From the Midwest to the Mideast:
An unforgettable journey to Israel
with Congregation Emanuel of Waukesha, WI
Led by Cantor Deborah Martin
October 27 - November 7, 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:

Download a PDF version:

INCLUDED IN MAIN TOUR:

6 nights Harmony Hotel, Jerusalem
2 nights Kibbutz Nof Ginosar Hotel, Galilee
1 night Tal Hotel Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv
Breakfast daily 
5 dinners per itinerary
Druze home hospitality lunch 
Salad Trail 
Visit to Eshkol Protected School 
“Rockets to Roses” with Yaron Bob
Sound & Light show
Lecture by Khaled Abu Toameh
Kinneret cruise (including dinner listed above)
Kibbutz Malkia security briefing 
Jeep tour in the Golan Heights
Jaffa co-existence tour 
Transfers included if arriving/departing with the main group
Entrance fees as per itinerary 
Porterage

INCLUDED IN EILAT/PETRA EXTENSION: 

2 nights Dan Panorama, Eilat
Petra day tour (non-private) including lunch 
Roundtrip flights between Tel Aviv & Eilat
Transfers to/from hotels & airports in Tel Aviv & Eilat
Jordanian travel visa

NOT INCLUDED IN MAIN TOUR OR EXTENSION:

Roundtrip airfare, departure taxes and fuel surcharges 
Border taxes (Jordan - $65 per person, collected in USD at the border) 
Tips to guides, driver, and dining room waiters ($18.00 per person, per day-pre-collected)
Any meals not listed above 
Guide in Eilat (except Petra guide)
Any items of a personal nature 
Travel insurance (highly recommended)


Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Sunday, October 27, 2019: INDIVIDUAL ARRIVALS - WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

• Our group will be arriving on various flights throughout the day. There is a single group transfer arranged for 5pm covering the majority of arrivals, which are from 3 pm - 4:30 pm. Others should transfer on own to Jerusalem for a free evening.

Day 2: Monday, October 28, 2019: OUR TOUR BEGINS

• After a free day, we meet our guide this afternoon at 3pm in the hotel lobby for an orientation discussion and short orientation tour.
• Enjoy an inspirational view from the Haas Promenade overlooking the old city, where we offer a prayer of welcome as we look out over the Holy City for the first time.
• Check in to our hotel with time to refresh
• This evening, we enjoy a welcome dinner together this evening at Zuni Restaurant.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 3: Tuesday, October 29, 2019: ESHKOL REGION

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we depart for the Eshkol region.
• We speak with students and teachers about their lives as we tour the Eshkol Region's Protected School. We will witness their bravery and hope, as we view the buildings that are used for both learning and shelter.
• Lunch on own.
• We visit the “Salad Trail”, where we will participate in a hands-on agricultural tour, and witness how Israeli innovation is 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 meet artist 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 Jerusalem for a free evening and dinner on own.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 4: Wednesday, October 30, 2019: JERUSALEM - SACRED TO THREE FAITHS

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we enter the Old City to join Women of the Wall for Rosh Hodesh services, supporting their struggle for an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall.
• We visit the archeological excavation at the Davidson Center, built directly into the Southern Wall Excavations.
• We tour the original foundations of Jerusalem at Ir David, the City of David, where we wander through the carefully preserved archaeological excavations dating back to the time of King David.
• Free time for lunch on your own along the Mamila pedestrian promenade.
• We take part in a hands-on archaeological sifting project at Emek Tzurim, where new and important finds at made every day.
• Next, we travel to Hadassah Hospital to see the beautiful Chagall windows.
• This evening, we enjoy a fascinating program coordinated by Rabbi Yonathan Shefa of the ICCI (The Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel). We will meet local Jewish, Muslim, and Christian alumni and current students of ICCI Youth & Young Adult programs for informal discussions and dialogue. Students will share experiences and personal stories of what it means to be involved in interreligious dialogue in a conflict situation.
• Evening at leisure and dinner on own.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 5: Thursday, October 31, 2019: THE OLD CITY

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we enjoy an exciting behind the scenes tour of the Western Wall tunnels, where we discover the archaeological wonders that once remained untouched for centuries, including some of the newest excavations
• Next, we enjoy a walking tour of Jerusalem's Old City, where we stroll through the Jewish quarter, including the Cardo market, as well as the Christian quarter. We also see the colorful Arab shuk and parts of the Via Dolorosa, ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
• From under the streets, to above the roof tops we walk the ramparts of the Old City, giving us a birds' eye view of this beautiful place.
• We continue to the Tower of David Museum for a guided tour of the Citadel moat and the “Kishle”, one of the most fascinating hidden spaces in the museum compound.
• Later this evening, we walk to the Tower of David for the spectacular Sound and Light show.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 6: Friday, November 1, 2019: THE NEW CITY - WELCOMING SHABBAT

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we visit Yad Vashem, Israel's memorial to the Holocaust, where we view the many moving exhibitions, including the Hall of Names and the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations. Cantor Martin leads us in a moving memorial service.
• We walk through the bustling marketplace at Machane Yehuda, taking in the sights, sounds and smells, as the locals busily prepare for Shabbat.
• Return to our hotel to relax and refresh.
• Optional Shabbat services at Tzur Hadassah led by Rabbi Stacey Blank, followed by Shabbat dinner together at our hotel.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 7: Saturday, November 2, 2019: THE DEAD SEA BASIN OR DAY IN JERUSALEM

