Day 1:

Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport where we will meet our guide and will be transferred to our hotel in Tel Aviv.  The rest of the day is at leisure.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

 

Day 2

Today we explore Tel Aviv.  This is Israel’s main financial and cultural center, and together with its satellite towns it creates The Dan Area – Israel’s largest population center.  We start at Rothchild Boulevard where the city was created in 1909.  We see its first buildings, its financial center as well as the famous “White City”.  This area is rich in “Bauhaus” style architecture and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  On to Rabin Square to see the monument to assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.  In the afternoon we visit Old Jaffa where the Prophet Jonah boarded a ship to Tarshish to escape God.  Here we stroll among the narrow alleys full of art galleries and art shops.  In the evening we visit the old port of Tel Aviv where we enjoy the city’s entertainment district.

Overnight in Tel Aviv

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Day 3

In the morning we drive to Rehovot.  Here we visit the Ayalon Institute.  This was an underground weapon and ammunitions factory during the British Mandate and helped supplying Jewish troops with “illegal” weapons during the struggle for independence.  Continue to Maresha National Park, where we explore the unique man made caves in the area.  These caves were used during the Hasmonite rebellion against the Greeks.  Here we also experience what is it like to be an archeologist while we participate in “A Dig For A Day” program. 

Overnight in Tel Aviv

 

Day 4

Drive north along the Mediterranean Coast to Caesarea. This was the capital of the country in Roman Times.  Here King Herod built a huge city and port.  We explore the ruins of the aqueduct, theater, temples, hippodrome and port.  On to Zichron Yaacov, one of the first Jewsih – Zionist settlements in the Land of Israel.  Visit the Founders Museum and understand the reasons and history behind the immigration waves to Israel during the 19th and 20th centuries.  Continue to Haifa where tonight (Friday night) we join a local Reform congregation in welcoming the Shabbat and celebrating Jewish life.

Overnight in Haifa

 

Day 5

Our first stop this morning is the top of Mount Carmel where we enjoy the fantastic view over the entire city of Haifa and the northern part of Israel.  Continue to Acre, and old city with thousands of Years of history.  Acre was occupied by many forces including the Byzantines, Crusaders, Turks and Arabs.  We wander along the ancient streets and visit the underground Crusader fortress.  On to Safed, one of Judaism’s holiest cities.  Here we visit the ancient synagogues and stroll among the art stores and galleries.  Visit Tzippori, an ancient site that contains the ruins of a Jewish town with a magnificent synagogue and Roman villas.  The mosaics here are especially beautiful.

Overnight in Haifa

 

Day 6

In the morning we drive to Tiberias where we visit Magdala.  Here Israel’s oldest synagogue was discovered.  The synagogue’s unique structure points to the changes that Judaism went through in the First Century AD. Continue to The Golan Heights for a visit to Katzrin Biblical Village.  See what life was all about during Biblical times!  On the way back to Haifa, we stop at Golan Winery for a taste of Israel’s Best Wine.

Overnight in Haifa

 

Day 7

Drive to Beit Alfa to visit the ruins of an ancient rural synagogue.  The mosaic floor here is one of the best preserved and most unique in the country.  On to Beit Shean, once a thriving Roman center of trade and commerce until it was ruined in an earthquake.  We see the wide paved streets, the theater and the magnificent buildings.  Drive along the Jordan Valley and through the Judean Desert to Jerusalem.  Upon arrival we ascend the Mount of Olives, enjoy the magnificent view over the entire city and say “Shehehyanu” for the moment.

Overnight in Jerusalem.

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Day 8

The entire day is dedicated to exploring Jerusalem’s older parts.  We start in the walled old city by entering through Zion Gate.  We walk through the Jewish Quarter to the Western Wall.  This is probably the holiest place for Jews.  In the Jewish Quarter we visit the Burnt House, a remnant of the fierce rebellion against the Romans and The Hurva Synagogue, a symbolic structure that emphasizes Jewish presence in Jerusalem over millennia.  In the afternoon we enjoy the smells and sights of Mahane Yehuda Market.  This is one of the largest Jewish food, fruit and vegetable markets in the world. 

Overnight in Jerusalem

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Day 9

Today we drive to the lowest place on Earth – The Dead Sea.  Our first stop is Massada, the mountaintop fortress palace King Herod built for himself.  We explore the archeological site including the palaces, store rooms, bath house and synagogue.  It was here that Jewish zealots chose to commit suicide instead of falling captive to Roman legions.  Continue to one of the Dead Sea’s beaches where we can experience the unique feeling of floating on the water while swimming in the salty water.  On to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  Here we lewarn and try to understand the story behind the scrolls and the Easseans, the people who erote them.

Overnight in Jerusalem.

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Day 10

In the morning we visit Mount Zion and its shrines, including the Tomb of King David.  On to Yad Vashem, the official Israeli memorial and museum to the Holocaust.  We finish the day at the Israel Museum where we visit the Shrine of The Book to see the Dead Sea Scrolls and the model of Jerusalem in the days of King Herod. 

Tonight we enjoy a special farewell dinner

Overnight in Jerusalem

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Day 11

Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for our departing flight back home.

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