Itinerary

American Technion Society PIONEERS OF PROGRESS MISSION April 26 – May 7, 2014 (As of 04/09/14 - - Subject to Change)

Mission Chairs: Ilene and Steve Berger

“The Technion’s trailblazing, innovative spirit knows no bounds.” - Shimon Peres

SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2014 - - DEPARTURE

10:45 pm: United Air # 90 (suggested group flight) departs Newark, New Jersey

Overnight: Flight

SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2014 - - WELCOME TO

4:20 pm: Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport on United Air # 90. Welcome by our representative and assistance with arrival formalities.

Drive south through the Negev to the Beresheet Hotel located on the edge of the Ramon Crater in the town of Mitzpe Ramon.

8:00 pm: Check into the hotel.

8:30 pm: Dinner and Welcome Program at the hotel in the main dining room. Greetings by Mission Chairs Ilene and Steve Berger.

Overnight: Beresheet Hotel, Mitzpe Ramon

MONDAY, APRIL 28, 2014 - - THE POWER OF THE DESERT

7:00 – 8:00 am: Breakfast at the main dining room of the hotel. (At 8:00 am, please proceed to the Ophir Room located one level down from the main dining room.)

8:15 – 9:00 am: “An Inside Look at the Negev” with a member of the Ramat HaNegev Regional Council. They will introduce and orient us to the Negev by sharing with us its history and geography, as well as the economic and sociological factors facing the region today. (This will take place in the Ophir Room located one level down from the main dining room.) Itinerary Pioneers of Progress Mission Page 2

Monday, April 28 continued

9:10 am: Meet in the hotel lobby for a prompt 9:15 am departure to the Desert Shade Eco Camp.

9:30 – 10:15 am: Arrival at the Desert Shade Eco Farm and Camp with greetings by the owner Ziv Spector. Enjoy a short leisurely walk through the sculpture garden located along the edge of the Ramon Crater. Then gather on the patio with views into the Crater where we will participate in a meditative service in memory of those killed in the Holocaust as this is the Holocaust and Heroism Memorial Day. At 10:10 am we will stand at attention along with the rest of Israel as the siren sounds throughout the country.

10:15 am – 12:45 pm: Depart via Jeep for a Jeep Tour to explore the geological wonders of the Ramon Crater. There will be two options: one for those who prefer a smoother ride, no stair climbing and minimal walking; and another option for those who seek more adventure, can climb series of stairs and don’t mind heights.

12:45 pm: The jeep tour will conclude back at the Eco Shade Farm and Camp for a delicious vegetarian home cooked lunch.

1:45 pm: There will be afternoon options depending on your interests:

Option 1: Time to enjoy the spa at the Beresheet Hotel or just rest and relax and savor the beautiful views. (Treatments will be scheduled in advance.)

Option 2: Guided visit to the 2,000 year-old city of Avdat, a UNESCO World Heritage site, located in the Negev Desert, one of the stops on the ancient Nabatean spice route. Return to the hotel at 4:00 pm.

Option 3: Leisurely nature walk along the spectacular narrow canyon at Ein Avdat (Spring Source). Return to the hotel at 4:00 pm.

5:55 pm: Meet in the hotel lobby for a prompt 6:00 pm departure for Orlyya Lone Farm.

6:30 pm: Our visit to Orlyya Lone Farm begins as soon as we arrive and are greeted at the gate by owners Yoni and Orly Sharir. They will share their home and land with us as we tour the property located in the Negev wilderness to learn the story of how they came to the Negev and started their Aragan oil business. See the oil press in action and learn how Aragan oil is made. Our Lone Farm experience will conclude with a delicious ethnic dinner served in an elegant hospitality tent.

After dinner: Optional walk along the crater’s edge for a night of star gazing accompanied by Technion professor astrophysicist Ehud Behar, Director of the Asher Space Research Center, Department of Physics.

Overnight: Beresheet Hotel, Mitzpe Ramon Itinerary Pioneers of Progress Mission Page 3

TUESDAY, APRIL 29 - - DREAMS TO REALITY

7:00 – 8:15 am: Breakfast at the hotel in the main dining room.

