Sunday, June 3 Depart from Boston on our overnight flight to Israel
Monday, June 4 WELCOME TO ISRAEL!
We arrive at Ben Gurion
Airport and are met and welcomed by our tour guide... Travel to Tel
Aviv where we will check into our hotel. Evening at leisure...
Overnight:
Herods Hotel, Tel Aviv.
Tuesday, June 5 THE BEAUTIFUL COAST
Breakfast... Travel north
along Israel’s west coast, stopping in Caesarea to view the ancient
Roman ruins, including the Roman Theater, the Aqueduct, and the
ancient port... View the multi-media exhibition covering the amazing
history of the area ...Continue to Zichron Yaakov, where we have the
opportunity to enjoy a tour and tasting at the local winery... Just north
of Zichron Yaakov, we stop in the artists’ colony at Ein Hod to visit the
galleries and studios... Arrive in Haifa and take in the breathtaking
panoramic views from atop Mt. Carmel... Visit Congregation Or Hadash
and Rabbi Edgar Nof...
Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Haifa.
Wednesday, June 6 HAIFA AND ITS SURROUNDINGS
Breakfast... This morning we visit the beautiful Bahai Shrine and
Gardens... Continue to Daliat El Carmel, where we enjoy the hospitality
of a Druze community and learn more about their unique heritage and
lifestyle... We travel up the coast to Akko where we visit the
Crusader-era fortifications and British prison... Continuing north, we
arrive in Rosh Hanikrah to view the limestone-cliff grottoes... Return to
Haifa for overnight.
Thursday, June 7 VIEWS OF THE NORTH
Breakfast. After a visit
to the Leo Baeck School in Haifa, we will visit the Arab village of Ein
Mahil where we will have “coffee plus” at the home of Raed Habib-Allah
overlooking Mt. Tabor in the Galilee. There we will pause and study the
story of Deborah in the Book of Judges. In the afternoon, we travel
to the mystical city of Safed to view the ancient Ha’ari and Caro synagogues,
and shop among the many local artisans... Enjoy the evening
and dinner at your Kibbutz Guesthouse... Kibbutz Hagoshrim in the
Galilee.
Friday, June 8 EXPLORING THE GOLAN
Breakfast followed by a
tour through the Golan Heights, including a stop to view the ancient
synagogue ruins at Katzrin... Stop atop Har Bental to take in the views
stretching into neighboring Syria... In the Tel Dan Nature Reserve we
enjoy an outdoor hike through the beautiful surroundings; Then a
peaceful drive to Jerusalem where we will check into our hotel.
Optional services at one of Jerusalem’s interesting synagogues. Shabbat
Dinner at our Hotel.
Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem.
Saturday, June 9 SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM - Shabbat Shalom!
Breakfast... Option to participate in Shabbat services this morning.
(Rabbi Ira will suggest a few) We will have Shabbat Lunch together at
our hotel... Afternoon at leisure for exploration, a Jerusalem walk or
just plain relaxation... Havdalah atop Yemin Moshe overlooking the Old
City... Evening at leisure...
Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem.
Sunday, June 10 THE OLD CITY 
Breakfast... Today we will enjoy
an in-depth tour of the Old City, beginning at the Davidson Center and
Southern Excavations, where we enjoy a multi-media exhibition covering
the vast history and construction of the Temple Mount... Continue with
a visit to the Western Wall, the holiest site for Jews in the world.
Enjoy lunch (on own) and time for shopping in the Cardo Marketplace
before walking through the Armenian, Christian and Mluslim Quarters
of the Old City. Walk through shuk, the Arab Market and visit the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre where Christians believe Jesus was resurrected.
Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem.
Monday, June 11 THE DEAD SEA
Breakfast... This morning we stop
to enjoy the sunrise atop Mt. Scopus before departing Jerusalem and
heading to the Dead Sea Basin... Upon arrival we ascend Masada by
cable car to view King Herod’s palace and fortification and hear the
story of the Jewish Zealots’ “last stand” against the approaching Roman
armies... We continue to the Dead Sea – here we enjoy the healing mud
baths and an “unsinkable swim” in the salty waters. Take a short hike
through the desert oasis of Ein Gedi to find the hidden waterfalls...
Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem.
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Tuesday, June 12 NEW JERUSALEM
Breakfast - Morning visit to
the Machane Yehuda marketplace, where Jerusalemites busily shop each
day. Continue to Mea Sharim for a look at the Ultra-Orthodox
Jerusalem community... Visit the Israel Museum, where we see the
Dead Sea Scrolls being preserved and displayed at the Shrine of the
Book... We also view the miniature scale model of Jerusalem during the
time of the Second Temple.
Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel,
Jerusalem.
Wednesday, June 13 NEW JERUSALEM
Breakfast - Begin the day
with a visit to Hadassah Hospital Mother and Child Pavilion and view the
famous Chagall Windows... Continue to Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust
Memorial, where we encounter many moving exhibitions including the Hall
of Names and Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations.... Arrive at
Mt. Herzl, where we see the gravesites of Theodore Herzl, Golda Meir,
Yitzhak Rabin and other leaders of Israel. At the Mt. Herzl Museum
we learn about the life and work of the great Zionist visionary...
Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem.
Thursday, June 14 POLITICS PAST AND PRESENT
Breakfast... View Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, where we have a
unique photo opportunity by the outdoor bronze menorah sculpture...
Pass the Supreme Court building... Then visit the museum and bunkers
on Ammunition Hill where a decisive battle during the Six Day War took
place. Afternoon at leisure to shop or just plain relax.
Overnight:
Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem
Friday, June 15 ISRAEL PAST AND PRESENT
Breakfast - We
leave Jerusalem and head to Tel Aviv with a stop at the Ayalon
Institute where we discover the secret underground ammunitions factory
that played a pivotal role in Israel’s fight for independence... Spend
the afternoon enjoying the artists and entertainers bringing the streets
to life at Nachalat Binyamin... Shabbat Services and Dinner this evening
at Beit Daniel...
Overnight: Herods Hotel, Tel Aviv.
Saturday, June 16 SHABBAT AT LEISURE IN TEL AVIV
Breakfast... Enjoy the day at leisure in Tel Aviv, or choose to attend
services at one of the local synagogues... We will have Shabbat Lunch
together at our hotel...Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure, and
in the evening enjoy the nightlife of this thriving metropolitan city...
Overnight: Herods Hotel, Tel Aviv.
Sunday, June 17 TEL AVIV - Breakfast
This morning we stop at
Rabin Square for a moment of reflection before we continue to the Ben
Gurion House to learn about the life of Israel’s great leader... We next
“join up” with the paramilitary forces at the Palmach Museum. Those
who wish can also visit Beit Ha-t’futsot, The Diaspora Museum on the
campus of Tel Aviv University. Rest of the day at liesure for shopping.
Farewell Banquet at one of Tel Aviv’s priemier restaurants. After the
banquet, we head for Ben Gurion Airport and our overnight flight to
Boston. Shalom u-L’hitraot!
Monday, June 18 Early Arrival in Boston
Itinerary subject to change
Itinerary
