Milwaukee Beth Israel Ner Tamid congregation Family-Trip to Israel | Summer 2025

Activities:

• Shalom! Morning arrival at Ben Gurion airport - After your arrival procedures you will meet your guide and driver at the airport and transfer to Tel Aviv.

• Walk on the beach, feel the soft sand and appreciate the moment

• Welcome and She'echeyanu at Ha'pisga Garden - With the beautiful view of the Old City, Mediterranean sea and Tel Aviv skyline - 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.

• Israeli street food lunch

• Check-in to the hotel

• Walk along the Independence Trail - The trail was 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.

• 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 the hotel - Every morning you will enjoy a delicious Israeli buffet breakfast at the 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.

• Free time at The Carmel Marekt and 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.

• Authentic lunch and a speaker at Battae Ethiopian Heritage Center - Battae Center is devoted to the preservation of Ethiopian culture. "We aim to be a positive force in this world. We tell the mystical story of a people returning home, a story of struggle and perseverance. A story of peoplehood that goes back thousands of years. We tell the story of our family and the story of the Jewish people, history from 2000 years of dispersion, to our miraculous ingathering back home, in Israel. And we tell this story from a very special, unique and often less-known the Ethiopian Jewish perspective."

• Express yourself through a fun graffiti tour and workshop - A dynamic tour in the colorful neighborhood of Florentine, Tel Aviv’s most bohemian and upbeat neighborhood, and learn about contemporary Israeli culture through the art on the walls. Conclude your day with a fun graffiti workshop, and express your creativity and message.

• Free afternoon & beach time.

• Dinner on your own - We will be happy to give restaurants recommendations and assist with making reservations upon request.

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel & check-out.

• Begin with a tour of the impressive Caesarea National Park - On the Mediterranean coast, Caesarea is one of Israel’s most impressive archeological sites. Explore the 2,000-year-old Roman theater, Crusader harbor and 12th-century ramparts. 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. 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.

• Lunch break at Caesarea Port - (meal not included)

• 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, hear about the strong bond between the Druze community to the State of Israel. (meal included)

• Travel to the hotel and check-in.

• North

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel.

• Begin your day with a 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.

• Fun rafting adventure along the Jordan River - Row through one of the most beautiful spots in Israel, amongst the plants, trees, and small water rapids in the middle of this beautiful Galilee nature reserve. For a real thrill - at the end of the route, you'll have the opportunity to slide down into the water of the Jordan River by a zipline!

• Lunch break on route - (meal not included)

• Lookout over the border - Stop at a lookout point in a northern town which provides great panoramas of the Hula valley, the Hermon Mountain, and especially of the Lebanese side of the border. Get a geo-political brief for a better understanding of the current events in the region and the historical background of the borders.

• Woodsong Harp Workshop - In Rosh Pina, enjoy a musical experience with harp maker Peter Isacowitz who founded Woodsong Harps and fulfilled his lifelong dream. In this musical workshop, Pete will play on and explain about the various instruments he built.

• Dinner at the hotel dining room - (meal included)

• Conclude your day with a fun art workshop - Go wild with your imagination and create your own little creature, animal, or bird from a large variety of materials from nature!

• North

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel & check-out.

• Visit Tzippori National Park - The town was once the capital of the Galilee, the seat of the Sanhedrin, and the place where the Mishna was completed. At Tzippori, view the ruins, visit the ancient synagogue, and admire the ancient mosaic floors to see how native species have been part of the national iconography for centuries. Imagine yourself in the seat of the early commentators and add your own commentary on the ancient text, in a Havruta learning. (the subject and sources will be prepared in advance)

• In Kfar Kedem go back in time - Experience the lifestyle of our ancestors – dress like the Israelites, go on a fun donkey riding, Pita baking and a “Hafla” – authentic meal.

• After lunch drive to Jerusalem.

• Welcome to Jerusalem - a magnificent lookout from Mt. Scopus - (in Hebrew: Har Hatzofim), is one of the tallest hills surrounding Jerusalem. The name “scopus” means a vantage point, and the lookout post on the edge of this hill is the place to go for the finest views of the Old City, the Dome of the Rock, and the sprawl of New Jerusalem.

• Check-in to the hotel and get ready for Shabbat

• Kabbalat Shabbat as a community overlooking the view of the Old City and the beautiful Yemin Moshe Neighberghood - Optional: add a musician for a musical Kabbalat Shabbat - not included in price / join a local community for their Shabbat evening services.