Check out of the hotel.

8:25 am: Meet in the hotel lobby for a prompt 8:30 am departure for our day’s activities en route to Haifa.

9:00 am: Visit the gravesite of Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, located on Kibbutz Sde Boker overlooking the Wilderness of Zin in the Negev Desert.

10:00 am: Drive north towards Be’er Sheva.

11:00 am – 2:00 pm: Visit the Netafim Irrigation Company located on Kibbutz Hatzerim, the company that pioneered drip irrigation. We will meet with Technion graduate Rafi Mehudar, who invented and developed the next generation of the sophisticated drippers manufactured by the company, which has kept Netafim one step ahead of its competitors. Gain insight into this Israeli world leader in drip irrigation, literally responsible for fulfilling David Ben Gurion’s dream - of making the desert bloom - come true. Lunch at Kibbutz Hatzerim.

3:30 – 5:00 pm: Continue north to Kiryat Gat to visit the facilities of Intel. Meet with Technion graduates and gain insight into the role the computer giant has played in Israel and specifically in this small town on the fringe of the northern Negev. We will visit Fab28 for a view into the clean room, the size of four soccer fields!

5:15 pm: Continue driving north towards Haifa.

6:45 pm: Enjoy dinner, wine tasting and great conversation with Technion graduates who are entrepreneurs at Binyamina Winery.

Continue to Haifa and check into the Dan Carmel Hotel at approximately 9:30 pm.

Overnight: Dan Carmel Hotel, Haifa

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014 - - CUTTING EDGE EDUCATION, INOVATION AND INSPIRATION - TECHNION DAY I

7:00 – 8:15 am: Breakfast at the hotel in the main dining room.

Itinerary Pioneers of Progress Mission Page 4

Wednesday, April 30 continued

8:25 am: Meet in the hotel lobby for a prompt 8:30 am departure for the Technion campus accompanied by Technion students.

9:00 – 10:10 am: “Welcome to the Technion” Program at the Coler California Visitors Center. The Technion has earned a global reputation for it’s pioneering work, world-renowned faculty, brilliant students, and forward-thinking entrepreneurial graduates all which have led Israel’s transformation into the technological powerhouse that is often referred to as the “Start-Up Nation.”

Professor Boaz Golany, Technion’s Vice President of Public Affairs and External Relations will showcase how Technion is providing solutions to global challenges. From treating cancer to developing smaller and more effective computer chips, Technion scientists are leading the way—transforming pure science and mathematics into life-changing applications that make the world a healthier, cleaner, safer and smarter place. The importance and results of the American Technion Society/Technion collaboration over the decades and how Technion’s future successes depend on keeping the partnership strong will be highlighted throughout our days on campus as we take part in supporting the Technion through our Innovation for a Better World campaign.

Our exploration of the Technion Autonomous Systems Program (TASP), a priority project which focuses on the development of advanced unmanned systems and robotics, will start with a brief overview from the founding head of TASP, Distinguished Professor Emeritus Daniel Weihs of the Technion Faculty of Aerospace Engineering holder of the Louis and Lyra Richmond Chair in Life Sciences.

TASP Rap and Wrap-up: Hear from Technion alumnus Dr. Yoav Medan, a visiting scientist and a professor at the Technion’s Faculty of Electrical Engineering. He is building an interdisciplinary group of researchers devoted to improving safety during surgical procedures as part of the Technion’s Autonomous Systems Program. He focuses his research on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), therapeutic ultrasound, technologies for autonomous interventional medical devices, signal processing and multimedia.

10:30 – 10:45 am: Coffee break and greetings at the Asher Space Research Center by Professor Ehud Behar, Director of the Asher Space Research Center, Department of Physics, whom we met during our time in the Negev.

10:45– 11:40 am: Split into two groups and visit both of the following labs: Distributed Space System Laboratory and the Electric Propulsion Laboratory both located in the Asher Space Research Institute, headed by Professor Pini Gurfil of the Aerospace Engineering.

