Ronnie Malka Women’s Trip- April-May 2025

Activities:

• Arrival to Ben Gurion Airport - VIP services and transfers can be arranged upon request.

• Opening Circle on the beach - Say Shehechiyanu to bless the beginning of your journey. Meet your guide and get to know one another.

• Opening Dinner at Ha'Achim - Haachim, located on Ibn Gvirol offers a spin on the middle eastern cuisine by modernizing classic dishes. At the beginning of the 2023 Hamas-Israel War the owner of Ha'Achim restaurant applied for an received a temporary Kashrut certificate so that they could cook and deliver food to IDF soldiers! The restaurant offers a spin on middle eastern cuisine by modernizing classic dishes.

• Tal Hotel, Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Begin the day with Jessica Steinberg- Where is Israel Today? - Jessica Steinberg is the culture editor at the Times of Israel, covering Israeli life, culture, food, travel and business.

• Building Resilience- 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. Today you will participate in the Jewish Resilience Project beginning with a conversation “In October 7 and its Aftermath: Mending the Broken Jewish Story to Find Our Resilience” followed by a Gallery Experience: “Highs and Lows: How the Jewish People tell the Everlasting Story.”

• Carmel Market Tasting Tour with Adeena Sussman - A culinary tasting tour and cultural experience in the Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel), the largest market in Tel Aviv and Adeena’s backyard and daily stomping ground. Touring the market reveals the diversity of Tel Aviv’s food culture and culinary traditions. Meet Adeena’s friends in the market and hear her story of how the Carmel Shuk played a huge role in her acclimation to life in Israel and inspired her bestselling cookbooks, Sababa and Shabbat. Through the delicious authentic tasting tour, its secrets and legends will be revealed to you. (The tasting tour replaces lunch)

• Volunteering at MOLET - Sustainable Workshops & Design - At the onset of the war, MOLET began focusing on meeting the needs of evacuees. Volunteer and build functional equipment that evacuees need in their temporary homes. MOLET is a sustainable and modular way of thinking about furniture using upcycled wooden pallets.

• Dinner and evening on your own

• Tal Hotel, Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Drive to Kibbutz Magal for a focus on Olive Oil and Technology - Visit Netafim, the world-renowned agricultural entrepreneurship (irrigation methods) and Kibbutz Magal’s development of its olive and almond agricultural and production center, a global leader in quality and health. While touring the greenhouses, you will hear from experts on the growing process and Israeli agri-tech solutions, then you will taste a variety of excellent olive oils.

• Wine tasting at Somek Winery - Visit Somek Winery in Zichron for a wine tasting. Somek is a small family winery using only grapes grown in the family’s vineyards and featuring several local varieties of grapes.

• Enjoy Ramat HaNadiv - Ramat Hanadiv combines formal gardens, an extensive nature reserve presenting the native plants and wildlife of the Carmel, and an eco-friendly visitors’ center for environmental education. The gardens are named after Baron Edmund James de Rothchild (1845-1934), who was a major and pivotal supporter of the Zionist movement in its early years ("Hanadiv" - the generous, the philanthropist). Around the park are different hiking trails and easy walking paths, some archeological relics, and in its center - the burial ground of Baron de Rothschild and his wife, Ada.

• Druze cooking workshop and meal - Together with your hosts in their private home, prepare traditional Druze Galilean dishes and then enjoy a meal of the foods you learned to cook. 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.

• Return to Tel Aviv

• Dinner at the hotel

• Join the public observance of Yom Hazikaron - The normally vibrant, bustling Tel Aviv slows down significantly on Erev Yom HaZikaron. Restaurants, cafes, and entertainment venues close, and the atmosphere is one of reflection rather than celebration. Attend one of the public memorial ceremonies which will include performances of traditional Israeli songs of remembrance and patriotism.

• Tal Hotel, Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Morning walk on the promenade

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Get ready for the day

• Observe Yom HaZikaron at a local school - Attend a Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Memorial Day) ceremony at a local school, a solemn and respectful event dedicated to honoring Israel's fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism. The ceremony will begin with a 2-minute siren that is heard throughout the country,

• Time for lunch 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. Explore the area's history and enjoy tastings in the market.

• The Story of Israeli Art - During this dynamic tour with Shirel Horovitz, understand 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. Shirel earned her BFA from Bezalel Academy in Jerusalem, and her MA from the interdisciplinary art program in Tel Aviv University. Her works were exhibited in museums and galleries in Israel and the U.S.

• Free time

• Early dinner at a restaurant - We will need to see what is open this evening

• Erev Yom Haatzmaut Celebration - Yom Ha'atzmaut is a mix of reflection on Israel's history and a joyful celebration of its existence, and Tel Aviv’s cosmopolitan atmosphere makes it one of the most exciting places to experience the holiday.

• Tal Hotel, Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Airforce Flyover - Start your day by witnessing the Yom Ha'atzmaut Flyover Air Show. Annually, the Israeli Air Force soars over the country to commemorate Israel's Independence. Join the locals at the beach for prime viewing and immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere of celebration.

