* Personal flight arrangements should not be made before trip departure is confirmed.
Day One: Sunday, October 28, 2018
DEPARTURE
- 6:20 p.m. Depart Pittsburgh International Airport on board United Airline flight #2340.
- 7:57 Arrive at Newark Liberty International Airport.
- 11:00 p.m. Depart on board United Airline flight #90.
Overnight: Flight
Day Two: Monday, October 29, 2018
ARRIVAL
- 3:20 p.m. Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport.
- Welcome by our representative and assistance with arrival formalities.
- Meet your tour educator and depart the airport.
- Upon entering Tel Aviv visit the Old City of Jaffa and ascend from the old port through the renovated alleyways to the Jaffa Overlook for an introduction to Tel Aviv at the place where it all began.
- Walk through the famous Jaffa Flea Market - “Shuk Hapishpishim”.
- Check into the hotel.
- Welcome dinner with your tour educator and Rabbi Adelson.
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Day Three: Tuesday, October 30, 2018
FOUNDATIONS OF A CITY AND STATE
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Follow the story of Israel's pre-state elite fighting force, the Palmach, while walking through a state of the art multimedia experience that allows a glimpse into the lives of extraordinary people at Beit Hapalmach (pending confirmation).
- Depart Tel Aviv for a visit the Ayalon Institute near Rehovot for an eye-opening tour of a clandestine munitions factory used during the British Mandate.
- Lunch on own en route.
- Drive along the coast of the Mediterranean, stopping at Caesarea, one of the Land of Israel's most important cities in the Roman Period. Visit the Herodian Theater and the excavations along the Mediterranean shore, concluding with a visit to the ruined 900-year-old Crusader town.
- Time permitting: Visit Atlit, site of a British internment camp for thousands of Jewish refugees who were caught attempting to immigrate to Israel during the British Mandatory period.
- From the top of Mount Carmel view the Baha'i Gardens and gold-domed Shrine of the Bab, one of the holiest sites of the Baha'i religion.
- Check into the hotel.
- 70 years of Israel and Israelis: Limmud with your tour educator about the changes and developments in Israeli society.
- Dinner on own.
Overnight: Haifa
Day Four: Wednesday, October 31, 2018
ALONG THE MEDITERRANEAN
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Check out of the hotel.
- Drive north and tour the Akko Center for Arts and Technology, a technology training school made possible by the Northern Israel Center for Arts and Technology, an extension of Pittsburgh's Manchester Bidwell Cooperation.
- Visit Akko (Acre), a UNESCO Heritage Site, for a multi-layered experience from the days of the Crusades through contemporary Israel, including guided visits to:
- The restored Crusaders' Fortress.
- The al-Jazzar Mosque, one of the largest and most interesting in Israel.
- The colorful Akko shuk (market).
- Lunch on own en route.
- Guided visit to Beit She'arim, site of a 1,800-year-old Jewish necropolis and the graves of some of the most important codifiers of Jewish tradition declared a UNESCO site OR visit the Zippori National Park, known for its extraordinary ancient mosaics and its central role in Jewish life after the destruction of the Temple.
- Drive west, stopping at Pittsburgh's twin city of Karmiel, the ‘folk dance capital' of Israel.
- Continue to the Upper Galilee and check into the hotel.
- Dinner at the hotel
Overnight: Kibbutz Hotel, Upper Galilee
Day Five: Thursday, November 1, 2018
NATURE AND SECURITY ON THE GOLAN
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Walk through the Tel Dan Nature Reserve, located on the largest tributary of the Jordan River, and explore the ruins of the great Biblical city of Dan.
- Time permitting: visit the Crusader castle of Kal'at Namrud (Nimrod's Castle) on the southern slopes of Mount Hermon. overlooking the Jordan Valley.
- The panoramic views from Bental (overlooking the abandoned Syrian town of Kuneitra) give sharp insights into Israel's security situation on the Golan Heights, and the enormous challenges it faced in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and the new threat from the north, ISIS.
- Lunch on your own in Katzrin, the ‘Capital of the Golan'.
- Visit a boutique winery on the Golan Heights; wine tasting is included.
- Visit the remains of the Second Temple-period town of Gamla on the Golan Heights, site of one of the fiercest battles fought against the Romans during the Great Revolt.
- Return to the hotel.
- Dinner at the hotel.
- Kibbutz Ideology and Israeli Reality in the 21st Century: Meet with a second-generation kibbutz member.
Overnight: Kibbutz Hotel, Upper Galilee
Day Six: Friday, November 2, 2018
ALL ROADS LEAD TO JERUSALEM
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Check out of the hotel.
- Explore Tsfat, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years and a contemporary artists' colony, including:
- Guided visit to the Ari, Caro or Abuhav Synagogues, each with its great stories and mystical messages.
- A stroll through the quaint Artists' Colony, shop in the galleries and crafts shops and engage in dialogues with local artisans inspired by the messages of Kabbalah.
- A visit to the Tsfat Candle Factory Visitors' Center.
- Lunch on your own, en route.
- Visit the Beit She'an National Park, one of Israel's largest archaeological sites, with its Biblical period archaeological mound and excavated Roman-Byzantine city.
- Drive southwards along the Jordan Valley, part of the enormous Syrian-African Rift.
- Upon entering Jerusalem, stop at Mount Scopus or Mount of Olives for an overlook of the Old and New City of Jerusalem and to recite the traditional “shehechiyanu” blessing.
- Check into the hotel and time to prepare for Shabbat.
