Arbitman Family Israel Tour | December 2023

Activities:

• 6:00 PM Arrival at Ben Gurion airport - Shalom and welcome to Israel! After collecting your baggage, meet your driver who will take you to your hotel in Tel Aviv.

• Transfer to Tel Aviv - And check-in to your hotel

• Crowne Plaza Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Begin your day at the ANU Museum of the Jewish People - 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. In June 2021, after ten years of planning and construction, this museum, the largest Jewish museum in the world, opened its doors. It represents all parts of the Jewish people and highlights the creative works and cultural riches of a variety of communities throughout different periods of history. This story is about all of us and each and every one of us is part of it.

• Continue to 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. Though the two were united into one municipality in 1949, each part has retained 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.

• Lunch on your own at the Jaffa Flea Market - Wind your way through the Flea Market which features everything from antiques to hip new clothing and design stores, cafes, restaurants, and bars.

• Finish the day at Neve Tzedek - This is the first Jewish neighborhood to be built outside of Jaffa and is now one of the most beautiful and desirable locations in Tel Aviv. It was built in 1887 by dignitaries of the old Jewish community of Jaffa. Looking to head out of the ever-growing and over-crowded Jaffa, they built, what was considered back then, modern and comfortable housing.. In recent years, after a period of neglect, the neighborhood was restored and has become a trendy fun beautiful part of the city and a good place to try some Israeli Gelato!

• Dinner on your own

• Crowne Plaza Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Enjoy a day of leisure to explore Tel Aviv on your own - Day on your own to explore the city and visit relatives

• Crowne Plaza Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Tour The White City - Explore Lev Ha'ir, the Heart of the City, where the first roots of Tel Aviv were planted in 1909. Lev Hair contains some of Tel Aviv’s most beautiful buildings, being at the center of the UNESCO designated “White City” known for its Bauhaus, Eclectic, and International Style architecture. The area is densely populated, rooted in history, and with a glance towards the future with impressive skyscrapers, and a high concentration of start-up companies. Bordered by Habima Theater in the north and Florentin and Neve Tzedek in the south, Lev Ha’ir is a gateway to almost every district in the city. Lev Ha'ir is a cultural hub, filled with galleries, restaurants and parks.

• Enjoy tasting tour at Levinsky Market - The Levinsky Market specializes in spices and Mediterranean delicacies. It is, in many ways, the best market in Tel Aviv, known for its variety, freshness, and special atmosphere. Whether you are looking for a rare Indian spice or some good quality saffron - this is the place. Shops offer a cornucopia of excellent cheeses, smoked fish, wines, and other delicacies. Tour the market and have "tastings" throughout.

• Visit the Ayalon Institute - A clandestine ammunitions factory built in 1945 by the Haganah. In just three weeks, preparations for the factory were completed and it was code named the Ayalon Institute. Above ground, it appeared to be no more than a kibbutz. However, located eight meters below ground, this was the country's largest bullet factory. It has been said that the bullets manufactured at the Ayalon Institute played a crucial role in the success of the War of Independence.

• Dialogue in The Dark - A sensory experience for those who've already seen it all. Get to know the world and other people without the benefit of your sense of sight. Swap roles with your sight-impaired guide – and discover your other, dormant senses. Hearing, touch, smell, and taste – when sight no longer dominates your senses, how do you perceive your environment? You'll find your daily routines seem utterly different in the pitch-dark exhibition. Under the care of your sight-impaired guide, a walk in the park, the noisy city, and a boating excursion become real adventures. At the end of the tour, you'll reach a café where you'll be served by blind waiters. There, you can discuss your experiences with others. Dialogue in the Dark is based on social creativity. It sets the stage for real and meaningful human interaction. Dialogue in the Dark is not an exhibition about blindness; rather, it's about human non-visual awareness. Dialogue in the Dark challenges our prejudices.
  
  Dialogue in The Dark is an exhibition that tries to take as its starting point the non-visual perceptions of blind people in order to discover the unseen within and all around us.

• Dinner on your own

• Crowne Plaza Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel - And check-out from hotel

• Travel north and begin with a visit at 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.

• Continue north to Akko and stop for lunch on your own

• Go on a historical tour in Akko - 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.

• Travel to Rosh Hanikra ("Head of the Grottos"), with the stunning chalk-white cliffs at Israel’s northernmost coastal border - Enjoy the view of the Mediterranean coastline stretched out before you, then take the cable car down beneath the cliffs to the grottos below and tour the system of underground marine caves eroded by pounding waves over thousands of years.

