Jewish Federation of Pinellas & Pasco Counties Presents:
A Musical Journey Through Israel
including Hanukkah!
December 3-12, 2018


Tour Rates & Dates:

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*Please note that all rates displayed are based on standard room double occupancy.
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Tour Overview:

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INCLUDED:
1 night David Intercontinental, Tel Aviv,
2 nights Kibbutz Kfar Blum, Galilee
4 nights Dan Boutique Hotel, Jerusalem
All touring and sightseeing per an agreed upon itinerary in a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking guide 
Explore the cultural mosaic of Israel through a musical lens, from the tunes of mystical Kabbalah, to Ethiopian melodies and modern Israeli rock.
Encounter firsthand musical traditions beyond Judaism in Israel - Christian, Mormon, Druze, Bedouin and Muslim.
Breakfast daily 
5 dinners, including Shabbat dinner in Jerusalem 
Musical Hanukkah celebration with community lunch 
Druze home hospitality
Kabbalah workshop with Eyal in Safed
Surrey ride in Hula Valley 
Musical instrument workshop with Pete Isacowitz 
Visit Circassian community in Kfar Kama 
Curators at Museum of Islamic Art and Israel Museum
Follow the Melody walking tour in Jerusalem
Mormon choir concert at BYU Jerusalem campus
Traditional Ethiopian music and dance in Talpiot 
Bedouin home hospitality
Transfer included, if arriving/departing with the main group 
Entrance fees as per itinerary
Porterage

NOT INCLUDED: 

Roundtrip airfare departure taxes and fuel surcharges (Priced separately and available during booking process) 
Any border taxes or visas 
Tips to guides, driver, and dining room waiters ($18.00 per person, per day-pre-collected) 
Mayumana dance troupe (or similar optional cultural performances) 
Any meals not listed above 
Any items of a personal nature 
Travel insurance (highly recommended)


Tour Itinerary:


*Note: Hanukkah is December 2-10, 2018. Related musical
events will be added to program as they become available
(and many sufganiot and latkes will be eaten along the way!)

Day 1: Monday, December 3, 2018: DEPARTURE

• We travel by bus to the Miami Airport for our non-stop flight to Tel Aviv
(departing around 1pm).

Day 2: Tuesday, December 4, 2018: WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

• We arrive in Israel this morning and are met by an Ayelet Tours representative.
• This morning, we visit a violin restorer who works out of Tel Aviv restoring Holocaust violins (he was featured in the recent PBS documentary “Violins of Hope”), including a chance to hear one of the violins being played.
• We continue to Beit Hatfutsot for a program about Jewish music around the world.
• Later this afternoon, we check in to our hotel and have time to relax and refresh.
• We travel to Old Jaffa to enjoy a welcome dinner together this evening.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 3: Wednesday, December 5, 2018: OUR SISTER COMMUNITY: HADERA

• Breakfast at and check out of our hotel.
• Today, we visit our sister community in Hadera for a special half day program, including a music-filled Hanukkah celebration in the town and lunch with community leadership.
• We begin traveling north along the Mediterranean coast.
• We stop in Daliyat al Carmel, a Druze village near Haifa, where we enjoy home hospitality and an introduction to their traditional music.
• We continue to the Galilee to check in to our kibbutz and enjoy dinner here together this evening.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 4: Thursday, December 6, 2018: THE MYSTICAL NORTH

• Breakfast at our kibbutz.
• This morning, we travel to the mystical city of Safed, where we take part in a special session with Eyal at the Kabbalah Center, focused on the ultimate Kabbalistic prayer-Lecha Dodi. (Potential meeting with a spiritual band).
• Free time for lunch
• Later this afternoon, we visit the Hula Valley Nature Reserve, where millions of migrating birds come to rest and eat each year. We enjoy a surrey ride through the heart of this beautiful and bucolic scene.
• We return to our kibbutz for a relaxing evening and dinner together.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 5: Friday, December 7, 2018: FOLLOWING THE MELODIES OF JERUSALEM

• Breakfast and check out of our kibbutz.
• We begin our day in the gorgeous village of Rosh Pinna, where we visit Pete Isacowitz - originally from South Africa where African sounds and rhythm were part of his daily life, Pete has established a musical instrument workshop in Rosh Pinna, Woodsong. We see a wide variety of his marimbas, didgeridoos and Celtic harps along with a large range of door harps, musical sculptures and musical tables. We are treated to a brief musical performance by his daughter, played on Pete's instruments.
• We get a glimpse into the visions of the early Zionist pioneers at the Kinneret Cemetery, through original poetry and music at the graves of Rachel the Poetess and Naomi Shemer, the author of Yerushalayim Shel Zahav.
• We continue to the nearby village of Kfar Kama where we meet with member of the Circassian community and have a chance to hear about their heritage and how they ended in Israel, and are treated to a sample of their unique musical traditions.
• We ascend to Jerusalem. Upon our arrival, we stop at the Haas Promenade to say the “Shehecheyanu” as we look out over the City of Gold for the first time.
• We enter the Old City and proceed to the Western Wall plaza where we have time for reflection. At the adjacent Southern Wall Excavations, we gather for a festive Kabbalat Shabbat service led by a Progressive local rabbi.
• We check in to our hotel and enjoy Shabbat Dinner together at our hotel.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 6: Saturday, December 8, 2018: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Spend the morning at leisure attending Shabbat services or discovering Jerusalem on own during the calmness of Shabbat. A list of Shabbat service options will be provided.
• This afternoon, we visit the Museum of Islamic Art for an introduction to Islamic music and the traditional sounds of the mosque.
• Enjoy an afternoon and evening at leisure with dinner on own

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 7: Sunday, December 9, 2018: FOLLOWING THE MELODIES OF JERUSALEM

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we set out on a “Follow the Melody” walking tour. In Jerusalem's diverse Nachlaot neighborhood, we travel from shul to shul to meet the Hazzan and hear their version of Adon Olam. We will explore the endless variations within a single prayer and how various communities have adapted it to fit their unique sub-culture.
• This afternoon, we visit the church in Abu Ghosh for a private concert in this beautiful space.
• Dinner on own
• Tonight, we enjoy a Mormon choir concert at the BYU Jerusalem campus.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 8: Monday, December 10, 2018: THE MUSIC OF ETHIOPIA (AND BEYOND)

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• Our day begins with a special program with Ethiopian young adults in nearby Talpiot, including a sample of traditional Ethiopian music, instrumentation and dance. We learn more about the challenges of fitting into the Israeli cultural mosaic, and may even learn some traditional dances!
• Visit the Israel Museum for a special program exploring the history of Jewish music from the time of the Bible until Today.
• Discover Tel Aviv and enjoy dinner on own. For the hearty among us, we'll head out late tonight to explore Tel Aviv's vibrant club music scene!
• Optional: Evening performance by the Mayumana Dance Troupe.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 9: Tuesday, December 11, 2018: SINGING IN THE SOUTH

• Breakfast at our hotel. Check out and store luggage.
• Travel south, where we hear the stories of Sderot's flourishing music scene, as depicted in the 2014 documentary Rock in the Red Zone.
• Visit a Bedouin “city”, for a treat of traditional music, accompanied by tea and coffee in a desert tent.
• Return to Tel Aviv for last minute free time.
• This evening, we delight in a festive farewell dinner, as we recall all that we have experienced together on this journey.
• We transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for our overnight flight back to the United States.

Day 10: Wednesday, December 12, 2018: WELCOME HOME!

• We arrive back in Miami this morning and transfer home by bus.

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