Gates of Prayer Journey to Israel

• Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport, with assistance from a Makor Educational Journeys representative.

• Proceed to Jerusalem

• Stop at the Goldman Promenade, overlooking the Old City for an opportunity to recite the traditional Shehecheyanu blessing upon arrival in Eretz Yisrael, followed by a short introduction to the city

• Check-in to the hotel

• Guided tour of Machane Yehuda, followed by a Welcome dinner at a Machane Yehuda area restaurant and orientation to the journey.

• Options

–        After the shops close down an equally vibrant but “alternative” Machane Yehuda comes alive. Tour the urban art scene and get a different vibe from a beloved Jerusalem cultural icon.

–        Late-night visit to a Jerusalem Challah Bakery

• Return to the hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Encompass the Old City of Jerusalem by following the “Ramparts Walk” along its 16^th century walls — a glimpse at the weave of people and places that make Old and New Jerusalem.

• Walls You See and Walls You Don’t See: Beginning with an overlook onto David’s City, explore the history of the walls and gates of Jerusalem, concentrating in the Jewish Quarter- the Broad Wall, the outlines of First and Second Temple walls and “Alone on the Walls,” an exhibition of photos about the last days and surrender of the Jewish Quarter in the War of Independence.

• Lunch on own and leisure time in the Jewish Quarter

• Conclude the day’s touring at Israel’s most famous Wall – the Western Wall/ Kotel

• Return to the hotel

• Shabbat Services and Dinner

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Leisure time or attendance at a local synagogue

•  “Window onto Zion”: Explore one building sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims that houses King David’s Tomb / the Room of the Last Supper / Nabi Daud

• Walk through the suq, the Arab market with lunch on own at a local chumusia.  Observe the ethnic and religious cultural diversity of the Old City.

• (Optional) Guided tour of the Holy Sepulchre, believed to be the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.

• Havdalah

• Dinner on own in the Mamilla Pedestrian Mall, downtown or First Station

• View the Night Spectacular displayed on the walls of the Tower of David Museum, and/or Guided tour of the Western Wall Tunnels

• Return to Hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Guided visit to Yad Vashem World Holocaust Remembrance Center, the Jewish NationalMemorial to the victims of the Holocaust, including the Avenue of the Righteous, the Holocaust History Museum and the Children’s MemorialConclude with a life-affirming activity In the Valley of the Communities.

• Lunch at Café Shalva, a boutique café that is also an equal-opportunity work setting where an inclusive staff work as managers, waiters, and hosts. Learn about Shalva, the Association for Mentally and Physically Challenged Children in Israel

• Drive to the Judean Lowlands to participate in an active archeological dig at Tel Maresha, while exploring man-made caves from 2,300 years ago, followed by spelunking through the caves. (A walk through already-discovered and accessible caves will be available for those who prefer.)

• Evening and dinner on own

• Optional: Participate in a Kol HaOt Family Arts Workshop, as a transition from Yad Vashem to the vibrant city of Jerusalem.

• Breakfast at the hotel and check-out

• Ascend Masada via cable car or on foot 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.

• At 1,300 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. “Swim” on the water’s surface, suspended on its high concentrations of salts and minerals.

• Travel north through the Syrian-African Great Rift Valley. Lunch on own en route.

• The She’an Nights is a multi-media night tour of the ancient city of Beit She’an-Scythopolis.  Following a short presentation on the history of the area, visitors stroll through the streets of the excavated city of Scythopolis

• Proceed to the hotel and check-in

• Dinner at hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel.

• 4X4 Jeep Ride through the Golan Heights, with its green fields, farmlands and volcanic mountains, alongside borders and former battlefields.

• Lunch on own at Kibbutz Ein Zivan

• Adults: Wine tasting
• Youth:  Chocolate-making workshop

• Return to the hotel

• Dinner at the hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Participate in “Lost in Safed” – an Interactive Map Quest with time at leisure in Safed

• Travel to the Western Galilee

• Enjoy in an authentic Druze/Arab lunch, a hands-on, true-to-life cultural immersion that’s not just about good eating, but about exploring foreign cultures through taste, smell and conversation.

• Ride the cable car to the grottos at Rosh Hanikra for an opportunity to walk through the naturally-hewn grottos on the shores of the Mediterranean, and/or
• Walk through alleys and streets in the port city of Akko, a labyrinth of intrigue, exploring the remains of Crusader, Muslim and Ottoman construction – its massive city walls, the subterranean Crusader city and Ottoman fortress.

• Breakfast at the hotel and check-out

• Through interactive experiences at the Old Courtyard at Kibbutz Ein Shemer, experience the kibbutz life of Israel’s pioneers. Continue with a tractor ride through the kibbutz.

• Continue to Zichron Yaakov’s Wine Road, “Derekh HaYayin,” which has been recreated to bring back to life the character of the “moshava’s” early days.
• Lunch on own in Zichron Ya’akov

• Drive to Rehovot and visit the Ayalon Institute, a pre-state clandestine munitions factory, one of Israel’s first entrepreneurial startups.

• Continue to Tel Aviv

• Check-in to the hotel

• Dinner and evening on own in the Tel Aviv Port

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Tour along the Tel Aviv Promenade to Jaffa.

• The Visitor’s Center of Old Jaffa enables the visitor to experience 5000 years of history in one the most ancient port cities in the world, with a virtual performance that brings past heroes to life.

• Walk along the Nachalat Binyamin Pedestrian Mall, with its arts and crafts fair and street artists, with lunch on your own

• (Weather permitting) To the world, Tel Aviv means “beach” – even in the winter.  Learn to play “matkot,” the Israeli beach game with no winners or losers.

• Musical Kabbalat Shabbat services at a Tel Aviv synagogue followed by dinner with congregation members.
• Return to hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Morning at leisure

• Take a short tour in the trendy neighborhood of Florentin, to explore new and daring Israeli graffiti artists.  Continue to the “Tiny, Tiny” art gallery, where a professional graffiti artist, will teach the creative techniques and secrets behind graffiti art and make a graphic T-shirt or canvas to take home.

• Lunch and rest of the afternoon on own

• Havdalah

• Farewell dinner at a Tel Aviv restaurant.

• Depart for Ben Gurion International Airport for return flights home.