Accessible Jewish Heritage Trip- May 2023

Activities:

• Meet your guide and fellow travelers and start out on your special journey.

• Independence Trail - Spend the morning getting to know the history of Tel Aviv through the Independence Trail which follows Tel Aviv’s heritage sites beginning at the intersection of tree-lined Rothschild Boulevard and Herzl Street, home to Tel Aviv’s first kiosk and ends across the street at Independence Hall, where on May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion read aloud the Declaration of Independence as Israel was declared an independent Jewish state. Become familiar with Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus architecture and Zionist history.

• Have a quick lunch of some of Israel Street Food- pita required!

• Caesarea National Park - Drive to the coastal Caesarea which reveals the wonders of the past that were built by one of the greatest builders of the ancient world, Herod. Caesarea’s antiquities park houses unique building from various periods, bearing silent witness to the upheavals that have visited Caesarea and the region over the past 2,300 years.

• Scenic Overlook - Proceed north and stop for a panoramic lookout over the Kinneret, the Galilee and the Golan Heights.

• Check into hotel

• Welcome Dinner at the Hotel

• Galilee

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Tel Dan - Tel Dan National Park combines a lush nature reserve with a biblical archaeological experience and includes a short wheelchair- accessible trail. At the heart of the park is “Tel Dan”- the capital of the ancient northern Israeli biblical kingdom.

• Golan Heights - Drive to Mount Bental for a geopolitical discussion overlooking the Israeli-Syrian border. The Golan Heights are a geological and biogeographical region and is a plateau formed by a volcanic action.

• Golan Wines Winery - Tour of the Golan Wines Winery, is a wonderful example of a well-established and worldwide well-known winery, that influenced the elevation of the wine culture of Israel. Learn about the enormous potential of the Golan Heights as an outstanding wine-growing region and taste a variety of local wines. The visit will include a light lunch.

• Hula Valley - Take a ride on a golf cart through the Hula Valley, an important resting place for migrating birds and many species of rare fish and plants creating a wonderland of flora and fauna. Allows you an extra-close observation of birds and other animals in their natural habitat at Agamon Hula.

• Dinner on own in Tiberias or Agmon Food court

• Galilee

Activities:

• Breakfast and check out from the hotel

• Beit Alpha Synagogue - The intact mosaic floor of the Beit Alpha Synagogue presents the riddle of determining the meaning of the pagan zodiac in a Jewish place of worship. The entire prayer hall is paved in mosaic-squares in geometric patterns; undecorated white mosaic and the Zodiac which appears in the central pane

• Drive to Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu where your first stop will be for lunch in the Kibbutz dining room

• Bio Bee - Bio Bee Sde Eliyahu is the pioneer of organic farming in Israel. While visiting the fields we not only learn about the benefits of organic farming but also about biological pest control. The Kibbutz established the first biological pest control company in Israel and is a world leader in the field of biological pest control and bumblebees for pollination.

• Drive through the Jordan Valley on the way to Jerusalem

• Approach Jerusalem - When you enter Jerusalem stop for a panoramic lookout over the old & new city of Jerusalem. Make a toast and say together the "Shehecheyanu" blessing – appreciating the moment and the opportunity to be in Jerusalem.

• Dinner at Cafe Shalva - Shalva is a Jerusalem based organization that provides services to children with special needs and their families. Graduates of Shalva work at the café, and the café’s profits go back to the center to support its programs.

• Check in to the hotel

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Begin your day at the Jaffa Gate - Enter the Old City of Jerusalem through the Jaffa Gate. Walk through the Christian quarter and see some of the important sites in Christianity.

• Jewish Quarter - Explore the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. Visit the Byzantine Cardo, and the artifacts uncovered during archaeological excavations exposing two thousand years of Jewish history in the Old City till present day. Proceed to the Kotel, (The Western Wall), sacred because it is the last remnant 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 on your own in the Jewish Quarter

• Davidson Center - Visit the fascinating Southern Wall Archaeological Park that surrounds the lower part of the Temple Mount from West and South.

• Next, head to Machane Yehuda Market - In the heart of Jerusalem, a bustling multi-ethnic market bursting with life, art, and flavor, a tasting tour through Machane Yehuda Market is an adventure for your taste buds. Enjoy the hustle and bustle with all the rich fragrances, colors, and sounds this iconic Jerusalem market offers.

• Return to the hotel and enjoy a free evening

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Drive to the Dead Sea region, the lowest place on earth

• Tour Masada - Masada is a rugged natural fortress, of majestic beauty, in the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. It is built as a palace complex, by Herod the Great, King of Judaea, (reigned 37 – 4 B.C.). Became a symbol of the ancient kingdom of Israel, and the last stand of Jewish patriots in the face of the Roman army, in 73 A.D. Ascend Masada by cable car and tour the site.

• Dead Sea - lunch and swim - Continue to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. Have time to enjoy and relax on the beach and pool area at one of the hotels on the shore of the sea. Attempt flotation in a sea that is 33% salt and keeps you buoyant. Lunch at the hotel included.

• Return to Jerusalem.

• Dinner on own and free time for shopping

• Optional: In the evening enjoy the Tower of David Sound and Light Show.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Yad Vashem - Private tour of the museum at Yad Vashem, Israel’s National Memorial to the Holocaust. Tour this memorial to the darkest moment in world and Jewish history, its children’s memorial, and exquisite gardens. Yad Vashem is an unforgettable place of tribute and remembrance

• The Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum - This is the largest cultural institution in the State of Israel and is ranked among the world’s leading art and archaeology museums. The Museum houses encyclopedic collections, including works dating from prehistory to the present day, in its Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Jewish Art and Life Wings, and features the most extensive holdings of biblical and Holy Land archaeology in the world. The guided tour will focus on the Shrine of the Book exhibition and the Second Temple model.

• Farewell lunch at a local restaurant

• Depart - Proceed to Ben Gurion airport and depart home or continue for extension.

• We look forward to hosting you again in our beautiful country!