ISRAEL 70th Anniversary Tour 9 Days/ 7 Nights Nov 3-11, 2018
Program outline: Day 1: Sat, Nov 3 Day 2: Sun, Nov 4 Leave USA for Tel Aviv, Israel Arrival - sightseeing in Tel Aviv / Tel Aviv Day 3: Mon, Nov 5 Sightseeing in Tel Aviv & Jaffa / Tel Aviv Day 4: Tue, Nov 6 Caesarea - Mount Carmel - Nazareth - Tiberias / See of Galilee Day 5: Wed, Nov 7 Tabgha - Capernaum - Golan Heights - Sea of Galilee / See of Galilee Day 6: Thu, Nov 8 Day 7: Fri, Nov 9 Masada - Dead Sea / Jerusalem Jerusalem Old City - Yad Vashem / Jerusalem Day 8: Sat, Nov 10 Jerusalem sightseeing - Western Wall / Jerusalem Day 9: Sun, Nov 11 Departure
Israel - 70th Anniversary Highlights: White City of Tel Aviv. Jaffa historic port. Caesarea Roman ruins. Nazareth. Golan Heights. Visit a Druze village. Sea of Galilee. Masada, Qumran, Dead Sea. Jerusalem.
ACCOMMODATIONS Tel Aviv Leonardo City Tower https://www.leonardo-hotels.com/leonardo-hotel-city-tower-tel-aviv See of Galilee Ein Gev Kibbutz https://www.eingev.com/ Jerusalem Dan Jerusalem https://www3.danhotels.com/jerusalemhotels/danjerusalemhotel INCLUDED SERVICES: 7 nights' accommodation at the stated hotels. Daily breakfast. Daily lunch and dinners as indicated in the itinerary - one lunch at Druze family restaurant, one lunch at a winery; two dinners at local restaurants; rest of the dinners at hotels; bottled water for meals. Private English speaking guide throughout the tour. Private transportation with driver. All the sightseeing indicated in the itinerary; related entry fees. Two small bottles of water per person per day on the bus everyday of the tour. Tips for included meals hotels. Local taxes, service charges. NOT INCLUDED: Airfare (given separately below.) Gratuities for guide and driver. Any drinks with included meals except tea or coffee for breakfast. Personal expenditures. Travel insurance (can be provided by Tourcom on request.)
FLIGHTS On United Airlines: Nov 3 UA 1666 Nov 3 UA 84 Nov 11 UA 85 Nov 11 UA 341 Houston to Newark dep: 7:40 am / arr: 12:18 pm Newark to Tel Aviv dep: 4:15 pm / arr: 8:35 am Tel Aviv to Newark dep: 11:35 am / arr: 5:00 pm Newark to Houston dep: 8:15 pm / arr: 11:00 pm Economy class fare is $2080 including taxes, surcharges and fees as of May 10, 2018. Fares are based on availability. Once issued tickets are non-refundable.
Program Details Day 1: Sat, Nov 3, 2018 Leave Houston, TX Day 2: Sun, Nov 4, 2018 Arrive in Tel Aviv, Israel at 8:35am Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, after the passport control, we will meet our local representative. He will assist us with our luggage and introduce our guide to us. After a panoramic tour, we will visit the White City at the Neve Tzedek neighborhood, a collection of over 4,000 buildings built in a unique form of the Bauhaus or International Style in the 1930s by German Jewish architects who immigrated to the British Mandate of Palestine after the rise of the Nazis. The White City of Tel Aviv is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. We will enjoy the Bauhaus buildings including the Independence Hall, where Ben-Gurion declared independence in 1948. Sheinkin Street is famous for its fun shopping, dining and peoplewatching in a youthful atmosphere, while the open-air Carmel fruit and vegetable market is a treat for all the senses. After lunch, our guide and driver will transfer us to our hotel in Tel Aviv. Overnight in Tel Aviv Meals: L-D
Day 3: Mon, Nov 5, 2018 Tel Aviv-Jaffa We will start our tour of Israel by taking a scenic drive to Jaffa, the oldest port in the world. The Biblical tradition has it that Jonah set sail for Tarshish from Jaffa, but was swallowed by a large fish. Jaffa was also the home of Tabitha, who was raised from the dead by Peter. Peter had his vision here while lodging in the home of Simon the Tanner. It is also where King Solomon imported the cedars of Lebanon to build the Temple in Jerusalem. We walk through the Old City of Jaffa through the Artists's Quarter. We will enter the visitor center in Kedumim Square that showcases the history of the city. After lunch, we will drive to the Ramat Aviv neighborhood to visit the Eretz Israel Museum. Being established in 1953, the museum houses large collections of archaeological, anthropological and historical artifacts organized under certain subjects, such as ceramics, glassware, coins, copper, etc. Apart from having a planetarium, the museum's Man and His Work Center displays the traditional material culture of Israel in numerous spheres of daily life, among them agriculture, crafts, domestic work, design, and decoration. Overnight in Tel Aviv Meals: B-L-D Day 4: Tue, Nov 6, 2018 Caesarea-Mount Carmel-Nazareth-Tiberias After breakfast, we will drive by the Mediterranean coast today, stopping first at the Caesarea National Park to see the remains of the former Roman capital, including the ancient theater, hippodrome, port and the aqueduct. At the renovated ancient port, we will watch the Caesarea Experience, a fascinating computerized presentation of the city's history and best-known historical figures. We will continue driving north to Mount Carmel to the forested Carmel National Park to a Druze village on the Mount Carmel, where we will experience the Druze life and culture, and enjoy the Druze cuisine at a family restaurant. After lunch, we will drive to the Arab town Nazareth to visit Mary s Well, where the Annunciation took place according to the Greek Orthodox tradition. And then we will visit the Church of the Annunciation, which was erected at the site that this event took place according to the Roman Catholic tradition. We will continue on to visit Cana, a town best known as the place where, according to the Fourth Gospel, Jesus performed his first public miracle, the turning of a large quantity of
water into wine at a wedding feast when the wine provided by the bridegroom had run out. Our overnight will be at a kibbutz hotel. Overnight in Tiberias Meals: B-L-D Day 5: Wed, Nov 7, 2018 Tabgha-Capernaum-Golan Heights-Sea of Galilee After breakfast, we will drive to three places on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, which are significant to the Biblical history. The first one is the Mount of Beatitudes, that refers to a hill where Jesus is believed to have delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Then the quiet cove of Tabgha, the scene of many Gospel stories, including the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes. Third one is Capernaum, where the Franciscan archaeologists believe that they have uncovered the house of Peter. Then we will drive to the Golan Heights, a rocky plateau, bordering Lebanon, Syria and Jordan, that has a political and strategic significance which belies its size. After enjoying a panoramic view of these three countries from a standpoint, we will visit a Druze village in the plateau.
