JCRC Minnesota and the Dakotas – November 2025

Activities:

• Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport

• Transfer to Jerusalem

• Orientation and Ice Breakers - Meeting room at the hotel

• Dinner at Joy Restaurant

• Jerusalem Lodging

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Meet with Rachel Gur - Rachel Gur, Adv., is an expert in the fields of Israeli legislation, regulation, and public policy.
  Gur holds an L.L.B. and B.A. in political science from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya and an L.L.M in Legal Theory from New York University Law School. Since 2011, Gur has served in senior positions in the Israeli government, including as legislation advisor to the Knesset coalition chairman and senior advisor to the deputy foreign minister, and senior adviser to the minister in the ministries of immigration and absorption, environmental protection, and Jerusalem and heritage.

• Begin the day at the Knesset - The Knesset, Israel's parliament, was named after “Haknesset Hagedolah,” the Great Assembly of the Second Temple period. Today it stands as a symbol of both Jewish sovereignty and dedication to democracy. In lively, often heated, debates, its 120 elected members reflect the divergence of Israeli public opinion, legislate and oversee the workings of the government.

• Meet Knesset Members

• Lunch on your own

• Visit the Supreme Court of Israel - Israel's legal system is a combination of Jewish, Turkish, and British law adapted and molded to suit modern Israeli realities. Built by the Rothschild Foundation, the Supreme Court building, with its striking design, is a fitting home for the judicial branch of government which oversees Israel's democracy.

• Time Permitting: Visit the Joint Israel - He Joint Israel Organization, commonly referred to as the Joint, is a prominent non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for marginalized communities in Israel. Established in the early 20th century, it focuses on providing social services, education, and economic opportunities to various populations, including immigrants, minorities, and disadvantaged youth. Through innovative programs and partnerships, the Joint aims to promote social inclusion, empower individuals, and foster community development, making significant strides in creating a more equitable society in Israel.

• Continue to Israel Museum - time for lunch on your own - Visit the Israel Museum, the country’s largest cultural institute and ranked among the world's leading art and archeology museums. Linger over the renowned Israeli art, the Judaica collections in the Jewish Art and Life Wing, and in the Archaeology Wing visit the world's most extensive holdings of the Land of Israel. Among the highlights of the campus is the Shrine of the Book, home to the exceptional archaeological finds of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest Biblical manuscripts in the world, as well as other rare ancient manuscripts. Tour with your guide followed by time on your own to explore the galleries that interest you the most.

• Dinner at Café Shalva - A delicious meal at café Shalva - Café Shalva is a boutique café that is also an equal-opportunity work setting where an inclusive staff work as managers, waiters, and hosts. Shalva is a Jerusalem-based organization that provides services to individuals with special needs, from infancy to adulthood, empowering their families, and promoting social inclusion. The visit to the center is inspiring.

• Jerusalem Lodging

Activities:

• Early visit to The Temple Mount - A special visit to the holy site, The Temple Mount - also known to Muslims as al Haram el-Sharif and the Al Aqsa Compound, where you can see the impressive 7th-century oldest extant Islamic monument, the Dome of the Rock. Learn about its religious significance for Jews, Muslims and also Christians, its history, and the sensitive political weight it has today. (Dressing code: Modest dress is required. Men should wear long pants and a shirt that covers their shoulders. Women need long pants or a long skirt with a shirt that covers their shoulders and elbows. Clothes should be loose fitting.)

• Return to hotel for breakfast

• 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.

• Garden of Gethsemane - Nestled at the foot of the Mount of Olives, the Garden of Gethsemane is a serene oasis that invites reflection and prayer on Palm Sunday. This sacred site, where Jesus prayed before his crucifixion, is adorned with ancient olive trees, some believed to be over a thousand years old.

