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Detroit Hadassah Mission to Israel
March 19-29, 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:

INCLUDED:

4 nights Orient Hotel, Jerusalem
2 nights Beresheet Hotel Mitzpe Ramon, Mitzpe Ramon
2 nights Dan Eilat, Eilat
Day use room at Carlton Hotel Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv
All touring and sightseeing in a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle with an expert English-speaking guide
Breakfast daily
6 dinners, including Shabbat dinners in Jerusalem & Tel Aviv
Picnic lunch at the Salad Trail
Wine tasting
Speakers and lectures per itinerary
One way flight from Eilat to Tel Aviv
Transfer upon arrival and departure with main group
Hostess throughout
Whisper headsets
Porterage
Bottled water

NOT  INCLUDED:

Roundtrip airfare, departure taxes and visa fees
Border taxes or visas
Tips to guide, driver and dining room waiters ($20 per per, per day; pre-collected)
Sound and Light show
Petra Tour ($419/person)
Meals not listed above
Items of a personal nature
Travel insurance (highly recommended)


Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Tuesday, March 19, 2019: DEPARTURE

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

Day 2: Wednesday, March 20, 2019: ARRIVAL IN JERUSALEM

• We arrive at Ben Gurion Airport and are met by an Ayelet Tours representative. Welcome home!
• We travel to Jerusalem. Upon arrival, we stop atop Mt. Scopus to recite a special “Shehecheyanu!” blessing overlooking the City of Gold.
• We stop at Hadassah Hospital for a short visit to see its geopolitical location and reality.
• We check into our hotel and refresh before our welcome dinner and orientation this evening.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 3: Thursday, March 21, 2019: MODERN JERUSALEM

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we take a VIP tour of Hadassah Hospital.
• Next, we meet with Miriam Peretz to hear about life as the mother of two fallen IDF soldiers and learn how she was able to make something good out of something terrible.
• Atop Mt. Herzl, we visit the new Remembrance Hall built to honor those who gave their lives fighting for Israel. We'll take a walk through the military cemetery, where we pay our respects.
• Next, we tour the synagogue in the Old City.
• We visit a local resident in the Old City and learn about life inside the city walls.
• While in the Old City, we stroll through the Jewish quarter and have some time to shop in the Cardo.
• Later this afternoon, we visit a local synagogue for a Megillah reading, followed by a Purim dinner party. Chag sameach!

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 4: Friday, March 22, 2019: WELCOMING SHABBAT

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we meet with Herb Keinon, the diplomatic correspondent for the Jerusalem Post.
• Next, we take a bus tour with Retired Colonel Miri Eisin, a former international media advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel, and a former Israeli government spokesperson. We view the surrounding areas of Jerusalem including the newly opened US Embassy.
• Later, we visit Gush Etzion, visit the winery, meet with settlers and visit the museum.
• This evening we join the people of Jerusalem at First Station to celebrate Purim, followed by Shabbat dinner at our hotel with Hadassah friends and lone soldiers.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 5: Saturday, March 23, 2019: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Free morning for Shabbat services or just to relax.
• This afternoon, we set out on a guided tour of the historic neighborhoods around the hotel, including the German Colony, Rechavia and Talbye.
• Next, we join together for Havdalah with Barbara Goldstein on the rooftop of our hotel overlooking the Old City.
• Free evening in Jerusalem OR we have the option of attending the Sound and Light show at the Tower of David. The show is screened against the backdrop of antiquities, telling the story of the City of David through the centuries (additional cost of $22 per person).

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 6: Sunday, March 24, 2019: ESHKOL REGION

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we depart our hotel and travel to Rahat for a look at Bedouin life.
• Next, we visit Tel Be'er Sheva, one of the three UNESCO World Heritage sites in Israel dedicated to biblical times.
• We travel through Sderot with security personnel, including a briefing and a view into the Gaza Strip (security permitting).
• We travel to Eshkol to visit a secure school on the border and see how the students and teachers attend classes in buildings doubling as shelters.
• We enjoy a picnic lunch at the “Salad Trail” and see how Israeli innovation is literally making the desert bloom with crops grown out of some of the most inhospitable sands imaginable.
• We continue south to Mitzpe Ramon to check into our hotel and enjoy dinner together this evening.

Overnight in Mitzpe Ramon

Day 7: Monday, March 25, 2019: RELAX AND REFRESH

• OPTIONAL: We set out on a sunrise jeep tour of the Ramon Crater, watching the sun reflect on the golden and red rock.
• We return to our hotel for breakfast.
• Morning at leisure to relax and enjoy the spa.
• This afternoon, we visit the Mitzpe Ramon Visitors Center, which combines exhibits about Ilan Ramon, Israel's first astronaut, along with information on the natural creation of this massive crater.
• Next, we visit the unique original hut and grave of David Ben Gurion at Sde Boker deep in the heart of the Negev Desert. We learn about his dreams for the region and learn how they are becoming a reality.
• This evening, we enjoy dinner together at our hotel.

Overnight in Mitzpe Ramon

Day 8: Tuesday, March 26, 2019: TO EILAT

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We depart Mitzpe Ramon, heading south, and stop at Kibbutz Ketura, where we meet with members and take a tour, including a visit to their solar fields and algae factory.
• Our next stop is at Timna Park located in a majestic desert setting. Here, we discover the history and nature of this amazing place and take a hike through the park to see the ancient mines and beautiful wildlife, plants and trees that are able to survive in the arid desert conditions.
• We arrive in Eilat and check into our hotel.
• Dinner on own this evening.

Overnight in Eilat
Day 9: Wednesday, March 27, 2019: LEISURE DAY - OPTIONAL PETRA TOUR

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• OPTIONAL: Take a day trip to Petra, Jordan (additional cost)
OR
• Enjoy the day on your own. Visit the aquarium, trek in the desert (additional cost), or simply relax at the pool or on the beach.

Overnight in Eilat

Day 10: Thursday, March 28, 2019: TRAVEL TO TEL AVIV

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We transfer to the airport for our 9 A.M. flight to Tel Aviv.
• Upon our arrival, we tour the Rabin Center, where the spiraling exhibits lead us through the modern history of the 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 cutting-edge Taglit Innovation Center, for a glimpse into Israel's high-tech advances in the fields of science, medicine, security and space. We visit the interactive exhibitions and continue with a meeting with one of Israel's innovative entrepreneurs.
• Later this afternoon, we take a guided tour through the bustling Levinsky Market to experience the multi-ethnic weave of Tel Aviv. We taste foods from all over the Balkans and Greek Isles.
• We check into our hotel and have use of the rooms to refresh ourselves before our farewell dinner together to reflect on the wonderful time we've had.
• We check out of our hotel and transfer to the airport for our overnight flight.

Day 11: Friday, March 29, 2019: ARRIVE HOME

• We arrive in the United States this morning.



The Memories Last Forever!!
*itinerary subject to change