IHC & TBE Trip to Israel

Note: The first day’s itinerary will be determined by flight arrival time 

• Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport, with assistance by a Makor Educational Journeys representative
• Meal en route TBA
• Check in to the hotel
• Dinner at the hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Travel to the restored Agamon Hula Nature Reserve and ride golf carts or bicycles through the Hula Wetlands, an important resting place for migrating birds, which fly over Israel on their way to/from Europe and Africa
• Drive to Tzfat to explore the synagogues of the mystics, set along the alleyways with shops selling Judaica and art galleries
• Glassblowing demonstration with Sheva Chaya, an artist inspired by Kabbalah
• Visit the Safed Candle Factory and make Shabbat or Havdallah candles
• Street lunch on own in the Old City of Tzfat
• Activity with Livnot u’Lehibanot, one of the veteran Israeli programs established to strengthen Jewish identity
• Dinner at the hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Option: Proceed to the Western Galilee Partnership Together region and participate in a service project
• Board Jeeps and travel on the Golan Heights to discover first-hand the strategic importance of the area, including an overview from the top of Mount Bental to look across the border onto the Syrian Golan
• Lunch on own at Café Anan
• Taste Bud Tantalizers – Wine and chocolate:
  • Adults: Wine tasting at a boutique winery
  • Youth: Chocolate workshop at De Karina
• Tour Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu to understand how its cutting edge ecological business in biologically-based integrated pest management and natural pollination uses nature to engage with nature, which fosters good relations and spreads ecological awareness in helping Palestinian and Jordanian farmers
• Proceed to Jerusalem
• Stop at Scopus for an opportunity to recite the traditional Shehecheyanu blessing upon arrival
• Check in to the hotel
• Dinner on own

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Guided visit at the City of David through the origins of Jerusalem, with Bible in hand
• Lunch on own and guided tour plus leisure time in the Jewish Quarter/Cardo of Jerusalem’s Old City
• Tour the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament
• Visit the Israel Museum including the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed
• Dinner and evening on own at the First Station

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Visit the nursery school/kindergarten at HUC for Kabbalat Shabbat
• Join Jerusalemites from all walks of life as they prepare for Shabbat at Machane Yehudah Open Air Market, with lunch on your own
• Rest of the afternoon at leisure
• Candle lighting at 4:03 pm
• Walk to the Kotel for reflection and meditation
• Kabbalat Shabbat at the Southern Steps or Ezrat Yisrael
• Shabbat dinner at the hotel

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Optional: Shabbat morning services at a local Jerusalem synagogue
• Lunch on own in the Old City
• Guided walk along the Ramparts of Jerusalem’s 16^th walls to Mount Zion, the Hill of Three Religions, with poetry and Midrash
• And/or
• Guided walk into the Christian Quarter of the Old City, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
• Havdallah in the Old City
• Dinner on own in the Mamilla Pedestrian Mall
• View the Night Spectacular at David’s Tower, which tells the story of Jerusalem with light and music

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Ascend Masada via cable car or by climbing the Snake Path 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
• Descend Masada by way of the Roman Ramp
• Proceed to the Kfar HaNokdim Bedouin Encampment in the Southern Judean Desert with Bedouin hospitality, followed by a camel ride and a traditional Hafla lunch
• Proceed to the Dead Sea Basin
• “Float”, relax and refresh at the Dead Sea
• Return to Jerusalem
• Dinner on own

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Guided visit to Yad Vashem, the national Jewish Memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, including the Avenue of the Righteous, the Historical Museum and the Children’s Memorial
• Parallel tour for children to inform youth about the Holocaust in a manner that is suited to their age and understanding
• Concluding ceremony in the Valley of the Communities
• Lunch on own
• Plant a tree at the Tzora Forest Tree Planting Center
• To really dig deep into the past, head towards Beit Guvrin, and become an archaeologist for a day in the ongoing digs at the caves that served as storerooms, burial crypts and safe havens
• Proceed to Tel Aviv
• Check in to the hotel
• 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 newly developed Jaffa Port
• Dinner on own in Old Jaffa

• Breakfast at the hotel
• The Race for Independence, an interactive game to get to know the history of the first Hebrew city and the story of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, concluding with a guided visit at Independence House, the site of the establishment of the State of Israel
• The Taglit-Birthright Innovation Center encapsulates the reasons why Israel is known as the Startup Nation and illustrates the new advancements Israeli Startups are making in different fields, such as science, medicine, security, space and more
• The open-air Nachalat Binyamin has become synonymous with quality Israeli crafts and folk art
• Lunch and afternoon on own
• Farewell Dinner in Tel Aviv TBA
• Proceed to Ben Gurion International Airport for your return flight to the USA