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Beth El Congregation

Jan 22, 2024 - Jan 26, 2024

Israel 2024: Solidarity, Learning and Being
Sunday, January 21, 2024
DEPARTURE
  • Depart USA for Israel.
Overnight: In Flight
Day 2
Monday, January 22, 2024
WELCOME - B’RUCHIM HABAIM!
  • 6:35 am Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport, with assistance from a Makor Educational Journeys
  • Drive through the Ayalon Valley to Beit Shemesh.
  • 9:00 am Volunteering for the People of Israel: Prepare sandwiches for soldiers at Aroma Beit Shemesh.
  • Drive into Jerusalem.
  • 12:00 pm Stop at the Magen David Adom Jerusalem headquarters for a briefing on the complexities involved in emergency civilian care during wartime.
  • Lunch en route.
  • 2:00 pm Check in to the King David Hotel.
  • 4:00 pm Program Introduction.
  • 4:30 pm Visit with members of One of the Communities evacuated after October 7th in one of the hotels or new residence locations set up, in conjunction with the Israel Trauma Coalition.
  • 6:30 pm Opening dinner and introduction: Perceptions of the Nexus between the War in Israel and Antisemitism in the United States, with Carole Nuriel, director of the ADL Israel Office, at the hotel.
Overnight: King David Hotel, Jerusalem
Day 3
Tuesday, January 23, 2024
MEMORY AND DESTRUCTION IN THE WESTERN NEGEV
  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • 8:15 am Depart for the Western Negev
  • 10:00 am Visit Sderot, which has become a symbol of Israel’ s longstanding conflict with Hamas – drive through the town, stopping at the once famous police station, which was demolished in the aftermath of the attack.
  • 12:00 pm Visit Kibbutz Kfar Azza, one of the Kibbutzim that was brutally attacked in the Hamas onslaught with resident Gon Susana, resident of Kfar Azza and a member of the immediate response team who fought of terrorists on October 7.
  • 2:00 pm Continue to Rahat and visit Ajeec – Nisped, an Arab-Jewish organization, dedicated to social change in the Negev, to meet with Chair Kher Albaz and activists for a conversation about Bedouin identity in Israel and the ramifications of the October 7th attack on the community, with lunch.
  • 4:00 pm Stop at the Shura IDF Rabbinate Base for a special visit to the IDF forensics center which was the coordination hub for identifying the dead Israelis on October 7th and after, followed by a visit to the IDF Rabbinate center for Jewish life and living.
  • 6:00 pm Arrive in Jerusalem
  • Time to freshen up.
  • 7:30 pm A Spiritual Break – Sharing, Music, Torah and Togetherness, with local Jerusalem rabbis, facilitated by Rabbi Inbar Bluzer Shalem of Reshut Ha Rabim
Overnight: King David Hotel, Jerusalem
Day 4
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
INFORMATION/DISINFORMATION/MISINFORMATION
  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Swords of Iron: Israel, the Arab World and Iran: Middle East strategic intelligence analyst, Avi Melamed.
  • 10:00 am Travel to Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery to visit a new section where soldiers, who fell during the current Gaza war, are buried and hear some of their personal stories.
  • Volunteering for the People of Israel: Continue to Yad Sarah, the leading volunteer-staffed organization in Israel, provides a vital array of compassionate health and home care services for people of all ages.
  • Drive to the Old City for lunch, followed by a visit to the Kotel.
  • 4:00 pm Return to the center of Jerusalem and visit the Jerusalem Civilian Command Center (Hamal) where ordinary citizens have mobilized to provide services where the government failed, with founder, Adir Schwarz.
  • Return to the hotel for rest and relaxation.
  • 6:00 pm Dinner at Piccolino in Nachalat Shiva with East Jerusalem Palestinian, Riman Barkat.
  • 8:30 pm Community Tu Beshvat Seder at the Fuchsberg Center in the heart Jerusalem, with Jerusalemites of all ages and backgrounds – the program will be in English and Hebrew.
Overnight: King David Hotel, Jerusalem
Day 5
Thursday, January 25, 2024
THE DAY AFTER
  • Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
  • 8:00 am The Sounds of Silence: International Women’s Organizations and Reactions to October 7th, with Cochav Elyakim Levy, chair of the Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children and the founding head of the Institute for Gender and Sustainability.
  • 10:30 am Volunteering for the People of Israel: at Leket, Israel, the National Food Bank, and the leading food rescue organization in Israel.
  • 12:30 pm The Side Battles of the War: Cyber Information and Israel’s Economy – special seminar at the INSS – Institute of National Security Studies, including lunch.
  • 3:00 pm Visit the headquarters of Ahim Laneshek – Brothers and Sisters, for Introduction to Israel After October 7: Individuals and the Nation – and how Israel’s civil society has coalesced into a strong and effective foundation for the people of Israel.
  • 4:30 pm Check in to the Link Hotel for some rest and relaxation.
  • 6:00 pm Gather at Hostage Square (formerly Tel Aviv Museum Square) for a concluding program. Meet with former hostages and with Tel Aviv Fresh Paint curator founder Michal Rozner, who inaugurated a unique project involving artists from around the country who came to Tel Aviv to paint victims held in Gaza, in the hopes of drumming up support — and one day gifting portraits to their subjects.
  • Walk to Tetto at the Sarona Complex for dinner.
  • 7:00 pm Dinner and wrap up conversation, followed by The New Poetry and Where Are We Now? with scholar Rachel Korazim.
  • 9:00 pm Depart for Ben Gurion International Airport for return flight home.
Overnight: In Flight
Friday, January 26, 2024
ARRIVAL HOME
  • Arrive back in the US.

Please Note: All speakers and programs are tentative until confirmed in writing

$3,480
Price per person, based on double occupancy
$665
Single-occupancy supplement

 

*Price is based on a minimum of 20 paying participants.
*Price does not include airfare.

 

Hotels:

3 nights at King David Hotel, Jerusalem, including late check out on the final day

 

Land Price includes:

  • Assistance upon arrival and departure at Ben Gurion Airport for one group flight
  • One Transfer from and one transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for one group flight
  • Licensed Israeli Government Tour Educator and trained by Makor
  • All group Transportation in Israel on a private luxury bus
  • Hotel Accommodations as above or similar, pending confirmation
  • All Site Admissions and programs as per the itinerary
  • Security Guard and Field Coordinator
  • Meals
    •  Breakfast daily
    • 4 Lunches
    • 4 Dinners
  • Source Materials, Makor Educational Journeys Hat, Bag, Map
  • Water on bus daily
  • Porterage at hotels
  • Credit card fees

Not Included:

  • Flights
  • Tips for Guide and Driver, and Field Coordinator (recommended $8 per day for guide, $4 per day for driver and field coordinator)
  • Meals on own and out-of-pocket expenses
  • Travel and Medical Insurance

 

PAYMENT AND REFUND SCHEDULE

Payment Schedule

Upon Registration — Deposit of $500 per participant

January 15, 2024 — Full Payment

 

Refund Schedule

Cancel Before January 15, 2024 — Full Refund

Cancel after January 15, 2024 — 50% Refund

 

RECCOMENDED FLIGHTS - Please contact Michal Sabah of World Express Travel for assistance [email protected]

Departure from USA
Departure from Israel

El Al flight 028, departing January 21 from Newark Airport at 1:15 pm, arriving in Israel at 6:35 am.

El Al flight 027, departing January 26 from Ben Gurion Airport at 1:00 am, arriving in Newark at 6:00 am.

Departure from Israel

El Al flight 027, departing January 26 from Ben Gurion Airport at 1:00 am, arriving in Newark at 6:00 am.