Israel Adventure with your Cantor | June 2024

Activities:

• Begin the trip with Shehechiyanu from a magnificent lookout - Gather with your guide to meet and say Shehechiyanu to bless the beginning of your journey together in Israel! Enjoy a 360° panoramic view from atop an ancient guard tower at Tower of David grounds. This is where the entire Old City, new Jerusalem, Mount of Olives, Mount Scopus, the Judean Desert and the Moab Mountains of Jordan, will be at your feet.

• Continue with a tour of the new Tower of David Museum - This interactive, newly designed museum, tells the story of the history and the centrality of this holy city for the three monotheistic religions.

• Opening workshop at Kol Ha'ot - Now is your opportunity to reflect on what brought you to Israel and share the expectations you have for this journey. With the "Kol HaOt" team, we will explore the personal meaning of Israel using colors and symbols to give ourselves and our fellow participants a visual picture of what this journey means to us.

• Free time with tasting cards at Machane Yehuda Market - In the heart of Jerusalem sits this bustling, multi-ethnic market bursting with life, art, and flavor. Immerse yourself in the world of Middle Eastern cuisine as you indulge in a tasting tour through Machane Yehuda Market. Learn about the market's rich history, and meet the vendors who bring this place to life, as you experience the vibrant energy unique to this iconic culinary destination. You will receive a card providing you with our recommendations for the best tastings this market has to offer.

• Welcome dinner at Hatzot (or similar) - Hatzot is a part of Jerusalem’s history. Two brothers, Abraham and Michael Ajami founded this landmark family restaurant in 1970. Legend has it that Meurav Yerushalmi - the favorite Israeli mixed grill dish - was born at Hatzot Restaurant.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel - Every morning you'll enjoy a delicious buffet Israeli breakfast at your hotel.

• City of David - Travel back in time through the layers of Jerusalem’s past. It was on this hill where Jerusalem was built 4 millennia ago. Continuously excavated over the last 120 years, discoveries are regularly made. Tour the palace of King David, ritual purification pools, and the tour's highlight - a walk through water in Hezekiah’s Tunnel which was built to protect the water supply. Exit the site onto the magnificent road where the Jewish pilgrims walked, over 2,000 years ago. Get your flashlights ready!

• Take time to reflect at the Western Wall - Proceed to the Kotel (The Western Wall), sacred because it is one of the last remnants of the Second Temple that was destroyed by the Romans. Feel the stones that have witnessed so much in the history of the Jews. Place your special and personal prayer in the cracks of the stones.

• Lunch break in the Old City

• Tour of the Jewish Quarter - Tour Jerusalem’s Old City and meet the people and places that make this place so unique. In the Jewish Quarter, uncover the layers of Jewish history from the time of the First Temple until the present day. In the Christian Quarter, visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and, if conditions permit, view from a lookout the Dome of the Rock Plaza and the Temple Mount, a site holy to both Jews and Muslims. Throughout the tour, explore the complexity of a city that is holy to the three major religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Proceed to the Kotel (The Western Wall), sacred because it is one of the last remnants of the Second Temple that was destroyed by the Romans. Feel the stones that have witnessed so much in the history of the Jews. Place your special and personal prayer in the cracks of the stones.

• Meet with The Jerusalem Scribe - Kalman Gavriel Delmoor may be a traditional Scribe, but through his unique perspective and expertise in the ancient craft, Kalman brings the Torah to life through his art. Meet Kalman, see him work, and learn about his mission.

• Volunteer, cook and enjoy dinner at Metzilot Mazon - Metzilot Mazon, the Jerusalem Food Rescuers, aims to create a more just and sustainable urban food system with less waste. Working with the wholesale market, they divert surplus produce that would have otherwise gone to waste communities that don’t have equitable access to food. This is a giving back opportunity - sort the fruit and vegetables in the warehouse, cook together and enjoy a sustainable and tasty meal.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Yad Vashem - Visit the museum at Yad Vashem, Israel’s National Memorial to the Holocaust. Tour this memorial to the darkest moment in the world and Jewish history, its children’s memorial, and exquisite gardens. Yad Vashem is an unforgettable place of tribute and remembrance. You'll be guided by a member of the Yad Vashem staff on a tour that is also appropriate for a younger audience.

