North Shore Congregation Israel Women’s Trip

Activities:

• Arrival at Ben Gurion airport - Transfers and VIP arrival services can be arranged at your request.

• Transfer to Jerusalem - Check into your hotel

• Shehechiyanu at the Montefiore Windmill, overlooking the Old City and the Judean Desert - Gather with your guide to meet and say Shehechiyanu to bless the beginning of your journey together in Israel! Meet your guide and talk about your hopes for the trip.

• Opening dinner at Meshek Offaimme - At Offaime Restaurant you are invited to savor the food and take part in the move to flavorful, organic, and environmentally conscious agriculture. The restaurant focuses on handmade produce that is crafted slowly using traditional techniques to create food that is tasty and healthy and packaged with complete respect for the environment and for the people who take part in the creative process. The restaurant's unique setting in Beit Hansen brings another element to the experience - it sits in one of the first hospitals established in Jerusalem in the mid-19th century, by the Joint Anglican-German Protestant Community in Jerusalem.

• Orient Hotel Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Opening program at Feel Beit with Director Karen Brunwasser - Feel Beit is a cultural home for creating art, expanding perspectives, and imagining new ways forward for Jerusalem. "We are a group of Israelis and Palestinians who create art and music to bridge divides in Jerusalem. Everything we present is rooted in love for the diverse people of this place. We are driven by the conviction that when all else breaks down, art and music must break through." Mekudeshet is an award-winning, cultural organization that creates original art and music to reimagine Jerusalem from being a center of conflict into a laboratory for connections between people of all kinds.

• Continue with Feel Beit's Dissolving Boundaries Program - The Dissolving Boundaries Tour invites you to join real people from Jerusalem on an adventure across perspectives, passions, and divides. You are the protagonist on the journey, which begins in your home, travels through inspiring voices and places in Jerusalem, and constantly finds its way back into your reality. Dissolving Boundaries celebrates the courage, ingenuity and stirring humanity of regular people in an extraordinary place, and asks you to discover the boundary dissolver within yourself.

• Lunch will be part of the Dissolving Boundaries Tour

• Meet Leaders of the Israel Religious Action Center - The Israel Religious Action Center, the Reform Movement's agency in Israel for securing civil rights for a just and egalitarian Israel based on Israeli law and Jewish tradition. Meet leaders of the organization and discuss their work in Israel and how they are bringing a Reform voice to Israeli politics and social justice.

• Appetizer tour in Machane Yehuda Market - In the heart of Jerusalem sits this bustling, multi-ethnic market bursting with life, art, and flavor. Enjoy the hustle and bustle with all the rich fragrances, colors, and sounds this iconic Jerusalem market offers.

• Dinner at Hatzot Restaurant - Hatzot is a part of Jerusalem’s history. Two brothers, Abraham and Michael Ajami founded this landmark family restaurant in 1970. Legend has it that Meurav Yerushalmi - the favorite Israeli mixed grill dish - was born at Hatzot Restaurant.

• Orient Hotel Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Hear the story of women throughout history who have left their mark on Jerusalem's Old City - "Meet" women like Naomi Shemer who wrote song "Jerusalem of Gold." Observe the Al-Aqsa Mosque that tells of Aisha, Muhammad's third wife- also called "Mother of Believers." Visit a women-owned bakery in the Muslim Quarter. Hear the story of Mary, mother of Jesus, Learn about Esther Arditi the "Angel in White" who was a nurse caring for troops in battles for the Old City during the War of Independence. Consider what these women and others have in common because of Jerusalem. During your time in Jerusalem you'll touch upon women who are commemorated and made their marks on other parts of the city as well.

• Old City Tasting Tour - Walk through the Muslim and Christian Quarters of the Old City seeing the historical and religious sites. See some off-the-beaten track sites in the winding alleyways and enjoy some Jerusalem delicacies. We will have a “taste of history” that interweaves stories and anecdotes, historical information, and, of course, combines the senses of smell, taste, and sound.

• Conversation with Rabbi Dalia Marx - Rabbi Dalia Marx, Ph.D., is Professor of Liturgy and Midrash at HUC-JIR’s Taube Family Campus in Jerusalem, and teaches in various academic institutions in Israel and Europe. Marx, a tenth generation Jerusalemite, earned her doctorate at the Hebrew University and her rabbinic ordination at HUC-JIR in Jerusalem and Cincinnati in 2002. She is involved in various research projects and is active in promoting liberal Judaism in Israel. Marx writes for academic and popular journals and publications.

• Purim Baking Workshop - A unique hands-on workshop for Purim to prepare together 6 traditional foods for Purim from the variety of culinary cultures in Jerusalem.

• Dinner on your own

• Orient Hotel Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Visit the Knesset or the Supreme Court- meeting with MK pending avilability - 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.

• Continue to meet Nurit Hertz and delve into her natural worldFarm to Table - Mata - In the lushness of Mate Yehuda, meet Nurit Hertz in her natural habitat- the outdoors. Nura will teach you identify edible plants then you'll cook a delicious lunch with these fresh greens.

• Sindayanna of the Galilee - Sindyanna of Galilee, a female-led non-profit that actively promotes the concepts of “business for peace” and Fair Trade in Israel. Sindyanna’s premium products are sold in the international marketplace according to Fair Trade principles with the profit being channeled back locally to Arab women’s education. Taste their excellent olive oil and learn about the craft of basket weaving that they teach women in order for them to earn money.

