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Refresh and Recharge
Return to Israel
February 15 - 24, 2022

Tour Rates & Dates:

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*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.
Please note: All participants must show proof of vaccination.
Rates based on a minimum of 20 paying participants. Below 20, a small group supplement may apply.

Tour Overview:

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Israel is a land of connections and reconnections. It is a place that both holds nostalgia and awaits rediscovery. Over the decades, so much in Israel has changed dramatically, yet the essence that draws us remains the same. Traveling together as a community, we will bond through our shared experiences and enhance our understanding of culture and archaeology, religion and politics, the ancient and the modern, as we delve in-depth into Israel’s millennia-old legacy as heart of the Jewish People.

OUR AMAZING JOURNEY INCLUDES:
  • Engaging encounters – Experience the new archaeological digs in Khirbet Qeiyafa, Discover the meaning behind graffiti art in Jerusalem, See how Yaron Bob turns tragedy into art at Rockets to Roses.
  • Culinary delights – Watch the rugged desert bloom deliciously at the Salad Trail, Sample top notch Israeli wines, and enjoy tantalizing Bedouin delicacies.
  • Opportunities to connect with the land – See sunrise over the Ramon Crater, Experience the newly renovated ANU museum.

  • 5 nights at the Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem
  • 1 night at Ramon Inn, Mitzpe Ramon
  • 1 night plus late check-out at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Tel Aviv
  • All touring and sightseeing in a deluxe air-conditioned vehicle with an English-speaking guide
  • Breakfast daily
  • Dinners: Welcome Dinner, Shabbat Dinner, Dinner at Ramon Inn, and Farewell Dinner
  • Arrival / departure transfers with the main group
  • Entrance fees and porterage as per itinerary

NOT INCLUDED:
  • Roundtrip airfare, departure taxes and fuel surcharges (Contact Ayelet Tours for flight assistance.)
  • Any border taxes or visa fees
  • Tips to guide, driver and dining room waiters ($20 per person, per day; pre-collected)
  • Meals not listed above
  • Items of a personal nature
  • Any costs associated with testing or related to proof of Covid/vaccine status. Currently proof of travelers health insurance and vaccination are required to enter Israel.
  • Travel insurance (group policy available)

Tour Itinerary:

Day 1: Tuesday: DEPARTURE

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

Day 2: Wednesday: WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

• Shalom and Bruchim Habaim—welcome to Israel! Upon arrival, we are met by an Ayelet Tours representative and begin our adventure.
• Our first stop is at Neot Kedumim, where we plant trees, connecting us physically and spiritually to the land of Israel.
• We continue to Jerusalem, stopping atop Mt. Scopus. Upon arrival, we say the “Shehecheyanu” as we look out over the City of Gold.
• We check in to our hotel and refresh.
• This evening, we enjoy a welcome dinner together, marking our first night in Israel.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 3: Thursday: DIGGING ISRAEL

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Today, we begin at the recently excavated Khirbet Qeiyafa, the site of an ancient fortress city. The city has the most impressive First Temple period fortifications, including stone walls and two gates, one in the west and the other in the south. The gates are of identical size and consist of four chambers. This is the only known city from the First Temple period with two gates.
• We travel to Beit Guvrin, where we participate in a hands-on archaeological dig, allowing us the opportunity to unearth remnants from Israel’s ancient past.
• We continue to Gush Etzion, an area south of Jerusalem that was destroyed in 1948. We had to withdraw from the region but returned to rebuild after 1967. We hear the personal stories from that time of great change as we tour the area.
• This afternoon, we visit a local winery for a tour and tasting, sampling Israel’s impressive viniculture.
• Evening at leisure and dinner on own.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 4: Friday: A DAY OF REMEMBR THE PAST AND SECURE THE FUTURE

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• 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 and hear important stories about the life and work of Israel’s past leaders, as well as those of lesser-known heroes.
• We next see Yad Vashem in a completely new light, as we view the moving exhibitions focusing on children’s drawings and art created during the Holocaust. We complete our visit with a memorial ceremony at the Valley of the Communities.
• As the sun begins to set, we join together to welcome Shabbat at the Kotel (Western Wall) with the people of Jerusalem,
• Shabbat dinner together at our hotel.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 5: Saturday: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• Spend the morning at leisure attending Shabbat services on own or relaxing.
• This afternoon, we enjoy a guided stroll along Hanevi’im Street, one of the first streets built outside the city walls and formerly the site of many hospitals, churches, government offices and homes of wealthy citizens of all faiths.
• Enjoy the evening at leisure to discover Jerusalem and have dinner on own as the city comes back to life after Shabbat.
• Option to attend the spectacular Sound and Light show at the Tower of David Museum.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 6: Sunday: MODERN ISRAEL