• Children under 12 will go to the Jerusalem Aquarium or Biblical Zoo

• Beta Yisrael Ethiopian Project - lunch and hear a personal story - The Beta Israel Village Project is a unique social-educational center on the outskirts of Kiryat Gat, which combines agricultural and educational activities with the intent of preserving Jewish-Ethiopian heritage and establishing it as a sustainable national asset. Eat traditional foods, and meet with one of the staff to hear their family's personal Aliya story - the journey to Israel, as well as the beautiful unique traditions and challenges that come along with acclimating to a new country.

• Dig for a Day! - Explore Beit Guvrin National Park located in "the Land of Thousands of Caves". The caves of Beit Guvrin hold a rich trove of artifacts that visitors like you have uncovered over the years. Don’t forget to check out the amazing Bell Caves too. And, you'll experience the thrill of unearthing the hidden past with Dig-for-a-Day, a ground-breaking archaeological experience designed for active travelers of all ages.

• Travel back to Jerusalem - Enjoy some free time and dinner on your own.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel and check out

• Kibbutz experience at Kfar Masaryk - Participate in The Secrets of the Kibbutz Miracle - an experiential tour through life on the kibbutz. The beautifully renovated original kibbutz buildings provide visitors with a glimpse into early 1940s kibbutz living – the pioneers (Halutzim), clothes, rooms, and pastime culture.

• Beit Elfarasha - cooking workshop and personal encounter - At Beit Elfarasha, meet the true gems of the city, the local women. Beit Elfarasha's programs empower the women of Akko by bringing them together to create connections and make change. Join some of the women in a cooking workshop in their beautiful center and hear their personal stories.

• Akko historical tour - Walk through 4,000 years of history in this ancient city and UNESCO World Heritage site. The ancient city of Akko, situated on the Mediterranean coast, is one of the oldest ports in the world, and a city shared by Jews and Muslims. Walk narrow streets past towering ramparts, deep moats, green domes, venerable synagogues, slender Muslim minarets, and secret passageways. Discover the subterranean city built beneath Akko in the Middle Ages by the Crusaders. Learn about the city’s ancient history, as well as its important role in Israel’s modern history.

• For a real adventure - take a Tornado Boat Ride to Rosh Hanikra - Take a fun tornado boat ride to Rosh Hanikra, Israel’s northernmost coastal border, best known for its stunning chalk-white cliffs. Enjoy the view of the Mediterranean coastline stretched out before you and the view of the grottos below the cliff, created by pounding waves’ eroding the rock for thousands of years.

• Check in to your hotel

• Dinner at the hotel

• North

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• B'nai Mitzvah Ceremony at Korazim - A Jewish town in a basalt landscape overlooking the Sea of Galilee. The beautiful synagogue at Korazim, built at the end of the fourth century or the beginning of the fifth century CE, is made of basalt, the region’s most common stone, carved in geometric, floral and faunal patterns. Gather for your special B'nai Mitzvah Ceremony! Together as a community share the joy of prayer, spirituality, and pride as you welcome your young adult members into your synagogue community in this incredible space overlooking the Kinneret, Galilee and Golan heights.
  
  (If relevant, this is an opportunity to come together and celebrate the B'nai Mitzvah in your community. Alternatively, this can be a tour of Korazim.)

• Festive kiddush and lunch

• Continue the day with a water hike in the Snir Nature Reserve - Walk between the beautiful water streams, water plants and shaded tracks, in one of the Jordan’s water sources.

• Continue with a Rafting Adventure and zipline into the Jordan River - During this exciting rafting adventure along the Jordan River, we'll row through one of the most beautiful spots in Israel. Here you will be amongst the plants, trees, and waterfalls in the middle of this beautiful Galilee nature reserve. At the end of the route you'll have the opportunity to get down to the Jordan River by a zipline for a real fun experience!