- Kabbalat Shabbat services at the Masorti section of the wall OR perhaps at the Yemin Moshe terrace overlooking Mount Zion and the Old City Walls.
- Festive Shabbat dinner at the hotel.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Day Seven: Saturday, November 3, 2018
SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Optional Shabbat Services.
- Shabbat Walk through unexpected paths to Mount Zion, with a visit to the Temple Mount Overlook and King David's Tomb.
- Shabbat lunch at the Sephardic House in the Jewish Quarter.
- Walking tour through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, for visits to archaeological treasures and other highlights, among them:
- A walk along the Ramparts of the Old City.
- The Cardo, the main street of Jerusalem in the 6th
- King Hezekiah's First Temple-period “Broad Wall”.
- Hurva Square, the central square of the Jewish Quarter.
- Time permitting: a walk along the Rooftops of the Old City for a behind-the-scenes look at the various communities in Jerusalem and how they live alongside each other.
- Visit the Kotel (Western Wall) and experience the special atmosphere of this holy site.
- Free time to relax.
- Ben Kodesh Lechol: Havdallah overlooking the Old City.
- Free time in the Mamilla pedestrian arcade, a very contemporary shopping area with a whiff of the past, located outside the Jaffa Gate of the Old City; dinner on own.
- The Night Spectacular at the Tower of David Museum: The walls of the Citadel serve as a stage for a night-time show - a celebration of sight and sound - that depicts the story of Jerusalem.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Day Eight: Sunday, November 4, 2018
THE LAYERS OF JERUSALEM
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Return to the Old City to explore the excavations at the City of David, the very core of ancient Jerusalem, view the Gihon Spring and wade through the 2,700-year-old water tunnel of King Hezekiah (optional dry exit).
- Explore the Western Wall Tunnel, the underground continuation of the Temple Mount's Western Wall, exposed in recent years.
- Walk through Jerusalem's famous Old City Market (shuk) with lunch on own.
- Visit the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, including the Via Dolorosa, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and other Christian sites.
- Enjoy some free time to explore the city on your own.
- Free Evening in Jerusalem on Ben-Yehuda pedestrian mall or on Emek Refaim Street in the German Colony with dinner on own.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Day Nine: Monday, November 5, 2018
REALITY ON THE GROUND
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Visit the Yad Vashem complex, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, including:
- The Avenue of the Righteous
- The Historical Museum
- The Children's Memorial
- A concluding Memorial Service
- Walk the connecting path and visit the National Military Cemetery on Herzl to recall landmark events in modern Israeli history in which these soldiers gave their lives. Follow with a visit to the graves of Theodor Herzl, Yitzhak Rabin and Shimon Peres in the adjacent section for Leaders of the Nation.
- Lunch on own en route.
- 1 City, 2 States, 3 Religions, 4 Quarters: Take a ride on the Jerusalem light rail, starting in the Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood, through the Arab villages of Shuafat & Beit Hanina, then through the Ultra-orthodox area of Ramot Eshkol and ending by Mount Herzel Gain a first-hand and authentic look at the mosaic and diversity of Jerusalem's population. Discuss the differences between East and West Jerusalem and the ongoing struggles between the different communities.
- Visit Ammunition Hill, site of a Jordanian Police Academy until 1967, and one of the most crucial battle sites for the unification of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War.
- Free time to explore Downtown Jerusalem, including the Ben-Yehuda pedestrian mall and the Nachalat Shiva neighborhood, with dinner on own.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Day Ten: Tuesday, November 6, 2018
INTO THE DESERT, MASADA, AND THE DEAD SEA
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Descend to the Dead Sea Basin and ascend by cable-car or walk up the Snake Path to Masada, Herod's mountain palace and the site of the Jewish Zealots' last stand against the Roman Legionnaires. Discuss Masada's role as a symbol of Jewish defence and its current significance in modern Israel.
- Lunch on own at the base of Masada.
- Short hike to Nahal David, the freshwater spring and waterfalls in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, where David hid from King Saul.
- Experience an astonishing sense of weightlessness as you float in the super-saline Dead Sea.
- Return to Jerusalem.
- Free time to explore Downtown Jerusalem, including the Ben-Yehuda pedestrian mall and the Nachalat Shiva neighborhood, with dinner on own.
- Dinner on own, perhaps on vibrant Emek Refaim Street, in Jerusalem's German Colony.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Day Eleven: Wednesday, November 7, 2018
THE MANY FACES AND CHALLENGES OF JERUSALEM
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Pass by the ‘Sigd' celebration, one of the unique holidays of Beta Israel (Ethiopian Jewry) community at the Haas Promenade. The holiday symbolizes the acceptance of the Torah and is marked by the breaking of the fast, dancing and general revelry.
- Guided visit the renewed and wonderfully creative Israel Museum, with its wide-ranging and eclectic collection, from Archaeology and the Dead Sea Scrolls to Jewish Life and Art, European art, contemporary Israeli art and the open-air model of Jerusalem in the Second Temple period.
- Experience the sights, smells, and tastes of Jerusalem while walking through the Machaneh Yehuda open-air market, with lunch on own.
- Free time to pack and last-minute shopping.
- Festive farewell dinner.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Day Twelve: Thursday, November 8, 2018
RETURN HOME
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Check out of the hotel and transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport to check in for the departure flight to the U.S.A.,
- 11:35 a.m. Depart on board United Airline flight #85.
- 5:00 p.m. Arrive at Newark International Airport.
- 7:00 p.m. Depart on board United Airline flight #3575.
- 8:42 p.m. Arrive at Pittsburgh International Airport.
