Howard County Departure Date: April 19, 2015 : April 20-May 1, 2015

Day 1: Monday, April 20, 2015 Jerusalem

Shalom! Arriving in Israel, you have personally created another link in the living bridge between the Diaspora and Israel. For the next few days you will travel to new places, see new faces and experience a feeling that somehow this is all familiar. Baruch HaBa - welcome!!

Latrun is the first of the hilly ridges that a traveler sees on his way to Jerusalem. Of significant strategic value, it was often the site of battles mentioned in the Bible, and British authorities also built a police fort at Latrun, which dominated the old Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway. As the last British troops departed from Palestine in May 14, 1948, the fort was overtaken by the Jordanian Arab Legion. Arab forces were able to attack traffic on the highway from Latrun, effectively imposing a siege on Jerusalem. In the 1949 cease-fire agreement, the fort remained under Jordanian control. In 1967, Latrun was captured by Israeli forces and has since become a museum and memorial for Israel's armored corps.

A new way to Jerusalem, named the Burma Pass, was discovered during the War of Independence. The Israeli troops trying to reach the besieged city used it. Men and mules were used to backpack much needed supplies until a proper road was built to bypass the Arab Legion at Latrun. We will travel by jeeps or safari vehicles along the Burma Road.

Travel to Jerusalem

The Kotel: Western Wall: Here we will say the Shehecheyanu prayer that reminds us that it is God who grants us the privilege of giving us new experiences and the ability to savor new things. For some of us, being in Israel is a new experience; others have been here before. But, each time one returns to Eretz Yisrael, one thanks God for being allowed to be here.

Hotel Check In: Inbal Jerusalem

Dinner Together

Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem

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Day 2: Tuesday, April 21, 2015 Jerusalem - Erev Yom HaZikharon

8:00 am Breakfast briefing: The America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC ) is a 100,000-member grassroots movement of activists committed to ensuring Israel’s security and protecting American interests in the Middle East and around the world. AIPAC’s priority is to ensure that both America and Israel remain strong and that they collaborate closely together.

10:00 am Choose One

Yad Vashem, Israel’s national Holocaust museum, presents a profoundly Jewish memorial of the Shoah. We will listen to survivors’ testimonies, view personal possessions belonging to victims, and examine state-of-the-art displays aimed at preserving the story of each of the six million victims. From its dramatic structure designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie – which cuts through the mountain in the form of a spike – to its powerful exhibits, such as the labyrinthine Valley of the Communities and the underground Children’s Memorial, Yad Vashem is an unforgettable place of tribute and remembrance.

OR

The Herzl Museum has a mission to bring to life the vision of the man often considered the prophet of the state of Israel. Designed with the younger generation in mind the museum uses state-of-the-art technology to draw visitors into the exhibit, both teaching them about the past and asking them to relate and compare Herzl’s vision to the present. The museum uses filmed video scenes to guide visitors through a play-within-a-play storyline, progressively introducing them to Herzl and his vision, trying to bring Herzl to life, with all his passions and beliefs, achievements and failures. The Herzl Museum does more than present a static view of history. By planting questions throughout the exhibit the museum invites visitors to contemplate and discuss the role of Herzl’s vision today, to what extent his vision has been realized and where there is still, room for growth.

OR

City of David: King David captured a Jebusite citadel in order to build his capital. The city was well fortified with its own water source; it had never belonged to any of the Israelite tribes and was, therefore, unlikely to provoke jealousy among them. In spite of the fact that it was not on a major thoroughfare or centrally located to all the tribes, Jerusalem was a perfect site for the new kind of national state that David envisaged.

1:00 pm Lunch on own

2:30 pm Kol HaOt uses the magical power of the visual and performing arts in transformative, interactive educational programs that convey Jewish ideas, texts and values. At Kol HaOt, the exploration of Jewish ideas takes place in beautifully conceived environments—whether in our central Jerusalem location, our virtual home, or in schools, communities and homes.

