Exploring Israel with Milwaukee Beth Israel Ner Tamid Congregation | June 2025

Activities:

• Arrival at Ben Gurion airpor - Group airport transfer to Tel Aviv.

• Welcome and She'echeyanu at Ha'pisga Garden - With the beautiful view of the Old City, Mediterranean sea and Tel Aviv sky line - make a toast and embrace the moment of being together here in Israel. Get to know your group members, staff and introduction to your trip.

• Tour the picturesque 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.

• Check-in to the hotel - (check-in time is after 3:00 PM)

• Silent moving disco with Guru Zuzu - Dance your way through the streets of Tel Aviv!

• Group welcome dinner at a local restaurant

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Drive to Rehovot and 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.

• Travel back to Tel Aviv and explore the lively weekend atmosphere - Recommended:
  - Nahalat Binyamin Art and Crafts Market
  - Lunch at the Carmel Market or the Yemenite Quarter

• Enjoy a break to swim or rest before Shabbat

• Musical Kabbalat Shabbat - Make the transition to Israel and to Shabbat with Daniel Hoffman. specializes in klezmer and other Eastern European music, as well as new music based on folk and jazz. After graduating from the Manhattan School of Music, he co-founded the San Francisco-based new music ensemble Davka, which has toured extensively and released 5 CDs of original music, four on John Zorn’s Tzadik label. He created The Klez-X (formerly the SF Klezmer Experience) as the pit band for the musical Shlemiel the First at the American Conservatory Theater. The Klez-X has also performed widely and recorded 3 CDs including many new compositions and modernist settings of Yiddish poetry. Daniel has also written silent film scores for live performance for the 1920 German Expressionist film The Golem, and for the 1925 Soviet comedy, Jewish Luck.

• Shabbat dinner as a community

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Shabbat services followed by Parashat Hashavua Hevruta study

• Shabbat leisure time - Time to relax and explore the city on your own. Lunch is not included.
  Optional: on this day you can visit the ANU Museum of the Jewish People (by taxi. not included)

• Afternoon walking tours - people will choose to join one of the following

• 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. (can offer a hand-on workshop but this is not suitable for those who observe Shabbat).

• B - Neve Tzedek - This is the first Jewish neighborhood to be built outside of Jaffa and currently one of the most beautiful and desired locations in Tel Aviv. It was built by some of the dignitaries of the old Jewish community of Jaffa in 1887. 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!

• Havdallah ceremony - farewell to the Shabbat

• Dinner on own

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel & check-out

• Begin with a tour of the impressive 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.

• Kfar Masaryk Kibbutz Experience - Begin with a lunch at the kibbutz dining room. Continue with an experiential tour and discover the Secrets of the Kibbutz Miracle-fascinating tours through kibbutz living. At the beautifully renovated original kibbutz buildings, visitors can get a glimpse of early 1940s kibbutz living – the pioneers (Halutzim), clothes, rooms, and pastime culture.

• Druze home hospitality, cooking workshop and meal - 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.

• Check-in to your hotel

• North

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Fun and refreshing hike in Snir Nature Reserve - Walk between the beautiful water streams, water plants and shaded track, in one of the Jordan’s water sources.

• Choose to join one of two activities:

• A - Rafting Adventure and zipline 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. At the end of the route you'll have the opportunity to get down to the Jordan River by a zipline for a real fun experience!

• B - Jeep off-road tour - Take a fun and interesting jeep tour of Galilee with a local expert guide. While traversing the rich landscape, learn about the history, flora, and fauna of the area. Stop for a lookout over the border with Syria and Lebanon 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 northern border and what that has meant for Israel as it relates to security and humanitarian issues. During your tour you will meet soldiers guarding in one of the small towns on the border - greet and speak to them.

• Lunch break on route - Meal not included.

• Katzrin village experience - Dressed in Biblical attire, the 1,500 years old villager willl lead you through the paths of his ancient home in the Jewish village of Katzrin. The remains of ancient Katzrin from the Talmudic period have been restored after excavation, visit the beautiful synagogue and the ancient basalt stone houses and the barn. As you taste some warm roasted grains, take part in the transformation from wheat stalk to flour! Then, enjoy the village baker’s fluffy hot pita bread baked on a saj (a metal griddle).

• Alternative adults' track: winery tour and tasting in the Golan Heights Winery

• Outdoor special dinner

• North

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel & check-out

• Head south with a break at a coffee truck for cold drinks and ice cream

• Dig 4 a day! - 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. Alternative adults' track: guided tour of the archeological site.

• Beta Yisrael Ethiopian Meal and personal story - The Beta Israel Village Project is a unique social-educational center on the outskirts of Kiryat Gat, which combines agricultural and educational activities with the intent of preserving Jewish-Ethiopian heritage and establishing it as a sustainable national asset. Eat traditional food and meet with one of the staff to hear their family personal Aliya story - the journey to Israel, and hear about the beautiful unique traditions as well as the challenges in acclimating to the new country.

• Travel to the Judean Desert to your desert camp lodge & check-in

• Kfar Hanokdim - This 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.

