AMAZING ISRAEL. Temple Beth Tikvah of Fullerton, CA: Led by Rabbi Nico Socolovsky June Day 1: Tuesday, June 6, 2017: DEPARTURE

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Temple Beth Tikvah of Fullerton, CA: AMAZING ISRAEL Led by Rabbi Nico Socolovsky June 2017 (as of 1/5/17) Day 1: Tuesday, June 6, 2017: DEPARTURE We depart the United States for our overnight flight

Afternoon arrival at Ben Gurion airport (1:45 pm). Meeting and assistance by Ayelet Tours staff. After meeting our guide and boarding the bus, we travel north to Haifa.

1 Temple Beth Tikvah of Fullerton, CA: AMAZING ISRAEL Led by Rabbi Nico Socolovsky June 2017 (as of 1/5/17) Day 1: Tuesday, June 6, 2017: DEPARTURE We depart the United States for our overnight flight to Israel! (Via El Al non-stop from LAX) Day 2: Wednesday, June 7, 2017: WELCOME TO ISRAEL! Afternoon arrival at Ben Gurion airport (1:45 pm). Meeting and assistance by Ayelet Tours staff. After meeting our guide and boarding the bus, we travel north to Haifa. We stop on the way at Caesarea, where we visit the Roman theatre and famed aqueduct. Here we will stop for a welcome to Israel blessing on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Time permitting, we pass by the Af Al Pi Chen museum to view the ships from the British (Palestinian mandate) period. Welcome dinner together in Haifa at a leading restaurant (Fatoush or similar), with greetings from local Progressive movement leadership (from Leo Baeck School or Or Hadash). Overnight in Haifa Day 3: Thursday, June 8, 2017: COASTAL BEAUTY Breakfast and check out of our hotel. We begin this morning with a stop at the Bahai Gardens overlook, with its sweeping views of Haifa from atop Mt. Carmel. We enjoy a walk down half way through the gardens. We travel to the Technion, Israel's MIT, to meet the people behind the "Start-Up Nation." Based on our group participants, we will tailor our visit to learn more about medical research, robotics, nanotechnology, energy or water. Along the way, we'll stop at one of its labs. This afternoon, we travel to Akko, where we explore the Crusader-era fortifications and British Prison as we learn about this historically important port. We visit the Underground Prisoners Museum. Discover the chalk-cliff grottoes carved out by the Mediterranean waters over time at Rosh Hanikra.

2 Drive to the north via the northern road and pass Hanita, one of the first Homa Vemigdal settlements. Overnight in the North Day 4: Friday, June 9, 2017: NORTHERN ADVENTURES TO CITY OF GOLD Jeep tour up to the Golan Heights, passing by old Syrian bunkers along the way. Take in the views stretching far into Syria from atop Har Bental. Discover the mystical city of Safed, focusing on the 15th century heroes who gave the Jewish people new hope, new songs, and who revived the dream of a Jewish return to our land. Explore the alleyways & the Artists Colony. Upon arrival in Jerusalem, we stop atop the Haas Promenade to recite a special Shehecheyanu! blessing overlooking the City of Gold. Join Kol Haneshama (or Nava Tehila TBD) community for Shabbat services. Shabbat dinner at our hotel. Day 5: Saturday, June 10, 2017: SHABBAT SHALOM! This morning, we travel by bus to nearby Efrat, where Rabbi Nico has arranged for us to join Shacharit at the Modern Orthodox Zemer Ha Zait, founded to offer greater inclusivity to the communities women. We enjoy a home hospitality lunch, hosted by members of the community. Return to Jerusalem. Afternoon Jerusalem walk and political discussion with Prof. Paul Liptz (Hebrew Union College) entitled: "The Interaction of War and Politics: 1948 to the Present," beginning at Beit Shmu'el. We next enjoy a discussion with Rabbi Uri Regev of Hiddush, an organization dedicated to the separation of church and state in Israel: Who is a Jew? The unresolved saga: conversion, the consequences for immigrants, the American element. Later this evening, after time for dinner (on own), we walk to the Tower of David, where we enjoy the new Sound & Light show spectacular! Tentative addition subject to confirmation - Optional visit to a Hasidic Tish

