ITINERARY OCT 15-23, 2018 FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: GAIL PUTNAM AT X158.

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1 ITINERARY OCT 15-23, 2018 FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: GAIL PUTNAM AT X158.

2 shalom! Join your friends and colleagues from Rhode Island for a journey of a lifetime to Israel. Whether you are a first time traveler or have experienced Israel many times, the trip will provide an insider s look at Israel her history, her development and current events but the focus will be on the arts and the culinary arts in Israel. There will be an opportunity to meet with your partnership community in Afula-Gilboa. Above all we hope that it will be a transformational experience! Meals and activities which are included as part of the trip are indicated in the program. Other meals and activities indicated by an asterisk (*), and are the responsibility of the participants. Please note. The program is subject to change. Program based on two buses with two tour educators: Julian Resnick and Chen Kazaz Chair Mitzi Berkelhammer President & CEO Adam Greenman Stephen P. Seiden, Chair Doron Krakow, President & CEO Leah Garber, Vice-President, JCC Israel Center Sara Sless, Assistant Director, JCC Israel Center Shira Lupiansky Hasson, Boarding Pass Associate, JCC Israel Center

Land at Ben Gurion airport, Tel, Aviv on flight LY 16 and meet tour educators Julian Resnick and Chen Kazaz and staff from the JCC Israel Center (Participants not arriving on group flight can

3 ITINERARY DAY 1 DEPART USA FOR ISRAEL Sunday, Oct. 14 DAY 2 ARRIVE IN ISRAEL Monday, Oct. 15 Welcome to Israel! After safely landing at Ben Gurion International Airport we will travel to the coastal city of Tel Aviv 2:45 p.m. Land at Ben Gurion airport, Tel, Aviv on flight LY 16 and meet tour educators Julian Resnick and Chen Kazaz and staff from the JCC Israel Center (Participants not arriving on group flight can check-in to hotel from 3:00 p.m., we are happy to assist with airport transfers or hotel extension reservations at additional cost) Drive to the Old City of Jaffa and begin with an overview from the gate way to the Holy Land for thousands of years and a view of modern Tel Aviv. Make Shehechiyanu (blessing of gratitude) and enjoy an official welcome to Israel Check-in to hotel Herods Tel Aviv Depart for opening dinner and orientation to the trip at local Tel Aviv restaurant Overnight Herods, Tel Aviv DAY 3 TEL AVIV AND THE NEW JEW Tuesday, Oct. 16 Our journey begins exploring the first modern Hebrew City and its expression of modern Jewish-Zionist identity An Introduction to Israel opening meeting with Rebecca Caspi, Director General of JFNA s Israel office (at hotel) The Beginnings of the Modern Hebrew City of Tel Aviv, walk through Neve Tzedek, one of the first neighborhoods of the modern city of Tel Aviv and hear the stories of its founders, and their vision for the cultural capital of the State of Israel Guided visit to Independence Hall to hear the story of Israel s dramatic Declaration of Independence in Urban picnic lunch followed by free time to stroll through stalls of the Carmel market and adjacent Nachalat Binyamin arts and crafts fair Divide into 5 parallel tracks - with 15 participant minimum Track 1: Tel Aviv as the trail blazer of the start-up nation - visit a local start up and learn of why the culture of the city provides fertile ground for innovation Track 2: Guided tour of local Tel Aviv galleries by local artist or tour the Israeli art wing at Tel Aviv Modern Museum of Art (staff decides in planning process which museum to visit) Track 3: Tel Aviv on Two Wheels, depart on bicycle through some of the different areas of Tel Aviv to get a sense of the city s expanse and diversity Track 4: Enjoy a culinary tasting tour at the colorful Lewinski Spice Market located in the Florentine neighborhood of Tel Aviv, and home to Jewish diasporas from Italy, Greece, and Iran. Many shops are third generation family businesses full of local history and stories (15 participant maximum) Track 5: Business track Tie-in discussion at hotel followed by free evening and dinner on own Overnight Herods, Tel Aviv Rhode Island Draft 2-Feb. 25 3

