Jewish Federation of San Antonio
Community Mission to Israel
Celebrating 25 Years of Partnership2Gether
A special visit in Israel during its 75th anniversary year
- Arrive in Israel to be met and assisted by Makor representative (today’s program depends on arrival time).
- Ascend to Jerusalem through the biblical Ayalon Valley and the Judean Hills.
- Shehecheyanu/Welcome ceremony overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem.
- Check-in to the Leonardo Plaza Hotel in Jerusalem.
- Welcome dinner at Touro Restaurant.
- Geopolitical Briefing with Haviv Rettig Gur, Times of Israel Political Correspondent and Senior Analyst.
- Breakfast at hotel.
- Discover the archaeological story of the Western Wall and episodes of Jewish life 2,000 years ago at Robinson’s Arch and the Southern Wall Excavations. Hear about a new archaeological discovery connected to the Chanukah story.
- Visit the traditional prayer area of the Western Wall, with time for introspection.
- Walk through the Western Wall Tunnels to discover underground Jerusalem.
- Lunch on own in the Jewish Quarter.
Afternoon Options
Track 1 – Recommended for 1st Timers
Jewish Heritage in the Jewish Quarter
- Tour of Jewish Quarter including the Rooftops, Herodian Quarter, Broad Wall and Cardo, followed by free time to shop and explore on own.
Track 2 – Recommended for Returnees
Option 1* – The Christian Quarter: Multicultural Jerusalem
- Visit the Christian Quarter, including a part of the Via Dolorosa and guided tour inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and then continue through the marketplaces to Jaffa Gate to appreciate Jerusalem’s multicultural character.
OR
Option 2* – Alternate Synagogues of the Jewish Quarter
- Guided visits to the Four Sephardic Synagogues, the restored Hurva Synagogue, and the Karaite Museum, concluding with the remarkable discoveries under the ruins of the Tiferet Yisrael Synagogue.
(*One of the above options will be selected prior to the mission)
Entire Group
- Return to hotel for rest and relaxation.
- Dinner at a Jerusalem restaurant, with Holocaust Scholar, Rachel Korazim.
Please Note: Timing and some programming for this day will be determined in conjunction with the P2G Staff
- Breakfast at hotel.
- Guided visit at Yad Vashem – Israel’s national Holocaust memorial and museum, including the Holocaust History Museum, Children’s Memorial and Avenue of the Righteous.
- Depart for northern Israel.
- Lunch on own en route
- Arrive in the Partnership region.
- Site visits to partnership projects – to be determined in conjunction with P2G staff.
- Check–in to the Dan Panorama Hotel in Haifa.
- Return to the region for the 25th Anniversary Partnership2Gether celebration.
- Breakfast at hotel.
Track 1 – Recommended for 1st Timers
Tzfat
- Guided visit through mystical Tzfat’s old synagogues and picturesque alleyways, to explore what was the cradle of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) in the 16th century.
- Visit the studio of Kabbalistic artist David Friedman to hear how Jewish mysticism has influenced his work.
- Lunch en route.
- Drive to Caesarea.
- Guided visit through Tour the ruins of Caesarea, including its Roman Theater, Promontory Palace, Hippodrome and Amphitheater. While in Caesarea hear the story of Jewish underground fighter Hanna Szenes and her famous poem Walking to Caesarea (Eli, Eli).
Track 2 – Recommended for Returnees
Israel’s Defensive Line on the Northern Border
- Drive to the Northern border for a special program with Alma Center for Research and Education, the center for Israel and Geopolitical studies, and Lt.Col (Ret.) Sarit Zehavi to explore the challenging situation along Israel’s Northern border, while looking into Lebanon, followed by a geopolitical simulation exercise at the Alma Center in Tefen.
- Lunch en route.
- Wine tasting and lunch at the boutique Tishbi Winery in nearby Binyamina.
Entire Group
- Drive to Tel Aviv.
- Check in to hotel.
- Free evening and dinner on your own at one of Tel Aviv’s leading night spots.
- Breakfast at hotel.
Touring Options
Track 1 – Recommended for 1st Timers
- Travel to nearby Rehovot for a guided tour of the Ayalon Institute – A clandestine bullet factory used by Jewish underground forces before the founding of the State of Israel.
- Return to Tel Aviv.
- Hear about the establishment of Tel Aviv, the “first Hebrew city in 2,000 years,” standing at the Founders’ Monument on Rothschild Boulevard and walking along the Bauhaus architecture for which central Tel Aviv’s ‘White City’ was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Track 2 – Recommended for Returnees
- Graffiti tour in the upbeat Florentine neighborhood to see its remarkable street art and learn about the social commentary behind it.
- Visit to the Joseph Bau House, hosted by Joseph Bau’s daughters or granddaughter. Joseph Bau was a Holocaust survivor, the father of Israeli animation and a master forger for the Mossad, whose wedding appears in the film Schindler’s List.
Entire Group
- Lunch on your own and free time to explore the Nachalat Binyamin crafts fair. While there, check out the nearby Carmel Market and bohemian Sheinkin Street – All three of these Tel Aviv icons meet at the “Magen David Junction.”
- Free time to relax and prepare for Shabbat.
- Kabbalat Shabbat/Friday evening celebration – TBD.
- Festive Shabbat dinner at hotel.
- Breakfast at hotel.
- Optional Shabbat morning services/Leisure time.
- Walking tour of historic “Little Tel Aviv” to discover the quaint Neve Tzedek neighborhood, a forerunner of Tel Aviv and once home to Zionist cultural pioneers Eliezer Ben Yehuda, S. Y. Agnon, Nahum Gutman and Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook.
- Lunch on own.
- Tour the alleys of Old Jaffa, the ancient port city once known as Zion Gate, where Jonah set sail and through which Solomon brought the Cedars of Lebanon.
