Educational Expeditions Israel- May 2024

Activities:

• Arrival at Ben Gurion airport - An agent will meet you at the plane. After assisting with arrival procedures and collecting your baggage, you will be taken to meet your guide, bus driver, and a Via Sabra representative.

• Depart the airport and drive to Caesarea

• Introduction to the trip and tour 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 magnificent 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 north to your hotel - Check in

• Dinner at the hotel

• Get to know your guide and conversation about the trip

• Nof Ginosar Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Morning Map Moment - Each morning your guide will review the map of Israel and the Middle East to show you what you'll encounter that day.

• Depart the hotel for the Golan Heights

• Short hike in Nahal Hameshushim-National Park - Walk the Meshushim Stream, with the beautiful views of the deep basalt canyons, colorful landscapes and pools.

• Explore the Golan Heights by Jeep or ATV with picnic lunch - Learn about the recent history of the region and explore the issues that have confronted Israel during the civil war in Syria. Stop at Har Bental, an extinct volcano and an army stronghold.

• 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.

• Druze cooking workshop and meal in one of the Galilees Arab or Druze villages - Together with your hosts in their private home, prepare traditional Druze Galilean dishes and then enjoy a dinner of the foods you create. Learn about Druze culture and history from your hosts and from the food you eat.

• Nof Ginosar Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Volunteer at Kaima Farm in Nahalal - Established in 2013, Kaima is an educational farming network that uses the tool of employment and the magic of nature to engage and empower teens and young adults, ages 15-21, as they explore alternatives to traditional educational and social settings. Using the farm as our outdoor classroom, Kaima’s mission is to help the individual turn his/her life around through a multi-layered process combining hands-on organic farming, leadership development, business learning, and community development.

• Drive to Rosh Hanikra - Rosh Hanikra ("Head of the Grottos"), with the stunning chalk-white cliffs, is 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.

• Continue to Akko

• Tour 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.

• Return to the hotel and dinner

• Processing session

• Nof Ginosar Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Check out of the hotel

• Drive to the Kinneret Cemetery - At the Kinneret Cemetery meet the young pioneers who came to the shores of the Sea of Galilee a hundred years ago. Have a behind-the-scenes peek at their lives, dreams, and ambitions and their decision to “transform the landscape” by creating the institutions of modern statehood.

• Meet the women of Sindayanna of the Galilee - Sindyanna of Galilee, a female-led non-profit that actively promotes the concepts of “business for peace” and Fair Trade in Israel. Sindyanna’s premium products are sold in the international marketplace according to Fair Trade principles with the profit being channeled back locally to Arab women’s education. Taste their excellent olive oil and learn about the craft of basket weaving that they teach women in order for them to earn money.

• Drive to Nazareth and start with time for lunch in Nazareth's market

• Tour Nazareth and meet people and places - Set in the Lower Galilee, Israel’s biggest Arab city, Nazareth, is a fascinating place. It combines traditional, simple Arabic charm, Christian history, and grand old Arabic architecture. Nazareth is home to many important early Christian sites, including the Basilica of the Annunciation, Mary’s Well, and the Synagogue Church, as well as an authentic, living Arab souk (market).

• Meet Hadar Goldin's parents at Mitzpe Hadar - 'Hadar Lookout' is a scenic lookout named in memory of Hadar Goldin, a Lieutenant in the Givati Brigade of the IDF, was a Jewish patriot, humanitarian and artist, and only 23 years old when he was killed and kidnapped in Gaza by Hamas terrorists. The lookout is an opportunity to see the proximity of the central dense-populated area of Israel to the West Bank (the country's 'Narrow Hips'), discuss the geo-political issues regarding the Jewish settlements and the strategic position of the Judea and Samaria hills.

• Drive to Jerusalem - Check into the hotel

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

• Ramat Rachel Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Begin with a 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.

• The Four Quarters of Jerusalem's Old City Tour - 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 one of the holiest Muslim sites, the Temple Mount. Throughout the tour explore the complexity of a city that is holy to the three major religions - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

• Shabbat Dinner with a local family

• Conversation in East Jerusalem with Mahmoud Muna at his legendary book store at the American Colony Hotel

• Ramat Rachel Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Morning at the Israel museum - Visit the unique collections and expansive grounds of the Israel Museum, the country’s national museum. Linger over the renowned international and Israeli art, the world’s most complete Judaica collections and the charming Billy Rose Sculpture Garden. You can also visit the Shrine of the Book, home to the exceptional archaeological finds of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other rare ancient manuscripts.

• Drive to Bethlehem and start with lunch in Bethlehem in a private home

• Tour Bethlehem - Travel to Bethlehem and tour with a Palestinian Christian guide. Visit the traditional birthplace of Jesus, the site where the The Church of the Nativity now stands. This is also one of the oldest Christian churches in existence. During the Crusades, it was a primary place of pilgrimage. We’ll see artwork by the infamous Banksy on the security barrier (separation wall) and spend some time discussing his increased presence in the West Bank since 2003. This will be an opportunity to discuss the barrier from a Palestinian perspective.

• Pizur dinner on Ben Yehuda Street

• Return to Jerusalem

• Ramat Rachel Hotel

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.

• Lunch at Iza Pziza Goat Farm - In Moshav Tal Shahar at the foot of the Jerusalem Mountains and the heart of the agricultural fields is a family goat farm called "Iza Pziza" which includes a small herd, a dairy and a visitors' center with a cheese shop. Eat a meal or just taste cheese, do a cheese-making workshop and meet the goats.

• Two options:

• -Beit Guvrin - Explore Beit Guvrin National Park where you will be able to take part in an archeological dig. 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.