presentation and discussion with Avraham

4 DAY 4 PEOPLEHOOD AND THE DIVERSITY OF ISRAEL Wednesday, Oct. 17 We leave Tel Aviv today and head north, with a chance to experience Israel s diversity in this area, before heading to our partnership region in Afula Check out of hotel Making Sense of Israel presentation and discussion with Avraham Infeld (at hotel) 9:30 a.m. Track 1: Depart for Wadi Ara, and visit the Umm El Fahem gallery of Said Abu Shakra founded in 1996 on the initiative of the local residents who wanted to bring quality and contemporary art to the city, and its population, and to exhibit original Arab and Palestinian Art Track 2: Visit Caesarea National Park and enjoy a guided tour of excavations of this coastal wonder expanded by Herod the Great who renamed it Caesarea Marittima, in honor of the Julius Caesar. It was an exemplary Roman city, with all the Roman cultural and engineering ingenuity 1 Both groups meet in Afula for lunch at local school where the Ethiopian National Project will be showcased through the SPACE program Partnership region activities (to be planned with colleagues from region but can possibly include) Track 1: Public Health: Visit to Ha- Emek hospital in Afula and to the Valley communities Rape crisis center Track 2: Family and Youth; Visit to ENP Afula Youth Center, and to the JAFI project- Youth futures Track 3: Education: Visit to JDC project Parent-Child play and Teach First in Afula 6:00 p.m. Tracks meet up and eat dinner together with Partnership region colleagues from Marching Together to a Shared Future (or possibly preparing meal together) Check-in to hotel Overnight Lavi hotel, Kibbutz Lavi DAY 5 EXPLORING NORTHERN ISRAEL Thursday, Oct. 18 Today, we have an opportunity to experience Israel s diverse Northern frontier. We will enjoy the views, and hear how important this region is to Israel s security as we explore borders, water, and the environment Depart from region and drive north towards Golan Heights 9:30 a.m. Track 1: Ascend the Golan Heights by jeep and visit Mount Ben Tal for overview of the borders of Israel and look into Syria, with an opportunity to discuss the geo-political status of the region and the humanitarian efforts made by Israel to care for wounded from Syria Track 2: Enjoy hike at Tel Dan and ascend Golan Heights by bus 1 Wine tasting and lunch at winery on the Golan to experience how the ancient art of wine making has become a part of the international wine scene, followed by tie-in with tour educator Drive to Jerusalem Arrival at Jerusalem s Mount Scopus for introduction to city at observation point and shehechiyanu (blessing of gratitude) Check-in to hotel Herbert Samuel Free evening and dinner on own 4 Boarding Pass Trip to Israel

short guided walk through selected areas of Jerusalem s Old City.

5 DAY 6 JERUSALEM OF GOLD Friday, Oct. 19 An opportunity to explore the many layers of Jerusalem before Shabbat Renewal in Jerusalem a discussion with scholar Noam Zion at hotel Centrality of Jerusalem for the Major Religions depart for a short guided walk through selected areas of Jerusalem s Old City. Visit the Old City roof tops in the Jewish Quarter and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher *Lunch on own at Machane Yehuda market, Ben Yehuda street or Mamilla mall 5:00 p.m. Meet for Shabbat candle lighting; depart for the Kotel (Western Wall) for Kabbalat Shabbat (welcoming the Sabbath) 7:30 p.m. Shabbat dinner at hotel hosting a few soldiers from the Michael Levin lone soldiers center or participants from Wings or JAFI Nativ (in private room) DAY 7 SHABBAT SHALOM Saturday, Oct. 20 Experiencing the beauty of Shabbat as a different dimension of Jewish journey the weekly separation from daily life and an opportunity to explore its meaning for different people in Israel and abroad Track 1 (Shabbat in Jerusalem): Free time to join Shabbat Services in one of Jerusalem s many synagogues or to enjoy Jerusalem s parks, visit the Old City or just relax 1:00 p.m. *Shabbat lunch on own (Shabbat lunch is available at the hotel with advance sign up at additional cost) Track 1: Walk through Yemin Moshe neighborhood with the poetry of Yehuda Amichai and stopping at the Hassenfeld Fountains located in the Teddy Kollek park Track 2: Visit the recently opened Friends of Zion museum for guided tour Track 3: R&R at the hotel or meet up with friends and family 5:00 p.m. Meet with renowned Torah scholar Aviva Zorenberg for a closer look and discussion of this week s parasha Lech Lecha -Or- Faces of Israel session to get a better look at the many populations fo Israel Tie-in discussion followed by Havdallah 7:00 p.m. Depart for dinner at Jerusalem restaurant Kikar Hamusica followed by optional tour to Western Wall tunnels and cultural event Rhode Island Draft 2-Feb. 25 5