• Tour the Old City - Tour Jerusalem’s Old City and meet the people and places that make this place so unique.
  Explore the Jewish Quarter. 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. Stop by the Western Wall where over generations, Jews came to pray at, as it was the closest, they could come to the Holy of Holies on the Temple Mount.
  Take the Via Dolorosa (Way of Grief), traditionally accepted as the last route trodden by Jesus to get to The Holy Sepulcher. The Church contains the last five Stations of the Cross, including the sites of Jesus' crucifixion and burial.
  Delve into the complexity of a city sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

• Lunch on your own in the Old City

• Machane Yehuda Market Tasting Tour - In the heart of Jerusalem sits this bustling, multi-ethnic market bursting with life, art, and flavor. The 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. On Thursday nights the market's nightlife is at its peak!

• Meet with Bassam Aramin and Rami Elhanan from Parents Circle - The Parents Circle-Families Forum is a grassroots organization of Palestinian and Israeli families who have lost immediate family members due to the conflict. The PCFF operates under the principle that a process of reconciliation is a prerequisite for achieving a sustained peace.

• Jerusalem Lodging

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Depart south to the Gaza Envelope "Otef Aza"

• Lookout and geo-political brief - Stop at key lookout point for an in-depth discussion of the complexity of the Gaza Border situation.

• Visit Kibbutz Holit - And meet with residents

• Osi Lankri Culinary Queen Catering Ofakim - Recognized as one of Ofakim's "Culinary Queens," Osi invites you to savor a home-cooked meal in her beautiful home. While enjoying the culinary experience, listen to her personal stories about life in the Envelope, her birthplace and hometown. Gain insights into how the October 7th attack affected her home, family, and neighborhood.

• Supernova music festival site - Stop at the Nova Festival memorial site - at Re'im Forest stop and bear witness to the tragedy of the Nova Festival.

• Stop at Tkuma, the Burnt Vehicles Compound - The burnt vehicles compound consists of 1,560 vehicles evacuated from the Gaza Envelope’s roads and communities in the weeks following the surprise attack on the morning of Simchat Torah, October 7th, 2023. he compound was originally established as a logistical solution providing storage to vehicles evacuated from the region’s roads, to ensure they remain clear and allowing the military forces’ operational movement. Behind every vehicle, there is a story of families, children, parents, adults and young people, who attended the Nova party or the surrounding areas.
  Each story compliments another aspect of the spirit of heroism that was revealed in all its glory, alongside the unimaginable cruelty of that terrible event.

• Time Permitting: Netiv HaAsara - Striving for Peace at Netiv Ha'Asara, a moshav on the western border of Israel with the Gaza Strip. Visit the Peace Wall on the border. Depending on availability: Meet with a resident from Netiv Ha'Asara and hear from them about October 7 and what happened since.

• Return to Jerusalem

• Dinner on your own

• Jerusalem Lodging

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• 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.

• Continue to 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.

• Lunch on your own

• Return to hotel to rest and prepare for Shabbat

• Shabbat of a Life Time - Enjoy an authentic and intimate Shabbat dinner in a private home in Jerusalem with a local family, get an introduction to Jewish Shabbat traditions, and understand why Friday night is family time and what it means to Israelis.

• Jerusalem Lodging

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel - And check out

• Drive north

• Visit Nazareth - 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).

• Cooking workshop and Lunch at Beit Elfarasha - At Beit Elfarasha meet the true gems of the city, the local women. Beit Elfarasha's programs empower Arab women of Akko by bringing them together to create connections and make change. Join inspiring women for a hands-on cooking workshop in their beautiful center, hear their personal stories, and savor a delightful meal together.

• Rosh Hanikra - Travel to Rosh Hanikra ("Head of the Grottos"), with the stunning chalk-white cliffs and turquoise water 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 - Check in and dinner at hotel

• North Lodging

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Kfar Nahum (Capernaum) - Tour Capernaum (or Kfar Nahum) ancient fishing village, located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, on the imperial highway from Tiberias to Damascus, and Jesus's base during the most influential period of his Galilean ministry. Visit the renowned synagogue, whose facade faces south toward Jerusalem, and see the Jewish symbols and Hebrew inscriptions carved into the columns. Walk to the modern, glass-walled church, which is dramatically suspended over the ruins of an octagonal, 5th-century church that partly obscures St. Peter's House, where Jesus is believed to have stayed. Today, used for frequent Masses in dozens of languages, offering a spiritual experience.

