Orangetown Jewish Center
Hazak Adventure in Israel
Led by Rabbi Paula Mack Drill
December 6-16, 2022


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.

Group flights:

LY26 06DEC EWR-TLV 9:00PM-2:20PM +1
LY27 16DEC TLV-EWR 1:00AM-6:00AM


Tour Overview:

Download a PDF version:

Our tour will feature a leisurely pace, with days starting after 9am and not stretching too late into the afternoon.  Traveling in Israel is an opportunity to encounter the wonders of this ancient land.  We'll grow through our shared experiences, from the fun and adventurous to the historical and spiritual, as we explore Israel together!

INCLUDED IN YOUR HAZAK ADVENTURE:

4 nights Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem
2 nights Ramon Inn, Mitzpe Ramon
2 nights Carlton Hotel Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv
All touring and sightseeing in a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle with an expert English-speaking guide
Breakfast daily
Shabbat lunch at the Inbal Hotel
Lunch at a Dead Sea resort
Shabbat dinner in Jerusalem
Volunteering at Pantry Packers
Meeting with Mohammad Darawshe from Shalom Hartman Institute
Discussion with Jerusalem Post correspondent Khaled Abu Toameh
Bedouin hospitality and discussion
Wine tasting at Carmey Avdat
Carmel Market tasting tour
Painting party at Rami Meiri's studio
Visit to Taglit Innovation Center
Volunteering at the Jaffa Institute
Entrance fees per itinerary
Transfers included if arriving/departing with the main group
Porterage
Bottled water on the bus

NOT INCLUDED:

Roundtrip airfare, departure taxes and fuel surcharges
Border taxes or visa fees
Tips to guide, driver and dining room waiters ($20 per person, per day; pre-collected)
Whiskey Bar or Punchline
Items of a personal nature
Any costs associated with testing or related to Covid/vaccine status (currently proof of traveler health insurance and vaccination are required to enter Israel)
Travel insurance (group policy available)


Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Tuesday, December 6, 2022: DEPARUTRE

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

Day 2: Wednesday, December 7, 2022: WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

• We arrive in Israel and are met by an Ayelet Tours representative.
• We ascend to Jerusalem, stopping at the Haas Promenade to say the “Shehecheyanu” as we look out over the City of Gold.
• We check into our hotel and have time to refresh before we enjoy our welcome dinner at Piccolino restaurant at Kikar Hamusica.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 3: Thursday, December 8, 2022: TIKKUN OLAM

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our time together at Yemin Moshe to say the “Shehecheyanu” as we look out over the City of Gold.
• This morning, we reach out through tikkun olam. We engage in an unforgettable 90-minute hands-on experience of packing food staples included in monthly food baskets, delivered to Israel's neediest families at Pantry Packers.
• Next, we visit the Museum on the Seam, located along the pre-1967 line dividing East and West Jerusalem. This unique museum displays contemporary art dealing with different aspects of socio-political reality.
• We continue to Ammunition Hill, the official museum symbolizing the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem. Its new multimedia film will help us better understand the events and battles of 1967.
• Free time to refresh and enjoy dinner on own.
• Later this evening, we walk together to the Tower of David to enjoy the spectacular Sound and Light show.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 4: Friday, December 9, 2022: JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we enter the Old City for a walking tour of the different neighborhoods. We begin in the Jewish quarter, including a stop at the Broad Wall and along the Cardo, taking in the Jewish history of the Old City. We continue with a stroll along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian quarter.
• Time for personal reflection at the Western Wall.
• Next, we meet (at the Inbal Hotel) with leading expert on Arab-Jewish relations and faculty member at the Shalom Hartman Institute, Mohammad Darawshe,
• Time at the hotel to relax and prepare for Shabbat.
• As the sun begins to set, we return to the Old City welcome Shabbat at Ezrat Yisrael in the Old City in a joyful service led by Rabbi Drill.
• Shabbat dinner at our hotel, joined by OJC's own adult kids who have made Aliyah!

