Congregation B’nai Jacob

• Departure from the United States.

• Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, with assistance by a Makor Educational Journeys representative.
• Proceed to Tel Aviv.
• Tel Aviv: The First Hebrew City: guided walk through the streets of Tel Aviv, beginning with the gentrified Neve Zedek neighborhood with its stories and galleries and explore the origins of Tel Aviv as a Hebrew city; walk through part of the “White City,” the UNESCO World Heritage collection of Bauhaus buildings.
• Lunch on own “Tel Aviv style” in open air cafes.
• Tel Aviv Vibes: Guided tour in the Florentine neighborhood, Tel Aviv’s most bohemian and upbeat neighborhood, to learn about contemporary Israeli culture through urban art: writing on the wall, graffiti, bumper stickers and even painted garbage bins.
• Check in to the hotel.
• Dinner and introduction at Mapu Restaurant

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Israel and the Jewish People: Visit Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
• Visit one of the bilingual Arab-Jewish kindergartens established by the Orchard of the Children of Abraham and dialogue with founders Ihab and Ora Balha on their vision of a shared society – on a personal and national level.
• Guided touring in Jaffa and lunch on own.
• Visit Mesila, a help and information center for the foreign population operated by the Tel Aviv Municipality, to hear a survey of the situation of the foreign population in Israel, followed by a tour of the central bus station and Neve Sha’anan – areas with large concentrations of refugees and asylum seekers.
• Visit the Nachalat Binyamin market, which has become synonymous with quality Israeli crafts and folk art.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel and check-out.
• Proceed to Megiddo.
• Guided visit through Megiddo, a tel overlooking Wadi ‘Ara, to explore the archaeological remains from the time of the Bible and an exploration of the significance of “Armageddon”.
• Travel through the Carmel Mountains to the Carmelite Monastery at Mukhraka, the site where the prophet Elijah is believed to have defeated the false prophets of Ba’al; the name Mukhraka refers to the sacrifice (“burning”) that Elijah offered God from an altar here.
• Lunch on own in the market of the Druze village of ‘Usfiya.
• Continue to Akko.
• The port city of Akko is a city of intrigue: visit the Bahá’í Gardens at the entrance to the city; walk through the labyrinthine alleys and streets to explore the remains of Crusader, Muslim and Ottoman construction along the massive city walls; visit the subterranean Crusader city; see the Ottoman fortress; visit a uniquely decorated synagogue.
• Proceed to the hotel and check in to the hotel.
• Dinner at the kibbutz hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Check out of the hotel.
• Ascend to the Golan Heights and Mount Bental for a peek into Syria to gain an understanding of the delicate geopolitical situation on the Israeli-Syrian border and a discussion on various options for an agreement with Syria.
• Lunch on own.
• Explore the city of Safed 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 (“Lecha Dodi”), Rabbi Cordovero, Rabbi Chaim Vital, and The Ari (Rabbi Yitzhak Luria), with his “chidush” on the creation of the world.
• Travel to Rosh Pina.
• Stroll along the cobblestone streets of Rosh Pina, the first settlement in the Galilee established in the earliest major wave of immigration. Drop into The Chocolate Box café and factory to participate in a chocolate-making workshop.  Unlock the secrets of their soufflés, truffles, and fondue.
• Proceed to Jerusalem via the Great Rift Valley, with views of the Sea of Galilee in its setting amidst the surrounding hills.
• Proceed to Mt. Scopus for an introductory view of the city and an opportunity to recite the Shehecheyanu prayer.
• Check in to the hotel.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Guided visit to the City of David, including the Herodian Street, which goes from the Siloam Pool, under the walls of the Old City to the Jerusalem Archaeological Park – Davidson Center, followed by a guided visit through the Park which contains the Southern Wall excavations.
  • Discussion at Ezrat Yisrael – the pluralistic Kotel prayer space
• Visit Machane Yehuda Open Air Market as residents prepare for Shabbat, with lunch on your own in the market.
• Free time for rest, relaxation and Shabbat preparation.
• Kabbalat Shabbat with a Jerusalem egalitarian congregation.
• Festive Shabbat dinner at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Shabbat services or morning at leisure.
• Gather for Kiddush, Motzi and snacks.
• Lunch on own.
• A Historic Weave of Jerusalem – Interweaving the poetry of Yehuda Amichai and Biblical texts, begin walking with the Makor tour educator in Yemin Moshe, through the Hinnom Valley to the top of Mount Zion. Continue to the Jewish Quarter, with its archaeological remains that date back 3000 years to the days of the First Temple, including the Nea Church, the Biblical and Hasmonean remains in the open Cardo and the Broad Wall.
• Meet with Mahmoud Muna over coffee and cake at his Educational Book Shop and café.
• Havdalah overlooking the Old City.
• Dinner on own in the Mamilla pedestrian mall.
• For a different perspective on the history of Jerusalem, head underneath the Old City’s chaotic maze of buildings to 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

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Israel and the Palestinians: Impressions, with Yossi Klein HaLevy, Fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and author of such books as Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor and Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation.
• My Hopes for the Palestinian People in the West Bank: Visit Rawabi, the new Palestinian city north of Ramallah, for a glimpse at this unique project, a synthesis between private enterprise and public resources that is creating a new urban reality in Palestinian society. Meet with developer Bashar el Masri.
• Lunch on own in Rawabi.
• My Hopes for the Jewish People in Judea and Samaria: Visit the community of Psagot in the Benjamin region and hear from a settler about his/her life and plans for Jewish futures in Judea and Samaria.
• Return to Jerusalem.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Guided visit with Liz Elsby (pending confirmation) through Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center, the Jewish national memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, including:
  • The Avenue of the Righteous Gentiles
  • The Holocaust History Museum
  • The Children’s Memorial
  • Conclude with a special program at the Valley of the Communities
• Lunch on own.
• Geopolitical tour around the borders of Jerusalem for a look at some of the issues involved in the Palestinian-Israeli relationship in the Jerusalem area.
• Encounter with Kids4Peace, one of the most successful co-existence projects in the Middle East.
• Visit artist Yoram Raanan in his studio in Moshav Bet Meir.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Proceed to the Dead Sea.

• Option 1: 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.
  Option 2: Guided visit at the Ein Gedi Botanical Garden and Birdwatching Lookout, an oasis with over 800 unique and rare species of trees, shrubs and flowers from all over the world that create a one-of-a kind, exotic and well-tended botanical garden. All: Continue to Ein Bokek for an opportunity to float in the Dead Sea and swim in the hotel pool, followed by lunch.
• Ride camels to the “Tent of Avraham Avinu” at Eretz Beresheet for an explanation and demonstration of ancient Biblical hospitality customs, many of which are preserved today in traditional Bedouin life.

• Return to Jerusalem.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Step into another world and visit the quaint neighborhood of Ein Kerem, long known as an artists’ quarter and also home to a diverse collection of people from many ethnic backgrounds and places mentioned in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles.
• Participate in an authentic ethnic cooking workshop (Kurdish/Yemenite/Moroccan) that affords a hands-on, true-to-life cultural immersion that’s not just about good eating – it’s also about exploring foreign cultures through taste, smell and experience. Conclude with a festive farewell lunch!
• Return to Jerusalem.
• Rest of the afternoon and evening on own.
• Summary discussion.
• Depart for Ben Gurion Airport for return flight(s) to United States.

Program is subject to change, pending confirmations.