Alina Rodek Family- August 2023

Activities:

• VIP Arrival - Arrival at Ben Gurion airport. Your VIP agent will be waiting to greet you at the sleeve of the plane. After assisting with arrival procedures and collecting your baggage, you will be taken to meet your driver.

• Transfer to Jerusalem and check in to Jerusalem Hotel

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at hotel

• Ramparts Walk - Discover the Old City on the Rampart Walls which were built in the 16th century for patrolling by the Ottomans. Today you can enjoy a bird's-eye view of the Old City and the surroundings.

• Tour the Old City - 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, visit the one of the holiest Muslim sites, the Temple Mount. Throughout the tour explore the complexity of a city that is holy to these three major religions.

• Old City Tasting Tour - Walk through the Muslim and Christian Quarters of the Old City seeing the historical and religious sites. See some off-the-beaten track sites in the winding alleyways and enjoy some Jerusalem delicacies. We will have a “taste of history” that interweaves stories and anecdotes, historical information, and, of course, combines the senses of smell, taste, and sound.

• The Western Wall Tunnels - Explore what’s under the Kotel through the Kotel Tunnels Tour. The Western Wall is impressive, but its greatness is truly discovered when you descend underground to the Western Wall Tunnels. The tunnels run along approximately 488 meters (1601ft) of the Western Wall, giving visitors a taste of the challenge that stood before Herod the Great during the biggest of all his immense building projects - the expansion of the Temple Mount.

• Explore Machane Yehuda Market - In the heart of Jerusalem sits this bustling, multi-ethnic market bursting with life, art, and flavor. 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.

• Dinner on your own

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at hotel

• Yad Vashem - Visit 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. You'll be guided by a local educator.
  Option:
  
  Your bar-mitzvah child will be twinned with a child who did not have a chance to mark this important rite of passage. The child being remembered will share something with the participant – a birthday, a name or place of origin. A customized Twinning Kit containing the Page of Testimony of the "twin" and immediate family members, as well as a study guide and a special certificate acknowledging participation in the Twinning Program will be sent to the Bar/Bat Mitzvah child. The Twinning Kit also includes a memoir written by a Holocaust survivor, a personal letter from a Holocaust survivor, a bookmark and a personal link (QR Code) to a virtual Bar/Bat Mitzvah tour of the Holocaust History Museum at Yad Vashem, filmed especially for this project.

• Mount Herzl - As Israel’s national cemetery, Mount Herzl is the final resting place of leaders of Zionism and Israel, including Yitzhak Rabin and Herzl himself, and of thousands of soldiers killed defending the State of Israel. At Mount Herzl you will find a moving monument to the 28,000-odd soldiers and civilians killed in combat or by terrorism since the founding of the state.

• Ein Kerem Pundak - Ein Kerem Pundak for lunch.Tucked into the hills of Jerusalem is the biblical Ein Kerem, whose name means "the spring in the vineyard." Step into another world while you visit this quaint neighborhood.

• ATV ride in the Judean Mountains

• Shabbat Dinner home hospitality or on your own- TBD

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Jeeps

• Down time - Time to rest, discover, or just enjoy the hotel pool and other facilities.

• Option- lunch at Majda restaurant - Majda, a restaurant in the Jerusalem Hills village of Ein Rafa, is famous for its innovative fusion cuisine, beautiful property and views from its rooftop and an appearance on Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. The menu is full of creative local dishes all prepared by Yakub and Michal, the Arab-Jewish couple who own Majda.

• Tower of David Sound and Light Show - Amidst the archaeological remains in the David Citadel courtyard the story of Jerusalem unfolds through virtual reality images. The Night Spectacular uses trompe l'oeil technology – the stones of the walls and structures fade into the scenes and the viewers are part of a multi-sensory experience.

• Ben Yehuda Street - Ben Yehuda Street to experience the post-Shabbat vibe

• Jerusalem Restaurant - We can book for you

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at hotel - Early check out

• Start drive down to the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea

• Masada National Park - By cable car, ascend the mountain from the east to explore Masada, scene of the epic stand by Jewish rebels at the end of the Great Revolt against Rome nearly 2,000 years ago. The new museum at the Visitor Center reveals the secrets of the daily life of the rebels, the story of the excavations, and how the site became one of Israel’s most important symbols.

• Dead Sea Boat Ride and picnic lunch - Take a boat ride on the Dead Sea in a small group motorboat or in kayaks and see amazing salt formations and scenery. During this unique experience you will enjoy the wondrous muds, salt pearls, salt diamonds, water springs streaming to the sea and sink holes filled with sweet water. Learn about the ecosystem and the environmental issues connected to the Dead Sea.

• Check-in to hotel

• Dinner at the hotel

• Dead Sea Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Bar Mitzvah at the Ein Gedi Ancient Synagogue - Ein Gedi was one of the ancient cities in Judah. Famed for its fruitful vineyards that covered the mountainsides, ancient Ein Gedi was also well known for it's "secret". The secret is still unknown today but the remains of a mosaic floor from the 5th century synagogue at Ein Gedi clearly allude to some important mystery.

• Dead Sea Resort for swim and celebratory lunch - Israel’s Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth, a stunning, other-worldly landscape of shimmering blue water ringed by bare, orange and yellow hills. The waters of the Dead Sea hold a potent solution of minerals and salts that have strong healing properties. Together with its ethereal beauty, these health-giving minerals make the Dead Sea’s beaches and spas popular vacation spots for Israelis and tourists alike. At one of the local hotels, have lunch and 'float' in the Dead Sea.