• -Meet Bedouin Women activist Elham Alkamlat and her daughter - Elham Alkamlat

• Travel to Kfar Hanokdim

• Desert style dinner and Bedouin Hafla - Kfar Hanokdim is a green oasis shaded by palm trees and crowned with biblically inspired gardens where you will find a picturesque scene-Bedouin tents comfortably fitted with colorful rugs and mattresses. Kfar Hanokdim, surrounded by the breathtaking views of the Judean desert, offers relaxed desert hospitality, a real break from daily life. Guests visiting the Kfar enjoy warm Bedouin hospitality accompanied by explanations of Bedouin life and culture

• Kfar HaNokdim - Sleep in a huge tent or in rooms

Activities:

• Early snack before setting out - Check out and take packed breakfast

• Sunrise walk up the Roman Ramp to Masada National Park - 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.

• Continue to the Dead Sea - At 1,300 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. Known in Hebrew as "The Sea of Salt", it is also one of the saltiest lakes in the world - with about 34.2% salinity. This is 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.

• Pizur lunch at Ein Bokek

• Drive to the Arava Desert to your guesthouse - Check in and dinner

• Kibbutz Lotan

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Check out of the hotel

• Short visit to the Ecology Center at Kibbutz Lotan (if staying at Ketura, tour the Arava Institute) - Take a tour at Kibbutz Lotan’s Center for Creative Ecology where you can see first-hand pioneering ecological projects, latest ecological solutions for climate change, sustainable living in extreme desert conditions.

• Drive to the Arava Border Crossing - You will be guided through the border crossing by our agent and be greeted on the other side of the border by your Jordanian driver and guide.

• Tour Petra - Visit Petra, Jordan's jewel, the capital city of the Nabateans. Petra is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face of the rose red stones of the Wadi Mousa Mountains by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome. Despite successive attempts by the Seleucid king Antigonus, the Roman emperor Pompey and Herod the Great to bring Petra under the control of their respective empires, Petra remained largely in Nabataean hands until around 100AD, when the Romans took over. Upon arrival, you will take a horseback ride (optional), and walk through the Siq - the only access to this city. Enjoy lunch (included).

• Dinner at your lodging

• Processing session

• Petra

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Check out of the hotel

• Travel to Wadi Rum - In Wadi Rum you shall pass the famous “Seven Pillars of Wisdom” on your way to the Visitors Centre, where you will have a short stop. Here you will board a local open 4 X 4 Vehicle escorted by a Bedouin guide to take you out into the desert for 3 hours. You will visit the Lawrence Spring, the Famous Ghazaly Gorge with its ancient Rock inscriptions. Lunch Break at a Bedouin Camp. At the end of the tour we drive for about an hour to Petra/Wadi Rum for check in at the Hotel

• Drive to Aqaba for lunch and beach time and snorkling

• Drive to the Arava Border Crossing - You'll be greeted at the Israeli side of border and drive to Ramon Airport.

• Fly to Ben Gurion where your bus will meet you and transfer you to Tel Aviv - Drive to your hotel and check in.

• Pizur Dinner in Tel Aviv

• Ruth Daniel residence

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Early morning session with 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.

• Shower and then continue to 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.

• Peres Center for Peace and Innovation - The Peres Center for Peace and Innovation is a leading non-profit and non-governmental organization focused on developing and implementing unique and cutting-edge programs. The center presents the incredible story of Israel, the "innovation nation", and showcases the diverse fields and people behind Israeli innovation.

• Pizur lunch in Jaffa

• Explore the Independence Trail to understand the founding of the State of Israel - Inspired by the Freedom Trail in Boston, the new Independence Trail leads to 10 of Tel Aviv’s heritage sites teaching visitors the history of this great city along the way. The trail begins at the intersection of tree-lined Rothschild Boulevard and Herzl Street, home to Tel Aviv’s first kiosk. The trail 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.

• Option-Rainbow Tour of Tel Aviv - Rainbow tour's vision is to promote empowering conversation in and out of the LGBTQ+ community and expose participants to the rich and colorful history of Queer people in Tel Aviv. Through meeting Queer individuals, participants get to know the diversity in Israeli society and engage in important conversations around identity, social justice, and acceptance. All of our guides identify as a part of the LGBTQ+ community and will share their personal story.

• Pizur dinner

• Optional- Zuzu Guru-Dance your way through the streets of Tel Aviv! - Have an unusual Tel Aviv experience through an unforgettable way to see the city and immerse yourself in Israeli culture and music. Imagine the most fun and invigorating event you have ever experienced -mixed with information about this history and life in the city.
  Have an unusual Tel Aviv experience through an unforgettable way to see the city and immerse yourself in Israeli culture and music. Imagine the most fun and invigorating event you have ever experienced -mixed with information about this history and life in the city.

• Ruth Daniel residence

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Check out of the hotel

• Begin the day with a Graffiti Tour - Explore Florentine through an urban graffiti tour. Who are the people going out at night and changing the face of the neighborhood? What stories do these images and words 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.

• A Light Unto the Nations? - Tour South Tel Aviv and Neve Sha'anan neighborhood, a microcosm of Israel. In recent years, Israel has seen a significant rise in non-Jewish immigrants such as migrant workers, asylum-seekers and refugees, presenting new challenges to the Jewish State. How has Israel approach the issue of refugees and asylum seekers? Should Israel be, as it claims, "A light unto the nations?"

• Lunch at Tenat Ethiopian restaurant - Have a great lunch and hear about Israel's Ethiopian population.

• Nahalat Binyamin Arts and Crafts Market - 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.

• Wrap up conversation

• Final dinner and travel to the airport