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 5: Saturday, December 10, 2022: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Option to attend Shabbat services at a local congregation or enjoy the morning relaxing.
• We join together for Shabbat lunch this afternoon at our hotel.
• Following lunch, we meet with Jerusalem Post Palestinian Affairs correspondent, Khaled Abu Toameh, for a lecture entitled “A Snapshot of Palestinian Society”.
• Enjoy the remainder of the afternoon at leisure on own. Options include a visit to the newly renovated Israel Museum or relaxing at our hotel.
• This evening, we join together for Havdalah, marking the end of Shabbat and the beginning of a new week.
• Dinner on own tonight. We suggest a visit to the Mamilla promenade or Ben Yehuda Street.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 6: Sunday, December 11, 2022: 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 Masada by cable car to view the remains of King Herod's fortress, including the synagogue, walls and bathhouses, as we learn about the Jewish Zealots' last stand against the Roman forces.
• We descend the mountain and head to the beach for lunch and an unsinkable swim in the healing, salty waters of the Dead Sea.
• On our way south towards to Mitzpe Ramon we stop in Sde Boker to visit the grave of David Ben Gurion overlooking the Zin River wilderness.
• We check into our hotel and refresh before dinner together.

Overnight in Mitzpe Ramon

Day 7: Monday, December 12, 2022: DESERT ADVENTURES

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we travel to Segev Shalom and visit with inspiring Bedouin woman Amal Abualkom to hear her story and experience Bedouin hospitality. Amal is leading the movement for women's empowerment in the Negev region of Be'er Sheva.
• Next, we drive to nearby Sderot, a western Negev city. We stop at Café Saba Simcha in Sderot, a vegetarian and vegan kibbutz atmosphere. We'll enjoy a snack on premises.
• Then, we meet with city representatives who explain the challenges of living “on the edge”. While there, we visit the Sderot Police Station, a protected playground, the city market, and see the bomb shelter residential project.
• This afternoon, we travel to nearby Kibbutz Mefalsim for a bit of home hospitality hosted by Rabbi Drill's son-in-law's mother, Racheli Fainshtain.
• We return to our hotel for a relaxing evening and dinner together.

Overnight in Mitzpe Ramon

Day 8: Tuesday, December 13, 2022: A TASTE OF TEL AVIV

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we visit Carmey Avdat Farm, built on the remains of an ancient agricultural settlement from the Byzantine period. We see their boutique desert vineyard and winery, including a wine tasting.
• We travel towards Tel Aviv and stop in Old Jaffa at a viewpoint overlooking the city and the sparkling Mediterranean Sea.
• We visit the popular Carmel Market, where we take in the sights, smells and sounds and try some of Israel's delicacies on a tasting tour.
• Next, we meet with “the godfather of Tel Aviv street art” Rami Meiri for a fun painting party. We'll learn a bit of Israeli insight into creating art in this lovely setting.
• Next, we stroll along Nachalat Binyamin. With its restored buildings, sidewalk artists and avant garde attitude, this is one of Israel's trendiest modern hotspots for buying local goods, crafts and souvenirs as well as a hangout for bars, restaurants, coffee shops and chef-owned food stalls.
• We check into our hotel before heading to Punchline Music Bistro Bar for an evening full of food, fun, and frivolity complete with singing waiters. (Dinner cost on own)

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 9: Wednesday, December 14, 2022: TEL AVIV CULTURAL HIGHLIGHTS

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we visit the recently updated Diaspora Museum, sitting on the campus of Tel Aviv University. Their excellent temporary exhibitions, and permanent collection make for an insightful visit.
• Our next stop is at the beautifully renovated Port of Tel Aviv area, for lunch on own.
• We continue to the Palmach Museum, where we “join up” with the paramilitary forces from Israel's pre-statehood days that helped found the state (note: We may visit Independence Hall instead if renovation is completed before our visit).
• Enjoy the afternoon at leisure to discover this metropolitan city on own.
• We visit Sarona Market for a tasting at the Whiskey Bar in this unique setting of an old German Templar colony that dates back to the 1870s. (Cost on own)
• Dinner on own this evening.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 10: Thursday, December 15, 2022: THE FIRST HEBREW CITY

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day at 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.
• As we began our tour, so we end it - by giving back. This time, we'll volunteer with children in Tel Aviv, either through the Jaffa Institute or another amazing charitable organization in the area.
• Enjoy time for last-minute exploring and shopping.
• We return to our hotel to check out, followed by a festive farewell dinner at Maganda, where we recall all that we have experienced on this journey together.
• We transfer to the airport for our overnight flight back to the United States.

Day 11: Friday, December 16, 2022: WELCOME HOME!

• We arrive back in the United States this morning.


THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!!
Itinerary subject to change*