• Continue north - Check into your hotel

• Dinner at the hotel

• Mitzpe Hayamim Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Begin the day with a group morning service, Shacharit at the magnificent Um el Kanatir - Um el Kanatir, also known as Ein Keshatot, is home to a Jewish village from the Period of the Mishna and Talmud, with a magnificent synagogue in its center. Enter a synagogue that features the original Ark Complex – the most preserved and magnificent ever to be discovered in Israel. The synagogue was excavated and reconstructed with advanced technological methods, and today it stands at a height of one story. The Ein Keshatot site also offers a visit to the village spring, which flows into ancient pools, surrounded by shaded areas.

• See through the eyes of Dikla Laor - Meet Dikla Laor in her home studio. Laor brings the stories of female biblical figures to life through the camera lens, embarking on a unique project to imagine these characters’ appearances, dress, and demeanor against breathtaking backdrops. Her “Biblical Women Series” includes the “first woman,” Eve, the Jewish matriarchs – Sarah, Rivka (Rebecca), Leah and Rachel – Lot’s wife, the Queen of Sheba, the prophetess Deborah, and Jezebel, and more. Meet Dikla in her home and see her work.

• Wine and Cheese light lunch at Tel Winery - Tel Winery is a woman-owned micro boutique winery, offering intimate tours led by the passionate and knowledgeable Lital. All wines are single varietal, made exclusively from Northern Golan grapes and feature high acidity and fruits flavors which provide for a refreshing sip.

• Take a geo-political jeep tour of the Golan with a security 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 strategic 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.

• Time at the hotel to enjoy the facilities

• Dinner at the beautiful home of Chef Gadi Elias - Elias creates a holistic culinary and cultural experience of Galilee cooking.

• Mitzpe Hayamim Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Check out of the hotel

• 8:00 Early departure to Tel Aviv

• Tour Jaffa with an emphasis on the dual narrative the city tells - 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.

• Stop at Maskit, Israel's first fashion house - Conceived in 1954 by Ruth Dayan, Maskit made contemporary luxury clothing utilizing traditional embroidery techniques from Hungarian, Yemenite, Bulgarian, Bedouin, Palestinian, Druze, Lebanese and Jewish artisans. The resulting works of art created more than jobs for immigrants; a brand was born.

• Lunch on your own

• Check into your hotel-time to get ready for Shabbat

• Optional- Nachalat Binyamin - Nachalat Binyamin Arts and Crafts fair takes place every Tuesday and Friday in Tel Aviv. Each day artists display and sell their crafts surrounded by a beautiful, historical buildings, many in the process of being preserved.

• Kabbalat Shabbat and Home Hospitality with a local Reform congregation

• Isrotel Royal Beach Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Everything Art - Tours and more with Shirel Horovitz - During this dynamic tour with Shirel Horovitz we'll figure out what makes Israeli art what it is and learn about its relationship with the Zionist narrative as well as the international art world. Tour the extensive Israeli collection at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and visually explore the Israeli narrative from the early 20th century until today. Alongside her art practice, Shirel lectures, leads art tours, teaches art and is an art consultant to a variety of private groups and institutions among them Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Alma Hebrew college, Classrooms Without Borders, Ashdod Museum of Art, Azrieli LTD, Hartman institute and more.
  
  Following the Museum tour you will visit several galleries.

• In private setting indulge in a Jewish Shabbat Brunch - Enjoy the variety of classic ethnic foods that are part of the Shabbat day meal. These dishes are brought directly from the homes in which the food was cooked for families that share their heritage and flavors.

• Afternoon speaker/discussion - Speaker suggestions: Stav Shaffir, Mamanet Founder Orna Abramovitch- Women's empowerment international sports league, Member of Forum Dvora, a non-partisan, non-profit NGO with an active network of professional women in an array of fields relating to Israel's national security

• Havdalah on the beach-Usher out Shabbat as a group

• Dinner on your own

• Isrotel Royal Beach Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Rosh Chodesh Adar service and visit to ANU Museum of the Jewish People - 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. At the museum, bless the new month with local women.

• Sabich lunch on the go

• Giborot Walking Tour- The Women who Built Tel Aviv - From the early days of the establishment of Tel Aviv as the first Hebrew city, women have played a key role in building the foundation. Walk through lesser- known streets of Tel Aviv and learn about Golda Meir, Rachel the Poet, Tzina Dizingoff, Ahuva Ozeri, and others who were the movers and shakers that were part of making this city so great.

• Visit Kuchinate - Travel to colorful Kuchinate: African Refugee Women’s Cooperative, for a coffee ceremony and to hear the story of this incredible social start-up. Meet founders Diddy Mymin Kahn and Sister Aziza, who have turned the lives of refugee women around by empowering them to find their voices and regain their dignity after very difficult life circumstances.

• Meet the life-changing company KitePride - KitePride is an Israeli, Tel Aviv based fashion social enterprise. They create functional, one-of-a-kind BAGS from upcycled kitesurfing kites, sails, parachutes, and wetsuits in order to provide jobs to survivors of human trafficking and prostitution. Through each bag sold, continuous jobs are created and fabric is saved from landfill.

• Final dinner at Claro - Chef Ran Shmueli is one of Israel’s most respected veteran chefs who has led innovative culinary ventures for the last 25 years. Claro (“clear” in Spanish) is chef Shmueli’s first restaurant. Claro is not just a restaurant; it’s a place of entertainment, providing an experience that embodies all of Shmueli, and his staffs, knowledge in hospitality and event planning. It is a relaxed venue for social gathering and offers a warm atmosphere, good music, and a superb dining experience.

• Transfer to the airport