6 DAY 7 LEGENDS AND LANDSCAPES Saturday, Oct. 20 Journey to the wilderness to understand the many dimensions of Masada as history and myth, and the significance of the Dead Sea area in Jewish history and Israel today Track 2 (Legends- suitable for first timers): 8:00 a.m. Depart for Masada Drive along the shores of the Dead Sea and look at the changing structure of the Sea which is shrinking from mineral mining and evaporation Ascend Masada by cable car for a guided visit to the extensive excavations of Herod s fortress above the Dead Sea, including discussion about Masada as a strategy for Jewish survival *Lunch on own at the Masada food court Time to relax and enjoy a swim in the Dead Sea at one of the beaches in the northern Dead Sea Return to Jerusalem 7:00 p.m. Depart for dinner at Jerusalem restaurant Kikar Hamusica followed by optional tour to Western Wall tunnels and cultural event DAY 8 THE DIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM Sunday, Oct. 21 We explore today the many narratives and creative intiatives of Jerusalem 8:30 am Depart in tracks for encounters and discussion: Track 1: The Ultra-Orthodox- not all Black and White meet, tour and speak with Haredi women entrepreneurs Track 2: Guided visit to Yad be Yad School in Southern Jerusalem, the first in the chain of bi-lingual schools where Jewish and Arab children study together Track 3: Jerusalem as a trailblazer for Jewish pluralism - Meeting with Kinneret Kahane assistant director at the Ginot Ha ir community council and matnas (community center) to hear about initiatives in celebrating Jewish diversity at the community center and in the public sphere 1:00 p.m. Lunch at Steikiat Hatzot in Machane Yehuda market 3:30 p.m. Israel Through the Lens of the Film, depart for a look at issues in contemporary Israel through short films made by the students of Ma aleh film school and meet with one of the film directors (at Ma aleh) Tie-in and Caucus pre-ga Free evening and dinner on own 6 Boarding Pass Trip to Israel

7 DAY 9 JOURNEY S END Monday, Oct. 22 A journey through Israel s collective memory and how the Holocaust is an intrinsic part of the Israeli psyche as well as an opportunity to summarize our trip on a high note Understanding the Significance of the Holocaust in Israeli Society with educator Ophir Yarden (at hotel) Depart for visit to the historical museum of the Holocaust at Yad Vashem, including the Avenue of the Righteous of the Nations and a visit to the Children s memorial Track 1: Guided tour at historical museum Track 2: Visit to Valley of communities, Yad Vashem Art Wing and various campus monuments *Lunch on own in tracks 2:00 p.m. Meet as group at Kol Haot studio at Hutzot Hayotzer (artists colony) and experience a artistic workshop looking at the importance of creativity and personal interpretation of text and experience and mapping the journey of the community in Israel -Or- Social Justice project: Packing food packages for needy families through Pantry Packers 4:30 p.m. Late check out followed by final discussion with tour educators (at hotel) 6:00 p.m. Depart for final dinner at Jerusalem restaurant Eucalyptus Depart for airport for flight LY 15 or trip extension Rhode Island Draft 2-Feb. 25 7

Stamford JCC Women s Trip to Israel February 1-12, 2017

Stamford JCC Women s Trip to Israel February 1-12, 2017 ITINERARY shalom! Welcome to Israel! During our journey together, we will learn about an unusually diverse and dynamic land in the midst of one of