Beth El Congregation

• Depart USA for Israel.

• 6:35 am Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport, with assistance from a Makor Educational Journeys
• Drive through the Ayalon Valley to Beit Shemesh.
• 9:00 am Volunteering for the People of Israel: Prepare sandwiches for soldiers at Aroma Beit Shemesh.
• Drive into Jerusalem.
• 12:00 pm Stop at the Magen David Adom Jerusalem headquarters for a briefing on the complexities involved in emergency civilian care during wartime.
• Lunch en route.
• 2:00 pm Check in to the King David Hotel.
• 4:00 pm Program Introduction.
• 4:30 pm Visit with members of One of the Communities evacuated after October 7^th in one of the hotels or new residence locations set up, in conjunction with the Israel Trauma Coalition.
• 6:30 pm Opening dinner and introduction: Perceptions of the Nexus between the War in Israel and Antisemitism in the United States, with Carole Nuriel, director of the ADL Israel Office, at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• 8:15 am Depart for the Western Negev
• 10:00 am Visit 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.
• 12:00 pm Visit Kibbutz Kfar Azza, one of the Kibbutzim that was brutally attacked in the Hamas onslaught with resident Gon Susana, resident of Kfar Azza and a member of the immediate response team who fought of terrorists on October 7.
• 2:00 pm Continue to Rahat and visit Ajeec – Nisped, an Arab-Jewish organization, dedicated to social change in the Negev, to meet with Chair Kher Albaz and activists for a conversation about Bedouin identity in Israel and the ramifications of the October 7^th attack on the community, with lunch.
• 4:00 pm Stop at the Shura IDF Rabbinate Base for a special visit to the IDF forensics center which was the coordination hub for identifying the dead Israelis on October 7th and after, followed by a visit to the IDF Rabbinate center for Jewish life and living.
• 6:00 pm Arrive in Jerusalem
• Time to freshen up.
• 7:30 pm A Spiritual Break – Sharing, Music, Torah and Togetherness, with local Jerusalem rabbis, facilitated by Rabbi Inbar Bluzer Shalem of Reshut Ha Rabim

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Swords of Iron: Israel, the Arab World and Iran: Middle East strategic intelligence analyst, Avi Melamed.
• 10:00 am Travel to Mt. Herzl Military Cemetery to visit a new section where soldiers, who fell during the current Gaza war, are buried and hear some of their personal stories.
• Volunteering for the People of Israel: Continue to Yad Sarah, the leading volunteer-staffed organization in Israel, provides a vital array of compassionate health and home care services for people of all ages.
• Drive to the Old City for lunch, followed by a visit to the Kotel.
• 4:00 pm Return to the center of Jerusalem and visit the Jerusalem Civilian Command Center (Hamal) where ordinary citizens have mobilized to provide services where the government failed, with founder, Adir Schwarz.
• Return to the hotel for rest and relaxation.
• 6:00 pm Dinner at Piccolino in Nachalat Shiva with East Jerusalem Palestinian, Riman Barkat.
• 8:30 pm Community Tu Beshvat Seder at the Fuchsberg Center in the heart Jerusalem, with Jerusalemites of all ages and backgrounds – the program will be in English and Hebrew.

• Breakfast at the hotel and check out.
• 8:00 am The Sounds of Silence: International Women’s Organizations and Reactions to October 7^th, with Cochav Elyakim Levy, chair of the Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas Against Women and Children and the founding head of the Institute for Gender and Sustainability.
• 10:30 am Volunteering for the People of Israel: at Leket, Israel, the National Food Bank, and the leading food rescue organization in Israel.
• 12:30 pm The Side Battles of the War: Cyber Information and Israel’s Economy – special seminar at the INSS – Institute of National Security Studies, including lunch.
• 3:00 pm Visit the headquarters of Ahim Laneshek – Brothers and Sisters, for Introduction to Israel After October 7: Individuals and the Nation – and how Israel’s civil society has coalesced into a strong and effective foundation for the people of Israel.
• 4:30 pm Check in to the Link Hotel for some rest and relaxation.
• 6:00 pm Gather at Hostage Square (formerly Tel Aviv Museum Square) for a concluding program. Meet with former hostages and with Tel Aviv Fresh Paint curator founder Michal Rozner, who inaugurated a unique project involving artists from around the country who came to Tel Aviv to paint victims held in Gaza, in the hopes of drumming up support — and one day gifting portraits to their subjects.
• Walk to Tetto at the Sarona Complex for dinner.
• 7:00 pm Dinner and wrap up conversation, followed by The New Poetry and Where Are We Now? with scholar Rachel Korazim.
• 9:00 pm Depart for Ben Gurion International Airport for return flight home.

• Arrive back in the US.

Please Note: All speakers and programs are tentative until confirmed in writing