Tentative Itinerary

Temple Judea of Tarzana with Rabbi Bender

Sunday. Depart USA to Israel onboard Air Canada flight # 786 departing Los Angeles at 7:00 AM arriving Toronto at 2:40 PM connecting on Air Canada flight # 84 departing at 5:25PM to Tel Aviv arriving at 11:25AM the next day. Your international flights will include meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment for your journey.

Monday. Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport. Welcome by our representative and assistance with arrival formalities. Transfer to Tel Aviv. Check into the hotel. Welcome dinner at a restaurant in Tel Aviv. (D) TEL AVIV

Tuesday. Breakfast at the hotel. Depart the hotel. Visit at Partnership High School #14. Drive to Nes Zion. Visit the Ayalon Institute, near Rehovot, site of a clandestine munitions factory during the British Mandate. Lunch on your own en route and return to Tel Aviv. Visit to Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel was signed in 1948. Visit the Old City of Jaffa and stroll through the renovated artists' colony and the ancient port. Dinner and evening on your own. (B) TEL AVIV

Wednesday. Breakfast at the hotel. Check out of the hotel and depart Tel Aviv, driving north along the Mediterranean coast. Tour Caesarea, one of the Land of Israel's most important cities during the Roman Empire; 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. Wade through the ancient water system, providing fresh water to the Roman settlement at Caeasarea, at Mei Kedem (Park Alona). Lunch on your own in Zichron Yaacov. Visit the Yemin Orde Ethiopian Youth Aliyah village and meet with Director Haim Peri and students. Drive to the Upper Galilee and check into the Kibbutz Nofey Gonen. Dinner at the guesthouse. Evening of Israeli folk-dancing with Israelis. (B,D) GALILEE

Thursday. Breakfast at the kibbutz. Tour of the kibbutz. Walk through the Tel Dan Nature Reserve located on the largest tributary of the Jordan River and near the Biblical settlement of Dan. Enjoy rafting on the Jordan River. Return to the kibbutz and change clothes, followed by lunch on your own. Visit Safed, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years, and a contemporary artists' colony; visit the many unique synagogues, stroll through the quaint art galleries and shop in the artists' colony. Jeep tour through the Upper Galilee and Birya Forest. Dinner at the home of Jenine and Ronnie Bar-El in Safed, for a unique culinary experience. Return to the kibbutz. (B,D) GALILEE

Friday. Breakfast at the kibbutz. Depart the Upper Galilee and drive South around the shores of Lake Kinneret, Israel's largest fresh water source. Visit the Kinneret Cemetery and hear about the dreams and triumphs of the early Zionist pioneers. Visit Zippori, site of the post-2nd Temple Jewish settlement and the codification of the Mishna by Rabbi Yehudah Hanassi approximately 1,800 years ago. Today it is a national park housing a beautifully reconstructed villa and the "Mona Lisa of the Galilee" mosaic floor Time permitting swim in the warm waters and natural springs at the Gan Hashlosha Nature Reserve (Sachne) situated at the foot of Mt. Gilboa. Lunch on your own en route. Drive to Jerusalem and upon entering the city of Jerusalem and stop at Mt. Scopus to say the traditional shehechiyanu blessing. Check into the hotel and time to prepare for Shabbat. Depart for Modi'in. Kabbalat Shabbat services with Congregation Yuzma in Modiin, followed by Shabbat dinner with congregants. Return to Jerusalem. (B,D) JERUSALEM

Saturday. Breakfast at the hotel. Optional Shabbat Services. Lunch on own. Meet with social historian Professor Paul Liptz. Late afternoon meeting with a representative of Rabbis for Human Rights. Havdallah service. Dinner and evening on your own. (B) JERUSALEM

Sunday. Breakfast at the hotel. My Memories for Your Future: meet with Holocaust Survivor Asher Oud 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 Historical Museum, the Art Museum, the Valley of the Communities and the Children's Memorial. Lunch on your own. Visit the new Herzl Center, located at Mount Herzl, dedicated to the life and achievements of the founder of Political Zionism, Theodor Herzl, followed by a visit to the graves of Theodor Herzl and Yitzhak Rabin, or participate in a social action project at Yad Sarah. Meeting with a representative of the Reform Movement Dinner and free time on your own. Meet in town and proceed to the Old City. Visit the Western Wall Tunnel, the underground continuation of the Western Wall along the Temple Mount. (B) JERUSALEM

Monday. Early breakfast at the hotel. Depart for the Dead Sea Basin. Visit 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 the current meaning and significance in modern Israel. Bar/bat mitzvah ceremony. Lunch at a hotel and time to enjoy their private beach on the Dead Sea with time to float on the sea. Enjoy a Bedouin experience, including typical Bedouin hospitality, a hafla (feast) and a camal ride. Return to Jerusalem and rest of the day at leisure. (B) JERUSALEM

Tuesday. Breakfast at the hotel. Visit Yad Lakashish Project, a multifaceted workshop for senior citizens and people with disabilities, a 5-star tzadakah project. Begin a full day tour to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, including visits to the Herodian Mansions, the Cardo and the Southern Wall excavations and Davidson Center. Lunch on your own in the Old City. Explore the colorful and ethnically rich Nachlaot neighborhood of Jerusalem while participating in an experiential scavenger hunt with Ross Culiner. VIP visit to the Knesset, including a tour and meeting with a Knesset member. Dinner and evening on your own. Meeting with Dr. Viveca Hazboun. (B) JERUSALEM

Wednesday. Breakfast at the hotel. Depart Jerusalem and drive to Beit Guvrin. 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. Lunch on your own en route. Explore the geological wonders of the Ramon Crater while walking through this unique natural phenomenon. Drive via the Arava to Eilat. Check into your hotel. Dinner at the Sheraton Moriah Hotel. (B,D) EILAT

Thursday. Breakfast at the hotel. Day at leisure to relax by the beach and pool or take advantage of the following optional (on your own) activities: Full day overland trip to Petra, Jordan. Swim with the dolphins. Snorkle in the Red Sea. Parasailing or pedaling on the Red Sea. 1/2 day jeep tour in the Eilat Hills. 1/2 day tour to Timna Park (King Solomon's Mines). Dinner cruise on the Red Sea. (B,D) EILAT

Friday. Breakfast at the hotel. Check out of the hotel. Visit the Eilat Underwater Observatory and experience the wonders and mysteries of the world beneath the Red Sea. Depart Eilat and drive north. Visit the home and gravesite of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, located at Kibbutz Sde Boker overlooking the Wilderness of Zinn in the Negev Desert. Return to Tel Aviv and check back into the hotel. Walking tour through the trendy area where the Carmel Market, Nahalat Binyamin Pedestrian Mall, and Shenkin Street meet in downtown Tel Aviv. Shabbat services with Congregation Beit Daniel. Festive Shabbat dinner at the hotel. (B,D) TEL AVIV

Saturday. Breakfast at the hotel. Day at leisure. Farewell dinner. (B,D) TEL AVIV

Sunday. Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport for your departure flight to the USA. Depart onboard Air Canada flight # 85 departing Tel Aviv at 12:55 PM arriving Toronto at 6:15 PM the same say connecting to Air Canada flight # 793 departing at 8:15 PM arrives Los Angeles at 10:30 PM the same day. Your international flights includes meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment for your journey.