Congregation Shaarai Shomayim’s In-Depth Journey to Led by Rabbi Jack Paskoff March 10-20, 2018 (As of 2/26/18)

DAY 1: Saturday, March 10, 2018: DEPARTURE

• We depart the United States on our overnight flight to Israel. ------DAY 2: Sunday, March 11, 2018: WELCOME TO ISRAEL!

• We arrive at Ben Gurion Airport this afternoon and are met by an Ayelet Tours representative. • Transfer to our hotel in for check-in. • We enjoy a welcome dinner together this evening.

Overnight in Tel Aviv ------DAY 3: Monday, March 12, 2018: TOURING TEL AVIV

• Breakfast at our hotel. • Our first stop today is at Rabin Square, where our guide gives us an overview of the political changes that have taken place since the time of Rabin’s assassination. • Hear the words of David Ben Gurion declaring independence for the state of Israel at Independence Hall, the place where it happened in 1948. • Lunch on own near Rothschild Blvd., followed by a walking tour of the area. • Continue to the Palmach Museum, where we “join up” with the paramilitary forces from Israel’s pre-statehood days. • Through Beit Daniel, the progressive congregation in Tel Aviv, we will visit Old Jaffa, an ancient port city. We set out on a co-existence tour with Jewish and Arab guides leading us side by side as we explore the mixed city of Jaffa. We explore the possibility of creating a common future and shared society. • Dinner on own this evening.

Overnight in Tel Aviv ------

DAY 4: Tuesday, March 13, 2018: ESHKOL

• Breakfast at our hotel. • This morning, we travel to Sh’ar HaNegev to Dorot to meet with member, Noga Golst, to learn about life near the Gaza strip. • We continue to the Eshkol Region. Here, we will speak with students and teachers about their lives as we tour the Eshkol Protected School. We will witness their bravery and hope, as we view the buildings that are used for both learning and shelter. • We visit the “Salad Trail”, a unique hands-on agricultural tour, and witness how Israeli innovation is literally making the desert bloom with crops grown out of some of the most inhospitable sands imaginable. We will pick and taste fruits and vegetables straight from the kibbutz and experience flying strawberries, tiny orange orchards, racing pigeons, herbal gardens and a self-picking farm. Light lunch included. • We meet artist Yaron Bob at his workshop. Struck by the terror of shell attacks, Yaron decided to transform something horrible into something beautiful – and so began his artwork, known as “Rockets to Roses”. • Later this afternoon, we return to Tel Aviv for an evening at leisure and dinner on own.

Overnight in Tel Aviv ------DAY 5: Wednesday, March 14, 2018: TO THE GALILEE

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel. • This morning, we depart Tel Aviv and drive north along the Mediterranean coast to Caesarea, once the Roman capital of the region. We see the ancient theater and aqueduct. • We continue to Haifa, where we visit the Leo Baeck School to hear from administrators and students about this amazing progressive school. • We enjoy lunch together at a local restaurant in Haifa. • We stop at Adir Winery and take in the beautiful views of the vineyard and enjoy a tour and tasting. • This afternoon, we discover the mystical city of , focusing on the 15th century heroes who gave the Jewish people new hope, new songs, and who revived the dream of a Jewish return to our land. We explore the quaint cobblestone alleyways, the ancient synagogues and the artists’ colony.

• We visit the historic Kinneret Cemetery, the final resting place of many pioneers and leaders of the Labor movement, including Nachman Syrkin and , as well as the poetess Rachel and Naomi Shemer, Israeli songwriter hailed as the “first lady of Israeli song and poetry”, who lived in the adjacent village. • We travel to our kibbutz in the Galilee to check in and refresh. • Dinner at our kibbutz together this evening.

