The Temple’s Family Israel Experience

• Depart Atlanta on overnight flight to Israel.

This day’s schedule will be determined by arrival time

• Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, with assistance by a Makor Educational Journeys representative.
• Drive to the Ayalon Institute in Rehovot, for a guided tour of a former clandestine munitions factory that helped the Jewish underground arm itself for Israel’s War of Independence – The innovation and ingenuity that would later become the Start-Up Nation.
• Travel to Tel Aviv.
• Lunch on own.
• Check in to the hotel in Tel Aviv.
• Free time for rest and relaxation.
• Welcome Dinner and orientation at a Tel Aviv Restaurant.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Visit ANU, the new Museum of the Jewish People, on the campus of Tel Aviv University for a special program examining the diverse mosaic of Jewish life, with the past serving as a map for the future, or take a Guided Walk along Rothschild Boulevard where Tel Aviv began in 1909 and which is now one of Israel’s leading innovation hubs in the heart of the Bauhaus White City. (and visit Independence Hall, if re-opened following renovations)
• Lunch on your own.
• Depart for Northern Israel.
• Explore the ruins of Caesarea, including its Roman Theater, Amphitheater, Hippodrome and Promontory Palace, and ponder a rabbinic debate about whether Jews are allowed to attend gladiator games.
• Visit Sindyanna of the Galilee, a non-profit organization led by a team of Arab and Jewish women who create social change through producing high-quality olive oil and other premium food products while enhancing Arab-Jewish cooperation, promoting Fair Trade, creating economic opportunities for Arab women, and assisting local growers and producers.
• Check in to the hotel in Northern Israel.
• Dinner at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Lookout from a nearby strategic lookout point in the Golan Heights for a special perspective on the geopolitical significance of this region.
• Wine or Chocolate – Tasting options on Kibbutz Ein Zivan:
  • Chocolate making workshop at the De Karina Chocolate Factory.
  • Guided tour and tasting at the boutique Pelter Winery on nearby Kibbutz Ein Zivan.

• Lunch on own.
• Raft down the Jordan River – Great way to cool off on a hot day.
• Explore the ancient synagogues and picturesque alleys of Tzfat, cradle of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) in the 16^th century and discover the origins of our Friday night service in the city where Lecha Dodi was composed.
• Free time to browse in the galleries and explore on own.
• Gourmet dinner at Gadi Elias’ farm in the Galilee Panhandle.
• Return to the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Check out of the hotel.
• Guided walk through the Tel Dan or Banias Nature Reserves at the base of the Golan Heights.
• Travel to Jerusalem
• Lunch on own en route.
• Shehecheyanu ceremony overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem and Temple Mount.
• Guided exploration of the City of David, using the Bible and archaeology, including wading through Hezekiah’s Tunnel.
• Guided tour of the Western Wall Tunnels, with a brief stop at the Western Wall.
• Visit to the Cardo, time for exploring and shopping.
• Check in to the hotel in Jerusalem.
• Free evening, with dinner on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Depart for the Western Negev/Gaza Envelope
• Visit the site of the NOVA Festival, where close to 400 people were killed and many were taken hostage.
• Travel to Ofakim for a cooking workshop and lunch with Osi Lankri.
• Continue to Beit Guvrin National Park in the Judean Lowlands.
• Participate in a hands-on archaeological excavation and cave crawl with Dig-For-A Day in Beit Guvrin National Park.
• Stop at Genesis Land (Eretz Beresheet) on the way back to Jerusalem for Biblical-style hospitality, a Camel Ride and a Biblical Dinner.
• Return to the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Guided tour of Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust memorial and museum, including the Holocaust History Museum and the Children’s Memorial.
• Visit the Herzl Museum at Mount Herzl (Israel’s national military cemetery) to experience the life of Theodor Herzl and his Zionist dream to create a state for the Jewish People.
• Lunch on own in the bustling Machane Yehuda Market, while rubbing elbows with Jerusalemites shopping for Shabbat.
• Free time to shop and explore on own.
• Return to the hotel to relax and prepare for Shabbat.
• Friday evening/Kabbalat Shabbat services with Temple Clergy on the hotel’s outdoor terrace.
• Festive Shabbat dinner at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Continue exploring the Old City, including a visit to the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall, with time for personal reflection.
• Visit the Christian Quarter, including the Jaffa Gate, Church of the Holy Sepulchre and a section of the Via Dolorosa.
• Lunch on own.
• Free time to relax and enjoy the hotel pool.
• Rehearsal time for B’nei Mitzvah kids with clergy.
• Mincha B’nei Mitzvah Service at HUC Reflection Pool.
• Dinner at a local restaurant.
• Havdalah with Temple Clergy.
• Watch the Night Spectacular – Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David.

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Travel across the Judean Desert to Masada and the Dead Sea region, with separate vehicles and departure times for a group climbing Masada on foot and a group ascending by cable car.
• Short guided tour of Masada, the last outpost of Jewish independence 2,000 years ago, with a discussion about the implications of the Masada story for contemporary Israeli society.
• Float in the Dead Sea at a local resort, which also has a freshwater pool and spa facilities.
• Lunch on own at the Dead Sea Mall.
• Short hike to the waterfalls at Ein Bokek
• Return to the hotel in Jerusalem.
• Farewell dinner at a local restaurant.

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Check-out of the hotel.
• Transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport.
• Depart for Atlanta.
• Arrive in Atlanta.