MJDS Staff Trip- June 2023

Activities:

• Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport - You will be greeted at the Airport by your guide and driver who will welcome you and you'll set off on your journey!

• Stop at a spot overlooking Jerusalem - Say Shehechiyanu to bless the beginning of your journey together in Israel!

• Drive to the Dead Sea area

• Welcome dinner

• Masada or Ein Gedi Youth Hostel

Activities:

• Early snack before setting off for Masada

• Hike up the snake path or take the cable car up Masada National Park - 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.

• Swim in the Dead Sea and lunch

• Visit the grave of David Ben-Gurio - Ben Gurion was Israel’s first Prime Minister, whose vision for settling the desert is continuing to bloom. Throughout the tour you’ll see his vision come to life.

• Evening Desert Dinner in the Bedouin-style tent

• Mashabe Sade Kibbutz Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast and early check out at the hotel

• Grisha Yakubovich - Stop at key lookout points for an in-depth discussion of the complexity of the Gaza Border situation. Grisha Yakubovich served in the Israel Defence Forces for 30 years, ending his career as Head of the Civil Coordination Department of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT). He now consults and guides educational tour of the Gaza Border and the West Bank.

• Netiv HaAsara - Striving for Peace at Netiv Haasarah, a moshav on the western border of Israel with the Gaza Strip. Visit the Peace Wall on the border. Meet Tsamaret Zamir, an artist and the creator of the project who will talk about life in the moshav in the shadow of the ongoing security situation – and about the hope of a good and peaceful future. Choose a colorful optimistic tile on which to write a personal wish and later glue to the border wall.

• Falafel lunch

• 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.

• Drive to Jerusalem

• Dinner on your own

• Montefiore Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Tour the Jewish Quarter - The Jewish Quarter is best known for the Western Wall, but there’s a lot more to see and do here. See archaeological finds from First and Second Temple periods, Roman ruins, and vibrant synagogues, learning institutions which jostle for space in these busy stone streets. The central plaza offers an excellent place to contemplate the power this quarter holds for so many.

• Lunch on your own

• Explore what’s under the Kotel through the Kotel Tunnels Tour - The Western Wall is impressive, but its greatness is truly discovered when you descend underground to the Western Wall Tunnels. The tunnels run along approximately 488 meters (1601ft) of the Western Wall, giving visitors a taste for the challenge that stood before Herod the Great during this biggest of all his immense building projects - the expansion of the Temple Mount.

• Walk through the Southern Wall Archaeological Gardens - Visit the Davidson Visitors' Center and enjoy a modern, interactive virtual presentation. The museum presents a taste of the archaeology of Jerusalem from different eras - covering the First Temple, Second Temple, Byzantine, Islamic, and the Crusades periods.

• Explore Machane Yehuda Market - In the heart of Jerusalem, a bustling multi-ethnic market bursting with life, art, and flavor, a tasting tour through Mahane 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. You'll have tastes along the way.

• Dinner at Hatzot - Two brothers, Abraham and Michael Ajami founded this landmark family restaurant in 1970. Located in one of the older neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Legend has it that Meurav Yerushalmi - the favorite Israeli mixed grill dish - was born at Hatzot Restaurant.

• Eyal Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Guided tour of Yad Vashem - Yad Vashem is Israel’s National Memorial to the Holocaust. Tour this memorial to the darkest moment in 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 educational staff.

• Workshop with Kol HaOt - 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.

• Lunch on your own

• Free time

• Kabbalat Shabbat

• Shabbat of a Life Time - The Shabbat of a Lifetime program offers an opportunity for incoming tourists of all backgrounds to experience an authentic Shabbat (Jewish Sabbath) at the home of a host family in the heart of Jerusalem. Shabbat of a Lifetime participants receive an informative introduction to Shabbat while dining on a five-course meal with their hosts.

• Eyal Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Shabbat morning Tefilot at Kehillat Har El - Shabbat dinner at the hotel

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

• Optional walking tour in Yemin Moshe or another neighborhood - Yemin Moshe was established with the financial support of British Jewish banker Moses Montefiore in 1891 outside Jerusalem's Old City as a solution to the overcrowding and unsanitary conditions inside the walls. The original houses were built with a wall around them and a gate that was locked at night. Montefiore left an indelible mark on the Jerusalem landscape by building the landmark Montefiore Windmill in Yemin Moshe. Walk through this special neighborhood.

