Ahavath Beth Israel

• Departure from the United States.

Note: The first day’s schedule may change depending on flight arrival time.

• Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport and meet your Makor guide.
• Check in to the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Meet in the lobby at 8:45 am.
• A Historic Weave of Jerusalem – Walk through the Valley of Hinnom, using the Bible as a guide, to the top of Mount Zion and continuing to the Jewish Quarter, with its archaeological remains that date back 3000 years to the days of the First Temple, including possible visits to the Broad Wall from the days of the First Temple, the Herodian Mansion from the days of the Second Temple, and Hurva Square, the thriving center of the Jewish Quarter today.
• Lunch on own in the Jewish Quarter.
• Light Shabbat candles.
• Kabbalat Shabbat with Kehilat Harel and Cantor Evan.
• Shabbat dinner at the Eyal hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Morning free for participants to attend a synagogue, and/or for rest and reflection.
• Enter the Old City through the Jaffa Gate.
• Lunch on own in the Old City suq (market) at a “chumusiya”, an unpretentious local eating place where the chumus is made in house daily along with techina and falafel and lots of variations on the theme.
• Walk along the Rooftops of the Marketplace for a glimpse at the weave of people and places that make up the Old City.
• Guided walk through the Quarters of Jerusalem, exploring the multiethnic weave of the city, including a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter and the Austrian Hospice on the edge of the Muslim Quarter, concluding with a view of the Temple Mount/Haram al Sharif.
• Havdallah within view of the Old City walls.
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Travel to the Etzion Junction
• Meet with Jewish and Palestinian co-existence activists at the Shorashim – Roots – Judour Center, a project of dialogue and solution-building between settlers and Palestinians.
• At the Tel Maresha National Park (Beit Guvrin) where hundreds of underground caves date back to the time of the Phoenicians, become an archaeologist for a day, taking take part in the ongoing digs at the caves, which served as storerooms, burial crypts and safe havens.
• Travel through the Judean Hills with a stop for a picnic lunch.
• Hike along the Sataf springs that water the agricultural terraces, reminders of an almost-vanished Hebrew culture dating back thousands of years (time permitting).
• Dinner and evening on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• The Memory of the Holocaust in the Contemporary State of Israel, a dialogue with scholar Rachel Korazim.
• Visit the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center, including the Avenue of the Righteous, the Holocaust History Museum, and the Children’s Memorial, concluding with a special ceremony in the Valley of the Communities.
• Go to Machane Yehuda open-air market to understand the human tapestry of Jerusalem, meet people of all nationalities, religions and ages; see, smell and taste foods of all colors, sizes and shapes. Lunch on own in Machane Yehuda.
• Afternoon at leisure.
• Dinner at a Jerusalem restaurant.

• Early breakfast at the hotel.
• Proceed to the Dead Sea Basin.
• Ascend Masada via cable car or climbing 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.
• Continue to Ein Bokek for an opportunity to float in the Dead Sea and swim in the hotel pool, followed by lunch.
• Hike in Nahal David (David’s Stream) at Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, a unique ecosystem of springs, waterfalls and pools surrounded by lush greenery in a desolate desert setting.
• Drive north along Highway 90, the Great Rift Valley.
• Check in to the hotel.
• Dinner at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Travel by ATV self-drive off-road vehicles around Mt. Bental for a security briefing on the delicate political/military relationship in the Middle East, continuing to the top of Bental by bus for an overlook into Syria.
• In an area overlooking the Sea, Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, an event that is traditionally on the spot where the modern Church of the Beatitudes stands today.
• Climb down the Arbel cliff that has a fortress climbed into face of the cliff where Galilean Zealots held out against the Romans in their first attempt at revolt against the mightiest empire of the ancient world.
• Lunch on own.
• Guided tour through Safed, walking the narrow alleyways, peeking into ancient synagogues, visiting the Artist Colony and colorful outdoor market, hearing the stories of the 16^th-century rabbis of Safed, who breathed new life into the Jewish people after the expulsion from Spain in 1492 and who are credited by many with igniting the first flames of passion for a return to the land of Israel.
• Dinner at the hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Travel to the Western Galilee.
• Morning hike in the Betzet Nature Reserve where the Betzet Stream that runs through limestone with many caves formed empties into the Mediterranean Sea.
• Ride down the cable car to Rosh Hanikra for a guided walk through the
• Lunch on own en route.
• Travel south along the Trans-Israel Highway, with a security seminar along the Seam Zone between Israel and the Palestinian territories.
• Visit Caesarea, where both the Romans and Crusaders built large and significant cities, explore the vast reconstructions and artistic interpretations of original archaeology.
• Check in to the hotel.
• Dinner on own.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• From atop the 29-story Azrieli Tower with its 360° view, see how the dream and vision of the Jewish State meet today’s reality in the first Hebrew city.
• Walking Tour along the Tel Aviv Promenade to Jaffa, followed by a guided tour through the Old City of Jaffa, tracing its story from the days of the Bible through the Jaffa Port. Guided walk through the Jaffa Flea Market and Old Jaffa.
• Browse in the Nachalat Binyamin market that has become synonymous with quality Israeli crafts and folk art.
• Lunch and the rest of the afternoon on own.
• Kabbalat Shabbat at a local synagogue.
• Festive Shabbat dinner at the Metropolitan hotel.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• The Story of Tel Aviv, a guided walk through the neighborhood of Neve Zedek, one of the first neighborhoods built outside of Jaffa, with its narrow streets, incomparable stories and beautiful re-gentrification.
• Lunch on own “Tel Aviv style” in open air cafes.
• Afternoon on own for rest and relaxation.
• Summation and farewell dinner.
• Depart for Ben Gurion Airport for return flight to the United States.

• Return flight to the United States.

*Program is subject to change, pending confirmations.