Hadassah Yom Ha'Atzmaut Celebrating Israel's 75th Anniversary: From Dream to Reality Led by Marcie Natan Joined by Rhoda Smolow & Ellen Hershkin April 18-28, 2023 - Ayelet Tours - Israel Tours - Jewish Heritage Tours - Bar/Bat Mitzvah Tours

Day 1: Tuesday, April 18, 2023: DEPARTURE

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

Day 2: Wednesday, April 19, 2023: WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

• We arrive in Israel, exit the passport control area, and are met by an Ayelet Tours representative. Welcome home!
• We ascend to Jerusalem, stopping at Sataf overlooking Jerusalem to say the “Shehecheyanu” as we celebrate our arrival together to the City of Gold.
• We check into our hotel and refresh, then come together for our welcome dinner at a local restaurant with Hadassah friends.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 3: Thursday, April 20, 2023: HADASSAH HOSPITAL AND ISRAEL TODAY

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our adventure underground in the Old City for a behind the scenes tour of the Western Wall tunnels, where we discover the archaeological wonders that once remained untouched for centuries, including some of the newest excavations.
• Next, we visit Hadassah Medical Organization's (HMO) Ein Kerem Campus for a tour of the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital Tower and the iconic Round Building, featuring the most modern hospital facilities in the region. We meet with staff and patients and take an in-depth look at this cutting-edge medical facility and how it has adapted to ever-changing needs.
• This afternoon, we visit Caliber 3 and experience an unforgettable afternoon of IDF army training. including one-on-one sessions and a Krav Maga crash course (you'll need closed toe shoes and passports).
• This evening, we delight in a dinner of some of Israel's most popular cuisine, including falafel, burekas, salads and of course Erez Ben Gurion, and the stories behind them.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 4: Friday, April 21, 2023: THE BATTLE FOR THE PATH TO JERUSALEM

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day with a visit to the Khan Sha'ar Ha'Gai Museum dedicated to the story of Khan and the heart wrenching events around the road that it guarded. We step into the boots of a Palmach soldier traveling the road, fighting to break through to Jerusalem. During the War of Independence, many of those who fell in the battles of the roads to Jerusalem were buried in the Cemetery at Kibbutz Kiryat Anavim. A monument was built next to the site of the military cemetery, in memory of the fighters.
• Lunch on own nearby, before we visit an area winery to sample some of Israel's world class vintages.
• We stand atop Har Adar, where the 360-degree vista takes your eye from the Mediterranean Sea to the hills of Jerusalem. It is clear why this sight was crucial to Jerusalem's security during both the War of Independence and the Six Day War.
• In the late afternoon, we enjoy home hospitality and Oneg Shabbat with Etti Serok at Har Adar.
• We return to hotel to relax and freshen up.
• This evening, we light candles together as we welcome Shabbat, followed by a private Shabbat dinner with Hadassah friends at our hotel.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 5: Saturday, April 22, 2023: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Enjoy Shabbat morning at leisure relaxing or attending Shabbat services on your own. Shabbat lunch is included at our hotel.
• This afternoon, we gather for the great women walking tour. We'll hear the stories behind the streets and squares named after great women integral to Israeli history, including Levitov Zohara (the first female pilot in the IDF to perish in Jerusalem in 1948), Netiva Ben Yehuda (Israel military officer, warrior and scholar of spoken Hebrew) among others.
• We return to our hotel for Havdallah joined by Young Judaea students, marking the end of Shabbat and the beginning of a new week.
• Dinner on own tonight. Our host is available to help pre-book reservations.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 6: Sunday, April 23, 2023: HADASSAH AND JERUSALEM TODAY

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we visit the Mount of Olives to visit the grave of Henrietta Szold, legendary Jewish Zionist leader and founder of Hadassah.
• Next, we experience dynamic education and inspiration with a visit to Hadassah Medical Organization's (HMO) Mt. Scopus campus. We take part in meetings with the medical staff and leadership featuring exclusive VIP access that on can only get on a Hadassah tour.
• We hear the story of the tragic 1948 convoy and visit the convoy memorial.
• Lunch on own nearby.
• This afternoon, we take a geopolitical tour around Jerusalem with Res. Col. Danny Tirza, an esteemed member of Israel's intelligence community and formerly the Prime Minister's international media advisor, to learn about the current security and border issues in the area.
• Later, we drive to Tel Aviv, check into our hotel and set out for a free evening with dinner on own.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 7 Monday, April 24, 2023: HISTORY AND FUTURE OF HADASSAH