2 4:30 pm At leisure

6:30 pm Dinner at the Inbal

8:00 pm Siren signaling the beginning of Yom HaZikharon

Attend a Yom HaZikaharon Ceremony with other Israelis

Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem

3 Day 3: Wednesday, April 22, 2015 Yom HaZikharon: Jerusalem

8:00 am Breakfast

Join students at a Jerusalem high school a Yom HaZikharon program and ceremony

11:00 am Siren for Yom HaZikharon

11:30 am The Struggle for Jerusalem Routes tracing the struggle for Jerusalem in the 1948 and 1967 wars as well as today Possible Routes: - Old City - Ramat Rachel - San Simon - Abu Tor

Lunch

The reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 prompted the government to create a “security belt” of civilian neighborhoods. With intelligence analyst, Avi Melamed, we will have a “hilltop tour” of Jerusalem and view some of these neighborhoods which overlook Arab neighborhoods, where and Arabs reside side by side on the city’s seamline. We will have a multi-dimensional overview of current issues concerning Jerusalem today including the controversial security fence and an overview of “Area E”.

Dinner TBA

8:00 pm Participate in the official ceremony is held every year on Mount Herzl, Jerusalem on the evening of Yom Ha'atzmaut. The ceremony includes a speech by the speaker of the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament), artistic performances, a Flag of Israel, forming elaborate structures (such as a Menorah, Magen David) and the ceremonial lighting of twelve torches, one for each of the Tribes of Israel.

Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem

4 Day 4: Thursday, April 23, 2015 Yom HaAtzmaut: Jerusalem

Breakfast

Proceed to the Dead Sea Region Choose One:

Masada

Or

Ein Gedi : -Nature Reserve -Ancient Synagogue -Botanical Gardens

Lunch Together: Independence Day Barbecue – Israeli style!

Time for relaxing at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dead Sea

Return to Jerusalem

Dinner and evening on own

Overnight: Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem

5 Day 5: Friday, April 24, 2015 Travel North

Breakfast

The Jewish Table: “The first-fruits of thy grain, of thy wine, and of thine oil….” (Deuteronomy 18:4) An interactive program that will be done in different stops along our travels. At each stop we will learn about the product and explain it Jewishly/ritually. Bread (challah) - If possible, pax will participate in the final stages of challah making e.g. hafrashat challah and braiding the challah. - Learn about symbolism of bread in Jewish ritual (maybe including Pesach if there is time) - Learn about symbolism of salt - Ethnic challot Candles/Oil- - Learn about symbolism of light in Jewish ritual (Shabbat, Havdalah) - Visit an artisan who sells Judaica and talk about “hiddur hamitzvah” (beautifying the mitzvah) Wine - Wine tasting and explanation of wine in Judaism - Lunch at a winery Spices - Visit a spice shop to learn about spices in Havdalah - Learn about spices in Jewish cooking.

Proceed to Hotel Mitzpe HaYamim Hotel – Spa – Organic Farm

On the eastern slopes of Mount Canaan, overlooking the and the Sea of Galilee from an altitude of 570 meters, the Mizpe Hayamim hotel and spa covers an area of 37 acres of fruit groves and walking paths. The delightful hotel grounds include pools and streams running through fruit groves, herb and vegetable gardens, an animal farm and a winery. The unique location of Mizpe Hayamim creates an island of ecological harmony between man and nature.

The spa offers a range of health and cosmetic treatments using ethereal oils, herbs and hydrotherapy, some in the hotel building and others in a building set in a herb garden, surrounded by the scent of jasmine and lavender blossoms. The combination of a hotel, spa, organic garden and kitchen as well as art workshops offers a uniquely rich experience.

"Shabbat Shalom” On the Sabbath, when we cease our daily activities, we allow our soul to dominate and, perhaps, ascend to a higher spiritual plane. In a sense, each Sabbath is a chance for each individual to bring about the kabalistic principle of tikkun olam, the mending of the universe. Shabbat is often referred to as the Shabbat Kallah, the Sabbath bride, a theme found throughout the traditional Friday night prayers. Sixteenth century mystics of Safed created the Friday evening service, called in Hebrew, Kabalat Shabbat, which means Welcoming the Sabbath. Travel to Safed for a Kabbalat Shabbat in the place where this tradition began. You will have your own Kabbalat Shabbat.

