Beineinu

• Departure from the United States.

• Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport with special group arrival procedures with a representative of Makor.
• Stop at Neot Kedumim, the Biblical Landscape Reserve, a living museum of Israel’s “green archeology” as an expression of the heritage tied to the Land and the People of Israel, and try your hand at shepherding a small herd of sheep and goats to understand why many Biblical leaders, such as Moses and David, led animals before leading people.
  • Plant a tree in the Land of Israel, as taught by our tradition: If you are about to plant a tree in Israel and the Messiah arrives, finish planting the tree, and then go out to greet the Messiah.
• Proceed to Tel Aviv.
• Check in to the hotel.
• Walk to an overlook and Shehecheyanu from the Jaffa Promontory, where Rabbi Laurie Phillips will offer a reflection prior to giving everyone time to take in this place and this moment.
• Guided tour through the Old City of Jaffa, tracing its story from the days of the Bible through the Jaffa Port.
• Welcome dinner at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Guided tour in the Florentine neighborhood, Tel Aviv’s most bohemian and upbeat neighborhood, and learn about contemporary Israeli culture thorough urban art: writing on the wall, graffiti, bumper stickers and even painted garbage bins.
• Visit Beit HaPalmach, the Palmach Museum, which follows the story of the pre-state elite fighting unit and their struggles and triumphs in helping to create the State of Israel.
• Lunch on own in Ramat Aviv.
• Optional activities on own in the Yarkon Park: bike riding; visiting a variety of different gardens, including the Rock Garden and Tropical Garden; Seven Mills heritage site with historic flour mills; paddle-boats.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Check-out of the hotel and depart hotel.
• Guided visit to the Ayalon Institute in Rehovot, a pre-state clandestine munitions factory, for a glimpse at the ingenuity and creativity of Israel’s pre-state armed forces and how this helped the Israeli Army (IDF) develop a tradition of creativity, technological innovation, and thinking out of the box.
• Proceed to the Ben Gurion Institute in Sde Boker.
• Lunch in Sde Boker Desert Research Institute.
• Overlook from the gravesite of the first prime minister of the State of Israel, David Ben Gurion, on to Tzin Valley that the children of Israel had come through on their way to the Promised Land.
• Check in to the Beresheet Hotel, set high on a clifftop in the unique environs of the Ramon Crater, the largest of the seven erosion cirques in the world.
• Time for rest and relaxation, including spa treatments or swimming in one of the private pools.
• Festive Shabbat dinner at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Morning spiritual desert walk along the rim of the Ramon Crater overlooking the Makhtesh (crater).
• Leisure time — enjoy the world class spa, pool, and hotel surroundings.
• Shabbat lunch at the hotel.
• Sunset jeep ride through the Ramon Makhtesh with geological formations unparalleled elsewhere in the world, with the magnificent panorama and its fascinating story of geomorphologic evolution.
• 7:51 pm  Havdallah
• Bedouin Hospitality, followed by a Hafla dinner.
• Night Hike with flashlights and stargazing.

• Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
• Head towards Beit Guvrin, where hundreds of underground caves date back to the time of the Phoenicians, to become an archaeologist for a day and take part in the ongoing digs at the caves, which served as storerooms, burial crypts and safe havens.
• Visit Caesarea, where both the Romans and Crusaders built large and significant cities, and explore the vast reconstructions and artistic interpretations of original archaeology.
• Lunch on own en route.
• Travel north along the Trans-Israel Highway, with a security seminar along the Seam Zone between Israel and the Palestinian territories.
• Overlook of Haifa and the Haifa Bay from the Louis Promenade.
• Check in to the
• Dinner and evening on own.
• Optional: Night walk through the German Colony

• Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
• Guided visit through the magical city of Safed, its alleyways and synagogues, using the stories of the mystics as a guide and learn new niggunim (melodies) for L’cha Dodi, written in Safed in the 16^th
• Lunch on own en route.
• Join a magical river adventure, rafting by and under riverside foliage, down the beautifully clear Hatzbani stream, later merging with the Banias stream to create the Jordan River.
• Check in to the hotel.
• Drive to Bental with an overlook into Syria, for an up-to-date briefing on the delicate relationships in the Middle East, including a guided visit through some of the historic locations where the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War were fought.
• Proceed to Jerusalem.
• Check in to the hotel.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Guided visit through the City of David, with Bible in hand, exploring the origins of Jerusalem and walking through the new tunnel, which connects the City of David with the Davidson Archeaeological Park along the southern wall excavations.
• Underneath the Old City’s chaotic maze of buildings is the Western Wall Tunnel, the extension of the retaining wall built 2,000 years ago by Herod the Great to support the massive compound where the Temple stood.
• Lunch on own in the Jewish Quarter.
• Explore the Jewish Quarter to discover the layers of history beneath the surface, including possible visits to the Broad Wall from the days of the First Temple, the Herodian Mansions from the days of the Second Temple, and the Hurva Square, the thriving center of the Jewish Quarter today.
• Special joint “make your own pizza” dinner program with Kids4Peace Jerusalem, the Jerusalem branch of Kids4Peace International, an organization that is trying to change the conversation — to bring new questions and new answers to the struggle for peace, ones that are based in real relationships of trust and understanding—followed by watching the Jerusalem Night Spectacular sound and light show at the David Citadel Museum.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Proceed to the Dead Sea Basin.
• Ascend Masada via cable car for a guided visit through the site and an exploration of the symbolism and questions that arise from the Masada story and their implications for Jewish life today.
• Ride the cable car down and continue to Ein Bokek for an opportunity to float in the Dead Sea and swim in the hotel pool, followed by lunch.
• Hike up to and cool off in the refreshing pools and waterfalls in Nahal David (David’s Stream) in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, a unique ecosystem of springs, waterfalls and pools surrounded by lush greenery in a desolate desert setting.
• Return to Jerusalem.
• Dinner on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Celebrate B’nai Mitzvah Ceremony for Beineinu B’nai Mitzvah at the Goldman Promenade.
• Jerusalem the Venice of God, a guided walk/bus ride from the Jerusalem Promenade to Eucalyptus restaurant using the poetry of Yehuda Amichai as a guide
• Lunch at Eucalyptus restaurant in honor of the B’nai Mitzvah.
• Rest of the day at leisure.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Visit Yad Vashem, the national memorial to the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust, including the Holocaust History Museum, the Children’s Memorial and the Avenue of the Righteous, followed by a concluding program in the Valley of the Communities and chance to process the experience.
  • Children: Visit the Youth Wing at the Israel Musuem.
• Join Jerusalemites from all walks of life as they prepare for Shabbat in Machane Yehudah open air market with its human tapestry; see, smell and taste foods of all colors, sizes and shapes, with lunchon own in the market.
• Rest of the afternoon at leisure to enjoy a swim and free time as you prepare for Shabbat.
• Kabbalat Shabbat at one of Jerusalem’s synagogues or at the Kotel.
• Shabbat dinner at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Morning for rest and reflection.
• Shabbat possible optional programs:
  • The Israel Museum – Visit the Israel Museum, with its model of Jerusalem during the days of the Second Temple and the Dead Sea Scrolls, followed by an opportunity to visit the Jewish Life and Living, Archaeology, Israeli Art and Design exhibits and much more
  • The German Colony of Jerusalem – Walk through the German Colony, built by the German Templars in the late 1800’s, with their unique buildings and stories that have become part of Jerusalem’s lore
  • Jerusalem: A City of Many Traditions – Return to the Old City for a tour of Mount Zion, walk along the ramparts and free time in the Old City Market – the Shuk
• Seuda Shlishit/Farewell dinner with one of Rabbi Phillips’ favorite Jerusalemites, Rani Jaeger, who will share some of the amazing stories about the founding of the State of Israel.
• Havdallah
• Proceed to Ben Gurion International Airport for your flight to the United States.

• Return flight to the United States.

*Program is subject to change, pending confirmations.