Temple Israel of Memphis | December 2009 | Tours to Israel
Sunday. Depart the U.S.A. onboard Delta Airlines flight #1752 from MEM at 6:20P, arriving to Altlanta Airport at 08:40P, with connecting service onboard DL flight #152 at 10:40P, arriving to Tel Aviv at 5:25P the following day. Your international flight includes meals, drinks and in-flight entertainment for your journey. FLIGHT
Monday. Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport.
Welcome by our representative and assistance with arrival formalities.
Drive through Tel Aviv, known as the "city that never sleeps" and pass by centers of culture and recreation such as the Habima Theater, sprawling beaches, Dizengoff Street and Rabin Square.
Check into the hotel.
Welcome dinner at the Tel Aviv Port. (D) TEL AVIV
Tuesday. Breakfast at the hotel.
Visit the Ayalon Institute, near Rehovot, for an eye opening tour of a clandestine munitions factory used during the British Mandate.
Visit to Independence Hall, site of David Ben Gurion's monumental proclamation of the State of Israel in May 1948.
Lunch on your own.
Explore two thousand years of rich Jewish culture and community at Beth Hatefutsoth, the Museum of the Jewish People, located on the campus of Tel Aviv University, with a special family program.
Free evening in Tel Aviv with an opportunity to:
Meander through the Old City of Jaffa
Stroll down Rothschild Boulevard with its many cafes and bars
Explore the newly gentrified Neve Zedek Neighborhood
Saunter down the Tel Aviv Beach Promenade
Dinner on your own. (B) TEL AVIV
Wednesday. Breakfast at the hotel.
Check out of the hotel and head south.
Visit Mitzpe Revivim and hear the story of Jewish settlements in the Negev from 1943 until 1948, the story of pioneers' life in the desert and their everyday struggle to survive.
Visit the Sphinat Hamidbar encampment in the Negev Desert for Bedouin-style hospitality and a 'Hafla' lunch, with a camel ride.
Pamper yourself at the Neve Midbar Spa in the heart of the Negev.
Drive to Kibbutz Mashabei Sade.
Check into the guesthouse.
Dinner at the guesthouse.
Where Is My Kibbutz Going? Dialogue with kibbutz members on the ever-changing nature of kibbutz life today.(B,D) NEGEV
Thursday. Breakfast at the Kibbutz.
Visit the gravesite of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, located at Kibbutz Sde Boker overlooking the Wilderness of Zinn in the Negev Desert, followed by a nature walk in the Ein Avdat spring.
Guided visit to the 2000 year old city of Avdat in the Negev Desert, one of the stops on the ancient Nabatean spice route.
Lunch on your own.
View the multi faceted nature of the Ramon Crater at the Mitzpeh Ramon Visitor's Center.
Explore the vast Ramon Crater on the back of a jeep, meandering through canyons and unique geological phenomenon.
Return to the kibbutz.
Dinner at the guesthouse.. (B,D) NEGEV
Friday. Breakfast at the guesthouse.
Check out and head north.
Ascend to Jerusalem through the Judean Hills.
Upon entering Jerusalem stop to recite the shehechiyanu blessing, traditionally recited upon entering Jerusalem.
Experience the sites, smells, and tastes of Jerusalem while walking through the Machaneh Yehuda Market, including lunch on your own.
LaDa'at Jerusalem Erev Shabbat - Experience the unique atmosphere as Jerusalemites hurriedly prepare for Shabbat as you drive through the city, exploring the numerous traditions Jews have brought with them from the world over.
Check into the hotel; prepare for Shabbat.
Kabbalat Shabbat at Robinson's Arch, followed by a visit to the Western Wall.
Enjoy a privately catered dinner in an intimate atmosphere at Beit Shalom, located in the Rehavia area of Jerusalem. (B,D) JERUSALEM
Saturday. Breakfast at the hotel.
Option 1:
Optional Morning Services.
Guided visit to the Museum of the History of Jerusalem at David's Citadel, for a walk through the history of Jerusalem from the time of Abraham 4,000 years ago to the end of the British Mandate over Palestine.
Lunch on your own in the Old City.
Walk along the Rooftops of the Old City for a behind the scenes look at the various communities in Jerusalem and how they live together.
Return to the hotel.
Option 2:
Drive to the Dead Sea Basin.
Ascend the cable car to Masada, Herod's mountain palace and site of the Jewish Zealots' last stand against the Roman Legionnaires. Discuss Masada's role as a symbol of Jewish defence and its current significance in modern Israel.
