Day One: Sunday
DEPARTURE

• Depart the U.S.A.

Overnight: Flight

Day Two: Monday
ARRIVAL IN ISRAEL

• Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport.
  
• Welcome by our representative and assistance with arrival formalities.
  
• Transfer to the hotel in Tel Aviv, known as the “city that never sleeps.”
  
• Check into the hotel.
  
• Pick up from the hotel for orientation with the tour educator.
  
• Welcome to Tel Aviv: Visit the Jaffa Overlook for an introduction to Tel Aviv at the place where it all began.
  
• Enjoy a Middle-Eastern-style welcome dinner, with a Yemenite touch, at Maganda, located in Tel Aviv's Yemenite Quarter. The menu features a delicious selection of salads, grilled meats and vegetarian options.

Overnight: Tel Aviv

Day Three: Tuesday
ALONG THE COAST

• Breakfast at the hotel.
  
• Check out and depart the hotel.
  
• Introduction and special visit to Independence Hall, site of David Ben Gurion's monumental proclamation of the State of Israel in December 1948.
  
• Start Up Nation: Explore the world of renowned Israeli inventions and creations at the State of Mind Innovation Center.
  
• Stroll down Rothschild Boulevard to view examples of the intriguing Bauhaus-style architecture from the 1930s. The local proliferation of the style won Tel Aviv recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site and the nickname of ‘the White City'.
  
• Visit the Nachalat Binyamin pedestrian mall, with its restored buildings and sidewalk artists, and continue onto the colorful Carmel Market and then to Shenkin, one of Israel's most avant-garde streets.
  
• Lunch on own.
  
• Depart Tel Aviv, driving north along the coast to Caesarea, one of the Land of Israel's most important cities during the Roman Period; visit the Herodian Theater and new excavations along the Mediterranean shore concluding with a visit to the 900-year-old Crusader city built on the same site.
  Continue to the Upper Galilee and check into the kibbutz hotel.
  
• Dinner at the kibbutz hotel.

Overnight: Pastoral Hotel, Kibbutz Kfar Blum, Upper Galilee

Day Four: Wednesday
NATURE AND SECURITY

• Breakfast at the kibbutz hotel.
  
• Take a jeep tour climbing to the Golan Heights in the footsteps of IDF soldiers and their battles in the Six-Day War. Enjoy the beautiful natural scenery and gain an insight into the strategic complexity of the Golan.
  
• Lunch on own.
  
• Visit the Pelter Winery and distillery, a unique family-owned boutique winery. Try some of the local wines and enjoy a taste of the new Israeli gin.
  
• The panoramic views from Mt. 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, namely ISIS. 
  
• May to September: Enjoy rafting or kayaking down the Jordan River. (Water shoes recommended.)
  
• Between October to April: Visit the Hula Nature Reserve and the Ophoria Interactive Experience, connecting birds, water and the Zionist endeavor. 
  
• Da'at Encounter Kibbutz Ideology and Israeli Reality in the 21st Century: Meet with second-generation kibbutz member Nancy Yettra Shatz.
  
• Dinner at the kibbutz hotel.

Overnight: Pastoral Hotel, Kibbutz Kfar Blum, Upper Galilee

Day Five: Thursday
THE GALILEE AND THE CARMEL

• Breakfast at the kibbutz hotel.
  
• Check out and depart the kibbutz.
  
• Explore Tsfat, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years, and a contemporary artists' colony, including:
• A guided visit to the Ari, Caro or Abuhav Synagogues, with their great stories and mystical messages.
  
• A stroll through the quaint Art Galleries and shop in the artists' colony.
  
• Drive to Rosh Hanikra, at the northern tip of Israel's Mediterranean coastline. Take a cable-car down to the beautiful sea grottos, carved out of the soft chalk cliffs by eons of wave action.
  
• Lunch on own.
  
• Visit Akko (Acre), a UNESCO Heritage Site, and a multi-layered experience from the days of the Crusades through contemporary Israel, including guided visits to:
  
• The newly renovated Crusaders' City.
  
• The Al-Jazzar Mosque, one of the largest and most interesting in Israel.
  
• The Ottoman Fortifications around the city.
  
• Da'at Encounter Visit a Druze village in the Carmel Mountains for a window into the unique world of the Israeli Druze community, including dinner at a Druze home. Join the local beat as you sing along with the Darbuka players.
  
• Continue to Haifa.
• Check into the hotel.

Overnight: Haifa

Day Six: Friday
THE LAYERS OF JERUSALEM

• Breakfast at the hotel.
  
• Check out and depart the hotel.
  
• Visit the Beit Hagefen Community Center, including a walking tour of Wadi Nisnas and a dialogue on coexistence in Haifa with some members of the Arab community.
  
• Stop on top of Mount Carmel for a scenic overlook of Haifa Bay.
  
• View the Bahai Gardens and Shrine, one of the holiest sites of the Bahai religion.
  