• "Al Ha-Esh" Yom Haatzmaut BBQ - Partake in the national pastime and join the rest of Israel as barbeques happen throughout the country

• Time at the Beach or other

• Most of Tel Aviv's museums are open and free to the public on Yom Haatzmaut

• Free evening and dinner on your own in Tel Aviv

• Tal Hotel, Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Check out of the hotel

• Graffiti Tour - What stories do these images and words tell about the what has happened in Israel since October 7? What social issues are reflected in the art on the walls? What is unique about graffiti in Israel and Tel Aviv specifically? In this dynamic tour through Florentin, Tel Aviv's best-known neighborhood for graffiti, you will answer these questions, share your interpretations, and gain an appreciation for this expressive form of art.

• Depart Tel Aviv

• Farm to Table - Nura at Mata - Together with your guide Nura get to know local, wild food from nature. Our ancestors have been foraging wild plants in the Judean Hills since Biblical times, and today our guides will help us connect the dots between Jewish and Israeli history, culture, and identity through wild, foraged food. Nura will teach us how each plant can be used both in the kitchen and for medicinal purposes, and help us gather local plants to be used in our meal.

• Check into the hotel - Time to prepare for Shabbat

• Kabbalat Shabbat at a local synagogue or with the group

• Shabbat dinner at the home of Chef Rabbi Josh - Rabbi Josh and his family welcome you into their home for a homecooked Shabbat dinner. Rabbi Josh is a Talmud scholar, a documentary filmmaker, a registered tour guide and specialty chef at Jerusalem’s iconic Tmol Shilshom Restaurant.

• Harmony Hotel, Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Old City Tour - Tour Jerusalem’s Old City and meet the people and places that make this place so unique. explore Jewish history in the Jewish Quarter, spanning from the First Temple era to the present. Visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in the Christian Quarter and, and elve into the complexity of a city sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

• 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.

• Rest time

• Walking tour of the German Colony or other - Taking its name from German Templars who settled the area in the 19th century, the German Colony is now Haifa’s most beautiful and appealing neighborhood. Picturesque red-roofed Templar houses and wide, tree-lined avenues give the German Colony a continental flavor. A wonderful place to soak up the sunset over Haifa bay, and enjoy the nightlife, restaurants, and boutiques in the heart of Haifa.

• Or The Four Faces of Israel with Helen Gottstein - Four Faces of Israel is an interactive program on modern day Israel: its challenges, its divisions, its history, its passions, and its people. The four characters convey a great deal of information on the nature of the state, Middle East history, modern Jewish identity, and the complex challenges Israel faces.

• Havdalah

• Evening and dinner on your own

• Harmony Hotel, Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Volunteering

• Geo-political Tour of "Otef Aza" the Gaza Envelope - Stop at key lookout points for an in-depth discussion of the complexity of the Gaza Border situation.

• Meet Female Soldiers for a Casual and yet Inspirational talk (depending on the situation at the time.) - Meet in person with soldiers serving in the area for an open discussion and to hear about their services, the challenges, and the path they are taking.

• Lunch and Home Hospitality - Enjoy authentic home-made food, meet with a local woman and get to know her personal story and her life in the Western Negev.

• Stop at the Nova Festival Memorial Site - Visit the site of the Nova Music Festival, now a memorial site, bear witness, and pay respects to the 364 Israelis murdered by Hamas on the morning of October 7th.

• Return to Jerusalem

• Time to freshen up

• Dinner at Offaime Restaurant at the Hansen House - 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.

• Harmony Hotel, Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Volunteering at Kaima Organic Farm in Beit Zayit - Founded in 2013, Kaima is an educational farming network using employment and nature to engage and empower teens and young adults exploring non-traditional education. The farm serves as an outdoor classroom for a multi-layered process, including hands-on organic farming, leadership development, business learning, and community development. Amid the current conflict, Kaima participated in supplying fruits and vegetables to a local caterer supporting evacuees, Holocaust survivors, and those in need.

• Return to the hotel to shower and pack - Check out

• Via Sabra Machne Yehuda Tasting Tour - In the heart of the city sits a 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.

• Mapping Your Journey at Beit Avi Chai - Finding our Way- Mapping Journeys from October 7. Traditionally, when lost, humans have looked to the sky, sea and land to map our journeys, to locate ourselves and to ground us, literally. In this visual arts workshop, we will begin to interpret our journeys from October 7th through the lens of artist’s maps and use the process of mind-mapping to help us find our footing in this unstable new reality. Beit AVI CHAI serves as a center for the creation and expression of Jewish and Israeli culture and education.

• Finding Hope with Rabbi Tamar Elad-Applebaum - Rabbi Tamar Elad Appelbaum is the founder of Kehilat Zion; and co-founder of the seminary for Eretz Israeli rabbis of Hamidrasha and the Hartman institute. Her work spans and links tradition and innovation, working toward Jewish spiritual and ethical renaissance. She devotes much of her energy to the renewal of community life in Israel and the struggle for human rights. In 2010 she was named by the Forward as one of the most influential female religious leaders in Israel for her work promoting pluralism and Jewish religious freedom.

• Final dinner at Jacko Street or other

• Group transfer to the airport - Eser