Congregation Beth Ohr
Adventure in Israel
Led by Rabbi Dahlia Bernstein
February 13-23, 2020


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:

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Traveling together in Israel is an opportunity to connect - with the people of Israel, with the land itself, and with each other. As a traveling community, we will bond through our shared experiences, from the fun and adventurous to the historical and spiritual.

INCLUDED:

2 nights Dan Panorama, Tel Aviv
3 nights Kibbutz Nof Ginosar, Galilee
4 nights Dan Panorama, Jerusalem
All touring and sightseeing in a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle with an expert English-speaking guide
Breakfast daily
6 dinners, including Shabbat dinners in Tel Aviv & Jerusalem
2 Shabbat lunches
Light lunch at Kfar Ahava
Old Jaffa co-existence tour
Meeting with Rony Rozen
Meeting with Murray Greenfield at Atlit
Volunteering at Kfar Ahava, Project Leket & Yad L'Kashish
Winery tour and tasting
Visit to Safed Mikveh Education Center
Yitzhak Tavior concert
Visit to Kfar Ahava
Discussion with Anat Hoffman of IRAC
B'nai Mitzvah ceremony
Dialogue with Khlaed Abu Toameh
Sound and Light show
Transfer included if arriving/departing with the main group
Entrance fees per itinerary
Porterage
Bottled water on the bus

NOT INCLUDED:

Roundtrip airfare, departure taxes and fuel surcharges
Border taxes or visas
Tips to guide, driver and dining room waiters ($18 per person, per day; pre-collected)
Optional Shuk & Cook experience  ($150 per person)
Other meals not listed above
Items of a personal nature
Travel insurance (highly recommended)


Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Thursday, February 13, 2020: DEPARTURE

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

Day 2: Friday, February 14, 2020: WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

• We arrive in Israel this afternoon and are met by an Ayelet Tours representative.
• We travel to Tel Aviv and time permitting, we stroll along Nachalat Binyamin, where the artists and entertainers bring the streets of Tel Aviv to life.
• We check into our hotel and have time to relax and refresh.
• As the sun sets, we join together for Kabbalat Shabbat with the innovators at Beit Tefila Yisraeli, including a discussion with founder, Rabbi Estaban Gottfried.
• Following the service, we enjoy Shabbat dinner together at our hotel.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 3: Saturday, February 15, 2020: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we have the option of attending Shabbat services nearby at (among many other options!) the Tel Aviv International Synagogue OR set out to explore Bialik Street, including the chance to visit one of the excellent (if often overlooked!) small museums in the area, such as the Gutman Museum, Bialik House and the Reuven Rubin house.
• We enjoy Shabbat lunch together at our hotel.
• This afternoon, through Beit Daniel, the progressive congregation in Tel Aviv, we'll visit Old Jaffa for a co-existence tour. This experience brings together a Jewish and an 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.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 4: Sunday, February 16, 2020: HIGH-TECH ISRAEL

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we meet with young entrepreneur and current Google employee, Rony Rozen, to hear her story and learn about high-tech innovations in this start-up nation.
• Our next stop is 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.
• We depart Tel Aviv and travel north to Ramat Aviv, where we meet with members of HaKehila Hahadasha, the young and vibrant new Masorti congregation.
• We continue along the Mediterranean coast to Atlit, a former detention compound for Jewish immigrants who arrived in Israel during the British Mandate period, including a dialogue with Murray Greenfield, who was detained here.
• We continue to our kibbutz in the Galilee to check in and refresh, followed by dinner together.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 5: Monday, February 17, 2020: NORTHERN ADVENTURES

• Breakfast at our kibbutz.
• We begin our day by taking part in tikkun olam at Project Leket, where we will collect fruits and vegetables for those in need, fulfilling the mitzvah of gleaning the fields.
• Next, we explore Nimrod's Castle, an impressive hilltop fortress in the Golan Heights.
• We continue to the Golan Winery for an enjoyable tour and wine tasting.
• We travel to the top of Har Bental to take in the panoramic views of Syria and discuss the current geopolitical situation with our guide.
• We return to our kibbutz for dinner together this evening.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 6: Tuesday, February 18, 2020 MYSTICAL NORTH