- Concluding discussion on top of ancient Tel Jaffa, overlooking modern Tel Aviv.
- Free time to stroll along the Mediterranean Sea on the Beachside Promenade to Tel Aviv Port.
- Havdallah on the beach.
- Free time and Dinner on your own in Tel Aviv.
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Guided visit to Anu – The Museum of the Jewish People on the campus of Tel Aviv University.
- JAFI/JDC site visit in Tel Aviv.
- Free afternoon to explore Tel Aviv.
- Late check – out from hotel.
- Wrap Up conversation.
- Farewell dinner at Maganda Restaurant in Tel Aviv’s old Yemenite Quarter.
- Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport – L’hit-ra’ot! ~~ See you again soon!
Nesiya tova ~~ We wish you a safe Journey home
*Price based on a minimum of 20 participants
Price does not include airfare
Hotels:
2 nights in Jerusalem: Leonardo Plaza Hotel
1 night in Haifa: Dan Panorama Hotel
3 nights in Tel Aviv: Crowne Plaza Hotel
Land Price Includes:
● Assistance upon arrival and departure at Ben Gurion Airport
● One Transfer from and one transfer to Ben Gurion Airport per bus
● Licensed Israeli Government Tour Educator and trained by Makor – 7 days
● All group Transportation in Israel on a private luxury bus – 7 days
● Field Coordinator -– 7 days
● Hotel Accommodations** per above (including porterage) ** or similar, pending confirmation
● All Site Admissions and programs as per the itinerary.
● Meals
▪ Breakfast daily
▪ 1 Lunch and Wine Tasting
▪ 5 Dinners
● Source Materials, Hat, Bag, Map
● Water on bus daily – 3 bottles/person/day
● All Programming as per the itinerary.
Not Included:
● Flights
● Tips for Guide and Driver
● Meals on own and out of pocket expenses
● Travel and Medical Insurance
● VAT for Israeli citizens
● Partnership Programming and Dinner
PAYMENT AND REFUND SCHEDULE
Payment Schedule
Upon Registration — Deposit of $500 per participant
August 1, 2023 — 50% of Total Payment
October 15, 2023 — Full Payment
Refund Schedule
Cancel Before August 1, 2023 — Full Refund
Cancel between August 1 and October 15, 2023 — 75% Refund
Cancel between October 15 and November 1, 2023 — 50% Refund
Cancel after November 1, 2023 — No Refund
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Samantha Mazuz, Director of Israel and Community Programs, mazuzs@jfsatx.org
Rabbi Misha Zinkow, Journey Builder misha@makorjourneys.com; 833-GoMakor (Eastern Time Zone)
TRAVEL INSURANCE INFORMATION
- We urge you to purchase cancellation insurance & supplemental medical coverage (which covers pre-existing conditions). This is a smart way to safeguard against life’s surprises.
- We have made arrangements with SMS-Travel Insurance Center (Israel) of Omaha, Nebraska. SMS has over 25 years of experience as worldwide insurance brokers and can help you choose the policy that best meets your needs. Yonah Engel is our contact person.
Please note regarding the purchase of travel insurance:
- most insurance policies require purchase within 21 days of your first payment in order to receive maximum coverage (pre-existing conditions, bankruptcy insurance, etc).
- even if you do not yet know the final trip cost (e.g. flights), write down the amount you do know – and then at a later date, the insurance premium can be amended.
- trip dates are for the entire period away from home
- trip costs are all pre-paid expenses (e.g. airfare + land costs)
No group flight arrangements are planned for this journey; kindly make your own flight plans. Below are two itineraries recommended by Federation staff. Both flights will be met by Makor staff and will ride together to Jerusalem. If you choose another carrier/flight that does not arrive within an hour of these flights, you will be responsible for your own ground transportation to Jerusalem.
Option 1
November 5:
Option 1A: Delta Airlines Flight 1027 (DL 1027), departs SAT at 5:40 AM, arrives to Atlanta (ATL) at 9:01 AM
Option 1B: Delta Airlines Flight 1617 (DL 1617), departs SAT at 7:00 AM, arrives to Atlanta (ATL) at 10:21 AM
Both Options 1A and 1B connect to Delta Airlines Flight 248 (DL 248), departs ATL at 2:15 PM, arrives to TLV at 8:55 AM, next day (November 6)
—–
or
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Option 2
November 5:
American Airlines 1604 (AA 1604), departs SAT at 5:35 AM, arrives to Miami (MIA) at 9:20 AM
Connect to El Al 18 (LY 18), departs MIA at 12:00 PM, arrives to TLV at 6:45 AM, next day (November 6)
Option 1
November 12:
Delta Airlines Flight 235 (DL 235), departs TLV at 11:55 PM, arrives New York (JFK) at 5:15 AM, next day (November 13)
Connect to DL 1538 at 9:45 AM, arrives to SAT at 12:57 PM
—–
or
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Option 2
Note: this flight departs on MONDAY November 13:
El Al 5 (LY5), departs TLV at 12:45 AM, arrives Los Angeles (LAX) at 6:00 AM
Connect to American 4887 (AA 4887), departs LAX at 9:30 AM, arrives SAT at 2:31 PM.
Option 1
November 12:
Delta Airlines Flight 235 (DL 235), departs TLV at 11:55 PM, arrives New York (JFK) at 5:15 AM, next day (November 13)
Connect to DL 1538 at 9:45 AM, arrives to SAT at 12:57 PM
—–
or
—–
Option 2
Note: this flight departs on MONDAY November 13:
El Al 5 (LY5), departs TLV at 12:45 AM, arrives Los Angeles (LAX) at 6:00 AM
Connect to American 4887 (AA 4887), departs LAX at 9:30 AM, arrives SAT at 2:31 PM.