Congregation Beth Chaim Intergenerational Journey to Israel
- Departure from the United States.
This day’s schedule will be determined by arrival time
- Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, with assistance by a Makor Educational Journeys representative.
- Proceed to Tel Aviv.
- Outlook from the Jaffa Slope Park with a view of Tel-Aviv’s shoreline, the Promenade and hotels located along the beach.
- Check in to the hotel (early check-in not guaranteed).
- Free time for self, rest, relaxation, exploration and lunch on own.
- Welcome Dinner and introduction at a Tel Aviv Restaurant (private room).
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Drive to the Ayalon Institute in Rehovot, a clandestine munitions factory from the War of Independence, an example of the imagination and ingenuity needed to form the State of Israel.
- Return to Tel Aviv.
- Guided Tour in the Carmel Market, including some free time for shopping and lunch on own.
- Visit the Nachalat Binyamin Arts and Crafts Market, with its many street artists and entertainers.
- Visit ANU – the new Museum of the Jewish People on the campus of Tel Aviv University: using the creativity of the present, explore the story of the Jewish People, with our past as a map toward the future.
- Return to the hotel for a free evening and dinner on own.
- Breakfast at the hotel and check-out.
- Travel to the Western Negev/Gaza Envelope.
- Geopolitical landscape – Look out from Netiv Ha’asara at the northern Gaza Strip.
- Drive to Sderot to see the town which was the target of Hamas rocket attacks for nearly 20 years, and which terrorists invaded on October 7, 2023. Visit the October 7 Education Center and the new memorial at the site of the former, and subsequently demolished, Police Station where a fierce battle with terrorists took place on October 7.
- Lunch on your own in Sderot.
- Visit the NOVA Festival site, where 378 people were murdered, and 44 others were taken hostage into Gaza.
- Visit the Tekuma Car Cemetery, where hundreds of destroyed vehicles were brought after October 7.
- Drive to Jerusalem.
- Check in to the hotel.
- Dinner at a restaurant (private room).
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Guided walk into the Old City of Jerusalem, beginning on the Old City Ramparts and continuing through the alleyways of the Jewish Quarter for a behind the scenes glimpse at the people and stories of the Old City, from yesterday and today.
- Continue with a special guided visit through the Western Wall Tunnels, along the base of the Temple Mount, exploring some of the newest excavations in Jerusalem.
- Lunch on own.
- Visit the newly renovated Tower of David Museum, which tells the story of Jerusalem.
- Return to the hotel.
- Free evening, with dinner on own.
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Guided visit through Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center, the Jewish national memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, with separate programming for adults and youth/children, including the “Touching Memory” Theater Project.
- Visit Machane Yehuda Open Air Market – as residents prepare for Shabbat, including a tasting tour lunch and free time to explore on own.
- Return to the hotel.
- Free time for rest, relaxation and Shabbat preparation.
- Kabbalat Shabbat with the Kol Haneshama Congregation.
- Shabbat dinner at a restaurant in The First Station (private room).
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Optional Shabbat services and free morning.
- Shabbat lunch at the hotel.
- Visit the Israel Museum to see the Shrine of the Book, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls and the miniature model of Jerusalem, depicted as it was during the Second Temple period. Free time at the museum for individual exploration in the unique collections of Judaica and Jewish Living, Archaeology, Fine Arts and the Sculpture Garden.
- Return to the hotel.
- Late Check Out.
- Wrap-Up Conversation and Farewell dinner at a Jerusalem restaurant (private room).
- Depart for Ben Gurion International Airport for return flight home.
Safe travels and “Next Year in Jerusalem!”
All program elements are subject to change, pending confirmations.
Supplemental fee for participants who are not members of Congregation Beth Chaim: $1,130.
ACCOMMODATIONS:
2 nights, Dan Panorama Hotel, Tel Aviv
4 nights, Herbert Samuel Hotel, Jerusalem
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 participants traveling on recommended flight(s)
- Licensed Israeli Government Tour Educator and trained by Makor – 6 days
- All group Transportation in Israel on a private luxury bus – 6 days
- Hotel Accommodations per above, or similar, pending confirmation
- All Site Admissions and programs as per the itinerary
- Meals:
- Breakfast daily
- 2 Lunches
- 4 Dinners
- Source Materials, Hat, Bag, Map
- Water on bus daily
- Porterage at hotels
- Security
NOT INCLUDED:
- Flights
- Tips for Guide, Host staff and Drivers (Recommended: $15 per day per person for the guide, driver, and host staff)
- Meals on own and out of pocket expenses
- Travel and Medical Insurance
NOTE: Israeli citizens will be charged an additional 18% VAT on the package price.
PAYMENT AND REFUND SCHEDULE:
Upon Registration $500 Deposit per participant
June 9, 2026 50% of Total Payment Due
September 7, 2026 Full Balance Due
Cancel By:
June 2, 2026 Full Refund, less transaction fee
AUGUST 31, 2026 50% refund of Total Paid, less transaction fee
October 2, 2026 25% refund of Total Paid, less transaction fee
Cancel After October 2, 2026 – No Refund
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Anne Berman-Waldorf (abw@bethchaim.org)
Rabbi Misha Zinkow, Makor Educational Journeys liaison, misha@makorjourneys.com, 833-GoMakor (833-466-2567)
TRAVEL AND MEDICAL INSURANCE:
We urge you to check with your provider about your medical coverage while traveling oversees, and to purchase medical insurance & supplemental medical coverage if necessary (which covers pre-existing conditions).
We also urge you to purchase trip cancellation insurance. This is a smart way to safeguard against life’s uncertainties.
SMS-Travel Insurance Center (Israel) of Omaha, Nebraska is an insurance broker who sells travel insurance policies for travel to Israel. SMS has over 25 years of experience as worldwide insurance brokers and can help you choose the policy that best meets your needs. Yonah Engel is your contact person. Makor Educational Journeys receives no benefit from SMS, which is an independent 3rd party insurance broker. Mention Makor Educational Journeys for a discount on a policy. You should also feel free to contact your own insurance agent for other options, as well as major companies that sell travel insurance policies on the Internet.
Please note:
- most premium insurance policies require purchase within 21 days of your first payment in order to receive maximum coverage (“Cancel-for-any-reason,” pre-existing conditions, bankruptcy insurance, etc).
- even if you do not yet know the final trip cost (e.g. flights), write down the amount you do know – and then at a later date, the insurance premium can be amended.
- trip dates are for the entire period away from home
- trip costs are all pre-paid expenses (e.g. airfare + land costs)
Recommended flights will be posted when the group reaches 20 participants