Relax and enjoy a leisurely gourmet Shabbat dinner with Genine and Chef Ronen Bar El in Safed. Genine's vivacious style and warm sense of humor coupled with Ronen’s delicious and appealing meals set in a magical setting offers a novel culinary experience.

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Overnight: Mitzpe HaYamim, Safed

Day 6: Saturday, April 25, 2015 Safed

Shabbat is a day of rest and reflection.

Options:

Day at leisure in the spa

AND/OR

Ride golf carts or bicycles through the Agamon Hahula Nature Reserve. The is an important resting place for migrating birds, which fly over Israel on their way to/from Europe and Africa because they do not fly over water. Many birds remain in Israel where they feed off agricultural produce and are provided with food.

Take a refreshing walk around the Banias, one of Israel’s most beautiful nature reserves. The Banias spring feeds into the Jordan River, the reserve’s large waterfall tumbles down a 33-foot precipice year-round, and a nearby cave houses remains of a temple to the Greek god Pan. In the wars of 1948 and 1967, when the Golan was held by Syria, the site housed a Syrian officers’ club.

Enjoy an adventure in which you will be introduced to the Upper Galilee and Golan Heights and their military history: Climb by ATV Self-Drive Off-Road Vehicles from She'ar Yishuv through apple and peach orchards across the Banias stream and up to Givat HaEm, on the northern Golan Heights (below Mt Hermon) overlooking Kfar Szold.

As the sun sets and Shabbat draws slowly to a close, come together with your group to take part in Havdalah. Havdalah means separation. The Havdalah prayers mark the end of Shabbat thereby distinguishing it from the rest of the week. A multi-wicked candle is used to signify the "flames of fire". Fragrant spices are passed around in order to cheer us up with the last whiff of Shabbat as we leave it for our mundane activities and the wine we use flows over the rim of the cup, symbolizing the "overflowing blessing" we expect in the next week.

Dinner: Hotel Mitzpe HaYamim

Evening Program 7:30 pm Travel to Beit Shean

8:30 pm The She'an Nights is a multi-media night tour of the ancient city of Beit She'an-Scythopolis. Following a short presentation relating the history of the area, visitors stroll through the streets of the excavated city of Scythopolis with its marble columns, stone streets, bathhouses, temples and mosaics. Throughout, they see audiovisual presentations projected onto dozens of giant screens on the columns, walls and even the tel behind the site. The voices, stories, song and music complete the experience of being transported back 2000 years. Visitors may select their own route and linger as long as they like at any one point, "meeting" local characters, "experiencing" the

7 earthquake that destroyed the city in 749 CE, and "watching" a performance in the Roman amphitheater.

Overnight: Mitzpe HaYamim

Day 7: Sunday, April 26, 2015 Safed

Breakfast

8:30 am Safed, pronounced Tzfat in Hebrew, sits at a higher altitude than any other city in Israel and has been known since the 16th century as a major center of Kabbala, Jewish mysticism. Safed’s mystical aura adds to its special status as one of Israel’s four holy cities, along with Jerusalem, Tiberias and Hebron. The old synagogues, narrow alleyways and artists’ studios add to the hilltop city’s unmistakable charm. Time for shopping and sightseeing.

Route 1

10:30 am Proceed to Moshav Klil

11:30 am Hagit Lidror teaches cooking workshops based on healthy, vegetarian cuisine, at her home or at yours. Open yourself to the secrets of the healthy, vegetarian kitchen, as well as to the various tastes, smells and colors. Lunch is what you cook!

Meet with Dorit Katzir at Beit Hayotzer - the Gallery for Ethiopian Art in Moshav Klil. “Beta Israel", was the name the Ethiopian Jews called themselves. In Ethiopia, works which are connected with fire like pottery and blacksmith are considered as contemptible jobs, for workers from the lowest social economy status, and that's why Jewish women specialized in pottery. This traditional art work won't last for long, the sons and daughters of the community are busy in trying to integrate in the social life of Israel.