Lunch on your own.
Experience the weightlessness of the Dead Sea as you float in its waters.
Return to Jerusalem.
All:
Ben Kodesh Lechol Havdallah overlooking the Old City.
Israeli Society @ 2009 Dialogue with scholar Paul Liptz of the Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew Union College.
Stroll through the Ben Yehuda and Nachalat Shiva Pedestrian Mall, joining the many Israelis out on the town, including dinner on your own. (B) JERUSALEM
Sunday. Breakfast at the hotel.
Guided visit through the newly renovated Yad Vashem complex, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, including:
Track 1:
The Avenue of the Righteous
The new Historical Museum
The Children's Memorial
A concluding Memorial Service
Track 2:
The Art Museum
The Holocaust Film Archive
The Learning Center
The Exhibitions Pavilion
All:
A concluding Memorial Service.
Lunch on your own.
Visit Mt. Herzl, including the new center dedicated to the life and achievements of the founder of Political Zionism, Theodore Herzl, followed by a visit to his grave and the graves of Yitzhak Rabin and other leaders of the nation.
All:
Dinner on your own and evening at leisure. (B) JERUSALEM
Monday. Breakfast at the hotel.
Ceremony at Merkaz Shimshon.
Tikkun Olam Project, possibly at an absorption center.
Enter the Old City.
Lunch on your own.
Walking tour through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, for guided visits to some of the sites excavated over the past 30 years, including:
The Cardo, a Byzantine street that is now the world's oldest shopping arcade.
The Hurva Square, the central square of the Jewish Quarter.
Guided visit through the 2,000-year old Herodian Mansions
Visit the Western Wall Tunnel, the underground continuation of the Western Wall alongside the Temple Mount.
Return to the hotel.
Festive dinner at a local restaurant. (B,D) JERUSALEM
Tuesday. Breakfast at the hotel.
Check out and drive along the Trans-Israel Highway for a close up view of the 'Security Barrier' along the seam zone between Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
Visit Atlit, site of a British internment camp for thousands of Jewish refugees who were caught attempting to immigrate to Israel during the British Mandatory Period; view an audio-visual presentation.
Visit a Druze village in the Carmel Mountains for a window into the unique world of the Israeli Druze community, with hospitality lunch.
Stop on top of Mount Carmel for a scenic overlook of Haifa Bay; view the Ba'hai Gardens and Shrine, one of the holiest sites of the Ba'hai religion.
Visit to the Ahmadiyya Mosque in Haifa to learn about this special community.
Drive to the Upper Galilee and check into the hotel.
Dinner at the hotel. (B,L,D) MIZPHE HAYAMIM
Wednesday. Breakfast at the hotel.
Walk through the Tel Dan Nature Reserve located on the largest tributary of the Jordan River and the Biblical settlement of Dan.
Explore Israel's security situation on the Golan Heights while overlooking the Hula Valley from former Syrian fortifications. Cross the Golan Plateau to the border with Syria and observe the abandoned city of Kuneitra and the United Nations outpost located nearby.
Visit Emek Habecha, the Valley of Tears, on the Eastern edge of the Golan Heights, site of one of Israel's fiercest battles during the Yom Kippur War and view an audiovisual program, depicting the battle of the 77th Battalion - OZ77.
Lunch on your own.
Wine tasting at a Boutique Winery.
Return to the hotel and free afternoon to enjoy the hotel's spa.
Dinner at the hotel.(B,D) MIZPHE HAYAMIM
Thursday. Breakfast at the hotel.
Check out and drive to Safed, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years, and a contemporary artists' colony. Visits will include:
Guided visits to the Ari and Abuhav Synagogues with their great stories and mystical messages.
A stroll through the quaint Art Galleries and shop in the artists' colony.
Lunch on your own en route.
Guided visit to Caesarea, one of the Land of Israel's most important cities during the Roman Period; visit the Herodian Theater and new excavations along the Mediterranean shore concluding with the new interactive audio-visual program 'The Stars of Caesarea,' located in the 900-year-old crusader city built on the same site.
Festive farewell dinner in Caesarea.
Transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport.
Depart onboard Dl flight # 153 at 11:25P (B,D) FLIGHT
Friday. Arrive to Atlanta at 5:40A. Depart onboard Dl flight #4461 at 07:25A, arriving to Memphis at 7:51A.
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