• Breakfast at our hotel.
Option 1: We depart for the Dead Sea basin, viewing the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered along the way.
• Ascend Masada by cable car for a guided visit through Masada, built by the great King Herod and later used as refuge by Jewish Zealots after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and later as home to some of the world's first monks.
• We descend the mountain and head to the beach to enjoy an “unsinkable” swim in the healing, salty waters of the Dead Sea before we return to Jerusalem.
Option 2: Visit the Israel Museum (on own) to view its extensive collections, iconic Shrine of the Book, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Billy Rose sculpture garden. Also visit the Museum on the Seam (on own), a unique museum displaying contemporary art dealing with different aspects of socio-political reality.
ALL: We join together to hear a lecture entitled “A Snapshot of Palestinian Society”, by Jerusalem Post Palestinian Affairs correspondent, Khaled Abu Toameh.
• Dinner on own.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 8: Sunday, November 3, 2019: THE GALILEE AND SAFED

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• Depart Jerusalem and head north through the Jordan Valley rift towards the Galilee.
• We visit the mystical city of Safed, center of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah. We view the beautiful ancient synagogues and walk through the artists' quarter. Free time for lunch in Safed.
• We travel to the northern shores of the Sea of Galilee and visit Capernaum, where Jesus taught and healed. We see the ruins of several synagogues and the octagonal Church of St. Peter.
• We continue to Tzippori, where we see the ancient mosaic known as the Mona Lisa of the Galilee.
• We check in to our kibbutz.
• This evening, we enjoy a Kinneret cruise, followed by dinner at our kibbutz.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 9: Monday, November 4, 2019: THE BEAUTIFUL NORTH

• Breakfast at our kibbutz.
• This morning, we visit Kibbutz Malkia located along the Israel-Lebanon border, where we meet with the IDF unit on the border and kibbutz security personnel to learn about the steps they take to protect a small frontier community.
• We continue up to the Golan, where we visit a Druze village for home hospitality lunch and to learn about their unique culture.
• We continue with an exciting jeep tour through the Golan Heights passing former Syrian bunker on the way to the top of Har Bental, where we take in the views stretching far into Syria and our guide briefs us on the current geo-political situation in the region.
• Visit an area winery for a tour and tasting of Israel's excellent wines!
• Spend the remainder of the day relaxing at our kibbutz.
• Dinner together this evening at our kibbutz hotel.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 10: Tuesday, November 5, 2019: THE COAST/CAESAREA

• Breakfast and check out of our kibbutz.
• We begin our day in Akko, where we discover the Crusader-era fortifications and British prison as we learn about this historically important port.
• Drive south along the Mediterranean coast to see the remains of the ancient city of Caesarea.
• Continue along the coast to Tel Aviv, where we check in to our hotel and have time to refresh.
• We visit Old Jaffa, where the prophet Jonah set sail, where Simon the Tanner lived and where Tabitha was resurrected. Through Beit Daniel, the progressive congregation in Tel Aviv, we will enjoy a co-existence tour. This experience brings together a Jewish and Arab tour guide to explore the mixed city of Jaffa, where Arabs and Jews live side by side, tracing the different historical narratives. We explore the possibility of creating a common future and shared society.
• Free evening for dinner on own in bustling Tel Aviv.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 11: Wednesday, November 6, 2019: FOUNDATIONS OF A MODERN NATION

• Breakfast at our hotel. We check out and store our luggage.
• We begin our day at the Rabin Center, where the spiraling exhibits lead us through the history of the modern state and broader world history, through the prism of the life of one of Israel's most beloved leaders, Yitzhak Rabin.
• Next, we visit the Ayalon Institute, where we discover the underground ammunition factory that played a pivotal role in Israel's fight for independence.
• This evening, we enjoy a festive farewell dinner together at our hotel.
• Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for our flight back to the United States, arriving home tomorrow morning.

OR…JOIN US ON OUR
EILAT/PETRA EXTENSION

Day 11: Wednesday, November 6, 2019: FLY TO EILAT

• After bidding farewell to the main tour, we board our short flight to Eilat.
• Upon arrival, we transfer to our hotel to check in.

Overnight in Eilat

Day 12: Thursday, November 7, 2019: PETRA DAY TOUR

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning we cross the Israeli border into Jordan.
• Upon crossing the border, we travel to Petra, the Red Rose City and Eighth Wonder of the World, where we explore the Nabatean City (as seen in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). We walk through the Ciq and ancient temples and discover the amazing Treasury and Roman theater.
• On our way back to the border, we view Wadi Rum, a protected desert wilderness with sandstone mountains and natural arches.
• We return to our hotel in Eilat for a relaxing evening and enjoy dinner together at our hotel.

Overnight in Eilat

Day 13: Friday, November 8, 2019: DEPARTURE

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We transfer to the airport to fly back to Tel Aviv, then change to the international terminal for our flight back to the United States, landing later today (or tomorrow depending on your flight time) OR choose to add an extra night or two and relax in Eilat!


THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!!!
*Itinerary subject to change.