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Sunday, June 15

7:15 PM Welcome Dinner at La Foruna del Mar, a beachside Tel Aviv restaurant

Monday, June 16th

Breakfast at your hotel

  • Morning Events:
    • Guest Speaker, Topic Israel High Tech Revolution
      How is it that Israel – a country of 7.1 million, only 60 years old, surrounded by enemies, in a constant state of war since its founding, with no natural resources—produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful,and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? How is it that Israel has, per person, attracted over twice as much venture capital investment as the US and thirty times more than Europe? 
  • Visit to a high tech ecological project

Enjoy a Falafel Lunch!

  • Afternoon Events
    • Relax on the beach or by the pool or get some exercise! Time for the kids to have some fun together.

    • Join photographer Roni Sofer for an interactive photography workshop in the Carmel Market.  

Roni Sofer is a photographer whose work has been published in National Geographic (Hebrew edition), Newsweek, ELLE among others.  He has covered stories from Egypt to Zimbabwe and from former Yugoslavia to Haiti. He is the former director of "Contact" a leading photography magazine from 2002-2008 and is a senior Judge in various international photography contests including "Epson Red Sea," one of the world's leading underwater photography events.  Bring your camera or your phone!!

Dinner in the Old Port of Tel Aviv or at a Chef’s Restaurant

Tuesday, June 17th

Breakfast at Hotel

  • Note: Group will Check out of Tel Aviv Hotels
  • Morning Events

    • Dig for a Day! Archaeological hands on dig at Beit Guvrin!
      An opportunity to participate in an authentic archaeological dig in Beit Guvrin National Park, Dig For a Day is currently excavating in Tel Maresha, the ancestral home of King Herod. 

Enjoy a typical Kurdish lunch at a moshav on the way to Jerusalem 

  • Afternoon Events

    • Check into Jerusalem hotel

    • Relax, walk into the Old City of Jerusalem, explore the markets, swim or nap.

      • Spa Treatments available at your hotel. Please book in advance.

    • 7:00 PM Depart for the opera at Masada (drive time 1.5 hours), boxed dinner served on the bus.  We are happy to arrange for babysitting if parents would like to attend the opera without their children.  Please let us know if you would like a babysitter.  

    • 9:30 PM Verdi's La Traviata at Masada! Enjoy the gala performance of this much loved opera in the spectacular setting of Masada (very late return to Jerusalem), performed by an international cast and the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon Le Zion; Conductor Daniel Oren, Diector Michal Znaniecki.

Wednesday, June 18th

Breakfast at your hotel

  • Morning Events
    • Leisurely morning after late night at the opera.  Swim and enjoy breakfast.
    • Meet at 11 am to tour the Western Wall Tunnels 

      • The Western Wall Tunnel is an underground tunnel exposing the full length of the Western Wall. The tunnel is adjacent to the Western Wall and is located under buildings of the Old City of Jerusalem. While the open-air portion of the Western Wall is approximately 200 feet long, the majority of its original length is hidden underground. The tunnel allows access to an additional 1,591 feet of the wall.

    • Tour the Old City of Jerusalem
      • The Old City of Jerusalem was originally built by King David in 1004 BCE and is considered by many to be the center of the world. Here the Temple was built, Jesus was crucified and Mohamed rose to heaven.  It is now a magical mix of cultures, colors and history.  Surrounded by a 4 kilometer wall, the city is divided into 4 quarters - Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim.
    • Tour an ancient tahina factory and taste the best humus in the Old City.  Enjoy browsing in the traditional crafts market.

Casual falafel lunch

  • Afternoon Events
    • Meet with local archaeologist and tour Jerusalem's ancient water tunnels.  Learn about the City of David's newest archaeological finds.
    • Meet with Col (Res) Dani Tirza, architect of the separation fence in Israel's West Bank.  Discuss coexistence and conflict and learn of security and everyday concerns of those living on both sides of the fence.  

Dinner TBD

Bat Mitzvah Day! Thursday, June 19th

Izzy's special day! Mazal tov!

Join Izzy on her spiritual journey to becoming a bat mitzvah.  We are blessed that Rabbi Daniel Landes who married Allison and Ned in Jerusalem 16 years ago will officiate.

In honor of Isabel,  please join us for an evening of celebration, music, drum circles, belly dancers, camel rides and more!

Friday, June 20th

Breakfast at your hotel

  • Morning Events

    • Mid-morning departure for Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial and Museum. Visit the impressive new structure built into the mountain, the Valley of the Communities and the haunting Children’s Memorial.

