Israel Summer 2017

PROGRAM ITINERARY Subject to change

JMI Connect: Pinemere camp Teen Trip to

June 29th – July 28th, 2017

JMI Connect: Pinemere Camp June 29th – July 28th, 2017

Staff: Amit Aharoni– Israeli Tour Educator TBD – Israeli General Counselor TBD – Camp Livingston tour leader TBD – Camp Livingston tour leader Kali Cohen - Camp Livingston tour leader TBD – Pinemere Camp tour leader TBD – Pinemere Camp tour leader TBD – Armed medic and security guard

JMI Teen Trip to Israel: Pinemere Camp 2

Thursday, June 29: Departure • 1:30 pm depart Newark on El Al flight # 028 to Tel Aviv

Friday, June 30: Arrival and Orientation • Arrive to Ben Gurion at 7:10am and meet the JCC Maccabi Israel staff • Opening ceremony and leadership activity at Neot Kedumim + lunch • Visit Latrun - Explore Israel's tank museum and the site of a famous battle in the 1948 War for Independence (time permitting) • Travel to our kibbutz accommodations -- Check-in, freshen up, meet the Camp Livingston teens and prepare for Shabbat • Camp style Kabbalat Shabbat • Shabbat dinner and song session Overnight: Kibbutz Urim Guest House, Western Negev

Shabbat, July 1: Shabbat Orientation • Breakfast at hotel • ODT – Outdoor leadership training and icebreakers • Lunch at hotel • Staff led program: Group orientation, ice-breakers and introduction to the program • Afternoon – Option for free time or a walk in the area • Dinner at hotel • Havdallah • Evening: Israeli Bon-fire "Poike" Overnight: Kibbutz Urim Guest House, Western Negev

Sunday, July 2: Connecting to the Desert • Breakfast at hotel, check out and head south to the Negev • Hike Ein Ovdat • Lunch at Sde Boker • Visit Paula and David Ben Gurion's grave, and discuss his vision and his special relationship with the Negev • Continue to Machtesh Ramon • Desert survival experience • Cook your own dinner • Circle time under the stars Overnight: Under the stars – Machtesh Ramon

JMI Teen Trip to Israel: Pinemere Camp 3

Monday, July 3: Life in the Arava • Morning hike: Mt. Saharonim and Parsat Nakarot • Lunch on route to Arava • Check in and relax • Head to the Kasui sand dunes in afternoon for a great photo-op • Dinner on Kibbutz • Evening program: Kibbutz Life Overnight: Kibbutz Ketura, Arava

Tuesday, July 4: Eilat's southern borders and its strategic importance • Morning program at Kibbutz Ketura • Snorkeling in the Red Sea at Coral beach • Pizur lunch in the Eilat Mall • Free time on the beach • Afternoon hike: Red Canyon or Mt. Tzfachot • Back to Kibbutz to get some rest, change and dinner • Evening out in Eilat: Happy 4th of July! Overnight: Kibbutz Ketura, Arava

Wednesday, July 5: The Desert- challenges and Achievements

• Breakfast and check out of hotel • Visit the Arava R&D center for agricultural training and see the fascinating work being done in this region • Continue to the Dead Sea to float on its healing waters • Pizur lunch at the Dead Sea • Head to Kfar HaNokdim • Ecology seminar – see how the Bedouins are using natural resources to survive • Buckle up! It is time to ride the camels! • Bedouin "Hafla" dinner – the Bedouins are famous for their hospitality and great food! Explore their very unique culture and food, learning how they adapt to Israeli society • Evening program: Prepare for Masada • Camp-style bonfire under the stars and drum circle Overnight: Kfar HaNokdim, Judean Desert

JMI Teen Trip to Israel: Pinemere Camp 4

Thursday, July 6: L'dor v' Dor: From Masada to the Maccabiah • Early wake up (tea\coffee and snack) • Masada – climb up via the Roman ramp, look over the Jordanian mountains and tour the sites that are a symbol of our people's history • Descend via the snake path • Breakfast at the Masada Youth Hostel • Nachal David (Ein Gedi) – walk through the largest oasis in the Judean Desert, joining the ibex and the mountain goats as they search for water • Drive to Jerusalem - Pizur lunch en route • Packed dinner before the ceremony • Maccabiah Games opening ceremony in Jerusalem Overnight: Montefiore Hotel, Jerusalem