3 Day 6: Sunday, June 11, 2017: A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING This morning we meet with a scholar from the Hartman Institute for in depth insight and discussion ( Israel and the Challenge of Power ). Kids have the option of going (with adult supervision) to the interactive Bloomfield Science Museum. We visit Yad Vashem, Israel s memorial to the Holocaust, where we view the many moving exhibitions, including the Hall of Names and the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations. Continue to the Herzl Museum, where we learn about the life and work of the great Zionist visionary. At Mt. Herzl we visit the gravesites of Theodore Herzl, Golda Meir and Yitzhak Rabin. The Begin Center: this museum is an experiential, multimedia exhibit telling the story of one of the most important chapters in the history of the State of Israel through the life of Menachem Begin. Explore Machane Yehuda, Jerusalem s outdoor marketplace, filled with foods of every variety. Together we ll take part in the shuk bites program, allowing us to enjoy a varied taste of the marketplace in a fun and new way. At the end of the day as the market starts to close, we can see the art that was painted on the store shutters and see how the night life comes to life as bars and restaurants open Day 7: Monday, June 12, 2017: THE DEAD SEA BASIN We begin our morning with a short hike to the Ein Gedi waterfall. We depart to King Herod's fortresses and castle atop Masada, ascending by cable car or snake path. Visit the remains of the walls, palaces, synagogue, and the bathhouses, learning about the Jewish Zealots last stand against the Roman forces. Enjoy an unsinkable swim in the healing salty waters of the Dead Sea. We enjoy a camel ride before returning to Jerusalem.

4 Day 8: Tuesday, June 13, 2017: DIGGING INTO HISTORY Breakfast and check out of our hotel. We start the day at Emek Tzurim, where we participate in the dig that is sifting the Temple Mount rubble new and important finds are made here every day. Visit Ir David, the original City of David, located just outside the Old City. Here, we explore together Hezekiah s water tunnel which we will have the opportunity to walk through (bring water friendly shoes). Discover the Western Wall tunnels. Walk through history in the Old City, exploring the Jewish Quarter, Arab market, the Christian Quarter, the Via Dolorosa, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Visit the Israel Museum, which recently completed a $100 Million renovation, and is world class in every way Day 9: Wednesday, June 14, 2017: CONNECTING WITH THE SOUTHERN COMMUNITIES We start our day with a visit to Neot Kedumim, the biblical botanical gardens where we can see the wheat and olive press work as they have in the region for thousands of years. We plant a tree connecting us physically as well as spiritually to the land of Israel. We travel South via the Ela Valley where the biblical story of David and Goliath took place. Tour the Eshkol region on the Gaza Border and get a security briefing. Meet with Artists at their studios. We will feast at the Salad Trail a unique hands-on agricultural tour. See how Israeli innovation is literally making the desert bloom with crops grown out of some of the most inhospitable sands imaginable. Pick and taste fruits and vegetables straight from the Kibbutz On the way to Tel Aviv we discover the underground ammunition factory that played a pivotal role in Israel s fight for Independence at the Ayalon Institute Overnight in Tel Aviv

5 Day 10: Thursday June 15, 2017: MODERN HISTORY Start the day with a visit to Independence Hall where the establishment of the state of Israel was declared. Experience the Palmach Museum, where we join up with the paramilitary forces. Continue to Beit Hatfutsot, the Museum of the Jewish People, which is much more than a museum. This unique global institution tells the ongoing and extraordinary story of the Jewish people. We visit nearby Jaffa, where we volunteer through the Jaffa Institute s Chesed projects (packing supplies), serving the needy. We ll learn about the huge difference the Jaffa Institute makes in the lives of children living in poverty in Israel. Overnight in Tel Aviv Day 11: Friday, June 16, 2017: CULTURAL ADVANCEMENT Special visit to Holon, a city that is turning into the Museum city of Israel, including visits to two of the following: The Design Museum Holon The Comics Museum The Children s Museum with Dialogue in the Dark or an Invitation to Silence. Walk through the Levinsky Market, with its myriad of tastes and smells, with lunch on your own. Spend the remainder of the afternoon among the artists and entertainers filling the streets at Nachalat Binyamin Friday Shabbat service with Beit Tefila Israeli. Shabbat dinner together at our hotel. Overnight in Tel Aviv

6 Day 12: Saturday, June 17, 2017: SHABBAT IN TEL AVIV/DEPARTURE Breakfast and check out of our hotel. Free morning or join a local synagogue for Shabbat services. Enjoy a special walking tour run through our friends at Progressive Beit Daniel Under the Tree of Love stories of love and courtship in romantic Neve Tzedek. This tour wanders the magical streets of picturesque Neve Tzedek and traces the shadow of lovers among them Rabbis and scholars, poets and writers famous as well as forgotten figures. We discover historic love stories that took place in Neve Tzedek, talk about love without borders, tragic love, unrequited and requited love. Farewell dinner together this evening as we recount all we have experienced together! Transfer to airport for our overnight flight back home. Day 13: Sunday, June 18, 2017: ARRIVAL HOME Land in the United States. The Memories Last Forever!! *Itineraries subject to change U:\ITINERARY\Socolovsky Rabbi Nico ITIN June 2017 NEW.doc

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