Tikvatenu 4 – Minneapolis Jewish Federation November 2025 Global Experience to Israel

Activities:

• Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport - Welcome to Israel! Arrive at Ben Gurion airport. After assisting with arrival procedures and collecting your baggage, you will be taken to meet your driver.

• Travel south to Gaza Envelope

• Discussion with Leading Israel Journalist

• Western Negev Lodging

Activities:

• Breakfast

• In Sderot and other key lookout points for an in-depth discussion of the complexity of the Gaza Border situation - Followed by touring the key flashpoints of the October 7 Attack- stop at the Nova Festival memorial site - at Re'im Forest stop and bear witness to the tragedy of the Nova Festival, Sderot and Tkuma.

• Osi Lankri Culinary Queen Catering Ofakim - Recognized as one of Ofakim's "Culinary Queens," Osi invites you to savor a home-cooked meal in her beautiful home. While enjoying the culinary experience, listen to her personal stories about life in the Envelope, her birthplace and hometown. Gain insights into how the October 7th attack affected her home, family, and neighborhood.

• Time permitting:
  Visit the unexpected Maon Synagogue, an ancient 6th century synagogue with a beautiful mosaic floor.

• Dinner Shuva Achim Hospitality Tent - Cook dinner and dine with soldiers at Shuva.
  What started as a field hospital at the beginning of the war in Moshav Shuva, turned into an incredible refreshment spot for soldiers, where they give out clothes, goodies and hot meals to the soldiers serving the in the Gaza Envelope. The name "Shuva Achim" means in Hebrew return brothers (and sisters) - praying that all soldiers will return home peacefully. You will help with what is needed, meet soldiers for a casual talk and show your appreciation.

• Western Negev Lodging

Activities:

• Breakfast

• Full day volunteering at Holit

• Western Negev Lodging

Activities:

• Breakfast

• Full day volunteering at Holit

• Volunteer with soldiers

• Dinner at an army base in the south

• Western Negev Lodging

Activities:

• Breakfast

• Drive to Rehovot

• Stop at your partnership city - Rehovot - Stop to volunteer at Rehovot

• Drive to Tel Aviv

• Lunch on own at Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel) - A culinary and cultural experience in 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. Founded over 90 years ago, discover the many secrets, stories, and legends of this culinary destination.

• 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.

• Kabbalat Shabbat

• Shabbat Dinner at the hotel

• Tel Aviv Lodging

Activities:

• Breakfast

• Synagogue options

• Tel Aviv Walking Tour with your guide

• OPTIONAL - 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. Dive into this dynamic and interactive experience that represents all parts of the Jewish people and highlights the creative works and cultural riches of a variety of communities throughout different periods of history.

• Lunch at the hotel - OR - artisanal lunch box curated by our staff

• Group processing session

• Havdalah

• Dinner and evening on your own

• OPTIONAL: Meeting with the Hostage and Missing Families Forum and time at Hostage Square - OPTIONAL:
  Formed less than 24 hours after the horrific Hamas attack on Israeli villages and towns on October 7th, 2023, The Hostages and Missing Families Forum is a civil, volunteer-based organization with no political affiliation, focused on bringing our loved ones back home by any means necessary through all available channels. The forum includes thousands of volunteers, from the families themselves to senior figures in the security, judicial, communication, advertising, creative, and diplomatic sectors.

• Tel Aviv Lodging

Activities:

• The group will be in Jerusalem for the day with a touring and a volunteering option. Plans will be figured out based on the interest of the group

• Breakfast

• City of David - The Pilgrim's Route - Take a trip back in time through the layers of Jerusalem’s past. It was on this hill where King David founded the Kingdom of Israel capital, and where it continuously excavated over the last 120 years, discoveries are regularly made. Tour the palace of King David, ritual purification pools, and the tour's highlight - a walk through water in Hezekiah’s Tunnel built to protect the water supply. Exit the site onto the magnificent road where the Jewish pilgrims walked, over 2,000 years ago. Get your flashlights ready!
  Please note: The walk in the tunnel isn't suitable for claustrophobic people. What to bring? water shoes, a flashlight, shorts, and a change of modest clothes for the rest of the day in the Old City.

• The Western Wall Tunnels - Explore what’s under the Muslim Quarter 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 of the challenge that stood before Herod the Great during the biggest of all his immense building projects - the expansion of the Temple Mount.

• Social Volunteering in Jerusalem

• Farewell Dinner at Derech Hagefen

• Drive to the airport

• Farewell - We hope to host you again in our beautiful country!