templar Tunnels. We hear the history of this site, from the time of the Templars through its use as a prison for Jewish fighters during the British Mandate.
• Drive across the Galilee to Kibbutz HaGoshrim.
• Check in to the Kibbutz Guesthouse.
• Dinner at the Guesthouse.
• Optional Israeli Folk Dancing at the Guesthouse.

Overnight: Kibbutz HaGoshrim Guesthouse, Upper Galilee

Thursday, November 3, 2016: THE JORDAN RIFT VALLEY

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Nature walk through the Tel Dan Nature Reserve (easy and moderate level walks possible), for a glimpse at both the ancient world of Tel Dan and Israel's water realities on the Northern border.
• Ascend the Golan Heights Drive across the Hula Valley to the Golan Heights, including a short security briefing by an IDF Field Officer, overlooking the Syrian border at Mount Bental, exploring Israel's delicate relationship with Syria in the wake of the Syrian Civil War.
• Visit an IDF Base on the Golan, including dialogue and lunch with soldiers and officers.
• Guided visit though Tzfat, exploring the alleyways and stories that have made Tzfat the city of mysticism and secrets, including a dialogue with Kabbalistic artist, Abraham Lowenthal.
• JAFI Visit: Visit the Tzfat Absorption Center for a special program with new immigrants from Ethiopia.
• Return to the guesthouse, followed by dinner.

Overnight: Kibbutz HaGoshrim Guesthouse, Upper Galilee

Friday, November 4, 2016: THE JORDAN RIFT VALLEY

• Breakfast at hotel.
• Drive around the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) and stop at Kinneret Cemetery for a glimpse at the challenges and triumphs of the early Zionist pioneers, while visiting the graves of Rachel the poet and other greats from the Second Aliyah, concluding with a visit to the grave of Naomi Shemer - with poetry and music.
• Falafel Lunch on your own in Beit Shean.
• Drive through the Jordan Valley.
• Stop at Qasr el Yahud the shores of the Jordan River, where some Jewish traditions say Joshua crossed the Jordan into the Land of Israel and where some Christian traditions say Jesus was baptized, including a close up view of the Jordan River and the Jordanian-Israeli border and ascend to Mount Scopus for an opportunity to recite the traditional Shehechianu Blessing upon arrival in Jerusalem.
• Visit the Machane Yehudah Market as residents prepare for Shabbat
• Check in to hotel.
• Free time for rest and relaxation.
• Drive to Jaffa Gate and walk through to the Old City Rooftops and down to the Kotel (Western Wall) for a short introduction to the city as the sun sets over Jerusalem.
• Options for Shabbat services this evening include:
     o Join in with Jerusalemites and visitors as they welcome in Shabbat at the Kotel (Western Wall), with a group Kabbalat Shabbat service at the Azarat Yisrael Egalitarian Kotel.
     o Visit Progressive congregation Kol Haneshama along with Rabbi Stevens.
     o Visit Modern Orthodox Shira Hadasha with Rabbi Kramer
• Return to the hotel for Shabbat Dinner at the hotel with Lone Soldiers.

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

Saturday, November 5, 2016: SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM

• Breakfast at hotel.
?? Optional Shabbat services at one of Jerusalem's many synagogues.
• Shabbat morning walk to Mount Zion, the Hill of Three Religions, with poetry and Midrash.
• Shabbat Lunch at the hotel.
• Guided walk through the Old City of Jerusalem and the Jewish Quarter with its archaeological remains that date back 3000 years ago to the days of the First Temple, including the Nea Church, the Biblical and Hasmonean remains in the open Cardo and the Broad Wall and continue for a guided visit along the Last Stations of the Cross on the Via Dolorosa and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
• Havdallah overlooking the Old City.
• Dinner on your own at the Mamilla Mall, the First Station, Ben Yehudah St. or the German Colony.
• Optional viewing of the Jerusalem Night Spectacular sound and light show at the Tower of David Museum, followed by a night walk along the rooftops of the Old City, concluding with a guided visit through the Western Wall Tunnel.

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

Sunday, November 6, 2016: THE DEAD SEA BASIN AND STRATEGIES OF JEWISH FUTURES

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Depart for the Dead Sea Basin.
• Ascend Masada via Cable Car for a guided visit through the site. We consider the multiple meanings of Masada to Jews both in the United States and in Israel,
• Ride the cable car down and continue to Ein Bokek for an opportunity to float in the Dead Sea, followed by lunch
• On the way back to Jerusalem, visit the Israel Border Police main training base for a glimpse into some of the unique innovations developed by Israel's Homeland Security authorities to meet some of the challenges the country has faced in recent years.
• Return to Jerusalem.
• Free time and dinner on your own.

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

Monday, November 7, 2016: MEMORIES AND BUILDING JEWISH SOVEREIGNTY

• Breakfast at hotel.
• The Memory of the Holocaust and Building a Jewish State, with scholar Prof. Paul Liptz.
• Visit the Yad Vashem Memorial complex to the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust, including the Avenue of the Righteous, the Historical Museum and the Children's Memorial, concluding with a Memorial Service.
• Guided visit to Mount Herzl, Israel's National cemetery, including visits to the graves of Theodore Herzl and Yitzhak Rabin, followed by selected graves in the Military cemetery.
• Lunch on your own en route.
• Remembering the Jewish Past - Building Israeli Futures, special program in conjunction with the JDC, including:
      o A Project of the Meyers-Brookdale Institute focused on bettering the lives of Holocaust Survivors.
      o An Ethiopian Israeli Youth Empowerment Program
• VIP visit to the Knesset, including meetings with Members of Knesset and a guided tour through Israel's Parliament building.
• Return to the hotel for dinner on your own and free time in Jerusalem.

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

Tuesday, November 8, 2016: DEPARTURE

• Breakfast at hotel.
• Drive to Sderot in the Northern Negev.
• Guided drive around Sderot, including overviews of the Gaza border and meetings with local officials and residents for a look at the benefit of the Stop the Sirens campaign of 2014.
• Lunch at Guta, a lunch café run by Youth at Risk, in the Sderot Cinemateque.
• Depart for Dimona in Southern Israel..
• Partnership Program in Dimona, including a chance to learn through meetings with residents and the Mayor.
• Return to Jerusalem, followed by dinner on your own and free evening in Jerusalem.

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

Wednesday, November 9, 2016: DEPARTURE

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Guided visit to the City of David, including the newly discovered Herodian Street which goes from the Siloach Pool, under the walls of the Old City to the Davidson Archaeological Park, followed by a guided visit through the Park.
• Guided walk through the new Kishle excavations near Jaffa gate, with remnants of Jerusalem's history from the days of the Bible through today.
• Free time for personal exploration, with an optional visit to the Israel Museum.
• Wrap up and final discussion.
• Check out of our hotel.
• Festive Farewell Dinner.
• Depart for Ben Gurion Airport for our overnight flight back to the United States.

Thursday, November 10, 2016: ARRIVAL HOME

• Land in the United States.