English

The Friendship Tour:
Austin Seminary & CAA go to Israel
Led by Rabbi Neil Blumofe & Dr. David Jensen
January 2-13, 2023

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.

To join the waitlist, please contact doron@ayelet.com.

Tour Overview:

Download a PDF version:

Traveling together in Israel is an opportunity to connect - with the people and history of Israel, with the land itself, and with each other. As a community, we will bond through our shared experiences and enhance our understanding of history as we delve in-depth into Israel's millennia-old religious and cultural legacy.

INCLUDED IN YOUR TOUR:
6 nights Prima Kings, Jerusalem
2 nights Kibbutz Nof Ginosar Hotel, Galilee
2 nights Grand Beach Hotel, Tel Aviv
All touring and sightseeing in a deluxe air-conditioned motor coach with an expert English speaking guide
Breakfast & dinner daily, including Shabbat home hospitality dinner
Lunch at a Dead Sea resort
Visit to Yad Vashem with scholar Dr. Rachel Korazim
Optional market graffiti tour
Tours of Hebron & Bethlehem
Meeting/dialogue with Shorashim/Roots founders
Emek Tzurim sifting project
Old City walking tour
Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee
Visit to the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation
Old Jaffa co-existence tour & meeting with peace activists
Chef-led Carmel Market tour
Entrance fees per itinerary
Airport transfers is arriving/departing with the main group
Porterage
Bottled water (2 bottles per person, per day on the bus)
Whisper headsets

NOT INCLUDED:

Roundtrip airfare. departure taxes and fuel surcharges
Border taxes or visa fees
Tips to guide, driver and dining room personnel ($20 per person, per day; pre-collected)
Meals not listed above
Items of a personal nature
Optional excursions
Travel insurance (recommended - group policy available)
Any costs associated with Covid-19 testing/proof of vaccination


Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Monday, January 2, 2023: BEGIN OUR JOURNEY

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

Day 2: Tuesday, January 3, 2023: WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

• Shalom and Bruchim Habaim—welcome to Israel! We arrive at Ben Gurion Airport and are met by an Ayelet Tours representative.
• We ascend to Jerusalem, stopping at the Haas Promenade for a special Shehecheyanu, a prayer of thanksgiving, overlooking the City of Gold.
• We check into our hotel and have time to relax and freshen up.
• This evening, we join together for our welcome dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 3: Wednesday, January 4, 2023: WE REMEMBER

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Our day begins at Yad Vashem, Israel's memorial to the Holocaust, where we are joined by Dr. Rachel Korazim, a renowned educator and Holocaust expert, who will help us examine and explore the radically different ways in which secular Zionist and ultra-Orthodox leaders understood the causes and meaning of the Holocaust.
• Nearby, we visit Mt. Herzl, Israel's military cemetery, where we pay our respects to some of Israel's most beloved leaders, including Theodore Herzl, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres as well as gravesites of those of all faiths who lost their lives fighting for Israel's freedom.
• Next, we explore the quaint alleyways of Jerusalem's Ein Kerem neighborhood, including a visit with a local artist in his/her studio.
• Our final stop today is at the bustling Machane Yehuda market, where the stalls are piled high with fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, olives, colorful spices and tasty treats. Peruse the market at your own pace before we join together for dinner at one of the restaurants.
• Optional: Stay in the market after closing to see the artistic graffiti painted on the stall shutters.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 4: Thursday, January 5, 2023: HEBRON

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we visit the city of Hebron, home of Abraham, and the location of the covenant of circumcision. Here, we walk in the footsteps of Sarah and visit the Cave of Machpelah, where our ancestors are buried. We'll also visit the Tomb of the Patriarchs, Tel Rumeida and Beit Hadassah on a tour of the West Bank with a member of the community (security permitting).
• We continue to Gush Etzion for a dialogue with Ali Abu Awwad and Rabbi Shaul Yudelman, or other leaders of Shorashim/Roots. This program fosters a grassroots movement of understanding, non-violence and partnership between Israelis and Palestinians.
• We return to Jerusalem for dinner together at our hotel.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 5: Friday, January 6, 2023: THE CITY OF GOLD

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we visit Emek Tzurim, where we participate in the dig that is sifting the Temple Mount rubble. New and important finds are made here every day.
• We enjoy the viewpoint atop the Mount of Olives before descending via the Way of Sorrows to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus spent his last night in prayer.
• We enter the Old City via the Jaffa Gate and stroll through colorful and exotic vendors of the Arab shuk. We continue into the Jewish quarter, filled with synagogues, shops and history, where we stop at the Cardo Market and pass by the ancient Broad Wall.
• We return to our hotel to refresh and prepare for our evening.
• As the sun sets, we join together for Shabbat at the Kotel (Western Wall) with the people of Jerusalem.
• Tonight, we experience “Shabbat of a Lifetime,” home hospitality with an Orthodox family in Jerusalem to enjoy a traditional Shabbat dinner (or Shabbat dinner at our hotel).