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Wednesday, April 30 continued

11:45 am – 12:00 pm: Group Photo (wear your mission shirts) then walk to the D. Dan Kahn and Betty Kahn Mechanical Engineering Building.

12:15 – 12:45 pm: Split into two groups and visit one of the following labs: 1. Microfluidic Technologies Laboratory headed by Dr. Moran Bercovici, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. 2. Biorobotics and Biomechanics Laboratory in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering headed by Professor Alon Wolf. Prof. Alon Wolf is the founder and director of the Biorobotics and Biomechanics LAB (BRML) in the Technion Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and his work has applications in medical/surgical robotics, rehabilitation robotics, and biorobotics. He is the founder of Medrobotics, a medical robotics company.

1:00 - 1:15 pm: Brief overview of the new D. Dan Kahn and Betty Kahn Mechanical Engineering Building with Professor Pinhas Bar-Yoseph, Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical engineering to showcase the new building from outside.

1:30 – 2:30 pm: Lunch at the Coler California Visitors Center.

2:30 pm: Depart campus and return to the hotel.

4:25 pm: Meet in the lobby of the hotel for a prompt 4:30 pm departure for the Technion’s Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine accompanied by Technion students.

5:15 pm: Welcome to Technion’s Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine! - Professor Eliezer Shalev, Technion’s Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, will bring greetings. - Presentation by Professor Amir Orian, head of the Ruth and Stan Flinkman Genetic Networks Laboratory at the David and Janet Polak Center for Cancer Research and Vascular Biology at the Technion Faculty of Medicine. He will speak about the Technion Integrative Cancer Research Center (TICRC). - Reception and Science Fair with participation of professors and researchers involved in TICRC. - Visit labs with the participation of leading Technion researchers to showcase recent breakthroughs and research done at the faculty. - Enjoy dinner at the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine where we will be joined by the professors and researchers we met this evening.

9:15 pm: Depart the Faculty of Medicine and return to the hotel.

Overnight: Dan Carmel, Haifa Itinerary Pioneers of Progress Mission Page 6

THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2014 - - CUTTING EDGE EDUCATION, INOVATION AND INSPIRATION – TECHNION DAY II

7:00 – 8:15 am: Breakfast at the hotel in the main dining room.

8:25 am: Meet in the hotel lobby for a prompt 8:30 am departure for the Technion accompanied by Technion students.

9:00 – 10:00 am: At the Stanley Shalom Zielony Graduate Student Village, we will join fellow mission participant Carol B. Epstein and her family at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the:

Carol B. Epstein Kindergarten Classroom/Playground in honor of her grandchildren, Connor Benjamin Root and Evan Nicole Passenger Root

The classroom and playground will be part of the Stanley Shalom Zielony Community Center. Following the ceremony we will tour dormitories at the Graduate Student Village.

10:15 am – 12:15 pm: Split into two groups and meet newly recruited faculty – hear their stories of how they came to the Technion and visit their labs (each group will meet all three professors):

-Professor Avi Schroeder, Faculty of Chemical Engineering -Professor Lilac Amirav, Faculty of Chemistry -Professor Dafna Fisher Gewirtzman, Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning and visit the Visualization Lab

12:30 – 1:30pm: Lunch in the Coler California Visitors Center. Here we will meet another new faculty recruit Professor Steven Frankel, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and hear the fascinating story of how he came to the Technion.

1:45 pm: Return to the Dan Carmel Hotel (or) time for individual meetings for those with a particular interest regarding a specific project, faculty, department, or professor or for further exploration of the campus on your own. (Return to the hotel for those who stay on campus will be arranged.)

5:30 pm: Meet in the hotel lobby for a prompt departure for the Technion’ campus accompanied by Technion students. Our evening activities will take place at the William and Cynthia Marcus Family/ New England Region Center for Pre- University Studies (PUC).

