English

International Institute for
Secular Humanistic Judaism
Tour to Secular Israel
Led by Rabbi Adam Chalom
October 30 - November 10, 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.

Check Pricing:

Double Occupancy: $3,399
Single Occupancy: $4,449

Credit Card Pricing:

Double Occupancy: $3,499
Single Occupancy: $4,581

Looking for a roommate?  Contact Rabbi Adam Chalom at achalom@iishj.org.

Tour Overview:

Download a PDF version:

INCLUDED:

3 nights Hotel Bay Club, Haifa
5 nights Prima Kings, Jerusalem
1 night Grand Beach Hotel, Tel Aviv
All touring and sightseeing in a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle with an expert English-speaking guide
Meetings with local community leaders
Breakfast daily
Shabbat dinner in Haifa
Shabbat dinner in Tel Aviv
Farewell dinner
Visit to kibbutzim, including Degania Aleph (first kibbutz) and Beit Ha-Shita holiday archive
Visit to Arab-Jewish cultural center in Beit HaGefen in Haifa
Visit to West Bank Palestinian cities Ramallah and Rawabi
Lunch in Psagot during West Bank visit
Yad Vashem guided tour with scholar, Dr. Rachel Korazim
Israel Museum guided tour with Rabbi Sivan Maas of Tmura-IISHJ
Tour of Ein Gedi's ancient synagogue and kibbutz with Rabbi Mani Gal
Kids4Peace Arab-Jewish school visit
Old City walking tour with a Jewish and Muslim guide
Ir Ami tour of East Jerusalem
Tmura-IISHJ Conference and Rabbinic Ordination Celebration
Visit to BINA secular yeshiva
Transfer if arriving/departing with main group
Entrance fees to all sites per itinerary
Porterage
Bottled water on the bus

NOT INCLUDED:

Roundtrip airfare, departure taxes and fuel surcharges
Border taxes and visas
Tips to guide, driver and dining room waiters ($18 per person, per day; pre-collected)
Meals not listed above
Items of a personal nature
Travel insurance (high recommended)



Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Wednesday, October 30, 2019: DEPARTURE

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

Day 2: Thursday, October 31, 2019: WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

• We arrive in Israel and are met by an Ayelet Tours representative.
• We transfer from the airport to Haifa.
• Upon arrival, we stop at the Louis Promenade to reflect on our arrival while viewing the "City of Herzl," his vision of a secular Jewish state.
• We check into our hotel and refresh before dinner on own tonight.

Overnight in Haifa

Day 3: Friday, November 1, 2019: THE NEW SETTLEMENT

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We visit Kibbutz Beit Ha-Shita, meet the locals and explore the Chagim Center archive of a century of secular Jewish holiday creativity.
• Next, we get a glimpse of the early days of the Zionist movement at Kibbutz Degania, the first kibbutz established, once home to leaders such as David Ben Gurion, Moshe Dayan, and Joseph Trumpeldor.
• We continue to the Courtyard of the Kinneret, one of the most important sites in the history of settlement in the land of Israel. The Courtyard was a kind of historical melting pot where the first glimmers of social ideas, such as the kibbutz and the moshav were born. Here, we see the visitor's center, the cemetery, the disappearance farm and more.
• Time permitting, we get creative with hands-on mosaic-making and pottery repair activities at Tzippori, the site of the codification of the Mishnah, where Jews and gentiles lived together peacefully for centuries.
• We return to the hotel for Kabbalat Shabbat led by Rabbi Adam Chalom and rabbis from Tmura-IISHJ, followed by Shabbat dinner together.

Overnight in Haifa

Day 4: Saturday, November 2, 2019: CELEBRATING DIVERSITY IN ISRAEL

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we stop in Caesarea, the former Roman capital of the area, to see the ancient theater and the aqueduct. Centuries ago, people of multiple faiths co-existed here.
• We continue to Umm el Fahem Art Gallery and meet with founder and director, Said Abu Shakra, for a glimpse into the world of Palestinian - Israeli art at this unique institution which serves as a bridge between Arabs and Jews.
• Lunch on own.
• We return to Haifa to visit Beit HaGefen, where we tour the Arab-Jewish Cultural Center and get an insider's look into the diverse community of Haifa, as well as the various projects that are in place to bring Arabs, Jews and Christians together.
• We complete our day with a visit to Wadi Nisnas Market, a symbol of co-existence between Arab and Jewish residents, this small yet colorful market is brimming with baked goods, fresh seafood, and the most succulent fruits and vegetables.
• Dinner on own tonight.