• Travel to hotel and check-in - Dinner at hotel

• Nof Ginosar Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Go on a short hike in 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.

• 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 strategic 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 on your own en route

• Ein Keshatot (Umm al-Kanatir) - Ein Keshatot is is one of about 30 Jewish villages that existed in the Golan during the Talmudic Period, which was period of great growth in the area. The synagogue building was constructed in the 6th century CE (approximately 500 years after the destruction of the Second Temple), and was the center of local communal life. It served as a place for prayer, reading of the Torah, and various public activities.

• Return to hotel - And dinner at hotel

• Nof Ginosar Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel - And check-out from hotel

• Begin your day in 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. Tzfat'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.

• Continue to Kibbutz Magal - Visit the kibbutz's olive and almond agricultural and production center, as well as Netafim, the world-renowned agricultural lead in irrigation methods.

• Lunch at the Kibbutz dining room

• Continue to Jerusalem - And check-in to hotel

• Dinner on your own

• Optional: Light and Sound Show at the Tower of David Museum - 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.

• Cassia Hotel Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Travel to the Dead Sea Region and visit Masada National Park (Sunrise tour) - 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 Resort for swim and 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 'swim' in the Dead Sea.

• Time permitting: Hike in Ein Gedi - This beautiful nature reserve features Nahal David, a spectacular water hike for all ages. Trails in a range of levels of difficulty take you alongside and through the cool, fresh waters of Nahal David, down waterfalls, along jaw-dropping canyons, and past caves. If you’re both quiet and lucky, you might even glimpse the sure-footed ibex and other local animals.

• Return to Jerusalem - And dinner on your own

• Cassia Hotel Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Start exploring the Old City on the 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.

• Continue to the Jewish Quarter - The Jewish Quarter is best known for the Western Wall, but there’s a lot more to see and do here. See archaeological finds from the First and Second Temple periods, Roman ruins, vibrant synagogues, and learning institutions, all jostling for space in these busy stone streets.

• Lunch on your own in the Old City

• We take the time to reflect at the Western Wall – Ha Kotel Ha’Ma’aravi or simply HaKotel - Over generations, Jews came to pray here, as it was the closest they could come to the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount. When you see the Wall, you aren't just seeing it with your eyes - there is so much more. There are thousands of years and the weight of millions of Jews there. Your eyes may just see giant bricks and people praying, but your heart sees infinitely more. What does being here mean to each of us individually and as part of the Jewish people?

• Explore what’s under the Muslim Quarter 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.

• Finish your day at the Davidson Center - Walk through the Southern Wall Archaeological Gardens. Get a glimpse of the glory of the Second Temple, the heart of the ancient Jewish kingdom, and the devastation that followed. Visit the Davidson Visitors' Center and enjoy a modern and interactive virtual presentation. The museum presents a taste of the archaeology of Jerusalem from different eras - covering the First Temple, Second Temple, Byzantine, Islamic, and the Crusades periods.

• Dinner on your own

• Cassia Hotel Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• 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. Experience the thrill of unearthing the hidden past on Dig-for-a-Day, a ground-breaking archaeological experience designed for active travelers of all ages.

• Lunch on your own en route

• Stalactite Cave Sorek Cave - Visit at an amazing cave near Beit Shemesh filled with Stalactites and Stalagmites. The Soreq Cave, also known as Avshalom Cave, was discovered in 1968 by chance during blasting at the adjacent quarry. Workers entering the cave were astonished to find the magnificent stalactites and stalagmites, and the site was then turned into a national park.

• Continue to Latrun - One of the fiercest and most important battles of the War of Independence was the fight for the fortress of Latrun, which commanded the main road between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

• Cassia Hotel Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel - And check-out from hotel

• Enjoy a day of leisure to explore Jerusalem on your own - Here are some of our suggestions:

• Option 1: 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.

• Option 2: Tour Machane Yehuda Market - In the heart of Jerusalem sits this bustling, multi-ethnic market bursting with life, art, and flavor. 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.

• Option 3: Tour Nachlaot Neighborhood - Nachlaot is known for its narrow, winding lanes, old-style housing, hidden courtyards and many small synagogues. In the wake of gentrification projects in the area, the face of the neighborhood has changed while retaining its unique character.

• Continue to Ben-Gurion International Airport

Activities:

• Farewell! Departure on 1:00 AM flight - Safe travels and we hope to host you again in our beautiful country!