DAY ONE: Thursday, December 22, 2011
HEAD FOR THE HOLY LAND!

• Depart the U.S.A.

Overnight: Flight

• 11:00 a.m. We'll meet in the hotel lobby with Rabbi Goldsmith and our guide, Avi Weinstein, to officially begin our trip!
• Meet up with local artist and friend of Rabbi Goldsmith's, Yoram Gal, and roam the ancient port of Jaffa, where Jonah last stood on dry land before getting swallowed by a whale! We will visit the renovated artists' colony.
• Visit Yoram's studio to view some of his art work and have some light refreshments.
• Visit the Nachalat Binyamin pedestrian mall, with its restored buildings and sidewalk artists, and continue onto the colorful Carmel Market and then to Shenkin, one of Israel's most avant-garde streets.
• Lunch on your own.
• Return to the hotel and prepare for Shabbat.
• Depart for Ramat Hasharon.
• Kabbalat Shabbat Service at Kehillat Darchei Noam in Ramat Hasharon led by Rabbi Goldsmith's friend and classmate Rabbi Stacey Blank. Following services we'll enjoy a communal Shabbat dinner with the congregants of Darchei Noam.

Overnight: Dan Panorama, Tel Aviv

• Israel is known for breakfast. Enjoy your first Israeli breakfast at the hotel - amazing baked goods, fresh 54rfruits and vegetables, cheeses and… chocolate spread!
• Depart Tel Aviv.
• An eye opening visit to the Ayalon Institute, a clandestine ammunitions factory used by the Israeli underground during the British Mandate.
• Return to Tel Aviv; lunch on your own. 
• Guided walk along Rothschild Boulevard to see firsthand the history of Tel Aviv's development.
• Free evening and dinner on your own.
• Optional Take advantage of Tel Aviv's amazing cultural life with a performance you will not soon forget. (pending performance schedule)

Overnight: Dan Panorama, Tel Aviv

• Another amazing breakfast at the hotel followed by check out.
• We'll visit Independence Hall, site of David Ben Gurion's monumental proclamation of the State of Israel in May 1948.
• Depart Tel Aviv and head to the Galilee.
• Wonder how those rabbis and their neighbors lived 2,000 years ago? We'll visit the Kfar Kedem village at Mitzpeh Hoshaya for a hands-on experience including donkey rides, costumes, pita baking and a biblical lunch (silverware not included).
• Enter into the world of the great ancient Rabbis, codifiers of the Mishna (the heart of the Talmud), using their writings and life stories to unlock the secrets of Judaism, while exploring the well developed excavations, mosaics and reconstructions at Zippori.
• Visit the Hula Nature Reserve and the Ophoria Interactive Experience. Almost every bird from Europe and Asia pass through THIS beautiful valley on their way to Africa… we will, too! (Time permitting)
• Evening at Kibbutz Hagoshrim in the Upper Galilee, in whose guest house we will spend the night. Dinner at the hotel.
• A surprise activity with the rabbi and staff will keep you laughing until bedtime!

Overnight: Kibbutz Hagoshrim Guesthouse, Upper Galile

• Israeli breakfast kibbutz style.
• Living on the Edge: Look into Southern Lebanon from Kibbutz Misgav Am and discuss some of the issues relating to the security of communities in Northern Israel. 
  Next stop - an off-road jeep tour of the Golan Heights! Hold on tight as we see where heroic IDF soldiers fought for the safety of Israel in the Six Day War amidst beautiful natural scenery. Lunch on your own in a Druze village.
• Visit extinct volcano Har Ben-Tal for a panoramic view into Syria and a first hand view of Israel's security position along the Syrian Border.
• Oenophiles prepare your palettes! Visit to the local Pelter Winery for a sample of some of Israel's finest vintages! Kids will take part in a chocolate making workshop at De Karina, at Kibbutz Ein Zivan.
• Return to the Kibbutz.
• Head to dinner at Sharole' restaurant, situated at the foot of the Golan Heights. Enjoy a delicious meal with invited IDF Soldiers serving on the Lebanese and Syrian borders.