• Shabbat dinner at the hotel - Optional: invite lone soldiers to join your community for dinner and share their stories.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at your hotel

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

• Enjoy a relaxed free time - Time to meet relatives and friends. Optional for those who don't keep Shabbat: visit the Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book.(Tickets and transfers are not included)

• Guest speaker at the hotel or an activity led by the Rabbi and tour leaders - For example: the Israeli spirit and resilience, or a geo-political brief from an expert or a talk with an Israeli author (suitable for adults), Learning the Parasha together - hevrutah parents and kids, The Changing Map of the Middle East with Joe Perlov and other ideas that can be discussed.

• Lunch on your own - (meal not included)

• Afternoon tour of the picturesque 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 and the Old City Walls. Built in 1859–1860, it was the first area of Jewish settlement in Jerusalem outside the Old City walls. Magical and mysterious Jerusalem has always attracted writers, poets, and intellectuals, who in their words made it Jerusalem of Gold. Walking tour of the early neighborhoods through the eyes and poetry of Yehuda Amichai and others.

• Havdalah ceremony - farewell to the Shabbat and usher in the new week

• Group Dinner at a local restaurant.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Early breakfast and drive to the Judean Desert

• Tour Masada - Ascend the mountain by cable car to explore Masada fortress, combining natural beauty and deep meaning. Explore the impressive excavations that reveal secrets of daily life in the fortress, hear about the scene of the epic stand by Jewish rebels at the end of the Great Revolt against Rome on the 2nd Century, and how the site became one of Israel’s most important symbols. At the ancient synagogue have a special meeting with a scribe, see the unique artwork of writing a Torah, continuing what the Romans wanted to stop 2,000 years ago.

• Ein Gedi Nature Hike - Nahal David beautiful desert oasis, is a spectacular water hike for all ages. Trails in a range of levels of difficulty take you alongside and through the cool, fresh waters, down waterfalls, along sheer cliffs, and past lush greenery and invasive species. According to tradition, David sought refuge from King Saul, and his courage and leadership are commemorated here. If you’re both quiet and lucky, you might even glimpse the sure-footed ibex and other local animals.

• Picnic lunch - (meal included)

• Dead Sea time to swim and float - 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. 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.

• Proceed back to Jerusalem.

• Free evening and dinner on your own - (meal not included)

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel.

• Visit Yad Vashem Israel’s National Memorial to the Holocaust - Tour the outdoor commemorative sites to the darkest moment in world and Jewish history, including the powerful Children’s Memorial and the Avenue of the Righteous. From its dramatic structure designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie – and which cuts through the mountain in the form of a spike – to its powerful Museum of Holocaust Art, Yad Vashem is an unforgettable place of tribute and remembrance.

• Tasting tour in Machane Yehuda Market - After a meaningful morning focusing on our past, we will head to the present and experience the vibrant life of Jerusalem in the modern day. In the heart of the city, at a bustling multi-ethnic market bursting with life, immerse yourself in the world of Middle Eastern cuisine as you indulge in a tasting tour through the market. Learn about the market's rich history, and meet the vendors who bring this place to life. (the tastings will replace lunch)

• Adults' dessert: 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

• Giving back - volunteer at Metzilot Mazon - The Jerusalem Food Rescuers, aims to create a more just and sustainable urban food system with less waste. Working with the wholesale market, they divert surplus produce that would have otherwise gone to waste and support communities that don’t have equitable access to food. Join them on their mission by sorting out fruit and vegetables that will be rescued and donated to the needy and get inspired to be more sustainable in your home.

• Group dinner at Café Shalva - 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. Graduates of Shalva work at the café, and the café’s profits go back to the center to support its programs.

• Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel & check-out.

• Shacharit at Ezrat Yisrael - Start your last day of your Israel journey with Shacharit prayers together as a community at the Egalitarian Kotel.

• 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.

• 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.

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

• Closing session at Kol HaOt - Now is your opportunity to reflect on the time you’ve spent in Israel and to share the experiences, sites, and people you’ll want to remember most after you’ve returned home. With the "Kol HaOt" team, we will explore the personal meaning of Israel using colors and symbols to give ourselves and our fellow participants a visual picture of what this journey meant to us.

• Free time and break before dinner in downtown Jerusalem (time permitting)

• Farewell group dinner

• Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport and fly back home

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