• Evening-Kfar Hanokdim - Kfar Hanokdim - an authentic Bedouin Encampment and experience in the Judean Desert. What better way than a traditional Bedouin meal (hafla) to celebrate the Bar-Mitzvah. And before dinner...experience camel riding for the first time.

• Dead Sea

Activities:

• Breakfast at hotel - Breakfast at your hotel

• Travel via Jordan Valley northwards

• Kibbutz Sde Eliahu 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.

• Lunch at the kibbutz dining room

• Gan Hashlosha -Sachneh - Stop for a relaxing swim in the crystal clear, cool and refreshing pools of the Valley of the Springs

• Check into the hotel

• Druze Cooking Workship and dinner - Together with your hosts in their private home, prepare traditional Druze Galilean dishes and then enjoy the feast you create. Learn about Druze culture and history from your hosts and from the food you eat.

• North

Activities:

• Breakfast at hotel

• Golan Heights Jeep Ride - Take a geo-political tour of the Golan with an expert. While traversing the rich landscape, learn about the history, flora, and fauna of the area. Stop for a lookout over the border with Syria from Mt. Bental to get a better understanding of the geography and strategical role this region has for the State of Israel. Your local guide touches on the nuances of living so close to the Syrian border and what that has meant for Israel as it relates to security and humanitarian issues.

• Lunch at Cowboys Restaurant - At Kibbutz Merom Hagolan

• Stop at Kibbutz Ein Zivan - Pelter Winery for those that want to taste the local wine, De Karina for others who want to taste the local chocolate.

• Rafting Adventure - Rafting adventure along the Jordan River. Row through one of the most beautiful spots in Israel, amongst the plants, trees, and waterfalls in the middle of this beautiful Galilee nature reserve.

• Dinner at the hotel

• North

Activities:

• Breakfast at hotel

• Choose two of the following three: - Lunch on your own

• Safed - Safed, pronounced Tzfat in Hebrew, sits at a higher altitude than any other city in Israel and has been known since the 16th century as a major center of Kabbala, Jewish mysticism. Safed’s mystical aura adds to its special status as one of Israel’s four holy cities, along with Jerusalem, Tiberias and Hebron. The old synagogues, narrow alleyways and artists’ studios add to the hilltop city’s unmistakable charm.

• Explore Akko - The ancient city of Akko is situated on the Mediterranean, 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 in the Middle Ages by the Crusaders beneath Akko. Learn about the city’s ancient history as well as its important role in Israel’s modern history.

• Caesarea National Park - On the Mediterranean coast, Caesarea National Park is one of Israel’s most impressive archeological sites. Here, amazing ancient harbor ruins, beautiful beaches, and impressive modern residences sit side-by-side. The city was initially built by King Herod in the 1st century BC, who dreamt of a major seaport to connect the Province of Judea with Rome. For this purpose, the king's men designed an entirely artificial harbor that was in use for about a millennium. Caesarea became a central city in Roman and Byzantine times as can be seen from the massive archeological remains on site. View the spectacular Roman amphitheater, still used today as a performance venue, as well as the hippodrome that held 20,000 spectators for chariot races.

• Drive to Tel Aviv and check into your hotel

• Dinner on your own

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• 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, but 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.

• Jaffa Flea Market- time for lunch - Wind your way through the Flea Market which features everything from antiques to hip new clothing and design stores, cafes, restaurants, and bars.

• Rothschild Boulevard - Rothschild Boulevard was one of the first streets to be built in the city of Tel Aviv a little over 100 years ago. In the heart of the “White City”, it is lined with Tel Aviv’s iconic architecture, the Bauhaus style, which led to its recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Many of these buildings have been beautifully restored and now house the offices of financial institutions, creative firms, cafes, and luxury residences.

• Nahalat Binyamin Arts and Crafts Market - If your tour is on Tuesday or a Friday, visit Nachalat Binyamin, an open-air market in the heart of Tel-Aviv that has become synonymous with quality Israeli crafts and folk art. The market is comprised of over 100 stands representing specialty crafts and folk art in virtually every medium imaginable: wood, stone, sand, glass, ceramics, and various metals with most if not all containing materials or themes found only in Israel.

• Optional-Kabbalat Shabbat at the Tel Aviv Port - Welcome Shabbat at the Tel Aviv Port with Beit Tefilah Israeli in a prayer that combines the old and the modern, sunset and music.

• Dinner at a restaurant

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Time for the beach

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Hagal Sheli (My Wave) - Surfing lesson with Hagal Sheli (My Wave), an NGO that uses surfing as a vehicle for personal development and advancement. In 2012 Omer and Yaron, educational entrepreneurs and avid surfers, developed a unique surfing program for transforming the lives of youth-at-risk. Their mission: Empower youth to never give up, to continue to pursue their dreams and to ultimately succeed: ‘In the ocean, as in life’. Must be age 11 and up to participate.

• Graffiti Tour - Enjoy a creative Graffiti tour and workshop in the trendy neighborhood of Florentine, and experience fun and artistic freedom. Discover new and daring Israeli Graffiti Artists that are gaining recognition around the world.

• Carmel Market - The Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel), is 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 opening line 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. Enjoy tastes throughout the tour.

• Final dinner

• Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport