Bet Am Shalom Synagogue Adult Israel Adventure
December 26, 2013 – January 5, 2014
Led by Rabbi Les Bronstein & Cantor Benjie Schiller Together with Yitzhak Sokoloff, Executive Director of Keshet: The Center for Educational Tourism in Israel
Proposed Itinerary May 21, 2013
Keshet: The Center for Educational Tourism in Israel PO Box 8540 Jerusalem 91084 Telephone: (972) 2 6713518 Fax: (972) 2 6713624 www.keshetisrael.co.il
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Thursday December 26 DEPARTURE • El Al # 28 Dec. 26 depart Newark at 1.15 pm to arrive Tel Aviv the next day at 6.50 am
Friday December 27 ARRIVAL IN ISRAEL – BRUCHIM HABA’IM
• Independent arrivals at Ben Gurion Airport. Keshet will provide one group transfer to Jerusalem, including a spectacular outlook on Jerusalem, Ramallah and the coastal plain from “Nebi Samuel”- the tomb of Samuel the prophet. Introduction to the topographical and historical contours of today’s political situation. • Check-in to the Prima Kings Hotel in Jerusalem. • Free time for rest, visit to the Machane Yehuda Market and Shabbat preparation. • Kabbalat Shabbat with the Beth Am Shalom Family trip on the balcony overlooking the Western Wall Plaza, followed by festive Shabbat group dinner at the hotel. Overnight: Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem
Shabbat December 28 SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM • Shabbat services at one or more of the many vibrant Jerusalem synagogues (Synagogue list and descriptions will be included in participant source books.) • Update on “Israel Society & Politics” with Yitzhak Sokoloff • Shabbat Lunch at our hotel. Together with the BAS family trip. • Update on “Women of the Wall” (either today or at Robinson’s Arch on Sunday morning) • Free time for rest and relaxation. • Seuda Shlisheet snack and Torah study with Rabbi Les or walk through the Old City with Havdala at the Kotel* • Group Havdallah • Contemporary music program with jazz musician Daniel Zamir and the students of the Mizmor Music Academy- together with Keshet groups in Jerusalem. • Optional mikve immersion for women ahead of our visit to the Temple Mount Overnight: Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem *We may need to adjust the program in case of rain/snow.
Sunday December 29 THE POLITICS OF ARCHAEOLOGY • Optional mikve immersion for men ahead of our visit to the Temple Mount • Early breakfast at the hotel • Visit the Temple Mount* • Visit the City of David, the busiest Biblical archaeological site in the world today…and also 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 Temple Mount. • Special Guest Teacher (either guiding us in the field or after our Israel Museum visit): Professor Gabi Barkai of the Hebrew University, one of the world’s experts on Jerusalem’s archaeology. • Dairy Lunch in the Muslim Quarter • After lunch, in depth visit to the newly renewed (at a cost of 100 million dollars) campus of the Israel Museum including the Second Temple Jerusalem Model, the new archaeological and Judaica wings and the spectacular but temporary exhibit devoted to Herod the Great.
• Biblical themed dinner at Eucalyptus Restaurant in the Chutzot Hayotzer Artists Quarter
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• After dinner meet with Jerusalem artist and educator David Moss in his Chutzot Hayotzer studio Overnight: Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem
*Visits to the Temple Mount are subject to restrictions imposed from time to time by the Israeli police or the Islamic Council. It is customary for Jews who wish so to immerse themselves in a ritual bath before ascending, however Jewish prayer is strictly forbidden on the Temple Mount.