• Depart for Jerusalem, via the Trans-Israel Highway for a close-up view of the ‘Security Barrier' along the seam zone between Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
  
• Stop at Mount Scopus for an overview of Jerusalem and the traditional “shehechiyanu” blessing, followed by an introduction to the city.
  
• Lunch on own.
  
• Visit the Old City of Jerusalem for a guided visit through 3,000 years of Jewish life.
  
• Take time to pay respects at the Kotel (Western Wall).
  
• Check into the hotel.
  
• Optional Kabbalat Shabbat services at local synagogues in Jerusalem, on your own.
  
• Shabbat dinner at Beit Shmuel.

Overnight: Jerusalem

Day Seven: Saturday
SHABBAT IN ISRAEL | no guide

• Breakfast at your hotel.
  
• Free Shabbat in Jerusalem for an opportunity to explore (on own):
  
• The Tower of David Museum of the History of Jerusalem, for a walk through the city's history - with observation points, an animated film and visual and audio-visual aids - from the time of Abraham to the end of the British Mandate over Palestine.
  
• 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.
  
• The Biblical Zoo, a beautifully landscaped habitat with a special focus on preserving Biblical fauna, geared to children of all ages (2-80).
  
• Enjoy dinner on own in Jerusalem.
  
• 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 (on own;  a voucher will be provided).

Overnight: Jerusalem

Day Eight: Sunday
HEAVENLY AND EARTHLY JERUSALEM

• Da'at Fitness Integrate wellness and fitness into your trip experience with an athletic trainer in Liberty Bell Park.
  
• Breakfast at the hotel.
  
• Guided visit through the newly renovated Yad Vashem complex, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jews, who perished in the Holocaust, including: the new Historical Museum, the Children's Memorial, and a memorial service.
  
• All-inclusive ethnic cultural and tasting journey through the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem's Machaneh Yehudah open-air market; enjoy the sights, smells, and tastes as well as the stories and personal interactions with shopkeepers who add so much to this colourful experience.
  
• Visit the Western Wall Tunnel, the underground continuation of the Western Wall alongside the Temple Mount.
  
• Da'at Dialogue Israeli Society @ 2018: Dialogue with Prof. Reuven Hazan of the Political Science Department at Hebrew University.
  
• Dinner on own.
  
• Enjoy a night out on own at the Old Train Station Plaza, with its fashionable restaurants featuring local and international cuisine. On certain evenings one can enjoy street musicians, Israeli dancing and other attractions.

Overnight: Jerusalem

Day Nine: Monday
JEWISH STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVAL

• Early breakfast at the hotel.
• Descend to the Dead Sea Basin.
  
• Stop en route for a camel ride through the desert in Biblical-style.
  
• Ascend the cable car to Masada, Herod's mountain palace and site of the Jewish Zealots' last stand against the Roman Legionnaires. Discuss Masada's role as a symbol of Jewish defense and its current significance in modern Israel.
  
• Lunch on own.
  
• Experience the weightlessness of the Dead Sea as you float in its waters.
  
• Return to Jerusalem.
• Enjoy dinner on your own in Jerusalem, at a choice of a wide array of restaurants.

Overnight: Jerusalem

Day Ten: Tuesday
DIGGING FOR ROOTS

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Check out of the hotel.
  
• Da'at Encounter Tikkun Olam interactive visit to Yad LaKashish, a multifaceted sheltered workshop for senior citizens and people with disabilities. Meet the employees in their workshops and take the opportunity to visit the shop that proudly presents their beautiful wares.
  
• Depart for Rehovot and visit the Ayalon Institute for an eye-opening tour of a clandestine munitions factory used during the British Mandate.
• Lunch on own.
  
• Take part in an active dig at the Beit Guvrin Caves and prepare to get your hands dirty as you uncover pottery from the Hellenistic period, 2,300 years ago, followed by a crawl through the Maresha Cave Labyrinth.
  
• Transfer to the airport and check in for the domestic flight to Eilat.
  
• Fly to Eilat and upon landing transfer to the hotel and check in.
  
• Dinner on own and evening at leisure in Eilat.

Overnight: Eilat  

Day Eleven: Wednesday
EILAT AND PETRA

• Breakfast at the hotel.
  
• Free day at leisure to explore Eilat on your own.

OR (at supplemental cost):

• Guided day tour of the ancient Nabatean city of Petra in Jordan, recognized as one of the Seven Wonders of the World (lunch is included).
  
• Early evening return to Eilat.
• Dinner on your own and evening at leisure.

Overnight: Eilat

Day Twelve: Thursday
EILAT TO TEL AVIV

• Breakfast at the hotel.
  
• Morning at leisure in Eilat.
  
• Check out of the hotel and transfer to the Eilat Airport to check in for your domestic flight to Tel Aviv.
• Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, transfer to your hotel in Tel Aviv and check in.
• Free evening and dinner on your own in Tel Aviv.

Overnight: Tel Aviv

Day Thirteen: Friday
RETURN TO THE U.S.A.

• Breakfast at the hotel.
• Check out of the hotel and transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport for your departure flight to the U.S.A.