Ner Tamid Congregation of Rancho Pales Verdes Family Friendly Adventure in ISRAEL Led by Rabbi Brian Schuldenfrei July/August 2017 (As of 4/27/17) Day 1, Sunday, July 23, 2017: BEGIN OUR JOURNEY Depart the United States on our overnight flight to Israel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Day 2, Monday, July 24, 2017: ARRIVAL IN ISRAEL Afternoon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, with assistance by an Ayelet representative. Stop for a welcome ceremony overlooking Tel Aviv from the Jaffa promenade, marking our arrival in Israel! Transfer to our hotel in Tel Aviv for check-in and a free evening. O/N Tel Aviv Day 3, Tuesday, July 25, 2017: EXPLORING TEL AVIV Experience the Palmach Museum, where we join up with the paramilitary forces. Continue with a visit to Independence Hall where the establishment of the state of Israel was declared. Spend the remainder of the afternoon among the artists and entertainers filling the streets at Nachalat Binyamin. O/N Tel Aviv
Day 4, Wednesday, July 26, 2017: THE COASTAL VIEWS Check out of our hotel. Continue to Old 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. Depart Tel Aviv, heading north along the coast. Enjoy lunch (on own) in the beautiful European style village of Zichron Yaakov. Free time to wander the shops of Zichron and OR option to visit the First Aliyah Museum We enjoy a wine tasting and tour of the historic Carmel Winery. Stop in a Druze village and share home hospitality with locals, as we learn about their fascinating culture & how they fit into the Israeli mosaic. Continue to our kibbutz in the Galilee. Dinner at our kibbutz. O/N in the Galilee Day 5, Thursday, July 27, 2017: ADVENTURE IN THE GOLAN Breakfast at our kibbutz. Morning jeep tour of the Golan Heights, passing by old Syrian bunkers along the way. Take in the views stretching far into Syria from atop Har Bental. Continue to the Banias Springs, for a short hike to the sources of the Jordan River, and even a chance to refresh in the waterfalls. Enjoy an adventurous and fun kayaking trip down the Jordan River. Dinner at our kibbutz. O/N in the Galilee
Day 6, Friday, July 28, 2017: NATURE AND SPIRITUALITY Breakfast at our kibbutz. Check out of our kibbutz. 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. We plant a tree at Neot Kedumim, connecting us physically as well as spiritually to the land of Israel. Upon arrival in Jerusalem, we stop atop the Haas Promenade to recite a special Shehecheyanu! blessing overlooking the City of Gold. After checking into our hotel and a chance to refresh, we will greet Shabbat with the people of Jerusalem at the Western Wall, including Kabbalat Shabbat services at the Masorti section of the wall, led by Rabbi Schuldenfrei. Shabbat dinner together at our hotel this evening. Day 7, Saturday, July 29, 2017: SHABBAT SHALOM! Join Rabbi Schuldenfrei for Shabbat services (on our own). Shabbat lunch is included at our hotel. We enjoy a fun-filled scavenger hunt through the Yemin Moshe neighborhood, the first built outside the Old City walls a great way to get to know the area! This afternoon we enjoy a moving B nai Mitzvah Commemoration service overlooking the Old City walls, followed by a celebratory Kiddush. Free evening enjoy time along Ben Yehuda Street, or the new Mamila pedestrian area.
Day 8, Sunday, July 30, 2017: ISRAEL PAST & PRESENT 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). We continue with a visit to Latrun, Israel s outdoor armed corps museum, where we explore the tanks and artillery used by the Israeli Defense Force throughout the country s history. We travel to Beit Guvrin, where we participate in a hands on archaeological dig, allowing us the opportunity to unearth remnants from Israel s ancient past. 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! Day 9, Monday, July 31, 2017: REACHING OUT This morning, we meet Gil Hoffman, chief political correspondent for the Jerusalem Post for an update on the current state of affairs in Israeli politics. We engage in an unforgettable 90-minute, hands-on experience of packing food staples included in the monthly food baskets delivered to Israel s neediest families at Pantry Packers. 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. 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. Option for kids (with chaperones) to instead visit the nearby Biblical Zoo. Optional: Time this evening to attend Erev Tisha B Av services at a local synagogue (or join a Rabbi led walk to the Kotel). Dinner this evening at our hotel (restaurants closed due to Erev Tisha B Av. -
Day 10, Tuesday, August 1, 2017: MASADA & THE DEAD SEA (Tisha B Av) We depart our hotel for Masada, stopping for a camel ride on the way. We ascend to King Herod's fortresses and castle atop Masada, 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. Return to Jerusalem. - Day 11, Wednesday, August 2, 2017: JERUSALEM We begin with a visit to Yad Lakashish, Lifeline for the Aged, where we meet the elderly working on different projects. Visit the Jerusalem Time Elevator, a virtual reality multimedia extravaganza with moving chairs which takes us through the turbulent history of Jerusalem. Visit the Israel Museum, which recently completed a $100 Million renovation, and is world class in every way. Farewell dinner together this evening as we recount all we have experienced together! Transfer to the airport for our flight back to the United States. - Day 12, Thursday, August 3, 2017: ARRIVE HOME We arrive home. THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER! *itinerary subject to change U:\ITINERARY\Schuldenfrei Rabbi Brian JULY AUG 2017 ITIN.docx