Overnight in the Galilee ------DAY 6: Thursday, March 15, 2018: NORTHERN ADVENTURES

• Breakfast at our kibbutz. • This morning, we enjoy an exciting jeep tour through the Golan Heights, passing by old Syrian bunkers along the way. We stop atop Har Bental to take in the views stretching far into Syria. • Re-live the decisive tank battles of the 1973 war at the Oz 77 memorial, including the chance to view the powerful documentary film at nearby Kibbutz El Rom. • Lunch on own near Katrzin, the ancient Talmudic village and capital of the Golan. Following lunch we tour the facility and visit the museum. • We set out on a short walk at Gamla to enjoy the beautiful scenery in the area. • We continue to Hamat Gader where the adults will relax and rejuvenate in the warm natural spring waters. • Return to our kibbutz for free time and relaxation. • This evening, we enjoy dinner together at our kibbutz.

Overnight in the Galilee ------DAY 7: Friday, March 16, 2018: MASADA & THE DEAD SEA

• Breakfast and check out of our hotel. • This morning, we depart for the Dead Sea basin. • Upon arrival, we ascend to the remains of King Herod's fortresses atop Masada by cable car or snake path. We visit the remains of the walls, palaces, synagogue, and the bathhouses, learning about the Jewish Zealots’ last stand against the Roman forces. • We head to the beach to enjoy an “unsinkable” swim in the healing, salty waters of the Dead Sea. • Later this afternoon, we travel to . Upon arrival, we stop atop the Haas Promenade to recite a special “Shehecheyanu” blessing as we look out over the City of Gold for the first time. • Check into our hotel with time to refresh.

• This evening, we join together for Kabbalat Shabbat services at progressive Kamatz Congregation Mevasseret, followed by Shabbat dinner and home hospitality, hosted by members of the local community.

Overnight in Jerusalem ------DAY 8: Saturday, March 17, 2018: SHABBAT SHALOM!

• Breakfast at our hotel. • Free morning to relax or attend Shabbat services at Congregation Har El. • This afternoon, we set out on a walking tour through history in the Old City, exploring the Jewish Quarter, Arab market (shuk), and the Christian Quarter, where we stroll along the Via Dolorosa and end at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. • Enjoy the remainder of the day at leisure as Jerusalem returns to life. • Dinner on own this evening.

Overnight in Jerusalem ------Day 9: Sunday, March 18, 2018: DIGGING INTO HISTORY

• Breakfast at our hotel. • Today, we take part in tikkun olam at Yad L’Kashish, the workshop known as the “lifeline for the aged”, and hear the story behind this amazing place. • We continue to Emek Tzurim, where we participate in the dig that is carefully sifting the Temple Mount rubble. New and important finds are made here every day. • Visit Machane Yehuda, Jerusalem’s outdoor marketplace, filled with foods of every variety. Together we will explore the tight alleyways and main thoroughfares of the bustling market. • Our next stop is at the Davidson Center, built into the southern wall excavations. Here, we see the 3D model of the 2nd Temple in action, revealed through extensive archaeological investigation during the last few decades. • Later this afternoon, we return to our hotel to join the Women of the Wall for Shabbat and Rosh Hodesh services – supporting their struggle for an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall. • Enjoy a free evening out on the town including dinner on own.

Overnight in Jerusalem ------

Day 10: Monday, March 19, 2018: DISCOVERING JERUSALEM

• Breakfast at our hotel, then check out and store luggage. • This morning, we meet Gil Hoffman, chief political correspondent for the Jerusalem Post, for an update on the current state of affairs in Israeli politics. • The next stop on our tour is at Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the Holocaust, where we view the many moving exhibitions, including the Hall of Names and the Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations. • We continue to the newly renovated Israel Museum to view its extensive collections. Walk through the iconic Shrine of the Book, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Billy Rose sculpture garden. • We plant a tree in the JNF Forest, connecting us physically as well as spiritually to the land of Israel. • We enjoy a farewell dinner together this evening at Piccolino, as we recall all we have experienced together. • Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for our overnight flight back to the United States. ------Day 11: Tuesday, March 20, 2018: WELCOME HOME!

• We arrive in the United States this morning. Welcome home!

THE MEMORIES LAST FOREVER!! *Itinerary subject to change

U:\ITINERARY\Paskoff Rabbi Jack Israel MAR 2018 ITIN.docx