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we visit Hadassah's Meir Shfeya Youth Village, where we interact with the students and staff, and encounter their working farm and winery.
• We continue to Haifa and drive by B'nei Zion Hospital built by Hadassah, then turned over to the city of Haifa.
• We get a panoramic overview of the Haifa Bay and the largest port in Israel. This is crucial infrastructure that helped pave the way for modernizing the state of Israel and its development was partially funded by Hadassah.
• We visit the nearby Druze village of Daliyat El Carmel for lunch and home hospitality. We will meet and hear personal stories from the locals about their unique culture and how they see themselves fitting into the mosaic of Israeli society.
• We return to Tel Aviv and enjoy dinner together at our hotel.
• Tonight, as Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Remembrance Day) begins and the country takes on a somber and reflective mood, we gather with the people of Tel Aviv in the park to hear and sing the songs of Israel's 75 years of history.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 8: Tuesday, April 25, 2023: YOM HAZIKARON, ESHKOL & THE TRANSITION TO YOM HA'ATZMAUT

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we visit Tom & Tomer Hill botanical garden that was established by Yoav Keidar. After the tragic helicopter disaster on February 4, 1997, in which his son, Tomer Keidar and his good friend Tom Kitain, were killed, the garden became a memorial site in memory of the 73 victims of the helicopter disaster.
• We continue to Negba and join the official ceremony for Yom HaZikaron at the military cemetery.
• We travel south to the Eshkol Region bordering the Gaza Strip. Here, we tour Kibbutz Netiv HaAsara and hear from residents, then drive to the border fence to see the “Peace Wall” and craft a mosaic piece to add to the wall.
• Our next stop is the "Salad Trail", where we participate in a unique hands-on agricultural tour and witness how Israeli innovation is literally making the desert bloom with crops grown out of some of the most inhospitable sands imaginable. We will pick and taste fruits and vegetables from the kibbutz's self-picking farm, encounter flying strawberries, tiny orange orchards, racing pigeons and herbal gardens and enjoy a delicious lunch.
• Next, we meet with artist Yaron Bob at his workshop. Living in a community that has suffered numerous terror attacks, Yaron works to transform shrapnel into beautiful sculptures in a project he calls “Rockets to Roses.”
• As the evening arrives, the country's mood turns from somber to celebratory. We return to Tel Aviv for a dinner party celebrating Israel's 75th Anniversary at our hotel!
• After dinner, we join the people of Tel Aviv on the beach front to continue the celebration.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 9: Wednesday, April 26, 2023: CHAG SAMEACH: HAPPY 75th ANNIVERSARY!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we stroll through Neve Tzedek to see the artistic graffiti painted on the walls and buildings and learn how it has become an important form of expression in the community.
• At Trumpeldor Cemetery, we see the final resting places and hear the stories of Israeli luminaries, among them Shoshana Damari, Arik Einstein, Haim Nachman Bialik and others.
• We head to the beach to enjoy the unforgettable Air and Sea show, followed by a late afternoon BBQ in celebration of Yom Ha'Atzmaut in traditional Israeli style.
• Enjoy the remainder of the day relaxing at the beach or exploring Tel Aviv, followed by dinner on own.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 10: Thursday, April 27, 2023: HISTORY OF TEL AVIV/HISTORY OF ISRAEL

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we drive by Rabin Square and stop at the memorial marking the place where former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995.
• We continue with a tour of 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.
• Led by Itzik Dror, Chief Guide of Independence Hall, we follow the Independence Trail, which takes us on a walking tour through the Ahuzat Bayit neighborhood, where Tel Aviv was originally developed.
• Time to relax and organize for our flight home later tonight.
• As our day comes to an end, we join together one last time for a festive farewell dinner at a local restaurant with Gil Hoffman, former chief political correspondent for the Jerusalem Post.
• We transfer to the airport for our overnight flights back to the United States.

Day 11: Friday, April 28, 2023: ARRIVAL BACK IN THE USA

• We arrive back in the United States this morning.

THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!!
*Itinerary subject to change

BOOK THIS TOUR

Hadassah Yom Ha'Atzmaut
Celebrating Israel's 75th Anniversary:
From Dream to Reality
Led by Marcie Natan
Joined by Rhoda Smolow & Ellen Hershkin
April 18-28, 2023

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