Itinerary Pioneers of Progress Mission Page 7

Thursday, May 1 continued

6:15 - 7:15 pm: Another top priority is the Technion Computer Engineering Center (TCE), which fosters collaboration between the electrical engineering and computer science faculty, and is vital to the Technion's leadership role in the field of computer engineering, the driving force behind Israel’s thriving technology industry. This evening we will meet the Center's first director, Ruth Boneh who was recruited from Intel, where she managed software, hardware and database teams and most recently served as Post Silicon Validation Operations Manager. She will be joined by some of the key players in the TCE and they will share with us how the Technion will be at the forefront of new developments related to cloud computing, cybersecurity, smart phones and other personal computing devices.

7:30 pm: Student Night Party. At this festive event we will celebrate with Technion undergraduate and graduate students including greetings by the Dean of Students Professor Moris Eisen, Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Director of the Technion’s Institute of Catalysis, Science and Technology. We will also hear from Mr. Yonatan David, head of the David Foundation, and learn about “Leaders of the Future,” an excellence program with a Technion connection, whose mission is to develop leadership skills and academic achievements among Ethiopian Israeli youth. We will meet some of the participants in this program and hear their stories. To cap off the evening, we will enjoy a fun night with fine food and mingling, as well as an interactive collaborative musical and dancing journey “around the world!” We will also be joined by Professor Dan Zilberstein, Academic Director of the PUC and Mr. Shmuel Dotan, Director of the Center.

Overnight: Dan Carmel Hotel, Haifa

FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2014 - - TECHNION IN THE FIELD

7:00 – 8:15 am: Breakfast at the hotel in the main dining room.

8:30 am: Meet in the hotel lobby for a prompt 8:35 am departure for our day’s program in Israel’s periphery. We will visit two institutions that stand as examples of how Arabs and Jews, with their cultural and ideological differences are fostering peaceful coexistence through medicine, science and high technology.

Itinerary Pioneers of Progress Mission Page 8

Friday, May 2 continued

10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Our morning starts at Ha’Emek Medical Center, one of the teaching hospitals affiliated with Technion’s Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine. The HaEmek Chairman of OB/GYN, Professor Eliezer Shalev, is the Dean of the Technion’s Faculty of Medicine (whom we met on Wednesday.)

Originally established to serve the area’s early pioneers, since its inception in 1924, Ha’Emek has worked to pave the way towards peaceful coexistence through medicine, providing care to people regardless of national origin or their religious beliefs: Jews, Muslims, Christians, as well as immigrants from the Former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. Located in Afula in the Lower Galilee region, Ha’Emek serves more than 500,000 individuals throughout Northeastern Israel who are for the most part in the mid to low socio-economic range. The region is equally divided (50/50) between Jews and Arabs and Ha’Emek’s multi-ethnic staff and multi-cultural patient population attest to the fact that Jewish/Arab collaboration is a normal element of daily regional life.

Some of the people we will encounter during our visit and tour include Ha’Emek Hospital’s CEO Dr. Orna Blondheim, the first of two women to head a medical center in Israel. We will also meet with Dr. Stavit Allon-Shalev, a senior clinical lecturer of medical genetics at the Technion Faculty of Medicine and who is also the director of the genetics unit at Ha’Emek Medical Center. She received both her bachelor’s and her M.D. degree from the Technion. Dr. Allon-Shalev’s research interests pertain to genetic disorders within Arab communities and the delineation of rare congenital syndromes.

Lunch en route in Afula at Avazi Restaurant.

2:45 – 3:45 pm: Our second visit today takes us to the Nazareth Industrial Park, a brand-new industrial park in the predominantly Christian-Arab city of Nazareth founded by Israeli industrialist Stef Wertheimer whose goal is to provide meaningful employment for Arab populations while fostering peaceful coexistence.

Here we will visit and tour Alpha Omega Engineering, a leading global neuroscience technology company that develops and manufactures biomedical research and clinical equipment designed to record and analyze electrical activity of the brain and nervous system.

We will meet Imad Younis, CEO of Alpha Omega, and his wife Reem, co-founder, two Arab Israeli Technion graduates who met at the Technion, fell in love, got married and moved back home to Nazareth to start a high-tech business financed only by the sale of their car. Today, Alpha Omega is the largest hi-tech company in Israel's Arab sector employing Muslims, Christians and Jews.

