MJDS 8th Grade Trip- May 2024

Activities:

• Arrive at Ben Gurion airport - Upon arrival at the airport, you will be met by a VIP service representative, who will greet you at the sleeve of the plane with an MJDS welcome sign. The agent will escort you through passport control and baggage claim to assist with identifying and collecting your luggage. After clearing customs, you will be escorted outside of the terminal to meet your guide and driver.

• Set out from the airport

• Stop for lunch at the Mashav Food Trucks

• Drive to the Dead Sea area - Depending on your arrival time make an additional stop on the way to the Dead Sea if time permits.

• Check into the hotel - Meet as a group to talk about trip expectations and ground rules.

• Dinner at the hotel

• Ein Gedi Hostel

Activities:

• Early snack before setting off for Masada

• Sunsrise hike at Masada National Park - Hike up the snake path and tour King Herod’s private fortress which, following the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 BCE, became a base for a small band of Jewish zealots in revolt against the Romans. Although the rebels held their own, they were eventually overcome by siege, and according to historian Josephus, chose mass suicide over surrender. Masada has come to symbolize the fierce determination of the people of Israel, but its tragic history also raises questions about the price of freedom. Descend by Cable Car.

• Descend Masada by cable car

• Return to hotel for breakfast and check out

• Dead Sea Hotel lunch & swim - 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.

• Visit Sde Boker and the grave of Ben Gurion - Israel’s first Prime Minister, whose vision for settling the desert continues to bloom today. Throughout the day, you’ll see his vision come to life.

• Desert dinner in a Bedouin-style tent

• Sde Boker Field School

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Dig for a Day at 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.

• Lunch stop- pizur- along the way

• Drive to Khan Sha'ar ha-Gai - Khan​ Sha’ar Hagai National Heritage Site, also known as Bab el-Wad, is a national memorial site. The khan, which was built as a wayside inn during the Ottoman period, is situated in the narrow opening of Wadi Nahshon on the main road connecting the lowlands with Jerusalem. This road saw fierce battles during the War of Independence, and in memory of the men and women who took part in them, a heritage center was established in the khan, dedicated to those who broke through the road to Jerusalem.

• City of David - Visit the excavation of the City of David where King David captured a Jebusite citadel to build his capital. The city was well fortified with its own water source and Jerusalem was a perfect site for the new kind of national state that David envisaged.

• Stop at the Western Wall - Proceed to the Kotel (The Western Wall), sacred 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. Place your special and personal prayer in the cracks of the stones.

• Pizur dinner on Ben Yehuda Street

• Ibis Styles Jerusalem City Center

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Early morning visit to Mahane Yehuda- free time and buy snacks for Shabbat - In the heart of Jerusalem sits this bustling, multi-ethnic market bursting with life, art, and flavor. A tasting tour through 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. Meal included

• 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.

• 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.

• Pizzur lunch at First Station

• Prepare for Shabbat

• Kabbalat Shabbat Service

• Shabbat Dinner at the hotel

• Ibis Styles Jerusalem City Center

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Morning at Sacher Park - spend time running around, playing soccer/football at the park, meet guests who want to visit the group

• Lunch at the hotel - After lunch will be an afternoon for guests to visit and time at the park.

• In the Old City: Visit the Muslim and Christian Quarters

• Havdalah followed by Pizur dinner on Ben Yehuda

• Ibis Styles Jerusalem City Center

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Druze Cooking Workshop and meal - 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.

• Continue to Tzfat - Explore Tzfat which 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.

• Drive to Sovev Kinnert for a celebratory welcome!

• Arrival at Kadoori- Celebratory welcome and pizza dinner

• Nof Ginosar Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Day to be coordinated by Kadoori Partnership

• Nadav Raimond Spring - Meet Nadav’s mom or Dad and learn about the impact he had as a person both during his life and after his death.

• Agamon HaHula Biking with Kadoorie partners - The Hula Valley is part of the northern Syrian African Rift Valley which stretches as far south as Mozambique in Africa. Each migration season, over 500 million birds travel through the Hula Lake. This wetland paradise is the perfect stopover for small waterbirds, cormorants, herons, pelicans, raptors, storks, and cranes.

• Travel back to Kadoorie for lunch - Lunch to be coordinated by the Kadoorie partners.

• Travel to host families for Kadoorie Home Hospitality dinner - Split up into groups and visit the homes of the Kadoorie partners for dinner. Get a chance to experience their everyday life and connect with their families in a special way.

• Nof Ginosar Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Check out of the hotel

• Short hike to the Keshet Cave - The Keshet Cave (also known as the Rainbow cave or Arch cave) in the Galilee, is one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the land of Israel. Not only is the large natural arch with the shallow cave beneath it a pleasure to see, it also attracts hundreds of extreme sports enthusiasts who like to rappel from the arch down to the cave floor below. For those really looking for a thrill, dropping off the side of the cave and swinging under the arch with just the rope between you and the forests way down below is an unforgettable experience!

• 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.

• Continue to Akko and tour and pizur lunch - 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.

• Drive to Tel Aviv and check into the hotel

• Pizur dinner at Sarona Market - Sarona was a German Templers colony established north of Jaffa during the Ottoman period in 1871. In the past decade, Sarona has been revitalized as a commercial center with a modern food market at its center.

• The Spot Hostel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Begin the day in 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.

• Pizur lunch in Jaffa

• 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.

• Beach time!

• Pizur dinner

• The Spot Hostel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• 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.

• Pizur lunch in the Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel) - The Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel), is 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 secret, stories, and legends of this culinary destination. Enjoy tastes of the market throughout the tour.

• Independence Trail Interactive Activity - 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.

• Pizza dinner and wrap up

• Depart for airport