2:00 pm Take an exhilarating 'tornado' boat cruise around the coastline and take back with you one of those experiences you remember for years to come. The tornado boat cruise lasts between 20-25 minutes, but at the speed you're going, you'll accomplish a lot. You'll see the northern Israel coastline, and your guide will point out to you the sights and attractions along the way.

3:30 pm Travel to Rosh Hanikra with the stunning chalk-white cliffs at Israel’s northernmost coastal border. Enjoy the view of the Mediterranean coastline stretched out before you, then take the cable car down beneath the cliffs to the grottos below and tour the system of underground caves eroded by pounding waves over thousands of years.

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Route 2 11:15 am Participate in a cooking workshop on authentic Arab food in the kitchen/home of Kamla and Rim, two enterprising sisters and gifted cooks who established a catering company specializing in traditional Arab cuisine. Through the sisters’ fascinating story, we will have a unique look into the world of the modern Arab woman in Israel.

Travel north

2:30 pm Cave surfing at Keshet Cave, facing the unique landscape of the northern coastal plain. All can participate in the rappelling experience at the Keshet (Arch Cave). This spectacular, extraordinary sight - Keshet Cave - is really a huge arch, all that is left of the collapsed ceiling of a cave.

Both routes: +/- 5:00 pm Dinner TBA

Overnight: Hotel Mitzpe Hayamim, Safed

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Day 8: Monday, April 27, 2015 Travel South

Breakfast

Drive from Safed to Akko to board a train to BeerSheva

11:30 am World ORT is turning Makif Alef 6 Year High School in BeerSheva into a “smart school”. Makif Alef is the first comprehensive school in Israel and served as a prototype for all subsequent comprehensive schools. We will have an opportunity to interact informally with Mekif Aleph students. Students will present their school and share their experiences from the recent war. The World ORT Kadima Mada Innovation Leader will talk about the process of becoming a “Smart School” as well as share an overview of programs in southern Israel and the organizations response to crises.

We will divide into groups for an activity in the biology, physics and chemistry laboratories. In order to help students to complete their assignments successfully we will work with them to conduct a science experiment involving Nova computers or laptops.

Lunch at Makif Alef

OR

Cyber Security visit

Lunch TBA

Travel to Mitzpe Ramon

Jazz concert at Avdat. Over 2,000 years ago, a group of merchants known as the Nabateans, built a number of cities linking Petra, their capital, with the Mediterranean. One of their impressive towns along this route is Avdat.

Check in hotel

Dinner: Bedouin-style experience TBA

Overnight: Beresheet Hotel, Mitzpeh Ramon

10 Day 9: Tuesday, April 28, 2015 Mitzpeh Ramon

Option for sunrise breakfast and service at Machtesh/Crater

Breakfast

8:00 am Hike/travel in Machtesh Ramon to some spectacular and unique world renowned geological formations. The Ramon Visitors Center has a breathtaking view to the crater. The Albert Promenade - a trail decorated with impressive environmental sculptures - goes along the edge of the Ramon Crater. In the middle of the promenade there is a "bird balcony" which hangs above the crater and offers the best view. You will see birds flying under their feet rather than over their head. Then the path continues along the crater edge and leads to a small observation platform installed atop of a rock.

The Ramon Crater is the largest of three Negev craters. It contains geological formations unparalleled elsewhere in the world. In addition to the magnificent panorama, it presents a fascinating story of geomorphologic evolution. In the desert, water has the power to erode, causing the bottom of the crater to deepen, while the walls retain their vertical angle. As the crater deepens, more and more ancient rock strata are exposed. At the bottom of Ramon Crater some rocks are 200 million years old. The Ramon Crater is 40 kilometers long and 2-10 kilometers wide, shaped like an elongated heart. It is part of the Ramon Nature Reserve that also includes the surrounding Negev mountains. The only settlement in the area is the small town of Mitzpe Ramon on the northern wall of the crater. Note: Adventure activities in the crater

11:00 am Visit an agricultural or solar energy research center TBA

From Desolate to Desirable: Changing a Community. Meet with Yerucham Mayor, Michael Biton and the Jewish Agency Tzvi (Young People of Yerucham), that supports and creates cultural, community and social programs for those ages 20 to 35.