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Friday, May 2 continued

The company’s recording and stimulation tools, which have both FDA (US) and CE (Europe) approvals, are used by neurosurgeons for treating patients with a variety of neural disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and dystonia, a nervous system disorder that causes involuntary muscles contractions and spasms.

5:00 pm: Arrive back at the hotel with time to relax and prepare for Shabbat.

7:30 pm: Reception and Shabbat Dinner in the King Solomon Room at the Dan Carmel hotel with Technion Administration including Technion President Professor and Dr. Lena Lavie; Executive Vice President and Director General Mr. Matanyahu Englman; and Mrs. Avigail Englman and Vice President for Resource Development and External Relations Professor Boaz Golany and Mrs. Rachel Golany.

Overnight: Dan Carmel, Haifa

SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014 - - OPTIONAL SIGHTSEEING

Morning: Breakfast at the hotel in the main dining room.

Shabbat services options: You will have the opportunity to attend Shabbat Services at nearby synagogues. Directions will be provided. Reform: Or Chadash 9:30 am Conservative: Moriah Conservative Synagogue 9:00 am Orthodox: Beit Knesset Hagadol 8:15 am

Choose one of the following sightseeing options:

OPTION 1: Golan Heights: Depart the hotel at 8:30 am; return to the hotel at 5:30 pm.

*Drive northeast through the Galilee towards the Golan Heights.

*Take a Jeep tour off-road up the Golan Heights in the footsteps of Israeli soldiers and their battles in the Six-Day War. Enjoy the beautiful natural scenery and gain an insight into the strategic complexity of the Golan.

*Nature hike to the new Suspended Trail above the spectacular canyon of the Banias Stream, at the foot of Mount Hermon.

*Lunch in a Druze Village on the Golan Heights.

*Visit Emek Habecha (‘the Valley of Tears’) on the eastern edge of the Golan Heights, site of one of Israel’s fiercest battles in the . Look deep into Syria for insight into the geopolitical realities of the region.

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Saturday, May 3 continued

*Descend from the Golan Heights.

*Return to the Dan Carmel Hotel.

OPTION 2: Wine, Cheese and Art: Depart the hotel at 10:30 am; return to the hotel at 4:30 pm.

*Visit the Village of Ein Hod with its numerous artists for a glimpse at the “Art – Community- Creativity” axis including time to shop.

*Continue to the Zionist settlement of Bat Shlomo founded in the 1880s by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. Visit the farmyard of Ziv Schwartzman, who makes cheese the same way as his Romanian grandfather, who bought the house in 1889.

*Enjoy lunch in the tree-shaded courtyard and visit his on-site cheese shop/café/family museum.

*Conclude with a visit to Somek, a boutique winery in Zichron Ya’acov, for a tour and tasting. The proprietor Barak is 5th generation in Zichron and comes from a family of winemakers. The small winery is located in Barak and Hila’s backyard.

*Return to the Dan Carmel Hotel.

OPTION 3: Day at leisure: Please enjoy lunch at the hotel, available 1:00 – 3:00 pm.

Evening: Free evening to enjoy dinner on own at a local Haifa restaurant.

Transportation will also be available to one of Haifa’s malls for those interested in shopping.

7:00 – 11:00 pm: Please stop by our evening’s Hospitality Room to meet and mingle with friends from the Mission. Enjoy light snacks and dessert and coffee.

Overnight: Dan Carmel, Haifa

SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2014 - - IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE

7:00 – 9:15 am: Breakfast at the hotel in the main dining room.

Check out of the hotel.

9:40 am: Meet in the hotel lobby for a prompt 9:45 am departure to the Technion accompanied by Technion students.

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Sunday, May 4 continued

10:15 11:45 am: “Technion’s Promise for the Future.” This panel program will take place at the William and Cynthia Marcus Family/New England Region Center for Pre-University Education (PUC). We will meet with Mrs. Sara Katzir, Head of the Beatrice Weston Unit for the Advancement of Students and students who have benefited from this unit’s programs including the Technion Technological Education Program for the Ultra- Orthodox Sector in Israel.

