Temple Beth Ahm Yisrael (TBAY)

• Departure from the United States.

This day’s schedule will be determined by arrival time

• Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, with assistance by an Affinity Excursions representative.
• Meet the group guide and drive along the coast to Caesarea.
• Welcome visit through the Roman city of Caesarea, including a visit to the Roman Theater and Hippodrome, and if time permits, walk along the Mediterranean Coast, to the Crusader city of Caesarea.
• Drive to the Pastoral Hotel in Kfar Blum.
• Check in to the hotel with time for rest and relaxation.
• Dinner at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Depart the hotel and drive to Tel Dan, one of Israel’s most significant archaeological site, for a guided visit through the Tel and a walk along the Dan River.
• Visit Kibbutz Dan in the Upper Galilee and meet with members for a candid conversation about living in the shadow of war.
• Visit the Druze village of Buq’ata and the home of Naseeba Samara for a glimpse into the world of the Druze community on the Golan, with home hospitality lunch.
• Ascend Mount Bental for a view into Syria and an understanding of the delicate geo-political situation on the Israeli Syrian border and a view of the Hula Valley.
• Jeep ride along the Ramim Ridge overlooking the Lebanese border, including stops at Moshavim and Kibbutzim and drive through Metula, concluding in Kiryat Shmona.
• Return to the hotel, followed by dinner at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
• Explore the ancient mystical city of Tsfat, with its narrow streets, ancient synagogues, artist colony, and outdoor market, and hear the stories of the Jews who restored Jewish spiritual life after the devastating expulsion from Spain: Rabbi Yosef Karo, Rabbi Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz, Rabbi Cordovero, Rabbi Chaim Vital, and The Ari (Rabbi Yitzhak Luria).
• Free time to browse in the Galleries and explore on own.
• Continue to Akko.
• Lunch at the Uri Buri Restaurant, hosted by chef Uri Jeramias in Akko.
• Guided walk through the remains of Crusader, Muslim and Ottoman cities, with a special focus on the subterranean Crusader city, known as Knights Hall.
• Conclude the time in Akko with a visit to a uniquely Decorated Synagogue, with mosaics depicting the story of the Jewish People.
• Drive to the Mount Carmel Overlook in Haifa, for a view of the Bahai Gardens and Haifa Bay. (time permitting).
• Continue to one of Israel’s most charming cities, Zichron Yaakov, one of the earliest First Aliyah communities in Israel, founded by pioneers from Romania in 1882.
• Free time to wander around the Zichron Yaakov Pedestrian Mall.
• Continue to
• Stop at the Haas Promenade for an opportunity to recite the traditional Shehechianu prayer and an overview of the city.
• Check in to the hotel in Jerusalem.
• Dinner on your own and free evening in Jerusalem.

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Hear about The State of Anti Semitism in the World Today from with Carole Nuriel Managing Director, ADL Israel, and Senior Regional Director, The Middle East and North Africa at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
• Visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust memorial, including the Avenue of the Righteous, the Historical Museum and Children’s Memorial.
• Visit the new Memorial to Israel’s fallen and some of the new graves at the Mount Herzl National Cemetery, including the graves of those killed in the current war.
• Stop at Machane Yehuda Open Air Market, one of the most famous outdoor markets in the Middle East and take in the scene with lunch on own.
• Return to the hotel
• Free time for Shabbat preparations.
• Kabbalat Shabbat
• Shabbat Dinner at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Free morning and optional Shabbat services.
• Optional lunch at the hotel (additional cost).
• Rest of the day at leisure.
• Havdallah
• After shabbat, either watch the Night Spectacular – Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David. (pending confirmation) or tour the Western Wall Tunnels (pending confirmation).

• Breakfast at the hotel
• The State of Jewish Pluralism in the Jewish State, with Yizhar Hess, Vice Chair of the World Zionist Organization and former CEO of the Masorti Movement in Israel.
• Guided exploration of the City of David, using the Bible and archaeology.
• Walk through the newly opened Pilgrimage Road, the main street of Jerusalem from the Second Temple period, which led from the Pool of Siloam up to the Temple Mount.
• Visit the Davidson Archeological Park complex and learn about the history of Jerusalem, understand the architecture of the Old City Walls, and see the ancient ruins.
• Lunch on own.
• Visit the Kotel (Western Wall) with time for personal prayer and contemplation.
• Guided visit through the Western Wall Tunnels, along the base of Temple Mount.
• Continue for a guided tour of the Jewish Quarter.
• Free time for personal exploration and shopping in the Jewish Quarter, including the
• Return to the hotel.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Living Together and Separately in the Same Land –A conversation with Mohammed Darawshe, Director of Givat Haviva’s Center for Shared Society and fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute.
• Visit the newly opened state of the art National Library, formerly the Jewish National and University Library, dedicated to collecting the cultural treasures of Israel and of Jewish heritage.
• Special guided visit of the Israel Museum, possibly with a curator of the Israeli Art section (pending confirmation).
• Time permitting: Guided walk through the alleyways of Ein Kerem, including a visit with one of the villages’ many artists in his/her studio
• Conclude the day with a visit to a Winery in the Judean Hills.
• Return to the hotel, followed by free time and dinner on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
• A Snapshot of Israel @2027, at the hotel.
• Drive to Jaffa for an outlook from the Jaffa Slope Park with a view of Tel-Aviv’s shoreline, the Promenade and hotels located along the beach.
• Walking tour of Jaffa, the Biblical city which was the gateway for the Jewish return in the 1880’s and today is the mixed Arab – Jewish city and reflects the challenges of two peoples endeavoring to live side-by-side.
• Continue to the quaint historic Neve Tzedek neighborhood that gave birth to the “first Hebrew city in 2,000 years, once home to Zionist cultural pioneers Eliezer Ben Yehuda, S. Y. Agnon and Rabbi Kook
• Lunch on your own and free time to explore the Nachalat Binyamin Crafts Fair and check out great street food at the adjacent Carmel Market.
• Time permitting: Walk along Rothschild Blvd. for a glimpse at the origins of Tel Aviv and its famous Bauhaus architecture.
• Check in to the hotel.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Depart for the Western Negev and visit one of the Kibbutzim that was brutally attacked in the Hamas onslaught for a testimony and guided walk.
• Overview of the northern Gaza Strip from the Lookouts’ (Tatzpitaniot) Observation Point.
• Drive through Sderot a symbol of the Hamas rocket attacks for nearly 20 years and see the site of the demolished former Police Station, where a fierce battle with terrorists took place on October 7.
• Lunch on own en route.
• Visit the Reim Park, site of the Nova Music Festival.
• Continue to the Car Cemetery, a memorial to October 7.
• Return to Tel Aviv.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• 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
• Continue to the Israel Guide Dog Center, which has developed significant programs to assist survivors of October 7^th and soldiers who fought in the ensuing war.
• Lunch on own en route.
• Guided tour of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in South Jaffa to learn about Israel as the Start-Up Nation and late President Shimon Peres’ vision for a new Middle East.
• Return to the hotel to check out, followed by free time for last minute packing and shopping.
• Late check out.
• Wrap up conversation and farewell dinner.
• Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for departure home.

Program is subject to change, pending confirmations.