Tel Aviv, Galilee, Jerusalem, Masada

The NOAR program is a joint educational initiative by NFTY and ARZA

Tuesday Depart the USA to Israel. Your flight includes meals, drinks and in-flight entertainment for your journey

Wednesday Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport. Welcome by our representative and assistance with arrival formalities. Ascend to Jerusalem via the Judean Hills and recite the traditional Shahechianu blessing overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. Check in to your Jerusalem hotel. Orientation and festive opening dinner , followed by an optional visit to downtown Jerusalem (D): JERUSALEM

Thursday Breakfast at the hotel followed by “All Roads Lead to Jerusalem,” an introduction to Jerusalem. Walk along the Ramparts of the Old City and proceed to the Jewish Quarter to visit the Cardo and the Herodian Mansions, with an interactive program on life in Jerusalem 2000 years ago. Lunch in the Jewish Quarter followed by a visit to the Davidson Center, located at the Southern Wall excavations, and the Western Wall (Kotel). Afternoon with North American youth in Israel on Reform Movement programs. “What is a Jewish State all About,” dinner and dialogue at the first Kosher MacDonalds in the world (B, L, D): JERUSALEM

Friday. Breakfast at the hotel. “My Memories for Your Future,” dialogue with a Holocaust survivor, followed by a visit to the Yad Vashem complex the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, for a special program at the newly renovated historical museum, followed by a visit to the graves of Theodor Herzl and Yitzhak Rabin at Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem. Lunch on your own in Jerusalem. Explore the colorful and ethnically rich Nachlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem while participating in an experiential scavenger hunt . Drive around Jerusalem as residents prepare for Shabbat. Free time for rest, relaxation and Shabbat preparation. Kabbalat Shabbat and home hospitality dinner with a Reform congregation (B, D): JERUSALEM

Saturday. After breakfast at the hotel depart for services at the Hebrew Union College, followed by Chevruta study program and a guided visit through the College. Continue to the Old City for Shabbat lunch and visit the David Citadel Museum of the History of Jerusalem. Conclude the day with a walk along the Old City Ramparts and a visit to Mount Zion, the Hill of Three Religions. Havdallah overlooking the Old City. Dinner at the hotel, and an organized free evening (B, L, D): JERUSALEM

Sunday Breakfast at the hotel. Depart Jerusalem for Mini-Israel, Israel’s Madouradam, with scale models of close to 200 sites throughout Israel. Continue, the Armored Corps Memorial and Tank Museum at Latrun, site of many fierce battles from Biblical times through the War of Independence, for control of the road to Jerusalem. Lunch on your own en route, followed by a visit to Beit Guvrin, site of some 2,000 man (person)-made caves and a 2,300 year old Hellenistic center on and under Tel Maresha. Take part in an active dig and climb caves and tunnels which lead to water cisterns, olive presses and other surprises. Drive to the Nokdim Bedouin Encampment in the Negev Desert for a glimpse at Bedouin life, camel rides and a traditional Bedoiun Hafla – meal (B, D): NOKDIM

Monday. Early Breakfast. Ascend via the Roman 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 the current meaning and significance in modern Israel. Short hike to "Nahal David" the freshwater spring at the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, a lush oasis in the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. Lunch on your own followed by an opportunity to experience the weightlessness of the Dead Sea as you float in its waters. Drive North via the Jordan Valley. Visit the Kinneret cemetery and the graves of early Zionist poet Rachel and contemporary Israeli songwriter Naomi Shemer.Drive to the Galilee and check in to your kibbutz guesthouse. Dinner at the kibbutz followed by an evening program (B,D): GALILEE

Tuesday. After breakfast at the hotel, explore Israel's security situation on the Golan Heights while overlooking the Hula Valley from former Syrian fortifications, including a jeep tour climbing to the Golan Heights in the footsteps of IDF soldiers' and battles in the Six Day War. Walk through the Tel Dan Nature Reserve located on the largest tributary of the Jordan River and near the Biblical settlement of Dan. After lunch on your own, proceed to Safed, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years, and a contemporary artists’ colony. Conclude the day (summer months only) by raftingdown the Jordan River and then return to the guesthouse for dinner followed by a dialogue with kibbutz youth (B, L, D): GALILEE

Wednesday. Breakfast at the hotel. Depart the hotel for the Lower Galilee and a visit to an IDF base (pending confirmation). Visit Moshav Nahalal for a guided visit through Israel’s first moshav and the cemetery where Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut and Moshe Dayan one of Israel’s most famous generals are buried, with a special memorial service. Lunch on your own en route, followed by a visit to Caesarea, one of the Land of Israel's most important cities during the Roman Empire; visit the unique excavations and the new computer generated Stars of Caesarea complex. Drive along the Trans-Israel Highway for a close up view of the ‘Security Fence’ along the separation zone between Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Drive to Tel Aviv, known as the "city that never sleeps," and pass by centers of culture and recreation, from the Mann and Habima Theaters to sprawling beaches and Dizengoff Street. Check in to your hotel. Farewell dinner followed by an opportunity to enjoy the excitement of Tel Aviv by night, the City that Never Sleeps (B, D): TEL AVIV

Thursday. Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Ben Gurion airport for your return flight to the United States (B):

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