• Rest and visiting time

• Havdalah with MJDS friends in Israel

• Dinner on your own

• Eyal Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Dany Tirza - Tour the greater Jerusalem area with Colonel Danny Tirza, Security Expert and architect of the Security Barrier. View the city from many angles and engage in a conversation about the complexity of the barrier.

• 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 23,000-odd soldiers and civilians killed in combat or by terrorism since the founding of the state.

• Biblical lunch and tour at Neot Kedumim - Neot Kedumim, the Biblical Landscape Reserve in Israel, is a unique endeavor to re-create the physical setting of the Bible in all its depth and detail. Try your hand at shepherding a small herd of sheep and goats. Understand why many Biblical leaders, including Moses and David led animals before leading people.

• Givat Haviva Co-existence program - Dinner on your own

• Drive north to Sovev Kinnert for a celebratory welcome! - Dinner with partnership

• Degania Bet

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Easy hike with partner teachers in Nahal Amud - Nahal Amud has it all- gorgeous scenery, a beautiful trail, water, and history. Hike this trail and take part in the national pastime of Israel!

• Partnership activities-lunch included - Get to know Milwaukee's partners in the Sovev Kinneret

• Ilan Shulman - Merom Golan - Take a geo-political tour of the Golan with an expert. While traversing the rich landscape, learn about the history, flora, and fauna of the area. Stop for a lookout over the border with Syria from Mt. Bental to get a better understanding of the geography and strategical role this region has for the State of Israel. Your local guide touches on the nuances of living so close to the Syrian border and what that has meant for Israel as it relates to security and humanitarian issues.

• Afternoon and evening in Home Hospitality

• Degania Bet

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Drive to Akko - The ancient city of Akko, on the Mediterranean, is one of the oldest ports in the world, a city shared by Jews and Muslims. Walk narrow streets past towering ramparts, deep moats, green domes, venerable synagogues, slender Muslim minarets, secret passageways. Discover the subterranean city built in the Middle Ages by the Crusaders beneath Akko. Learn about the city’s ancient history as well as its important role in Israel’s modern history.

• Akko Tunisian Synagogue - The Ohr Torah Tunian synagogue in Akko is unique even in a land of synagogues. Built by a community of Tunisian Jews from Djerba, it offers four stories of glorious mosaics and stained-glass windows both inside and out, showing a varied range of stories, plants, and animals.

• Druze cooking workshop - 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.

• Drive to Tel Aviv and check into your hotel

• Nahalat Binyamin Arts and Crafts Market - Visit Nachlat 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, various metals with most if not all containing materials or themes found only in Israel.

• Dinner on your own in the Carmel Market

• Tel-Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Tour Old Jaffa - On a walk through Jaffa, discover the ancient and modern situated side-by-side. Stroll through the alleyways of the Old City filled with artist studios as well as archaeological discoveries. Discover which Jewish and Christian stories took place in the city.

• Continue to Neve Tzedek - Neve Tzedek, 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. They were looking to head out of the ever-growing and over-crowded Jaffa, to build what was considered back than modern and comfortable housing. In recent years, after a period of neglect, the neighborhood was resorted and became a trendy fun beautiful part of the city and a good place to try some Israeli Gelato!

• Lunch on your own

• Visit key stops on the Independence Trail - Inspired by the Freedom Trail in Boston, the new Independence Trail follows 10 stops of Tel Aviv’s heritage sites learning about 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.

• Visit ANU Museum of the Jewish People - In June 2021, after ten years of planning and construction, the largest Jewish museum in the world opened its doors. You’re invited to join a fascinating journey that portrays the story of the Jewish people through the generations and up to the present time. The Museum represents all parts of the Jewish people and highlights the creative works and cultural riches of a variety of communities in different periods of history. This story is about all of us and each and every one of us is part of it.

• Dinner at a restaurant

• Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Graffiti Tour - Explore Florentine on an urban Graffiti Tour. Who are the people going out at night and changing the face of the neighborhood? What kind of story do these images and words tell us about the people living there? What is unique about graffiti in Israel and in Tel Aviv? We will walk through Florentine, the neighborhood of Tel Aviv best-known for graffiti art to answer these questions and many more in a dynamic and inquisitive tour.

• 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.

• Free time

• Final dinner at Gueta - On Jaffa's Jerusalem Boulevard, across from the Gesher Theater, Gueta restaurant keeps to its traditional Tripoli style of cooking, using old recipes that have been passed through generations.