• Tabgha - Church of the Multiplication - The northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee was where Jesus operated during a significant time period of 3 years, referred to as the Ministry of Christ. Most of Jesus' miracles and teachings took place in this small area.
  Tabgha is one of the special and peaceful Christian sites around the lake - the traditional site of the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fish. Some maintain that this is also the place where Jesus walked on water (Matthew 14:22-34).

• Lunch Visit with St. Paul's Partnership Region - Sovev Kinneret is St. Paul's Jewish Community Partnership Region and includes Tiberias, the Jordan Valley, and the Lower Galilee.

• Drive to the Golan Heights and meet with LTC. (Res.) Eyal Dror for a geopolitical overview

• Majdal Shams - Visit the largest Druze village in the Golan Heights, where children and other civilians were killed and wounded as a result of a missile strike from Hezbollah on July 27, 2024.

• Druze Hospitality and Dinner - Get to know your hosts and their culture and history. Hear about the strong bond between the Druze community to the State of Israel and their contribution to the IDF. Dinner is included.

• North Lodging General

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel - And check out from hotel

• Drive to Metulah, where over 60% of the buildings have been destroyed by Hezbollah - Lookout over the Israel-Lebanese border from Metula and hear about the geopolitics of the area with Lieutenant Colonel (Res.) Sarit Zehavi, CEO and founder of Alma, a non-profit independent research and education center specializing in Israel’s security challenges on its northern border.

• Continue to Haifa and lunch on your own in Wadi Nisnas

• Tour the “coexistence road” in Wadi Nisnas, an Arab neighborhood in Haifa. - Discuss the challenges facing the issue of Jewish-Arab coexistence in Israel today in general, and in Haifa in particular. The Art Works route includes displays by dozens of Jewish and Arab artists; the Poetry Path includes excerpts by Arab and Jewish poets and explains how their words connect to the neighborhoods.

• Continue to Merhav Marpe, a center devoted to addressing the needs of Nova Survivors - Merhav Marpe (from Hebrew: Healing Space) is a pioneering response to the mental and emotional trauma the October 7th tragedy and the subsequent war inflicted on Israel. Founded in the immediate aftermath of the massacres, Merhav Marpe recognized both the ongoing nature of the trauma and its ripple effect throughout the whole of Israeli society. Through a holistic approach, Merhav Marpe works to repair the mind-body connection broken by the trauma and build multiple modalities of resilience to ensure the future.

• Drive to Tel Aviv - And check in to hotel

• Free evening and dinner on your own

• Tel Aviv Lodging

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Independence Trail - A walk along The Independence Trail, established in 2018 as a tribute to Israel's 70th anniversary, is a fascinating journey of Tel Aviv's foundation and the sites pivotal to the birth of Israel. Walk the paths of pioneers, witness architectural styles that tell the story of the city's development, and delve into Israel's struggle and triumph stories. The trail offers a profound insight into the nation's remarkable history.

• Nachalat Binyamin Arts and Crafts Market - Enjoy time to explore the local artistic spirit in Nachalat Binyamin open-air market in the heart of Tel-Aviv. It has become synonymous with quality Israeli crafts and folk art. The market comprised over 100 stands representing specialty local crafts in virtually every medium imaginable: wood, stone, glass, ceramics, and various metals, all original and handmade. The unique architecture as well as the graffiti on the walls provide a perfect backdrop for the arts and crafts market.

• Lunch on your own at Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel) - A culinary and cultural experience in the Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel), the largest market in Tel Aviv. Touring the market reveals the taste of the ages of Tel Aviv in the youthful atmosphere felt here. 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. Founded over 90 years ago, discover the many secrets, stories, and legends of this culinary destination. Enjoy tastings throughout the tour.