• Breakfast at our kibbutz.
• Enjoy the morning at leisure to relax and refresh.
• We travel to the mystical city of Safed. After time for lunch on own, we stroll through the cobblestone streets to view the ancient synagogues and shop in the artist's quarter. We also stop to learn about the spiritual impact of immersion at the Safed Mikveh Education Center.
• We continue to the Galillean Hills for a special private concert at the home of composer and concert pianist, Yitzhak Tavior.
• We return to our kibbutz for dinner together tonight.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 7: Wednesday, February 19, 2020: TO THE CITY OF GOLD

• Breakfast and check out of our kibbutz.
• We begin our day volunteering at Kfar Ahava, a foster village for at-risk youth outside Haifa. It will be a fulfilling and meaningful morning!
• After a light lunch with leaders from Kfar Ahava, we travel south and ascend to Jerusalem and stop at the Haas Promenade to say the “Shehecheyanu” as we take in the panoramic views of the City of Gold.
• We check into our hotel and have time to relax and refresh.
• This afternoon, we meet with Anat Hoffman of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) for an in-depth discussion of religious tension and issues of church and state currently confronting Israel.
• Dinner on own.
• Tonight, we have the option to enjoy a nighttime tour of the Western Wall tunnels, where we discover the archeological wonders that remained untouched for centuries, including exciting new finds.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 8: Thursday, February 20, 2020: CELEBRATING OUR B'NAI MITZVAH!

• Breakfast and at our hotel.
• This morning, Rabbi Bernstein leads us as we celebrate our B'nai Mitzvah at the egalitarian platform Ezrat Yisrael, adjacent to the Western Wall. Mazel tov!
• Next, we mark this momentous day with tikkun olam, visiting Yad LaKashish, the Lifeline for the Aged. This is an artisan workshop which empowers and supports hundreds of elderly and disabled Jerusalem residents.
• This afternoon, we set out on a walking tour beginning at the Tower of David Museum and continuing through history in the Old City, exploring the Jewish quarter, followed by a stroll along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian quarter. We exit through the Jaffa Gate.
• We enjoy free time to explore the city or relax.
• OPTIONAL (Add $150): Visit the famed Machane Yehuda shuk for a very special culinary experience. We begin with a chef-led tour of this bustling marketplace. We'll browse through the stalls of fresh produce, meats, cheeses, olives, nuts and spices and collect the needed ingredients. Our chef will then guide us through creating and eating a delicious gourmet dinner made with our purchases.
• For those not participating in the chef experience, enjoy free time for dinner on own.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 9: Friday, February 21, 2020: ADVENTURES IN ISRAEL (Choose one track)

• Breakfast at our hotel.
MASADA & THE DEAD SEA TRACK:
o We depart early this morning and travel south to the Dead Sea basin. Upon arrival, we ascend Masada by cable car or snake path to view the remains of King Herod's fortress, including the synagogues, walls and bathhouses, as we learn about the Jewish Zealots' last stand against the Roman forces.
o We descend the mountain and head to the beach for an unsinkable swim in the healing, salty waters of the Dead Sea.
o We pass by the Qumran caves to see the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by a local shepherd.
JERUSALEM ADVENTURES TRACK:
o This morning, we visit Hadassah Hospital for a VIP tour and to see the amazing Chagall windows.
o We continue to Yad Vashem, Israel's memorial to those who perished in the Holocaust.
ALL: This evening, we join together for Shabbat services, followed by Shabbat dinner.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 10: Saturday, February 22, 2020: SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we have the option of attending Shabbat services at one of the various synagogues in Jerusalem (options will be provided).
• We come together for Shabbat lunch at the Fuchsberg Center, the center of the Conservative movement in Israel, where we hear an update on Masorti life in Israel today.
• Afternoon at leisure to enjoy the peace and calm of Shabbat in Jerusalem.
• After Havdalah this evening, meet with Khaled Abu Toameh, an Israeli-Arab journalist, lecturer and documentary filmmaker, to hear about the current state of Israeli-Palestinian relations.
• This evening, we enjoy a festive farewell dinner, as we recall all that we have experienced together on this journey.
• After dinner, we walk together to the Tower of David, where we enjoy the spectacular Sound and Light show, a fitting way to end our incredible time together!

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 11: Sunday, February 23, 2020: ARRIVAL HOME

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


THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!!
*itinerary subject to change