• Dinner at the hotel

• North

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Enjoy a relaxing morning at the Kinneret and the hotel's pool

• Check out of the hotel

• Kfar Kedem - Go back in time and experience the lifestyle of our ancestors – dress like the Israelites, go on donkey riding, Pita baking and a “Hafla” – authentic meal.

• Travel to Tel Aviv and check in to your hotel

• Afternoon and sunset tour of Old Jaffa - Jaffa is one of the most ancient port cities in Israel and the Mediterranean basin. Today, Jaffa is a mixed city, where Jews and Arabs live alongside each other. Tel Aviv, Jaffa's younger sister, was established centuries later, in the year 1909. The two were united into one municipality in 1949, yet each part kept its unique feel and atmosphere. Jaffa has been regenerated in recent years with the old narrow streets and courtyards becoming a highly popular part of Tel Aviv’s urban tapestry.

• Musical Kabbalat Shabbat led by your cantor at Hapisga Garden - At this lovely lookout over the Old City of Jaffa and the Tel Aviv skyline, we will welcome in the Shabbat together as a community, while watching the beautiful sunset over the Mediterranean Sea and the Tel Aviv coast.

• Shabbat group dinner at the hotel

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Shabbat services as a community - This can be at the hotel or alternatively, you may join the services at a local progressive community.

• - OR - Morning at leisure - enjoy the hotel's facilities and beach - Optional activities during your free time: contact us for further information
  - bike along the beach promenade - tour is available
  - private surfing lesson
  - Jaffa Flea Market
  - A visit to Ayalon Institute Bullet Factory in Rehovot

• Optional (not included) - Shabbat Brunch - In private setting indulge in a Jewish Shabbat Brunch. Enjoy the variety of classic ethnic foods that are part of the Shabbat day meal and learn about the heritage and stories behind the diverse Jewish communities.

• Afternoon Graffiti Tour - Explore Florentine through an urban graffiti tour. What stories do the images and words on the walls tell us about the people living here? What is unique about graffiti in Israel and in Tel Aviv specifically? We will walk through Florentine, the neighborhood of Tel Aviv best known for graffiti art, to answer these questions and many more during this dynamic and inquisitive tour.

• Havdalah ceremony

• Free evening and dinner on your own

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel and check out - We can offer a late check-out or extension upon request and based on availability.

• ANU Museum of the Jewish People - In June 2021, after ten years of planning and construction, the largest Jewish museum in the world opened its doors. You’re invited to join a fascinating journey that portrays the story of the Jewish people through the generations and up to the present time. The Museum represents all parts of the Jewish people and highlights the creative works and cultural riches of a variety of communities in different periods of history. This story is about all of us and each and every one of us is part of it.

• Carmel Market Tasting Tour - Continue to Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel), the largest market in Tel Aviv. Touring the market reveals the taste of the ages of Tel-Aviv in the youthful atmosphere of the city's central market. The Polish, the Persian, and the Yemeni... in this case, it is not the start of a joke, but the fascinating culinary traditions that mix in this place. The established market that was founded over 90 years ago, can now reveal its secrets, stories, and legends to you. (The tasting tour serves as lunch.)

• Neot Kedumim - sheep herding and tree planting - Neot Kedumim, the Biblical Landscape Reserve in Israel, is a unique endeavor to recreate the physical setting of the Bible in all its depth and detail. Try your hand at shepherding a small herd of sheep and goats. Understand why many Biblical leaders, including Moses and David, led animals before leading people. After a guided tour of the reserve, conclude your visit with tree planting, as a connection to our roots. Leave roots that will flourish and help contribute to a greener, better tomorrow.

• Farwell group dinner and closing session

• Group transfer to Ben Gurion Airport

• L'hitraot! - We look forward to hosting you again in our beautiful country!