• Tour Old Jaffa - Jaffa is one of the most ancient port cities in the Mediterranean basin. Visit Jaffa Port, which for centuries was the gateway to the Land of Israel. Today Jaffa is a mixed city, where Jews and Arabs live alongside each other. Tel Aviv, Jaffa's much younger sister, was established centuries later, but the two were united into one municipality already in 1949, yet each part kept its unique feel and atmosphere. visit vibrant artist studios as well as archeological discoveries, while exploring the rich tapestry of cultures and history that defines this timeless Mediterranean gem.

• Continue touring Jaffa in the Ajami Neighborhood - Tour the Ajami neighborhood of Jaffa, a predominantly Arab neighborhood in Jaffa, you’ll hear a challenging narrative about the city and its history. Continue your tour through Jaffa, enjoying the beauty of the winding streets and the beautiful port with its biblical reference.

• Dinner at BlackOut Restaurant - BlackOut is the only dark restaurant in Israel and, one of 14 that operate worldwide. At BlackOut you say goodbye to the sense of sight and immediately feel how the other senses are awakened and sharpened in complete darkness. The waitstaff lead you inside and serve you a selection of dishes full of inspiration from a varied menu, which also includes a rich selection of wines. The unique culinary experience along with the encounter with the waiters who are all blind or visually impaired makes the visit to the restaurant an extraordinary and unforgettable experience.

• Tel Aviv Lodging

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

• Visit Kibbutz Re'im's Tel Aviv urban kibbutz (or Nir Oz near Kiryat Gat) - After October 7, Kibbutz Reim was evacuated to a hotel in Eilat. With the assistant of IsraAID, the kibbutz has created a temporary urban kibbutz in South Tel Aviv. IsrAID is an Israel-based non-governmental organization that responds to emergencies all over the world with targeted humanitarian help. This includes disaster relief, from search and rescue to rebuilding communities and schools, to providing aid packages, medical assistance, and post-psychotrauma care.

• Free People in Our Land - Culinary Tour in Levinsky Market - Join on an inspiring journey through Tel Aviv, where you will encounter the new
  Israel through remarkable stories and local culinary tastings. As you walk through the
  vibrant alleys of Levinsky Market, you’ll hear about people whose world changed in
  an instant as they stepped up for the greater good. You will discover how the spirit of
  resilience, volunteerism, bravery, and unity continues to shape the Israeli future. This tour is
  a blend of flavors, people, and values – a meeting with the Israel of today, a nation
  that keeps growing, strengthening, and demonstrating its remarkable resilience while
  celebrating life.

• Drive South

• Shared Society - The Bedouin Community - Visit Rahat or another Bedouin Village and meet youth who are part of the Desert Stars Program which is building a generation of Bedouin leaders to promote a thriving Bedouin community and a strong Israeli society. The project empowers mission-driven teens and young adults to realize their individual and collective potential as change-making leaders.

• Visit Minneapolis' Partnership in Rehovot - Including dinner

• Tel Aviv Lodging

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel - And check out

• Meet with Guy Cohen, Founder of Blyss - AI Based Startup - "My name is Guy Cohen, and I’m the founder of Blyss.
  Over the past few years, I have led product development processes in several startup companies that achieved success in the global tech market. With the experience I have gained, I decided to take on this challenge and turn a promising idea into reality.
  The world of culture is both deeply familiar to me and holds a special place in my heart. Over the years, I have often been exposed to the complexity and effort invested by cultural institutions, producers, and others in reaching their audience.
  Introducing Blyss – a platform that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to generate meaningful insights about the target audience of cultural institutions. The goal is to identify trends and patterns that can improve and promote sales while enabling more precise marketing based on these insights, while receiving on-the-spot actions to take, ultimately increasing visitor numbers and reducing empty seats."

• OPTIONAL: Visit ANU Museum of the Jewish People - The newly re-imagined ANU Museum of the Jewish People tells the story of the Jewish people through the generations and up to the present time. Dive into this dynamic and interactive experience that 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.

• OPTIONAL: Bike tour of Tel Aviv - Details will be given on the detailed information form you will receive after registering.

• Final Dinner

• Transfer to the airport