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We begin our day at the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament building, where we meet with a member of the Knesset to learn about the current political climate in Israel.
• We visit Ein Kerem Hadassah Hospital, featuring the most modern hospital facilities in the region, and visit the synagogue featuring the famed Chagall windows.
• Continue to the 9/11 Memorial in the mountains of Jerusalem, the only one of its kind outside the United States and a moving tribute to the bond between our nations.
• This afternoon, we enjoy a special visit to the Israel Museum to see the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed, as well as many of the new exhibits at this world class institution.
• We proceed to Jerusalem’s outdoor market Machane Yehuda, for a sensual immersion, engaging with the vibrant colors, smells and flavors that will be found in this bustling marketplace. We wander through the pyramids of spices, bright-colored exotic vegetables, nuts, olives, and delicious halva creations. We stop along the way for tastings of local foods.
• As day turns to night, we stroll through the market again, this time to view the artistic graffiti on the closed shutter stall doors.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Day 7: Monday: SOUTHERN EXPLORATION

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel.
• This morning, we drive to visit with members of the community at Netiv HaAsara. The enclave is located north of the Gaza Strip, where an electric fence and concrete walls were built for protection from Palestinian incursion. We visit the Peace Wall and hear how some residents choose to deal with this challenging situation.
• Our next stop is at the “Salad Trail”, where we will 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 straight from the kibbutz’s self-picking farm, and encounter flying strawberries, tiny orange orchards, racing pigeons and herbal gardens. ending in a delicious lunch.
• Later this afternoon, we meet Yaron Bob at his workshop. Struck by the terror of shell attacks, Yaron decided to transform something horrible into something beautiful, and so began his artwork known as “Rockets to Roses”.
• We continue to Sde Boker to visit David Ben Gurion’s gravesite and original hut.
• This afternoon, we check in to our resort in Mitzpe Ramon and spend the remainder of the day relaxing and being pampered at the spa.
• We enjoy dinner together at our resort this evening.

Overnight in Mitzpe Ramon

Day 8: Tuesday: DESERT ADVENTURES

• We set out early this morning for a sunrise jeep tour and hike in the Ramon Crater, as the landscape is bathed majestically in the first light of day.
• We return to our resort for breakfast and check out.
• After breakfast, we stop at the Mitzpe Ramon Visitor’s Center, where we learn about the area and the home of former resident and astronaut, Ilan Ramon.
• We visit a Bedouin community for hospitality, as we learn about this unique culture.
• In nearby Be’er Sheva, we visit the UNESCO World Heritage Tel Be’er Sheva, site where the forefathers of our Jewish nation, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lived and worked, and traces of their way of life reveal themselves.
• We travel north to Tel Aviv to check in to our hotel.
• Spend the evening at leisure discovering all that this metropolitan city has to offer. Enjoy dinner on own.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

Day 9: Wednesday: TOURING TEL AVIV

• Breakfast at our hotel.
• We take a stroll through Neve Tzedek and along Independence Trail to learn about the founding of both Tel Aviv and of modern Israel.
• Stop at the Taglit Center for Israeli Innovation, a showcase of Israeli ingenuity.
• Visit ANU: Museum of the Jewish People (formerly the Diaspora Museum) to enjoy the newly refreshedinteractive audio-visual exhibits highlighting the history and culture of the Jewish People around the world.
• We continue to Old Jaffa for a tour of this ancient port city, as we stroll through the cobblestone alleyways admiring the cafes and crafts in the artist’s colony. We also take in the lovely sea views.
• We enjoy a festive farewell dinner at a local restaurant, recounting all we have experienced together. and transfer to the airport this evening for our overnight flight back to the United States.

Day 10: Thursday: WELCOME HOME!

• We arrive back in the United States this morning.

THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!!
*Itinerary subject to change