Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee

• Depart USA for Israel.

Welcome to Israel as the commemorations of the modern National Jewish holidays are about to commence. Coming a week after the holiday of Passover, with stories of the ancient past, Yom Hashoa, which begins tonight, is the start of a week-long period leading up to Israel’s Memorial and Independence Days.

• Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, with assistance by a Makor Educational Journeys representative.
• Ascend to Jerusalem via the biblical Ayalon Valley and the Judean Hills.
• Panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem from the Haas Promenade.
• Check in to the hotel, with free time for rest and relaxation.
• Early dinner due to Yom HaShoa.
• Short Yom Hashoa ceremony, followed by The Memory of the Holocaust and Israel @2025.

Remembering for the future in the modern State of Israel, the long story of Jewish history did not start with the Holocaust; it goes back 2000 years to the days of the Temple and before, with Jewish memory as one of the anchors of tradition, celebration of the good, can never be forgotten.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Visit Jerusalem homes for intimate conversations in small groups, with Holocaust Survivors.
• Nationwide Memorial Siren with the survivors at 10:00 am
• Drive to the Old City for a guided walk through Jaffa Gate to the Market Rooftops and continuing on a guided walk through the Jewish Quarter, including the Cardo and the Hurva Square, and the Western Wall (Kotel), with lunch on own.
• Conclude with a guided visit to some of the new as yet unopened Old City Archaeological Excavations.
• Special VIP visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s national memorial for the Holocaust, including the Avenue of the Righteous, the Holocaust History Museum, and the Children’s Memorial.
• Return to the hotel for rest and relaxation.
• Memory and Food Cooking Workshop with chef and Hartman ordained Rabbi, Nisimi Naim Naor, exploring how memory and commemoration in the Jewish tradition have been tied together throughout the story of the Jewish People. Reservists and spouses will join for the workshop and dinner.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• The Revitalization of Jerusalem, with deputy mayor Adir Schwartz, one of the founders and directors of the Jerusalem Hamal, the volunteer organization established on October 7, 2023 which helped thousands of evacuees to the city.
• Visit Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a high-level briefing on Israel’s strategic position after 77 years of independence.
• Late afternoon visit to the National Library, with a special focus on the Sarasota Jewish community and the significant projects undertaken by the Library to bring the story of the October 7^th hostages to light.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel and check-out.
• The State of the State of Israel, with Haviv Retig Gur, political analyst at the Times of Israel.
• Visit the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery, with a bereaved family member of one of the numerous Jerusalemites killed during the October 7 War.
• Drive to the Jezreal Valley to the Moshav Balfuria, for My Art as a Window into Israel and Memory, with photographic artist, Adi Nes.
• Lunch en route to Haifa.
• Check in to the hotel, followed by free time for rest and relaxation.
• Drive to Kibbutz Kabri for a festive Kabbalat Shabbat and Shabbat Dinner, with Moran and Amir Yarchi.
• Return to Haifa.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Late morning guided walk through the Bahai Gardens on Mount Carmel.
• Drive across the Galilee to the home of Gadi Elias in the community of Yesod Hamaalah for lunch, with invited guests from the area.
• Ascend to the Ramim Ridge, with views of the Hula Valley and stops at Moshav Margaliot and Kibbutz Misgav Am, including meetings with local residents who spent all of the days of the war in the Upper Galilee.
• Continue through Metula and Kiryat Shmona, two towns seriously affected by the October 7^th
• Return to Haifa.
• Drive to the Druze town of Daliat a Carmel for dinner at Nura’s Restaurant with Druze officers and bereaved families and a conversation about the Druze community’s commitment to Israel.

• Breakfast at the hotel and check-out.
• Rebuilding I: Meet with Haifa mayor and former MK Yona Yahav, who managed the city during the Hezbollah attack, or visit the Technion.
• Rebuilding II: Drive to Kibbutz Rosh Hanikra, located on the Lebanese border and meet with community members who had to evacuate and relocate to other parts of Israel. Hear their stories and challenges and how they are rebuilding the community they never thought would be hit from Lebanon.
• Drive along the Lebanese Border to one of the forward outposts for an IDF briefing, pending confirmation.
• Lunch on own en route.
• Stop at a winery for late afternoon wine tastings.
• Drive to Tel Aviv and check in to the hotel.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.

Option 1

• Visit the Larry Greenspon Center at the Israel Tennis and Education Center, Ramat Hasharon.
• Continue to the Israel Intelligence and Heritage and Commemoration Center in Glilot, for a glimpse into the world of Israel’s shadow wars and a briefing by a former official of Israel’s intelligence community.
• Lunch on own en route.
• Treating Trauma During a War, special program in conjunction with the Israel Trauma Coalition and other organizations involved in treating both military and civilian trauma.

Option 2

• Depart for the Western Negev and begin with a briefing overlooking Gaza.
• Continue to 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 and replaced with a memorial.
• Lunch on own in Sderot.
• Drive to the site of the Nova Festival, located next to Kibbutz Reim, where close to 400 people were killed and many were taken hostage on October 7, 2023.
• Visit one of the Kibbutzim or Moshavim that was brutally attacked on October 7^th.
• Continue to the Tekuma Car Cemetery, where many of the destroyed vehicles were brought after October 7.
• Return to Tel Aviv.
• Free time for personal exploration.
• Dinner at a Tel Aviv restaurant with Michael Fischer, Director of Development at Unistream.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• So many things have changed and evolved since October 7th, and the Tel Aviv Graffiti scene is no different. With pain, creativity and a true sense of both loss and belonging, the street artists of Tel Aviv have told their stories on the walls of the city, expressing their sense of longing, anger, empathy and so much more.
• The Amazing Concept of Miluim (reserves) and the price paid by reservists and their families during the war, with HaOgen (the Anchor) founder and former MK Rachel Azaria and Reservist spouses.
• Guided walk and Tasting Tour of businesses owned and managed by reservists while meeting people who dedicate themselves to Israeli society, with lunch.
• Return to the hotel, with free time for personal exploration.
• Early dinner at the hotel.
• Attend one of the Tel Aviv neighborhood Memorial Ceremonies, beginning with the Memorial Siren at 8:00 pm. (with simultaneous translation) or with bereaved family members at the hotel.
• Optional visit to Singing in the Square, a recent tradition for people from all walks of life to gather and sing for life, in memory of those who fell.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Visit the gallery of Sigalit Landau for a conversation about her art, memory and directions for Israel’s future, concluding with the Memorial Day siren.
• Jeep Ride through the Judean Lowlands, tracing the battles of the 1948 War of Independence.
• Lunch on own en route.
• Drive to the Kibbutz Gezer cemetery, for a special ceremony commemorating Yom Hazikaron. The Gezer cemetery was first used during the War of Independence and is still in use today.
• Return to the hotel for free time as the country concludes Memorial Day and transitions into Independence Day.
• Take part in the transition ceremony between Yom HaZikaron and Yom Haatzmaut with Beit Tfila Yisreali.
• Join the festivities on the streets of Tel Aviv as residents and guests celebrate Independence Day, with dinner on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Free morning. (If IDF airshow and flotilla take place, view them from the hotel)
• Late morning walk through Neve Zedek and Rothschild Blvd, where Jewish dreams became a reality.
• BBQ in the Ben Shemen Forest, with invited guests.
• Return to the hotel for free time.
• Wrap up conversation.
• Festive farewell dinner.
• Depart for Ben Gurion Airport for return flight to the United States.

Program is subject to change, pending confirmations.