• Authentic Bedouin style meal and speaker - Enjoy warm Bedouin hospitality accompanied by explanations of Bedouin life and culture

• Night walk outside of the camp to watch the stars and meditation

• Kfar HaNokdim

Activities:

• Packed breakfast & check-out

• Sunrise hike up Masada - Ascend the mountain on the Roman Ramp, to view the breathtaking sunrise and then explore Masada, a 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 'float' in the Dead Sea.

• Proceed to Jerusalem & check-in to your hotel

• Free afternoon and dinner on own

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Begin the day with a magnificent lookout from Mount of Olives - The Mount of Olives offers a panoramic lookout over the city. There are countless Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions about Mt. Olives, including that from here the Messiah will come, and from here the dead will be resurrected in the vision of the End of Days. Enjoy a beautiful lookout of the Holy Basin, the old and new city of Jerusalem.

• City of David - Take a trip back in time through the layers of Jerusalem’s past. It was on this hill where Jerusalem was built 4 millennia ago. Continuously excavated over the last 120 years, discoveries are regularly made. Tour the palace of King David, ritual purification pools, and the tour's highlight - a walk through water in Hezekiah’s Tunnel built to protect the water supply. Exit the site onto the magnificent road where the Jewish pilgrims walked, over 2,000 years ago. Get your flashlights ready!

• Proceed to the Western Wall - (The Kotel), sacred to some because it is one of the last remnants of the Second Temple that was destroyed by the Romans. Feel the stones that have witnessed so much in the history of the Jews. Optional - take time to reflect and place your special and personal prayer in the cracks of the stones.

• Optional: Bar/Bat Mitzvah Ceremony - If there are families in the group celebrating a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, we can celebrate at Ezrat Yisrael at the Kotel.

• Lunch break at the Old City - (meal not included)

• Meet with the Jerusalem Scribe - Kalman Gavriel Delmoor is a traditional Scribe with a modern lens. Through his unique perspectives and expertise in the ancient craft, Kalman brings the Torah to life in his art. Discover the fusion of artwork and tradition below. Meet Kalman, see him work, and learn about his mission.

• Tour of the Jewish Quarter - 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.

• Break before dinner

• Group dinner at a local restaurant

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• A visit to 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 and will be suitable for kids over 12.

• Alternative track for younger kids: The Biblical Zoo - The Tisch Family Zoological Gardens in Jerusalem is one of the most beautiful and relaxing places in Jerusalem. The vast grounds and beautiful landscape along with the wide selection of animals make this a must see for kids and adults.

• Group lunch at Café 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. Eat delicious dairy meal at their café located in their center.

• Free time at the city center to shop and explore

• Kabbalat Shabbat as a community overlooking the view of the Old City and the beautiful Yemin Moshe Neighberghood - Or join a local community for their Shabbat Friday night services.

• Shabbat festive group dinner - At the hotel, with local community, or in a private space within walking distance.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Shabbat services with a local community - Optional - meet with Rabbi Tamar Elad-Applebaum at Kehilat Zion (depending on availability and not included)

• Enjoy the hotel's facilities and pool

• Guest speaker for a talk at the hotel - For example: a geo-political brief from an expert (suitable for adults)

• Afternoon optional tour of Mishkenot sha'ananim and Yemin Moshe - Was the first Jewish neighborhood built outside the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, on a hill directly across from Mount Zion. Built in 1859–1860, it was the first area of Jewish settlement in Jerusalem outside the Old City walls.

• Havdalah - farewell to the Shabbat

• Group dinner at a local restaurant

• Optional evening program: The Night Spectacular 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.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel & check-out

• Suggested stop: Special place for last minutes gifts - Yad LaKashish is a non-profit organization empowering and supporting nearly 300 elderly Jerusalem residents on a daily basis by providing them with creative work opportunities in artistic workshops.

• Machane Yehuda tasting tour - In the heart of the city sits a bustling multi-ethnic market bursting with life, art, and flavor. Start with a short tour of Nachlaot, 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 with a tasting tour through Machane Yehuda Market for a fun tasty adventure! Enjoy the hustle and bustle with all the rich fragrances, colors, and sounds this iconic Jerusalem market offers. The culinary tour will replace lunch.

• Adults' Dessert: Tastings at Thinkers Distillery - "At Thinkers we maintain pace with all the new developments and painstakingly connect the old together with the new to fulfill our mission of taking spirits further. Our Jerusalem distillery is part research library, part chemistry lab, part advanced technology workshop, part mind and behavior study center, part design studio, and 100% passion. It’s not easy, but we will never put any product into a bottle unless we are convinced that is has been furthered in every way into the best in class."

• Kids' dessert: local sweets, pastries and excellent ice cream at the market

• Neot Kedumim - closing program and tree planting - Neot Kedumim is the Biblical Landscape Reserve in Israel which is a unique endeavor to re-create the physical setting of the Bible in all its depth and detail. Neot Kedumim embodies the panorama and power of the landscapes that helped shape the values of the Bible and provided a rich vocabulary for expressing them. Conclude the visit with tree planting, as a connection to our roots. Leave roots that will flourish and help contribute to a greener, better tomorrow.

• Group farewell meal

• Travel to the airport and fly back home - OR can be dropped off in Tel Aviv for those who are extending their stay.

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