Tablet Magazine-Beautifully Jewish- March 2025

Activities:

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

• Arrival at the hotel and check in

• Dinner and evening on your own

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• 9:00 Trip begins- meet in the hotel lobby - Introductions and Welcome

• The Roots of Israeli Art with Shirel Horovitz - Explore the Israeli story through the Israeli Art collection in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art - In this dynamic tour guided by an expert guide, we'll figure out what defines Israeli art, and what its relationship is with the Zionist narrative as well as the international art world. This tour through the extensive Israeli collection is an opportunity to visually explore Israeli narratives from the early 20th century until today, and discuss Israeli identity, spirituality, connection to the land and more. What is the story the Israeli Art tells us about contemporary Israel?

• Continue to Kiryat Ham'lacha to visit studios of various artists - Kiryat Ham'lacha is a former industrial zone. Since the factories closed or moved out, many artists, designers, musicians, dancers, street artists and small business are now the heart of the neighborhood.

• Visit the studio of Amnon Lipkin, Pashut-o

• Levinsky Market Tasting Tour lunch - The Levinsky Market specializes in spices and Mediterranean delicacies. It is, in many ways, the best market in Tel Aviv, known for its variety, freshness, and special atmosphere. Whether you are looking for a rare Indian spice or some good quality saffron - this is the place. Shops offer a cornucopia of excellent cheeses, smoked fish, wines, and other delicacies. Tour the market and have "tastings" throughout.

• Explore contemporary Israeli culture through an urban inquisitive graffiti tour in the Florentin neighborhood. - 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.

• Dinner at Poupee Restaurant - Poupee's chef specializes in haute kosher cuisine, with a vision to combine the world of haute cuisine and bridge the gap between traditional Jewish culture and foodies.

• Isrotel Royal Beach Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Purse-making workshop with Liza Rodrig Part 1 - Lisa Rodrig is leading the knitting revolution in Israel, as part of a global trend of fashionable, modern and up-to-date knitting. The combination of different knitting techniques, the variety of yarn types and Lisa's unique designs, made her the high priestess of the knitting trend. In her classes, workshops and digital course, Lisa proves that simple knitting is suitable for all (and everyone).

• Cooking Demo and tasting in the home of Adeena Sussman - Time at Shuk HaCarmel and cooking workshop with Adeena Sussman

• Time for lunch in the Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel) - The Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel), 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.

• Time in 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.

• Visit the studio of Netali May - Netali May is a textile designer, graduated at Shenkar, specialize in knitting, designs fashion, home décor and Judaica. Among the products: tablecloths, pillows, challah covers, bags, shawls, accessories and couture evening wear.

• Drink down the story of Israel with Tishrey Bar - Travel the different regions of the country through the drinks. Through local spirits, quality Israeli produce, cultural design, and Israeli innovation, meet the staff of an Israeli cocktail 'start-up' and see how they translate this into amazing cocktails. Cocktails are mixed with Israeli alcohol, fruit in season, and wrapped into the Israeli story. You’ll have a chance to learn to mix the drinks as well.

• Dinner at Ewa Safi - Ewa Safi features Moroccan Soul Food

• Isrotel Royal Beach Tel Aviv

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - Check out of the hotel

• Purse-making workshop with Liza Rodrig Part 2

• Farm to Table - Nura at Mata - Connect to Land of Israel wilderness in a foraging and a delicious meal - in Jursalem hills meet Nurit Hertz in her backyard and walk into the forest. Become familiar with the local plants that grow in the Judean Hills, to identify edible plants, and learn how to use them for both medicine and food. Gather from the variety of plants and create a meal inspired by the food people have been eating here since ancient times.

• Drive to Jerusalem - Check into the hotel

• Tour the studio of Shai Azoulay and hear about the art he produced for Tablet Haggadah - Shai Azoulay received both his BFA and MFA from the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design Jerusalem. Azoulay works have been exhibited around the world, including shows in New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, and Rome.

