Bet Am Shalom Synagogue Family Adventure

December 22 – 30, 2013

Led by Rabbi Les Bronstein

Proposed Itinerary May 1, 2013

1 Keshet: The Center for Educational in Israel PO Box 8540 91084 Page Telephone: (972) 2 6713518 Fax: (972) 2 6713624 www.keshetisrael.co.il

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Saturday December 21 DEPARTURE • Saturday night or Sunday afternoon independent departure from the United States. Participants may purchase tickets on their own, through their own travel agent, or they may turn to Mr. Claude Hakim of Field Travel [[email protected] or 1-212-682- 2620] for assistance with flights. Just tell him that you are with the Bet Am Shalom/Keshet Family Trip.

Sunday December 22 ARRIVAL IN ISRAEL – BRUCHIM HABA’IM

• Independent arrivals at Ben Gurion Airport and one group transfer to • Check-in to Tel Aviv and free evening Overnight: Panorama Tel Aviv

Monday December 23 TEL AVIV – THE FIRST HEBREW CITY • Docent guided tour at Independence Hall where Ben Gurion declared Israel’s independence on May 14, 1948. Consider the dilemmas faced by Israel’s leaders at this crucial time in the history of the Jewish People. • Site visit at the BINA Secular Yeshiva (or the Alma Home for Hebrew Culture) and meet with students and faculty. • Musical workshop - “A Coat of Many Colors” with musician Roi Levi – an exploration of differences and commonalities among throughout history. (Other workshop themes are also possible) • Festive welcome dinner at a Tel Aviv restaurant in southern Tel Aviv’s Yemenite Quarter. • Check-in to Tel Aviv hotel and free evening. Overnight: Dan Panorama Tel Aviv

Tuesday December 24 A JOURNEY BACK IN TIME • Breakfast at the hotel • Check out and travel north along the Mediterranean Coast as we begin our journey back in time from the modern State of Israel to our Jewish roots in Jerusalem where we will arrive later this week. • Visit the Roman Amphitheatre and Hippodrome in (along the Mediterranean). Consider the long route travelled between the Great Revolt against Rome (which was sparked off in Caesarea) and the story of Hanna Szenesh, a poet and member who parachuted into occupied Hungary during (and who lived in nearby Sdot Yam). • Lunch in a village on . • Meet with IDF soldiers defending Israel’s northern border • Check-in and dinner at Upper hotel Dinner and Overnight: Kibbutz Gonen Guest House 2 Wednesday December 25 Page THE GALILEE: MYSTICS AND MOUNTAINS • Check out and travel to • Explore ’s mystical side in the ancient synagogues of Safed’s 16th century kabbalists and the enduring influence of the kabbalists in our time. • Shopping time in Safed’s art galleries, with lunch on own in • Travel south to Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu for a unique organic agriculture tour OR • Ascend to Tel Saki for a view into and meet with an IDF officer who fought here in the Yom Kippur War for an understanding of the delicate geo-political situation on the Israeli-Syrian border [Type text]

• Travel to the through the Valley • Check in to Dead Sea Hotel for dinner and evening program TBD Overnight: Isrotel Ganim - Dead Sea Hotel, Ein Bokek

Thursday December 26 JEWISH STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVAL • Enjoy the hotel spa, including water from the Dead Sea, mineral baths and fresh water pools. • Late morning hotel check-out. • Ascend via cable car or climb via the Snake Path for a guided visit through the site and an exploration of the symbolism and questions that arise from the Masada story. • Text study atop Masada: Elazar Ben Yair and the Zealots of Masada & Yochanan Ben Zakai and the Rabbis of Yavne. • On the way up to Jerusalem, meet with Ethiopian women who share the story of their “” to Jerusalem through the Sudanese desert. • Shehechiyanu blessing on overlooking Jerusalem. • Check in to Jerusalem Hotel and free evening Overnight: Prima Kings Jerusalem

Friday December 27 LIKE A PHOENIX FROM THE ASHES • Breakfast at the hotel. • Interactive tour at the Herzl Museum at the Mount Herzl National Cemetery tells the story of Theodore Herzl’s life and of the Zionist Movement in light of the achievements and the shortcomings of the modern State of Israel or visit to Kibbutz Reishit- an urban kibbutz devoted to social justice and located in the heart of Jerusalem. • Guided visit through the , the National Jewish Memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. • Visit the Machane Yehudah Open Air Market as residents prepare for Shabbat, with lunch on your own. • Free time for rest, relaxation and Shabbat preparation. • Kabbalat Shabbat with the Bet Am Shalom Adult trip on the balcony overlooking the Plaza, followed by festive Shabbat group dinner at the hotel. Overnight: Prima Kings Jerusalem

Shabbat December 28 SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM • Breakfast at the hotel. • Shabbat services at one of many vibrant Jerusalem synagogues (Synagogue list and descriptions will be included in participant source books.) • “Society & Politics” 3 • Shabbat Lunch at the hotel.

Page • Free time for rest and relaxation. • Seuda Shleesheet snack and Torah study with Rabbi Les. • Group Havdallah • Free time and dinner on your own or musical//cultural program. Overnight: Prima Kings Jerusalem

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Sunday December 29 THIS YEAR IN JERUSALEM – CRADLE OF THREE FAITHS • Breakfast at the hotel. • Begin at the Haas Promenade overlooking the . Adults explore the story of the binding of Isaac associated with this site [Parallel programming for children]. • Visit the , the busiest Biblical archaeological site in the world…and the most controversial. • Walk through a recently discovered tunnel that links the City of David with Robinson’s Arch and the Southern Wall Excavations below the . • Walk along Hagai (El Wad Street) to the Austrian Hospice for a bird’s eye view of the Temple Mount Complex, The and the Moslem Quarter of Jerusalem. • Return to the Jewish Quarter for lunch on own • Sift through archaeological remains from the Temple itself at a salvage dig on the Mt. of Olives. • Outlook over Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives. • Free evening in Jerusalem Overnight: Prima Kings Jerusalem

Monday December 30 L’Hitraot or Until We Meet Again • The Politics of Peace – Briefing at the hotel on the peace process and other current security issues • Political Topography field trip • Lunch on own and free time in Jerusalem • Summary Discussion • Farewell Dinner and party • Depart for Ben Gurion Airport.

Notes: the trip will be staffed by a senior Keshet tour educator and a youth counselor. Bolded sites, all breakfasts and underlined meals are included in the group price. Listed speakers are subject to confirmation. This itinerary is proprietary to Keshet for those considering travel with Keshet and is not to be shared otherwise without express permission from Keshet.

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