Overnight: Kibbutz Hagoshrim Guesthouse, Upper Galilee

• Breakfast at the kibbutz guesthouse followed by check out and departure.
• Forget what you've read about red strings and Madonna - see the city of mystics and kabbalists for yourself.  Head into the mountains to spend the morning in the synagogues and courtyards along the narrow alleyways of the holy city of Safed, the center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years and now a contemporary artists' colony.
• Arrive at Safed and begin the day at Livnot Ulehibanot, a program where participants study half the day and spend the remainder of the day rebuilding the Old Quarter of Safed. Rabbi Goldsmith participated in Livot about 10 years ago. We will begin with a visit to Kahal, the 16th century village uncovered several years ago on Livnot's property that was recently declared a prestigious National Heritage Site. We'll continue with a short study session on Kabbalah.
• Lunch on your own en route.
• Visit the Kinneret Cemetery and relive the dreams of the early Zionist pioneers.
• Following the path of the Jordan River we'll head south and visit Kibbutz Ashdot Ya'akov, including a walk through the banana fields and a dialogue with a kibbutz member on the ever-changing nature of kibbutz life today.
• Finally, ascending through the Judean Hills, we will make our way to our people's most holy city, Jerusalem. We'll begin with a view looking out over the city from Mount Scopus as we enter the vibrant and colorful 3,000 year old city and can see the convergence of the old and the new.
• Check into the beautiful Inbal hotel in the center of Jerusalem and then spend a free evening shopping, dining, and soaking in the late evening in the mountain air.

Overnight: Inbal, Jerusalem

• Does breakfast taste more holy in Jerusalem? You decide.
• See where east meets west and old meets new as we roam the ancient streets of Jerusalem's Old City, including guided tours of the 2000 year old Herodian Mansions. Learn what daily life was like in the time of the Second Temple while visiting the Jerusalem Archaeological Park and the Southern Wall Excavations.
• Squander your shekels on the Madison Avenue of the turn of the millennium - the first millennium that is: the world's oldest shopping arcade, the Cardo.
• Lunch on your own in the heart of this ancient city.
• Become an archeologist for the day!  Take part in an active dig at the Beit Guvrin Caves. Get your hands dirty as you uncover pottery from the Hellenistic period, 2,300 years ago.
• Crawl through the Maresha Cave Labyrinth for an exciting end to the day.
• Return to the hotel to freshen up and grab a quick snack near the hotel.
• Special evening visit to the Western Wall Tunnel, the underground continuation of the Western Wall alongside the Temple Mount.
• Hang out on Ben Yehuda and Nachalat Shiva Pedestrian Mall, joining the many Israelis out on the town for a late dinner on your own.

Overnight: Inbal, Jerusalem

• Breakfast at the hotel (carbo-load for the hike to come!)
• Overlook Jerusalem from atop the Mount of Olives for a view of the glorious old and new cities of Jerusalem.
• Descend to the Dead Sea Basin.
• Hike the Snake Path or 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 defense and its current significance in modern Israel.
• Where can you read the newspaper while floating on your back in the water? At the lowest point on earth - the Dead Sea. Take a dip in the relaxing and healthy sulphur springs at the Hod Resort Hotel, where we will also enjoy a fabulous buffet lunch.
• Return to Jerusalem.
• Dinner at the unique Olive and Fish restaurant with IDF lone soldiers. (Not included; participants should pay directly to the restaurant based on set menu cost)
• Optional Enjoy the Night Spectacular, an amazing sound & light show presented on the wall of David's Citadel in the Old City.

Overnight: Inbal, Jerusalem

• 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.
• A concluding Memorial Service at Yad Vashem led by Rabbi Goldsmith.
• Experience the sites, smells, and tastes of Jerusalem while solving a scavenger hunt through the Machaneh Yehuda Market, followed by a picnic lunch with the items we've bought at the market.
• Return to the hotel; prepare for Shabbat.
• Depart Jerusalem.
• Kabbalat Shabbat at Congregation Mevasseret Zion led by Rabbi Maya Leibovitz, followed by home hospitality dinner.

Overnight: Inbal, Jerusalem

• Shabbat breakfast at the hotel.
• Optional Shabbat Services.
• A restful final day in Israel, celebrating Shabbat as families with loads of optional activities, including:
• 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
• The Israel Museum, one of the most creative and innovative museums in the world with a wide and eclectic collection, ranging from Judaica and archaeology to Renaissance and contemporary Israeli art, concluding with a visit to the Dead Sea Scrolls of the Shrine of the Book and the newly restored Second Temple Period Model of Jerusalem
• The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens, a beautifully landscaped habitat with a special focus on preserving Biblical fauna, geared to children of all ages (2-80)
• The Old City Ramparts for a walk along the ancient walls of the city.
• Join together with the other families on our trip for a Havdalah service to conclude Shabbat overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem.
• Enjoy a joyful farewell and New Year's Eve Celebration dinner at the Joy restaurant on the trendy Emek Refaim Street in Jerusalem.

Overnight: Flight / Inbal, Jerusalem