Hadassah Winter Family Tour to Israel
Led by Carol Rosenthal
December 21-31, 2023


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:

Our Hadassah Family Tour experience is designed to provide a fun, interactive, hands-on Israel adventure for participants of every age. Generations bond together as they experience the magic of Israel with access only Hadassah can provide! Our handpicked guides will bring heritage & history to life as together as we encounter and celebrate in this amazing land.

INCLUDED IN YOUR TOUR:

4 nights
Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem
2 nights
Kibbutz Nof Ginosar, Galilee
2 nights
David Intercontinental, Tel Aviv
All touring and sightseeing in a deluxe air-conditioned motor coach with an expert English-speaking guide
Breakfast daily
Dead Sea lunch & swim
Welcome Shabbat dinner at the Inbal
B'nai Mitzvah gala dinner at Piccolino
2 kibbutz dinners
Shabbat dinner in the main dining room at David Intercontinental
Farewell dinner at a Tel Aviv restaurant
Tree planting
Yemin Moshe scavenger hunt
Old City walking tour
Tower of David Sound & Light show
Tour of Hadassah Ein Kerem campus
Bedouin hospitality & camel ride
Golan Heights jeep tour
Chocolate workshop
Hummus making competition
Hula Valley surrey ride
Visit to Hadassah's Meir Shfeya Youth Village
Beit Guvrin archaeological expedition
Airport transfers included if arriving/departing with the main group
Entrance fees per itinerary
Porterage
Bottled water 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 ($25 per person, per day; pre-collected)
Meals not listed above
Items of a personal nature
Travel insurance (recommended -
group policy available)
Any costs associated with Covid-19 testing or vaccination


Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Thursday, December 21, 2023: DEPARTURE

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

Day 2: Friday, December 22 2023: WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

• Shalom and Bruchim Habaim—welcome to Israel! Our time in this incredible land has officially begun and our excitement mounts as we set off on the adventure ahead. Just beyond passport control, an Ayelet representative will meet us in the baggage claim area and assist us through customs.
• We begin our journey at Neot Kedumim to plant trees, connecting us physically and spiritually to the land of Israel.
• We ascend to Jerusalem, stopping atop Mt. Scopus to say the “Shehecheyanu” as we look out over the City of Gold for the first time together.
• Later this afternoon, we check into our hotel and have a chance to freshen up.
• As the sun sets, we join together to welcome Shabbat at the Kotel with the people of Jerusalem, followed by Shabbat Dinner at our hotel in a private space.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 3: Saturday, December 23, 2023: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Free morning to attend Shabbat services on own or just relax.
• This afternoon, we set out on a scavenger hunt in the Yemin Moshe neighborhood; a great way to get to know the area.
• We enter the Ottoman walls of the Old City via the Jaffa Gate and stroll past colorful and exotic vendors in the Arab Shuk. We continue into the Christian quarter and follow the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
• As day turns to night, we join for Havdalah at our hotel, marking the end of Shabbat and the beginning of a new week.
• Following dinner on our own, we delight in the Tower of David Night Spectacular, a sound and light show that transforms the walls of David's Citadel into the living story of Jerusalem.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 4: Sunday, December 24, 2023: ISRAEL THEN AND NOW

• Breakfast at our hotel joined by a journalist who will speak about the current state of Israel.
• Today, we visit Yad Vashem, the national memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Here, we explore some of the newly found materials relating to places, people and events connected to the Holocaust, including:
o Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations
o Children's memorial
o The Holocaust Museum
• Our time at Yad Vashem culminates in a group memorial service at the Valley of the Lost Communities. (Small children and parents will visit the Biblical Zoo instead).
• After time for lunch on our own, we visit Ammunition Hill, the official museum symbolizing the liberation and reunification of Jerusalem. Its new multi-media film will help us better understand the events and battles of 1967.
• Evening at leisure and dinner on our own.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 5: Monday, December 25, 2023: JERUSALEM AND THE BAR/BAT MITZVAH