• Dinner and evening on your own

• Isrotel Orient Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Conversation and Torah Study with Sivan Rahav-Meir - Sivan Rahav-Meir is a media personality and lecturer. In 2019-2020, when she served as World Mizrachi's Shlicha to North America.Rahav-Meir works for Israel TV news, writes a column for Yediot Aharonot newspaper, and hosts a weekly radio show on Galei Zahal (Army Radio). Her lectures on the weekly Torah portion are attended by hundreds and the live broadcast attracts thousands more listeners throughout the world.

• Lifeline for the Old / Yad LaKashish - Yad LaKashish is a non-profit organization empowering and supporting nearly 300 elderly Jerusalem residents on a daily basis by providing them with creative work opportunities in artistic workshops.

• Machane Yehuda Market Tasting Tour lunch - In the heart of Jerusalem sits this bustling, multi-ethnic market bursting with life, art, and flavor. Immerse yourself in the world of Middle Eastern cuisine as you indulge in a tasting tour through Machane Yehuda Market. Learn about the market's rich history, and meet the vendors who bring this place to life, as you experience the vibrant energy unique to this iconic culinary destination.

• Silk painting workshop with Avigael

• Mapping Journeys 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.

• Dinner at The Eucalyptus Restaurant- Meet Moshe Basson and his new cookbook - The Eucalyptus, a modern Israeli restaurant in Jerusalem, is situated in the Artist Quarter of the city, and a stone’s throw away from the magnificent walls of old Jerusalem. Owned and led by Chef Moshe Basson, Eucalyptus serves a modern interpretation of biblical cuisine. Chef Basson’s passions for biblical culture drove him to research and resurrect recipes, spices, and local and wild herbs that were part of the traditional cuisine, and were neglected and nearly forgotten for centuries.

• Isrotel Orient Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Challah Workshop with Challah Mom Anat Ishay

• Touring in the Old City - 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, conditions permitting, visit the Temple Mount, a significant Muslim site. Delve into the complexity of a city sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

• You will have time to buy a quick lunch

• Meet the creative Jerusalem Scribe in his studio - Kalman Gavriel Delmoor is a traditional Scribe with a modern lens. Through his unique perspectives and expertise in the ancient craft, Kalman brings the Torah to life in his art. Discover the fusion of artwork and tradition below. Meet Kalman, see him work, and learn about his mission.

• Time to prepare for Shabbat

• Kabbalat Shabbat at a local synagogue or as a group

• Shabbat dinner at the home of Chef Rabbi Josh - Rabbi Josh is a Talmud scholar, a documentary filmmaker, a registered tour guide and specialty chef at Jerusalem’s iconic Tmol Shilshom Restaurant. Overyour meal, Rabbi Josh speaks on a wide range of topics from his riveting personal story to an explanation of Jewish tradition and an introduction to the Talmud.

• Isrotel Orient Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Shabbat Tefilot options

• Option to go to Israel Museum - Visit the Israel Museum, the country’s largest cultural institute and ranked among the world's leading art and archeology museums. Linger over the renowned Israeli art, the Judaica collections in the Jewish Art and Life Wing, and in the Archaeology Wing visit the world's most extensive holdings of the Land of Israel. Among the highlights of the campus is the Shrine of the Book, home to the exceptional archaeological finds of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest Biblical manuscripts in the world, as well as other rare ancient manuscripts. Tour with your guide followed by time on your own to explore the galleries that interest you the most.

• Lunch at the hotel

• Tour and song with Yonina - "Yonina” (a combination of our names -Yoni and Nina Tokayer) began from the moment we met, on a beautiful balcony in Tzfat, Israel. We had both been pursuing music our entire lives, and once we met we began dreaming about making music together. We are an Israeli-American musical duo who reach people through concerts, tours, and recordings.

• Seudah Shlishit and wrap up

• Havdalah

• Transfer to the airport