Today we will enjoy a wine tasting and lunch at a famous winery which produces the best wine in Israel. After lunch, we will drive south and by the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee passing by Kursi, the site of Jesus' miracle at Gadarenes/Gergesa, where he healed the madman, driving out his devils into a herd of pigs who then drowned in the Sea of Galilee. Overnight in Tiberias Meals: B-Wine tasting and lunch-d Day 6: Thu, Nov 8, 2018 Tiberias-Masada-Dead Sea-Jerusalem After breakfast, we will drive south towards the Dead Sea and drive by the ancient settlement of Qumran. Here, in Qumran caves, fabled Dead Sea Scrolls, about 900 parchment documents of religious significance, were discovered.
After driving along the western shores of the Dead Sea, we will have a break to enjoy the surreal experience of floating in the salt-rich water, 1,312 ft below sea level. After our float, a mud bath and lunch, we will drive to Masada (means fortress in Hebrew). We will reach the mountaintop site of Masada by cable car. The cliff's remoteness and difficult access made it a perfect fortress, and it was here that King Herod built two fortified palaces over 2,000 years ago. After exploring the archeological ruins of Masada with our guide, we will drive to Jerusalem. Overnight in Jerusalem Meals: B-L-D Day 7: Fri, Nov 9, 2018 Jerusalem-Yad Vashem Museum- Old City Right after breakfast, we will start our visits with Yad Vashem Museum, the Jewish people's living memorial to the Holocaust. Then, we will start exploring the beautiful and charismatic city of Jerusalem, the hub of the three monotheistic religions. After enjoying a panoramic view of the Old City from the Mount of Olives, we will drive to the Old City. We stroll down the Palm Sunday Road and stop at the Russian Church of Maria Magdalene before we continue on to the Church of Gethsemane. Then, we will drive through the Kidron Valley, which runs between the Mount of Olives and the eastern wall of the Temple Mount and the City of David. Today there are many tombs in the Kidron, since burying people here became a practice in the days of Josiah. Zechariah s Tomb, named after the First Temple priest, the Tomb of the Sons of Hezir, a Second Temple-era priestly family, and Absalom s Tomb are only a few examples. Then, we will walk through the Dung Gate to reach the Western Wall, the holiest site of Judaism. We will also get a glimpse of the Dome of the Rock, one of the oldest and most divine works Islamic architecture. We will continue on to the Church of St. Anne, a Byzantine basilica with great acoustics, fit for a beautiful Gregorian chant, making the church a pilgrimage site for soloists and choirs. In the same compound, we will also view the two Pools of Bethesda built during the Roman period as a pagan shrine to either the Egyptian god Serapis or the Greek god Asclepius, both gods of healing. Unsurprisingly, this is the site where Jesus healed a lame man.
We will walk along the Via Delarosa, the Byzantine Way of the Cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Mosque of Omar. We will enjoy enjoy the labyrinthine streets of the Arab Souks and bazaars till we reach the Damascus Gate. Overnight in Jerusalem Meals: B-L-D Day 8: Sat, Nov 10, 2018 Jerusalem We will start our last day of sightseeing from Jaffa Gate and walk to the Wujoud (means existence in Arabic) Museum, which showcases the Christian presence in the Old City, and Palestinian life and history during the 19th and 20th centuries. From the museum, we will walk through the souks of the Old City to the Western Wall. We will enter a modern tunnel that will enable us to understand the length of the outer Herodian Temple wall, the best-preserved one. Then we will check out the ruins near the southern part of the Temple complex, including the steps, which Jesus and his disciples used. We will go down the slope of the first Jerusalem, the City of David to reach the Gihon Spring through the Hezekiah's Tunnel. Then, we will drive to West Jerusalem passing by the Knesset to the Israel Museum. Along with a vast collection of artifacts in its various wings; the Archaeology, the Fine Arts, the Jewish Art and Life and the Youth, the Museum houses the Shrine of the Book, exhibiting the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period. It also has an art garden adorned with modern and abstract sculptures. Overnight in Jerusalem Meals: B-L-D Day 9: Sun, Nov 11, 2018 Departure