Breakfast at your respective hotel
Learn with scholar Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy
An expert on international law, human rights, and feminist theories, she established and heads The Civil Commission on Oct. 7th Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children. The commission’s members worked to document every piece of information regarding cases of abuse to present to the international community. After months of intense work, meetings and presentations the U.N. has acknowledged these violations and atrocities. She was awarded the Israel Prize in the field of Solidarity (Arvut Hadadit) for her tireless work to raise awareness and acknowledgement of the crimes committed by Hamas against women, children and families.
Visit the National Library of Israel where we will learn with Mohmmed Darwashe
Mohammad Darawshe is a leading political analyst and expert on Jewish-Arab relations inside Israel. He is the Director of Strategy for the Center for Shared Society at Givat Haviva.
Lunch on your own in the shuk
Visit the Jerusalem Sam Spiegel Film School
As the leading film school in Israel, we welcome the opportunity to showcase some of the best of the Israeli creative spirit. Named by the Hollywood Reporter as one of the 15 best global film schools for seven years in a row, the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School educates towards excellence and professionalism. Our students come from diverse backgrounds and our alumni make up the core of the Israeli film industry. The school provides fertile ground for the next generation of film and television creators. Located in central Jerusalem at the new Arts Campus, we see our role as essential to the vibrant culture in downtown.
Your visit to our school will include a tour of our seven-story building which includes 22 editing suites; sound-studio and classrooms; an amazing roof-top garden; and on the first floor three cinemas that are open to the public.
After the tour we will go into one of the cinemas for a screening of a student film (approximately 12 min) followed by a talk with students/alumni/faculty.
Evening Experience at FeelBeit including ma’ariv, dinner, and musical performance
FeelBeit is a house of arts and culture on the seam line between East and West Jerusalem with the aim to dissolve boundaries and reimagine what art, community, and reality itself can be. An incubator for original arts and culture that bridge across divides, it is also a creative community that reflects the range of faiths, orientations and ideological perspectives found in Jerusalem with a shared conviction that when all else breaks down, art must break through.
At Feel Beit, a cultural home for creating art and expanding perspectives, Karen Brunwasser (founder), Riman Barakat, and members of their staff will shed light on the accomplishments of this incredible organization, and what their experience has been like after October 7.
Together, we will pray, have dinner and share in a Feel Beit experience that has been the outlet for Feel Beit during the war. Each week a program called No Words is held with different artistic expressions. This week No Words will be a chance for us to share in the space together.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Modeh Ani with Yoga Synagogue-Ah! (optional early morning experience)
A prayer-like experience, Yoga Synagogue-Ah! is an experience of time, place, and movement. Fluid and regular yoga sequences enable participants representing any religion, gender, and background, to set the mundane aside for an hour and concentrate on movement and wellbeing. Join the group’s founder, Laura Gilinski, for a meaningful morning practice.
Breakfast at your respective hotel and morning free time
Check out of the hotel and depart at 1:00pm for final program (Make sure to grab lunch on your own before!)
Visit Beit Avi Chai—The Hub for Inspirational Jewish Culture and Ideas
Established by the AVI CHAI Foundation in 2007 and housed in a beautiful purpose-built facility in the heart of Jerusalem, Beit Avi Chai focuses on creating, developing and producing original Jewish content with the aim of introducing wide and diverse audiences to Jewish-Israeli culture and ideas in Israel and around the world – and engaging reached audiences to actively take part in Jewish/Israeli cultural study and activity.
While at Beit Avi Chai we will also engage with:
Israel Story—Telling the Story of October 7. Meet the creators of the radio show that took Israel and the diaspora by storm. Through curating and broadcasting stories, Israel Story uses the power of storytelling to expand the circle of those engaged with Israel.
Finding our Way- Mapping Journeys from October 7. Traditionally, when lost, humans have looked to the sky, sea and land to map our journeys, to locate ourselves and to ground us, literally. In this visual arts workshop, we will begin to interpret our journeys from October 7th through the lens of artist’s maps and use the process of mind-mapping to help us find our footing in this unstable new reality. The workshop will be facilitated by Jennifer Bayer, an experienced art educator working with all ages in formal and informal educational settings, teaching art and Jewish Art workshops and tours.
Musical Siyum Circle: Where do we go now…
We join together for a closing musical circle reflecting on our time together, processing our experiences, transitioning ourselves toward heading home. Musical artists may include Beit Avi Chai musicians and/or composers featured in TMP’s Libi B’Mizrach III. Finally, as we say l’hitraot, we will share in a l’chaim with wine and appetizers as we prepare to return home from this journey.
Buses depart at 7pm for the airport. (Book your departing flight after 11pm)