• Breakfast at our hotel.
Optional: We host a B'nai Mitzvah ceremony at Hadassah Ein Kerem's Abbell Synagogue, home of the beautiful Chagall windows. Mazel tov!
• While on campus, we tour 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.
• Lunch on our own.
• This afternoon, we visit Emek Tzurim and sift through the Temple Mount rubble, where new and important finds are made every day.
• Next, we return to the Old City for a walking tour of the Jewish Quarter, including time to shop in the Cardo Market.
• From the streets to above the rooftops, we walk the ramparts, providing us with a birds-eye view of the different quarters.
• We complete our day at Ir David, the City of David, where we wander through the archaeological excavations dating back to the time of King David, including Hezekiah's tunnel.
• This evening, we enjoy a delicious group celebration dinner at Piccolino in honor of our B'nai Mitzvah.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 6: Tuesday, December 26, 2023: THE DEAD SEA BASIN

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• We depart early this morning and begin traveling south. Along the way, we stop to visit a nearby Bedouin community for an authentic desert experience, including a camel ride.
• Next, we ascend Masada by cable car to view the remains of King Herod's fortress, including the synagogue 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.
• Later this afternoon, we drive north through the Jordan Valley to the Galilee to check into our kibbutz and refresh before dinner together this evening.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 7: Wednesday, December 27, 2023: NORTHERN ADVENTURES

• Breakfast at our kibbutz.
• Today, we set out on an exciting jeep tour through the Golan Heights at Mitzpe Gadot to take in the amazing views and see the memorial to those soldiers who lost their lives capturing this crucial spot from Syrian forces in 1967.
• We continue in our jeeps to the top of Har Bental for views stretching far into Syria.
• Next, we enjoy a chocolate workshop, learning from the experts in a fun and delicious way at the DeKarina Chocolate Factory.
• Lunch on our own nearby.
• This afternoon, we travel to the mystical city of Safed, where we stroll through the cobblestone streets to view the ancient synagogues and shop in the artist's quarter.
• Our final adventure today is at Dubrovin Farms, where we participate in a lively hummus making competition.
• We return to our kibbutz for dinner together this evening.

Overnight in the Galilee

Day 8: Thursday, December 28, 2023: THE ROAD TO TEL AVIV

• Breakfast and check out of our kibbutz.
• This morning, we visit the Hula Valley Nature Reserve and enjoy a surrey ride through the bucolic scenery.
• We travel west to Haifa and drive to the top of Mt. Carmel for panoramic views overlooking the beautiful Bahai Gardens.
• Lunch on our own en route.
• Later this afternoon, we visit Hadassah's Meir Shfeya Youth Village, where we interact with the students and staff and see their working farm and winery.
• We continue south to Tel Aviv to check into our hotel and refresh before setting out for an evening at leisure to explore and enjoy dinner on our own.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 9: Friday, December 29, 2023: TOURING TEL AVIV

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we visit the Ayalon Institute, where we discover the underground ammunition factory that played a pivotal role in Israel's fight for independence.
• Next, we travel to Beit Guvrin, for a hands-on archaeological dig, allowing us the opportunity to unearth remnants from Israel's ancient past. Those who wish can participate in cave crawling through the underground tunnel.
• Our afternoon is at leisure for lunch and exploring Tel Aviv on own.
• This evening, we join together and enjoy Shabbat Dinner in the main dining room at our hotel.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 10: Saturday, December 30, 2023: SHABBAT SHALOM AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Free morning to attend Shabbat services or relax.
• This afternoon, we follow Independence Trail on a walking tour through the Ahuzat Bayit neighborhood, from which the city originally developed.
• This afternoon, we continue to Old Jaffa, strolling through the winding streets to view the art galleries and take in the views of the sea while learning about this historically important port.
• This evening, we check out of our hotel and enjoy a festive farewell dinner, recalling all that we have experienced together on this journey.
• We transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for our overnight flights back to the United States.

Day 11: Sunday, December 31, 2023: BACK TO THE US

• We arrive back in the United States this morning. Happy New Year!


THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!!
*Itinerary subject to change