Overnight in Haifa

Day 5: Sunday, November 3, 2019: THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN DIVIDE

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we visit Rawabi, the new Palestinian city north of Ramallah, for a glimpse at this unique project; a synthesis between private enterprise and public resources to create a new urban reality in Palestinian society. We meet with developer Bashar el Masri.
• Next, we visit the settlement of Psagot for lunch together, and meet with a local resident to discuss the centrality of the settlement enterprise to his or her being an Israeli.
• We continue to the current capital of the Palestinian Authority, Ramallah, to discuss the current status of the area with local representatives and meet with young start-up entrepreneurs (pending availability).
• We ascend to Jerusalem and check into our hotel, then enjoy the evening at leisure to explore Ben Yehuda Street and have dinner on our own.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 6: Monday, November 4, 2019: FOUNDATIONS OF A NATION

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we meet with scholar Dr. Rachel Korazim, at Yad Vashem, Israel's memorial to the Holocaust, for a discussion and a special behind-the-scenes tour.
• We continue to Mt. Herzl, Jerusalem's military cemetery, to visit the gravesites of Theodore Herzl, Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres and hear stories of Israel's path to foundation. We conclude the visit at the new Remembrance Hall along with Yiftach Maas, whose firm designed the memorial.
• We head to the renovated Israel Museum, where we are led by Rabbi Sivan Maas of Tmura-IISHJ. We tour the Shrine of the Book, home to the Dead Sea Scrolls and see a miniature replica of Jerusalem from the Second Temple days.
• Dinner on own at the famed Machane Yehuda market.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 7: Tuesday, November 5, 2019: MASADA & THE DEAD SEA

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Early this morning, we depart Jerusalem and travel south to the Dead Sea basin.
• We pass the Qumran Caves, site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by a local shepherd.
• We ascend Masada by cable car to view the remains of King Herod's palace and fortifications and hear the story of the Jewish Zealots' last stand against the approaching Roman armies.
• We descend the mountain and head to the beach for on own and a chance to experience the mud baths, followed by an unsinkable swim in the healing, salty waters of the Dead Sea.
• We enjoy a short hike to the hidden waterfalls in the desert oasis of Ein Gedi and tour the ancient synagogue and kibbutz with Rabbi Mani Gal.
• We return to Jerusalem and enjoy the rest of the evening at leisure and dinner on own.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 8: Wednesday, November 6, 2019: THE OLD CITY

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning, we visit Kids4Peace, an interfaith movement for youth, and meet with Ittay Flescher to learn about their unique program and the challenges and triumphs of creating a community of communication and understanding in Jerusalem.
• We continue with a walking tour of the Old City, focusing on social justice issues between the Jewish and Islamic community. We are led by two guides, a Jew and Muslim, who offer their different viewpoints on the very debated areas of the Old City. Along the way, we visit the Jewish quarter, the Arab market (shuk) and walk along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian quarter.
• We travel through Israeli and Palestinian neighborhoods beyond the '67 borders with Ir Amim. We discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the city, including the relationship between Israeli authorities and the Palestinian population, Israeli policy in Jerusalem and its social and political implications, as well as the separation barrier and its effects on the city.
• Dinner on own this evening.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 9: Thursday, November 7, 2019: TMURA - IISHJ CONFERENCE

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we attend the Tmura-IISHJ conference. (location TBD)

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 10: Friday, November 8, 2019: TOURING TEL AVIV

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we attend the Tmura-IISHJ conference.
• We check out of our hotel and travel to Tel Aviv.
• Upon arrival, we check into our hotel and refresh.
• We continue to the “White City”, a collection of over 4,000 buildings built in a unique form of the Bauhaus (International Style) in Tel Aviv from the 1930s by German Jewish architects who immigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine after the rise of the Nazis. Tel Aviv has the largest number of buildings in this style of any city in the world.
• As the sun begins to set, we enjoy Kabbalat Shabbat and Shabbat dinner together.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 11: Saturday, November 9, 2019: FAREWELL

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• This morning we meet with LGBTQ representatives along with Amutat Keshet.
• Next, we drive to BINA, the secular Yeshiva, a hub for service-learning programs, where we volunteer with populations in need in Southern Tel Aviv.
• We check out of our hotel this evening 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 flight back to the United States.

Day 12: Sunday, November 10, 2019: WELCOME HOME!

• We arrive back in the United States this morning.


THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!!
*itinerary subject to change