11:45 am: Enjoy a walk through the Campus Core en route to the Memorial Ceremony or travel via bus. We will be in our seats by 12:15 pm for the ceremony.

12:30 pm: Join with our Technion family at the annual Memorial Ceremony for fallen Technion soldiers (both students and staff). This is a highly emotional event held in the open space between Churchill auditorium, the Senate building and the Elyachar Central Library next to the Wall of the Fallen Soldiers.

2:00 pm: Depart Haifa. Lunch box en route.

3:45– 5:00 pm: In preparation for the start of Yom Hazikaron, the Israeli Memorial Day for those who lost their lives in the struggle that led to the establishment of the State of Israel, we will be joined by and hear from Major General (Res.) Amos Horev. Maj. General Horev is a past president of the Technion, who commanded units in the battles of and the Negev during Israel’s War of Independence, and greatly contributed to the success of the 1956 Sinai Campaign and the 1967 Six Day War.

We will start at the Mitzpe Harel lookout point to gain further strategic understanding of the complexities of the battle to secure a safe passage to Jerusalem during the Great Siege of 1948. We will travel along part of the famous constructed to bypass the main road to Jerusalem, which became the lifeline for the Jews of Jerusalem as members of the risked their lives to secretly construct the road and then bring supplies up to the besieged community.

We will follow in General Horev’s footsteps, including a visit to the aptly nicknamed "Serpentines," ingenious devices to get the armored trucks over the steep drop along the winding sections.

Maj. Gen. (Res.) Amos Horev will share his stores about the men he led, who kept the Road to Jerusalem open during the Great Siege of 1948, as well as reflect on Israel’s wars past to present. He will share his vision of why Technion is a national priority.

6:00 pm: Arrive in Jerusalem and check into the David Citadel Hotel.

7:15 pm: Meet at the 4th floor patio overlooking the hotel pool for a traditional “shehechiyanu” blessing.

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Sunday, May 4 continued

7:30 pm: Dinner at the hotel in a private room followed by a Memorial Program for Yom Hazikaron, the day preceding Israel’s Independence Day. It was declared by the Israeli Knesset to be a Memorial Day for those who lost their lives in the struggle that led to the establishment of the State of Israel and for all military personnel who were killed while in active duty in Israel’s Armed Forces.

At 8:00 pm, the sound of siren is heard throughout the country, during which the entire nation observes a two-minutes "standstill" of all traffic and daily activities. This first siren (there is a second siren the next day) marks the beginning of Memorial Day.

Tonight, we will be joined by Brigadier General (Res.) Ephraim Segoli who will share his experiences in the Israeli Air Force as well as his thoughts on “Ethics and Dilemmas in the Field.”

Overnight: David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem

MONDAY, MAY 5, 2014 - - THE POWER OF MEMORY

7:00 – 8:00 am: Breakfast at the hotel in the main dining room. (At 8:00 am, please proceed to the ballroom level of the hotel for our speaker program.)

8:15 – 9:00 am: Our guest speaker this morning is Ari Shavit, a leading Israeli columnist, writer and commentator. His new book, My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel was released in 2013. (This session will take place in a private room on the ballroom level of the hotel.)

9:10 am: Meet in the hotel lobby for a prompt 9:15 am departure for Ammunition Hill.

9:45 – 11:30 am: Guided visit to Ammunition Hill, led by Soldiers. Follow the stories of one of the most crucial battle sites for the unification of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War, including a screening of a movie dedicated to telling the stories of the young soldiers and their heroic actions.

At 11:00 am the second siren for Memorial Day will sound and we will join Israeli’s across the State of Israel to observe a two-minutes "standstill" of all traffic and daily activities, concluding with memorial ceremony.

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Monday, May 5 continued

12:00 – 1:15 pm: Explore the City of David, the very core of ancient Jerusalem, beginning with an overview of the Old City and its surroundings for an insight into the geography of Jerusalem of ancient times. See some of the important discoveries and view the remains of a Palace from King David’s time period. Visit the hillside known as Area G, which many archeologists believe to be the "Citadel of Zion" mentioned in King David's conquest of the city. Proceed to the Givati Parking Lot the largest archaeological excavation being conducted in Jerusalem today and is continuously uncovering different layers of the city's life from the Middle Ages and tracing all the way back to ancient times. (There will be an alternate route for those who prefer not to climb stairs.)