Monday December 30 SHAPING MEMORY – NEW INSIGHTS AT JERUSALEM MUSEUMS • We begin our day at Yad Vashem including the new Historical Museum, Warsaw Ghetto Plaza, Valley of Communities (the largest memorial in the world) and a discussion with a leading holocaust educator on evolving Israeli attitudes to the Holocaust. • Lunch on own. • Meet with Ruth Calderon, M.K., and founder of the Alma Center for Jewish Studies in the Knesset • Free time in the afternoon • After dinner, join us for a night at the movies- a private screeing at the Maaleh Film School of a range of short films focusing on the issues & challenges facing Israel and Israeli Judaism. Overnight: Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem
Tuesday December 31 POLITICS, SECURITY, SETTLEMENTS: PARADIGMS AND PERSPECTIVES • Meet with Yehudit Oppenheimer, director of Ir Amim • Secure Borders Versus Security Arrangements - Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim. (We begin on the Mt. of Olives and continue into the Judean Desert) with security barrier planner and expert Danny Tirzah. • Settlements: Ideology or Strategic Assets- visit to Yisrael Harel in Ofrah in the heart of the West Bank. • Visit the new Palestinian city Rawabi near Ramallah. Meet developer Bashar El Masri to discuss one of the more significant Palestinian responses to the challenges of nation building (or Israeli – Palestinian dialogue in Ramallah) • Smack on the Green Line - outlook on the Israeli heartland from Alfei Menashe, a secular settlement built along the 49-67’ green line. • Group dinner venue TBD • Free evening Overnight: Prima Kings Hotel, Jerusalem
Wednesday January 1 ISRAEL IN THE TWENTY FIRST CENTURY • Hotel check-out • Visit the Hand to Hand Jewish Arab School. • In Ramle, visit the Tzrifin Army Base, and meet with soldiers from the IDF Search and Rescue unit who are deployed on disaster relief missions all over the world. • Lunch in Rechovot and meeting with researchers at the Weizman Institute of Science for an update on the state of scientific research and development (R & D) in Israel today • Visit a hi-tech company developing a flying car in Yavneh. • Check-in to Tel Aviv hotel and free evening. Overnight: Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv
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Thursday January 2 TEL AVIV – THE FIRST HEBREW CITY • Yesterday’s Today and Today’s Yesterday – guided tour of Neve Tzedek and the Bialik Compound including Chaim Nachman Bialik’s home and the Old Tel Aviv City Hall with curator Eyelet Shlonsky. • Visit to the Bialik-Rogzin school, a unique institution that works primarily with non- Jewish migrant populations who have been a significant challenge for Israel society. • Lunch on own in Tel Aviv’s open air market. • Visit the B’nei Zion “Mechina”, a pre-Army preparatory program for “religious” and “secular” Israelis that is part of a phenomenon that is impacting on issues such as Jewish identity, relations between different parts of society, social justice concerns and army service in contemporary Israeli society. • Tel Aviv Arts Scene – free time to explore avant garde galleries in Tel Aviv. • Private dinner in the studio of artist and Judaica collector Bill Gross. • Nighttime tour of B’nei Brak. • Overnight: Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv
Friday January 3 A STILL SMALL VOICE IN THE DESERT • Check out and travel to the Negev desert. • Meet the idealists of Ayallim Village, a student based community that spearheaded a movement to revitalize the Negev and the Galilee. • Check in to the luxurious Breisheet Hotel . • Set off to Ramon Crater National Park on jeeps, with an opportunity to delve into the geological wonders and hidden canyons and plateaus that were once underground • Kabbalat Shabbat as a group on the edge of the crater for Kabbalat Shabbat • Festive Shabbat dinner at the hotel Overnight: Isrotel Breisheet Hotel, Mitzpe Ramon
Shabbat January 4 SHABBAT MEDITATIONS • Early morning (6:00 a.m.) optional walk and meditation along the lip of the Ramon Crater to the Camel Hill lookout • Shabbat prayer and/or rest and relaxation at the hotels myriad facilities • Festive Shabbat lunch • Summary discussion and seuda shlishit snack • Group Havdala • Free time to wander along the edge of the crater in some of the prettiest terrain in Israel and to enjoy the Reeshit spa. • Torah study with Rabbi Bronstein and meet with students/faculty of the local Hesder yeshiva • Program Summary • Dinner at Shanti- a Negev based center for youth at risk with a beautiful heated tent and catering service (tentative). Overnight: Isrotel Breisheet Hotel, Mitzpe Ramon
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Sunday January 5 & Monday January 6 L’HITRAOT – UNTIL NEXT TIME • Late morning check-out • In Kiryat Gat (or at Bar-Ilan University), meet with Rabbi Sharon Shalom, a young Ethiopian rabbi and doctoral student who is an expert on Ethiopian religious traditions. He recently published a “Shulchan Aruch” for Ethiopian Jews seeking to preserve their religious practices while still integrating into contemporary Jewish society in Israel. • Summary discussion and farewell dinner – location TBD • Return to Ben Gurion Airport for late evening flight to the USA. El Al # 27 Jan. 06 depart Tel Aviv at 12.35 am to arrive Newark the same day at 6.05 am
Notes: the trip will be staffed by a senior Keshet tour educator. 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.
There is an alternative of going from Jerusalem to the Negev and then spending the final Shabbat in Tel Aviv.
**** This is a winter program, and weather can be a factor. We will do our best to adjust the program as necessary to insure a superb experience for all concerned!
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