Led by Rabbi Michelle Missaghieh (contact rmichelle@tioh.org with questions)

Full Itinerary Below (As of October 25, 2011: subject to change)

Come explore Israel together. We’ll come to know the topography and the history of this fascinating land, and in the course of exploring its centrality to Judaism and Jewish History we will consider the passions aroused by this small piece of territory among other religions and peoples throughout history, and then come full circle to look at our own Jewish identity in a new light.  Our itinerary is driven by the desire to see and experience as much as possible in the short time we have together in Israel, while still leaving time to enjoy traveling together as a community and to reflect on the different experiences of the trip. The itinerary has been carefully planned, but is subject to changes due to the weather or technical considerations. We appreciate in advance your flexibility, punctuality, and understanding. It should be quite a ride, and the Keshet staff will be available to help make it as meaningful and enjoyable as possible.

Date	Program	Meals/Overnight
Sunday June 23	Departure from USA
Monday June 24	Bruchim Habaim – Welcome to Israel!   Afternoon/evening arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport. ● Head to Tel Aviv to relax and check-in at our hotel on the shores of the Mediteranean Sea. ● In the early evening we’ll head out for our Welcome to Israel dinner	Airport Snack   Welcome Dinner   RennaisanceHotel TelAviv
Tuesday June 25	To Be Free in Our Own Land ● Examine the struggles leading up to the birth of the State of Israel with a dramatic reenactment at Independence Hall where David Ben Gurion declared the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948. ● At Rabin Square, remember Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who was assassinated here in 1995. Learn about the political and ideological divisionsin Israeli society. ●Then,“join” a Palmach unit at the multi-media museum dedicated to this elite force of the pre-State Haganah. ●In the afternoon, explore Tel Aviv & have lunch on your own. You can stroll through the open-air Nahalat Binyamin Crafts Market. ●Enjoy the urban beaches of Tel Aviv right outside our hotel. ●Evening & dinner in Tel Aviv on your own.	Lunch and dinner on your own   RennaisanceHotel TelAviv
Wednesday June 26	JerusalemThrough the Ages ● Head out to the fields with Project Leket, and volunteer to pick fruits & vegetables to be donated to local soup kitchens ● Ascend to Jerusalem. Celebrate our arrival at the Haas Promenade with Shehechiyanu & the magnificent views & the stories of Akedat Yitzhak and David’s establishment of the city as the capital of the People of Israel 3,000 years ago. ●Explore the City of David (the original Jerusalem) & splash through Hezekiah's water tunnel built 2,700 years ago to secure the water supply of  Jerusalem's from invading armies! Dry option available. ●Check-in at our hotel in Jerusalem ●Dinner and study session with Rabbi Donniel Hartman* at the Shalom Hartman Institute.	Picnic Lunch   Hartman Dinner   Mt Zion Hotel Jerusalem
Thursday June 27	JerusalemThe Holy ● After an early breakfast at the hotel, head to the southwest corner of the Temple Mount (Robinson’s Arch) for a Shacharit Bnai Mitzvah service. ●Step back 2,000 years to the days of the Second Temple as we explore the archaeological finds at the adjacent Davidson Visitors’ Center ●Private prayer and contemplation time at the Kotel (Western Wall) ●Lunch and shopping time on your own ●In the afternoon, explore the restored Jewish Quarter together and examine the life of the city through the ages, including the rooftops, the Cardo and the Kotel overlook. ● Continue along the traditional Christian pilgrim’s Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where we will consider the Christian connection to Jerusalem. ●Evening and dinner on your own	Lunch & dinner on your own     Mt Zion Hotel Jerusalem
Friday June 28	From Out of the Crucible ●Visit and stand in solemn memory at Israel’s Yad Vashem memorial to the Holocaust including the children’s memorial and the historical museum. Children under 10 years of age will head to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo or the Jerusalem Science Museum. ●After Yad Vashem, we’ll celebrate the vibrancy of life in Israel by exploring and having lunch on your own at the famous bustling open-air Machane Yehuda market. ●Home hospitality program in Maaleh Adumim with Ethiopian Jews* to hear the remarkable stories of their long trek home from Africa to Israel. ●Return to the hotel to prepare for Shabbat ●In the evening, attend Kabbalat  Shabbat  at Kehilat Kol Haneshama* ●Walk back to the hotel for a festive Shabbat dinner.	Lunch on your own   Shabbat Dinner at the hotel     Mt. Zion Hotel Jerusalem
