MODEL TOUR #2 – Summer, 9 nights
"Journey Around Zion and Encircle Her" (Teh. 48:13)
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Sunday – USA Departure
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Monday – Roots in the Land
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Arrive in Israel midday and meet your ITC tour guide at Ben Gurion airport
Plant roots directly in the land at the JNF tree planting site at
Modi'in
Learn of the courage and ingenuity of our nation's pre-state defenders at
the Ayalon Institute. Hotel check-in.
Dinner at Shirat Hayam in Old Jaffa
Overnight: Tel Aviv |
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Tuesday – Foundations of the State
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Witness the inspiring declaration of the State of Israel at Independence
Hall
Free time for lunch and shopping in the Nahalat Binyamin crafts market
Travel north.
Learn how to make the special blue dye for the tzitzit and even dive
for snails at P'til Techelet off the coast of Hof Dor
Dinner at Decks Restaurant in Tiberias
Overnight: Kibbutz Lavi |
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Wednesday – Layers of History in Israel's
North |
Ride up to the Golan Heights: Gaze down upon the Galilee from Gadot Overlook, as the Syrians once
did.
Meet with Rabbi Haber to hear about life on the Golan today
Free time for lunch in Katzrin. Glide down Jordan River tributaries in a kayak
Explore the courtyards and synagogues of mystical Tzefat
Take in a sunset view of Mount Meron from Tzefat
Emjoy klezmer music over dinner in Tzefat
Overnight: Kibbutz Lavi |
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Thursday – In the Footsteps of the
Sages |
Explore the magnificently excavated ancient city of Tzippori,
home to Rabbi Judah the Prince.
Travel south to Kfar Chabad. After lunch, visit Chabad's moving Children of Chernobyl project and visit
and etrog factory and a replica of "770"
Ascent to Jerusalem.
Enjoy a breathtaking view of the Old City from the Tayelet and study
the biblical story of Akadat Yitzhak, when Avraham Avinu stood in
this spot
Hotel check-in and dinner at Norman's Restaurant
Evening: Ma'ariv at the Kotel
Overnight: Sheraton Plaza Hotel, Jerusalem |
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Friday – Jerusalem of Old
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Tour David's City; meet with families who live there and explore
Hezekiah's tunnel
Experience a multi-media, virtual tour of the Beit Hamikdash at the Davidson
Center
Free time for lunch and guilt-free shopping in the Jewish Quarter
Prepare for Shabbat.
Light Shabbat candles in an Old City courtyard
Daven and dance at the Kotel
Enjoy a rooftop Shabbat dinner in the Old City, overlooking the Temple
Mount
Overnight: Sheraton Plaza Hotel, Jerusalem |
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Shabbat – Shabbat in Jerusalem
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Shabbat services at the Great Synagogue: Shabbat lunch at the hotel
Free time for rest. Walking tour of Ketef Hinom and the Mishkenot She'ananim and Yemin
Moshe neighborhoods.
Seudah Shlishit picnic
Havdalah under the stars
Overnight: Sheraton Plaza Hotel, Jerusalem |
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Sunday – The Struggle for our Homeland
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Learn about the history of the struggle for Gush Etzion in a
moving multi-media presentation at Kfar Etzion.
Meet with Rabbi Riskin at the Alon Shevut hesder Yeshiva
Shop for unique Jewish art items and ritual objects at the Judaica Center
Free time for lunch in Efrat. Find real ancient artifacts while you participate in an actual archeological
dig at Dig for a Day. Dinner at Apropos dairy restaurant
Overnight: Sheraton Plaza Hotel, Jerusalem |
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Monday – Into the Desert
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Daven shaharit at the home of President Katzav
Breakfast at the hotel.
Travel south and enjoy a nature walk to the Ein Gedi waterfall
Travel by jeep through the desert, off the beaten track
Oasis discussion with you ITC tourguide: "Am Yisrael – a People Born
in the Desert"
Hotel check-in and Dead Sea swim and spa.
Dinner at the hotel
Evening: Optional night hike in the Flour Cave
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Tuesday – Fanatics or Freedom Fighters?
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Tour Masada and hear about the Jewish Zealots last stand against
the Romans
Enjoy camel rides and an authentic Bedouin lunch (kosher, of course!)
in a Bedouin tent.Travel north and stop at the bakery in Adam to buy goodies to distribute
to soldiers along the way.
Visit Pesagot to understand its proximity to Ramallah and see its
sophisticated, computerized security center.
In Beit El, meet with local residents to hear about the challenges
of their daily lives and visit a tefillin factory
Free for dinner in Jerusalem (list of suggested restaurants will be provided)
Overnight: Sheraton Plaza Hotel, Jerusalem |
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Wednesday – Jerusalem the Modern City
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Visit the Memorial Museum, Children's Memorial, and outdoor sculptures
at Yad Vashem
Learn about the heroism of the 1967 battle for Jerusalem at Ammunition
Hill
Stop for lunch and a tour of the colorful Mahaneh Yehuda market
At Sha'arei Tzedek Hospital, learn about special programs for treating
terror victims
Free time for final shopping and packing. Farewell dinner at the Red Heifer Restaurant
Depart for the airport |
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