Hadassah Attorneys and Judges Trip to Israel May 2022
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Hadassah Attorneys and Judges Trip to Israel May 2022 Traveling with Hadassah in Israel is an opportunity to connect – with the people of Israel, with the land itself, and with each other. As a Hadassah community, we will bond through our shared experiences and stimulate our minds through fascinating encounters with local experts in the law. Our pace allows us to delve in-depth into each stop and we finish each evening feeling both satisfied and eager for the next day’s experiences. Day 1: Monday, May 2, 2022: • We depart the United States on our flight to Israel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day 2: Tuesday, May 3, 2022: ARRIVAL AND MEMORIAL EVE • Shalom and Bruchim Habaim—welcome home! Our time in this incredible land has officially started and our excitement mounts as we set off on the adventure ahead. Just beyond passport control, an Ayelet representative will meet us in the baggage claim area and assist us through customs. • We visit Neot Kedumim, the Biblical nature reserve, to learn about the connections between the biosphere and Jewish history. Our panorama view allows us to see with our own eyes the width of the country: the Mediterranean to the west and Jerusalem to the east. We plant trees, connecting us physically and spiritually to the land of Israel. • Visit Latrun, Israel’s outdoor armored corps museum, and tour the hallowed grounds of the memorial with a young soldier. We hear from an IDF veteran on the eve of Yom Hazikaron, Israel’s Memorial Day, and view the preparations for this important and solemn day. • We check in to our hotel and have time to freshen up before an early welcome dinner with Hadassah friends at our hotel. • This evening, we enjoy a walking tour of Tel Aviv, the White City, to take in its beauty, architecture and as the country prepares for its solemn day of remembrance. • At 8:00 PM, we stand at attention during the sounding of the memorial siren, remembering Israel’s fallen as the country comes to a full stop. Overnight in Tel Aviv ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day 3: Wednesday, May 4, 2022: YOM HAZIKARON – ISRAEL’S MEMORIAL DAY • Breakfast at our hotel. • We visit Hadassah’s Meir Shfeya Youth Village to meet with students and staff. We will sit in on a music class and visit the winery. • This is the occasion to announce the Philanthropic Youth Aliyah Project, opening doors for many youth in the process of coming to Israel. • We join students and staff at the Memorial Ceremony for Yom Hazikaron. Again, we stand at attention during the sounding of the memorial siren in memory of Israel’s fallen. • At a local Druze village, we enjoy lunch and home hospitality. We will meet a general from the IDF to learn more about the strong connection between Israel and its Druze citizens. • We enjoy a walking tour of the Village, meeting an attorney representing people at the religious court to learn about Israel’s religious court system and the differences between the Jewish, Christian and Muslim courts • Back in Tel Aviv, we have a free evening to join Israelis celebrating in the streets and on the beach as the country transitions from commemoration to celebration as Yom Ha’Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, begins. Overnight in Tel Aviv ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day 4: Thursday, May 5, 2022: CELEBRATING ISRAEL’S INDEPENDENCE • Breakfast at our hotel. • Stroll along Independence Trail through the Rothschild District and discover the architectural, cultural and intellectual foundations of this great city, including a stop by the famed site of Israel’s Independence Hall. (Independence Hall is currently closed for renovations.) • We hear an engaging speaker discuss Israel’s Declaration of Independence: Could it be considered Israel’s Constitution? • Along the Mediterranean Sea, we enjoy a “front-row” seat for the IDF’s traditional air and sea show marking Yom Haatzma’ut. • In Israel’s traditional holiday style, we enjoy a BBQ lunch. • We spend the afternoon at leisure to enjoy the festive holiday atmosphere. • This evening, we visit Jaffa for a walking tour and discussion about the challenges and successes of co-existence in this mixed Jewish-Arab neighborhood. • We have dinner on our own afterwards optional visit to Na Laga’at (Please Touch), Israel’s Theater by the Deaf and Blind. (tickets will be available to purchase) Overnight in Tel Aviv ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day 5: Friday, May 6, 2022: ASCENDING TO JERUSALEM • Breakfast and check out of our hotel. • This morning, we take a walking tour through South Tel Aviv to examine the complex dilemmas surrounding Sudanese and Eritrean refugees and asylum seekers who have made their homes here. • We explore the newly opened Agam Museum in Rishon LeZion, showcasing six decades of the groundbreaking artist’s kinetic art and sculpture. • We ascend to the holy city of Jerusalem, stopping at the Mount Scopus Overlook to say Shehecheyanu as we look out over the City of Gold. • We check in to our hotel and have time to refresh. • Joining the people of Jerusalem, we welcome Shabbat at the Kotel. • Tonight, we experience “Shabbat of a Lifetime,” home hospitality with an Orthodox family in Jerusalem to enjoy a traditional Shabbat dinner. Overnight in Jerusalem ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day 6: Saturday, May 7, 2022: SHABBAT SHALOM! • Breakfast at our hotel. • Our morning is at leisure, perhaps for “shul hopping,” visiting different Shabbat worship throughout Jerusalem: Italian, Moroccan, Sephardic, Ashkenazi, Reform or Conservative, all within walking distance from each other. • This afternoon, we visit the Old City of Jerusalem for a walking tour of the different quarter s. We begin in the Jewish Quarter, filled with synagogues and history and pass by the ancient Broad Wall. Strolling past colorful and exotic vendors in the Arab shuk, we continue along Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where Jesus was crucified, and through the winding streets of the Christian and Muslim Quarters. • We return to our hotel for Havdalah, followed by a dialogue with the Jerusalem Post Palestinian Affairs correspondent, Khaled Abu Toameh. • Option: After dinner, we walk to the Tower of David Night Spectacular, a sound and light show that transforms the walls of David’s Citadel into the living story of Jerusalem. (tickets will be available to purchase) Overnight in Jerusalem ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day 7: Sunday, May 8, 2022: BOUNDARIES IN JERUSALEM • Breakfast at our hotel with a representative of the IDF’s Military Law unit to discuss how the army monitors the actions of the IDF, how they stand with international law and the interaction with the International Criminal Court in the Hague (ICC). • We visit the Palestinian Authority for a discussion on law, their perspective on the legal framework for the West Bank and Gaza Strip and their reaction to the International Criminal Court in the Hague (ICC). • This afternoon, we meet with Colonel Miri Eisen who served in the Israeli intelligence community and retired from active duty at the rank of full colonel. After retiring from the military Miri served as the Israeli Prime Minister's international media advisor. We will join her for an enlightening journey along the seam line in Jerusalem. • We enjoy a gourmet chef-prepared dinner in the vicinity of the Machane Yehuda market. Overnight in Jerusalem ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day 8: Monday, May 9, 2022: LAW IN ISRAEL • Breakfast at our hotel. • We visit Israel’s seat of government, the Knesset, to meet with members of the Judiciary committee on the Law of Return and immigration law. We experience dynamic education and inspiration with a visit to Hadassah Medical Organization (HMO). While there, we enjoy VIP meetings with the medical staff and leadership. We visit the Round Building and hear about plans for future expansion/renovation, as well as Israel health care system and the part Hadassah had in dealing with Covid-19 in Israel. • Lunch on own at the Hadassah Mall. • We visit Israel’s Supreme Court for a tour and meet with one of the judges. • Dinner on own, followed by an evening underground at the Western Wall Tunnels. This is an opportunity to discover the many layers of Jerusalem’s history, passing through grand building projects spanning the centuries from ancient Rome through the modern day. Overnight in Jerusalem ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Day 9: Tuesday, May 10, 2022: GAZA AND THE SOUTHERN PERIPHERY • Breakfast at our hotel. • We travel south to Moshav Nativ HaAsara and learn about the Path to Peace, a community-created mosaic along the border wall separating Israel from the Gaza Strip. We have an opportunity to add a piece to the mosaic and put our own imprint on this project of hope. • In nearby Sderot, we tour the Protected Playground, the police station and