Shabbat June 29	Shabbat in Jerusalem ● Enjoy the special atmosphere of Shabbat in Jerusalem by participating in Shabbat services at one of Jerusalem’s many synagogues and/or exploring the city on your own…or attend Shabbat morning servicesat Hebrew Union College followed by a tour of the campus. ● Shabbat lunch at the hotel, followed by rest and pool time. ● In the early evening we’ll meet for a walking tour to the famous windmill and the first neighbourhood built outside the Old City walls by Sir Moses Montefiore in the 1860’s. ● Group Havdalah. Dinner and evening on your own in Jerusalem.   The Israel Museum is open from 10 AM – 5 PM and the Tower of David Museum is open from 10 AM – 2 PM.	Shabbat Lunch at the hotel   Snack   Dinner on own   Mt. Zion Hotel Jerusalem
Sunday June 30	Dig the Past ●Meet former Jerusalem City Council member Anat Hoffman*, Director of the Israel Religious Action Center. ● Continue south to Tel Beit Guvrin for an archeological adventure, digging up the past with our own hands! (the dig is appropriate for all ages and takes place in a cave with natural “air conditioning.”). ●Then, at the Kfar HaNokdim Bedouin Ranch we’ll have a camel trek, Bedouin hospitality and dinner. ●Get a few hours of sleep in nearby Arad before our sunrise ascent to Masada.	Picnic Lunch     Bedouin Dinner   Inbar Hotel Arad
Monday July 1	What Price Freedom? ●Wakeup for a pre-sunrise climb to the fortress of Masada where the last Jewish freedom fighters faced the mighty Roman Empire 2,000 years ago. ● Shacharit services and tour atop the mountain as we address the troubling issues presented by the Masada story. ● Descend by cable car or Snake Path to a simple breakfast at the Masada Guest House. ● Cool off at the natural pools & waterfalls of the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve.  ● Relax, have lunch & floating in the Dead Sea at the Ein Gedi Beach & Pool. ● Head north for check-in and dinner at our Kibbutz Hotel. ● After dinner, we’ll hang out at the Kibbutz pool and relax on the beautiful grounds.	Dead SeaLunch   Dinner at Hotel   Pastoral Hotel Kibbutz Kfar Blum
Tuesday July 2	Landof Borders ● Delve into the complex security and water issues on the Golan Heights; visit the bunkers at Israel’s border with Syria at Mt. Bental. ● Nature hike at the headwaters of the Jordan River at the beautiful Tel Dan Nature Reserve, which also incorporates the ancient Biblical City Dan. ● Lunch on your own in Kiryat Shemonah, Israel's northernmost city. ● Visit & stand in solidarity with IDF soldiers* on Israel’s northern border. ●End the day with home hospitality (or community) dinner with families at Har Halutz*, a community associated with Reform Judaism in Israel.	Lunch on your own   Community Dinner   Pastoral Hotel Kibbutz Kfar Blum
Wednesday July 3	Living Waters ●Head to the “mighty” Jordan Riverfor a family rafting adventure. ●Visit and meet Israeli Arab residents*; gain insight to the complicated and conflicted nature of Israeli Arab identity. ● In the late afternoon/early evening, head to the Agmon Hula ValleyNature Park & Ponds, for a nature adventure. We’ll explore the reserve in the Safari Wagon, observe thousands of unique birds, animals and plants, in their natural habitat.As night falls, we’ll try to spot predators as they head out to hunt, peek at the lives of jungle cats and trace barn-owls and other nocturnal raptors. The tour includes short hiking, stargazing, a campfire and light refreshments (weather permitting). ● Dinner with live Jewish music at a restored farm house of the early Zionist Halutzim pioneers.	Lunch on your own   Dinner     Pastoral Hotel Kibbutz Kfar Blum
Thursday July 4	Deep Roots ●Ascend to Tzfat, city of the Jewish mystics. ●Meet a Kabalistic artist in his studio to learn about Kabalah through the lens of art ●Explore the narrow alleyways and synagogues of Tzfat and learn how the mystical traditions that emerged in here 500 years ago continue to impact the Jewish world. ●Shop the galleries and shops of Tzfat, and have lunch on your own. ●Continue south to the ancient Roman capital at seaside Caesarea with it’s theater and remains of the palace. Explore the complex relationship between Jewish and Roman Pagan civilizations (which continues to resonate today) . ●Continue to the Binyamina Winery for a tour and tasting and our summary discussionand farewell dinner before heading to Ben Gurion International Airport for your flight to the USA.	Lunch on your own   Farewell Dinner
Friday July 5	Arrive in USA

 

► Program will be staffed by a Keshet Israel Tour Educator and Keshet Youth Counselor(s)

► There will be parallel educational tour programming for adults and youth throughout the trip

► All breakfasts plus underlined meals are included in the package price.

*Subject to availability

This itinerary is proprietary to Keshet and is intended for the promotion of and to inform those considering joining this Keshet trip. It is not to be transmitted to any other party without prior authorization from Keshet.