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 6: Saturday, January 7, 2023: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, choose to participate in “shul-hopping“, including visits to some of the city's most interesting synagogues to take part in a variety of unique Shabbat services.
• We return to the Old City. Our path takes us into the Christian quarter to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Jesus was crucified, and through the bustling alleys of Via Dolorosa and into the Muslim quarter and the colorful Arab shuk.
OR
• We drive to the top of Mt. Zion, where we stop to see King David's tomb and the Upper Room, the site of the Last Supper, as well as the Dormition Abbey.
• The afternoon is at leisure. Those interested may visit (on own) the famed Israel Museum, the country's premiere cultural institution, featuring ancient archaeology, modern Israeli art and everything in between. This is also the site of the Shrine of the Book, housing the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as a large-scale replica of King Herod's Jerusalem.
• We meet for dinner at our hotel this evening.
• Optional: For those who enjoy an evening out, join us at Machane Yehuda's Beer Bazaar for a pint or two and cheers to a new week ahead (cost on own).

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 7: Sunday, January 8, 2023: BETHLEHEM

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we attend Sunday mass at the Ethiopian or Russian Orthodox church.
• We continue to Bethlehem. While here, we visit the Church of the Nativity, as well as Shepherd's field and the Bethlehem Star Olive Wood Factory, where items have been handcrafted by professionals since 1971.
• We return to Jerusalem, where the remainder of the afternoon is at leisure.
• We enjoy dinner together at our hotel this evening.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 8: Monday, January 9, 2023: FUN IN 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 arrival, we ascend the imposing mountain of Masada by cable car to view the remains of King Herod's fortress, including the synagogue, walls and bathhouse, as we learn about the Jewish Zealots' fateful last stand against the Roman forces.
• We descend the mountain and head to the beach for lunch and an unsinkable swim in the luxuriating, salty and mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea, where we can cover ourselves in silky, healing mud and float at the lowest place on Earth.
• We begin our drive north, stopping at Qasr al Yahud, a baptismal site on the bank of the Jordan River.
• We pass by Jericho on our way to the Galilee, where we reach out kibbutz, check in and freshen up, then join together for dinner this evening.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 9: Tuesday, January 10, 2023: WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF CHRIST

• Breakfast at our kibbutz.
• We begin our day with a boat ride on the shimmering Sea of Galilee on a boat inspired by the fishing vessels used here 2,000 years ago.
• Back on land, our first stop is at the Mt. of Beatitudes, where Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount.
• We continue to Capernaum, where Jesus taught his disciples during the days of the Second Temple and see the ancient synagogue, church and home of Saint Peter, with time for personal worship.
• We continue to Tabgha to visit the Church of Multiplication, where the mosaic floor depicts the miracle of a basket with loaves and two fishes, a symbolic reference to the miracle where Jesus was able to feed the multitudes.
• Next, we visit Caesarea Philippi, where the Banias spring, source of the Jordan River, is located. Here Saint Peter made his confession of Jesus as the Messiah and the "Son of the living God". While here, we also see the excavations of an ancient Roman settlement.
• After a full day of exploring, we return to our kibbutz for a relaxing evening and dinner together.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 10: Wednesday, January 11, 2023: MYSTICAL ISRAEL/THE ROAD TO TEL AVIV

• Breakfast and check out of our kibbutz.
• Today, we travel to the mystical city of Safed, the center of Kabbalah study and practice, where we visit the Ha'ari and Caro synagogues and have time to shop in the artist's quarter.
• We travel to Nazareth to take in the view from an overlook above the Church of the Annunciation, which some believe marks the site of Mary's childhood home.
• We head to the Mediterranean coast and travel south to Caesarea, the former Roman capital of the area, where we view the ancient inscription of Pontius Pilate and the surrounding ancient ruins, including the Roman theater and the aqueduct.
• We arrive in Tel Aviv and check into our hotel.
• This evening, we enjoy dinner together at our hotel.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 11: Thursday, January 12, 2023: GETTING TO KNOW TEL AVIV

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day at the newly renovated Independence Hall, where David Ben Gurion declared Israel a state in 1948.
• Next, we tour the Israeli Innovation Center at the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, founded by the late President Shimon Peres. The center is a non-political, non-governmental organization focused on building a more prosperous Israel and a more peaceful Middle East, through innovation, technology and cutting-edge coexistence programs.
• This afternoon, we visit the ancient port of Old Jaffa, where a Jewish and Arab guide lead us side by side through the streets of this ancient city on a co-existence tour. We trace the dual historical narratives as we explore the possibility of creating a common future and shared society.
• ENGAGING ENCOUNTER: We meet with peace activists and educators Ilhab and Ora Balha of The Orchard of Abraham's Children, a foundation working toward coexistence and bridging the gap between different cultures in Israel.
• This evening, a chef accompanies us to the Carmel Market for a sensual immersion into the vibrant colors, smells and flavors that make up this bustling marketplace. We wander through the pyramids of spices, brightly colored exotic vegetables, platters of nuts and olives and delicious halva creations. After our introduction to the fundamentals of Israeli cuisine, we prepare a delicious farewell dinner together with our purchases.

Overnight in Tel Avivc

Day 12: Friday, January 13, 2023: WELCOME HOME!

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We transfer to the airport for our flights back tothe United States, landing later today.


THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!
*Itinerary subject to change