    • Tour of the Mahane Yehuda market! Home to over 250 vendors all selling their own part of the taste of Israel, the market was established at the end of the 19th century. Popular with the locals as well as the tourists, about 200,000 people visit the ‘shuk’ every week, and Friday is the busiest day of the week.

  • Afternoon Events
    • Get your hands messy and perform the mitzvah of challah making and baking with local chef and personality Hila Solomon.  Some of you may remember that Hila hosted our family 16 years ago in her home for our wedding lunch.  She makes the best challah on earth and now you will too!

    • As evening arrives join to light Shabbat candles and then greet the Sabbath at the Western Wall.  This 2000-year-old portion of the Western Wall of the Temple has witnessed so much of the history of the Jewish people and has now become a place of pilgrimage for people of all religions from all around the world. Its permanence attests to the continuity of the Jewish people.

Private Shabbat Dinner Overlooking The Old City Walls

Saturday, June 21st

Breakfast at your hotel

  • Today's Events

    • Masada is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau (akin to a mesa) on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea. Herod the Great built palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE. According to Josephus, the Siege of Masada by troops of the Roman Empire towards the end of the First Jewish–Roman War ended in the mass suicide of the 960 Jewish rebels and their families hiding there. Masada is located 12 miles east of Arad.

  • Lunch & Swim in the Dead Sea – Ein Gedi Nature Reserve
    • At 1,300 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. The waters of the Dead Sea have been since antiquity to beneficial for both health and beauty. Cleopatra is said to have used the water for its cosmetic and pharmaceutical value. Now people come from all over the world to take advantage of its unique properties.

    • The landscape, climatic conditions and water sources at the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve have created a unique ecosystem of springs, waterfalls and pools surrounded by lush greenery in a desolate desert setting. Hike up to and cool off in the refreshing pools and waterfalls of the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. The stunning Ein Gedi oasis consists of two separate waterways: Nahal David (David’s Stream), where David took refuge from King Saul; and Nahal Arugot, where remains of a 6th-century synagogue were discovered.

  • Special jeep tour with Veteran Ein Gedi Kibbutznikim

  • Late night visit to the Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David. The walls of the Citadel serve as a stage for the night show which is a celebration of sight and sound. Amidst the archeological remains in the Citadel’s courtyard and to the sound of original music, the story of Jerusalem unfolds through giant breathtaking virtual reality images.

Sunday, June 22nd

Breakfast at your hotel

Note: Check out of hotels in Jerusalem and drive north along the Jordan Valley into the upper Galilee.  Snacks provided on the bus!

  • Late Morning Events

    • Board ATVs and ascend the Golan Heights

    • Geopolitical tour along the Lebanese border, accompanied by Colonel (res) Kobi Marom former IDF Commander of the Eastern section in South Lebanon and of the Hermon Brigade, Research Associate, International Institute for Counter Terrorism , Herzeliya Interdisciplinary Center.  Overview toward southern Lebanon from Metula and Mt. Tzfiya.  Learn about the current situation and the challenges Israel faces along the border seven years after the 2nd Lebanon War.

    • Visit the Helicopter Memorial at She’ar Yashuv

Lunch in a Druze Village

The Israeli Druze are a religious minority in Israel. In 2010, there were 125,300 Druze living in the country. In 1957, the Israeli government designated the Druze a distinct ethnic community at the request of its communal leaders. The Druze are Arabic-speaking citizens of Israel who serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Members of the community have attained top positions in Israeli politics and public service. Most Druze dissociate themselves from Arab nationalism. Before the establishment of the State of Israel, the Druze were not recognized as a religious community and were discriminated against by the judicial system.They live mainly in the north of the country.

  • Afternoon Events TBD

Dinner at Assaf Winery Boutique, Music, Wine Tasting & Dancing

Overnight at Kibbutz Kfar Blum Guest House

Monday, June 23rd

  • Plant a tree: as the visit to Israel draws to an end,there is no better way to leave a mark on this land than by planting a tree.
  • Tour the spectacular archaeological site of Caesarea

Explore the 2,000-year-old Roman amphitheater, Crusader harbor and 12th-century ramparts at Caesarea. This ancient city, now archaeological park, located on the Mediterranean Sea was constructed by Herod the Great between 22 and 10 BC and named for Caesar Augustus, Caesarea was one of the most splendid cities in the Roman Empire.

Dinner in the Crusader Harbour as the sun sets

Transfer to Tel Aviv airport and hotels.

Shalom and thank you for joining us to celebrate with Izzy!!