Lunch with “Cooks of Yerucham”

The Israel Defense Force (IDF) is Israel’s military. The task of the IDF is to not only defend Israel but also to act as an educational and social force imbuing love of and commitment to the State. Today we will have a guided tour of the base as well as meet with soldiers and officers.

Proceed to Tel Aviv

Check in Carlton Hotel

Dinner TBA

Overnight: Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv

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Day 10: Wednesday, April 29, 2015 Tel Aviv

Breakfast

8:30 am Depart hotel

Culture in Tel Aviv/TBA: Urban Architecture in Tel Aviv’s Creative Center Israel Music Industry – Behind the Scenes The Language of Movement (Dance) Contemporary Art and Artists (meetings w/artists in their studios) A Journey Through Israeli Art (new wing of the Tel Aviv Museum)

Business and Finance/TBA Visit multinational R&D Hub Tel Aviv - space for social, environmental and technological innovation that brings together people who want to make a change, and are willing to take the risk

Fashion TLVstyle (Galit Reisman) Turning the Tables”, a program aimed at economical and professional empowering of women who exit the destructive cycle of drug abuse, prostitution, and imprisonment and street life through training in fashion design, skills development and long term support,

Tel Aviv- the First Modern Jewish City (Best for first-timers) Jaffa Visitors Center Walking tour in Neve Tzedek

1:00 pm All Together for Lunch At Ganei Yehoshua (Yarkon Park) you’ll discover that the great outdoors is only a few minutes’ drive from downtown Tel Aviv. Stretching for hundreds of acres along the tranquil Yarkon River, the park has hidden beauty spots where you’d never believe the busy city is so close. Lone soldiers will be joining us for a picnic lunch in the Yarkon Park. The Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) brings many young people to Israel on various programs, many of whom join the IDF upon completion of their programs. Currently, about 6,000 soldiers fall into this category of “lone soldiers”, or soldiers without family in Israel.

2:30 pm Afternoon & Evening TBA

An incredibly vibrant nightlife scene has a lot to do with Tel Aviv's reputation as the city that never sleeps. The city's nightlife scene provides a dazzling array of choices to suit almost any taste or desire. Tel Aviv is all about clubs. Tel Aviv DJ’s spin old school house, chill-out, deep house, funky house, and rip trance. There is no real unifying line – on the contrary, anything goes. If the sea beckons -- head for the Tel Aviv Port. 70 years after its establishment, Tel Aviv’s Port became the city's premier entertainment center, with dance clubs, cafes and restaurants at the water's edge and great shops featuring the work of Israeli designers . . . New on the scene is

12 Hatachana (the "railway station") located between Jaffa and Neve Tzedek. Here history, commercialism and renovation all come together to form a charming and historically meaningful area. The complex contains many shops and cafes but commercialism did not come at the expense of historical authenticity. Tel Aviv is waiting to be explored.

Overnight: Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv

13 Day 11: Thursday, April 30, 2015 Tel Aviv

Breakfast

Ramla/Lod- A Tale of Two Troubled Cities Hands-On Volunteer Project: Although Ramla and Lod are separate, most Israelis pronounce the two names as one: Ramlalod. Lying adjacent to each other right in the center of the country, Ramla-Lod have the dubious distinction of being considered centers of poor government, crime and low socio-economic status. Both cities are “mixed,” meaning that Israeli Jews and Arabs live side by side. Both are also home to large populations of new immigrants – primarily those with little education or skills to get by in the modern world. In spite of or because of the poor reputations of this urban conglomerate there are many programs sponsored by Federation partner organizations, as well as many private initiatives to restore social justice and prosperity to these two cities. Today we will not only visit some of these projects and speak to those involved, we will actually volunteer in various projects alongside the residents.

Israel Journey: Shalom (Hello/Goodbye) Experience

Afternoon TBA

Farewell dinner TBA

Proceed to Ben Gurion International Airport

OR

Overnight: Carlton Tel Aviv

Day 12: Friday, May 1, 2015

Proceed to Poland

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