1:45 – 3:00 pm: Lunch at Ima Restaurant. Ima, which means "Mom," is named for Miriam, the owner's Kurdish-Jewish mother, who still cooks some of the excellent traditional Middle Eastern food. Located in the Nachlaot neighborhood in a century-old stone house, its arched doorways and niched windows (what locals call "very - Jerusalemite"), create different size dining areas that create a feeling of intimacy.

3:00 pm: Return to the hotel or explore the colorful and ethnically diverse Machaneh Yehuda market.

3:00 – 4:30 pm: A tasting tour visit to the Mahane Yehuda Market, popular with locals and tourists alike, tantalizes all the senses. The sights, colors, sounds and scents create a lively, Mediterranean atmosphere, with an aroma unique to Jerusalem. There will be time to explore on own some of the market's more than 250 vendors who sell fresh fruits and vegetables; baked goods; fish, meat and cheeses; nuts, seeds, and spices; wines and liquors; clothing and shoes; housewares, textiles, and Judaica.

Evening: Sundown starts the celebration for Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, which recognizes the formal establishment of the State of Israel, when members of the "provisional government" read and signed a Declaration of Independence in Tel Aviv.

6:30 pm: Program and Dinner at Scala Restaurant on the fourth floor at the David Citadel Hotel. Scala, awarded as one of the top hotel restaurants in the world by Fox News, was impeccably designed by one of Italy's leading architects and designers Piero Lissoni.

We will watch a screening of the Mount Herzl Ceremony. The official "switch" from Yom Hazikaron to Yom Ha'atzmaut takes place a few minutes after sundown, with a ceremony on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem in which the flag is raised from half-staff (due to Memorial Day) to the top of the pole. The president of Israel delivers a speech of congratulations, and soldiers representing the army, navy, and air force parade with their flags.

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Monday, May 5 continued

Optional after dinner activity: Join Jerusalemites in the streets to enjoy the party atmosphere. Spend the night dancing Israeli folk dances or singing Israeli songs to celebrate.

Overnight: David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem

TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2014 - - INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION AND FAREWELL

6:45 – 7:50 am: Breakfast at the hotel in the main dining room. (At 7:50 am, please proceed to the ballroom level of the hotel for our speaker program.)

8:00 – 9:00 am: Our guest speaker this morning is political scientist Professor Reuven Hazan of the Hebrew University. (This session will take place in a private room on the ballroom level of the hotel.)

9:10 am: Meet in the hotel lobby for a prompt 9:15 am departure for the morning’s program.

9:15 – 11:30 am: The Geopolitics of Jerusalem. Travel through the city of Jerusalem, exploring some of its political and diplomatic complexities – including the “Security Barrier” – to gain behind-the-headlines insight into current developments.

11:30 am – 2:00 pm: Final program and celebratory Independence Day lunch at Touro Restaurant which (approx. timing) is part of the Jerusalem Press Club.

Afternoon: There will be afternoon options depending on your interests:

Option 1: Ride a Segway on Independence Day on a tour with a guide through the streets of Jerusalem. Return to the hotel at 5:00 pm.

Option 2: Guided visit to the recently renovated Israel Museum, one of the most creative and innovative museums in the world. It contains a wide and eclectic collection, ranging from Judaica and archaeology to Renaissance and contemporary Israeli art. Return to the hotel by 5:00 pm.

Option 3: Return to the hotel to pack, relax and enjoy the hotel facilities.

6:00 pm: Farewell dinner in the main dining room at the hotel.

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Tuesday, May 6 continued

Late check-out from the hotel.

7:00 pm: Depart for the airport for the group flight.

United Air # 91 (suggested group flight) Departs Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, 11:10 pm

Evening: Other departures depending on flight times.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 2014 - - ARRIVE HOME

4:30 am: (Suggested group flight) United Air # 91 arrives Newark, New Jersey.