Friday, July 7: Boi Kallah • Breakfast at hotel • The Israel Museum – the largest cultural institutions in the State of Israel which is also ranked among the leading art and archaeology museums in the world. You will see the well-known Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest known biblical manuscripts in the world • Scavenger hunt and picnic lunch in the Machne Yehuda fruit and vegetables market • Return to hotel to prepare for Shabbat • Head to Kotel for Kabbalat Shabbat • Walk back to hotel through Jerusalem's beautiful and quiet streets. • Shabbat dinner and camp-style song session joined by soldiers from the Michael Levin center for lone soldiers Overnight: Montefiore Hotel, Jerusalem

Shabbat, July 8: Shabbat in Jerusalem • Late wake-up and optional breakfast at hotel • Walking tour of Yemin Moshe and the new train station • Lunch at the hotel • Family and friends can visit at the hotel in the afternoon or free time at the pool • Sikkum HaShavua – summary of the week's activities and experiences • Dinner at hotel • Havdallah followed by the spectacular Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David • Evening out on Ben Yehuda street Overnight: Montefiore Hotel, Jerusalem

JMI Teen Trip to Israel: Pinemere Camp 5

Sunday, July 9: Jerusalem, where it all begins • Breakfast at hotel • City of David. Tour where Jerusalem began 3,000 years ago. Water hike through Hezekiah's tunnel, built 2,700 years ago to bring water from the Gihon Spring to the city during the Assyrian siege • Enter the Old City of Jerusalem from the Dung Gate and experience life in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago by participating in a virtual tour at the Davidson Center • Pizur lunch in the Jewish Quarter • Tour the old City and it's different quarters, finishing up at the Western Wall • Tour of the Kotel Tunnels – walk along the underground walls of the Temple Mount • Dinner at hotel • Evening staff led program: Prepare for Yad Vashem Overnight: Montefiore Hotel, Jerusalem

Monday, July 10: L'dor V' Dor: Yad VaShem – understanding our past in order to create a future • Breakfast at hotel and check out • Volunteer activity– celebrate life and the ability to contribute to the world • Visit the Knesset, understanding the challenges of Israeli politics and democracy • Visit Yad Vashem, the Central Holocaust Museum in Israel. Hear a story from a survivor and get a strong understanding of the importance of the State of Israel • Check in and dinner at hotel • Wrap up the day and prep for Har Herzl: the Story of Michael Levin Overnight: Neve Ilan, Judean hills

Tuesday July 11: Heroes and commitment • Breakfast • Visit the Sataf in the beautiful Jerusalem hills: service learning program • Picnic lunch • Visit Mt. Herzl - This is the site where many of the Nation's dignitaries are buried. This complex also is the home to the National Military ceremony where you will hear the story of Michael Levin and other fallen Israeli heroes. • Security fence tour in Jerusalem, overlook and understand the securities complexities and challenges of Israel's capital. • Pizur dinner in Jerusalem • Guest speaker: Neil Lazarus – political update on what's happening in Israel and the region Overnight: Neve Ilan, Judean hills

JMI Teen Trip to Israel: Pinemere Camp 6

Wednesday, July 12: Whispering Stories from our Past • Breakfast • Morning activity with HaShomer HaChadash o Learn more about HaShomer HaChadash at http://www.hashomer.org.il/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=156&Itemid =101 • Lunch with HaShomer HaChadash • Hike in the Jerusalem hills and crawl in the Midras caves from the Bar Kochva Rebellion • Dinner at hotel • Evening program: Meet Ben Riess a social entrepreneur who is making a difference in the world, preparing for tomorrow's experiences and Tikun Olam activities. Overnight: Neve Ilan, Judean hills

Thursday, July 13: Israeli society- When a dream becomes reality. • Breakfast at hotel • Dialogue in the Dark- Experience life in the dark where blind guides will lead you through dark but designed spaces: nature, a noisy pedestrian crossing, a port, a market, and a pub • Time at the beach in Palmachim • Lunch • Continue to Beit Guvrin for an Archeological dig experience – learn how to identify different eras through your findings • Dinner at hotel • The Israeli society through film- A program with the Maale School of Film (Camp Livingston Evening program: prep for mifgash) Overnight: Neve Ilan, Judean hills

Friday, July 14: Leadership and vision • Breakfast and check out of hotel • Head to Kfar HaMaccabiah • Visit the Maccabi Museum • Visit the Israel Sport Center for the Disabled - one of the world pioneers in the field of sports rehabilitation • Pizur Lunch • Check in the hotel, rest and prepare for Shabbat • Camp style Kabbalat Shabbat • Shabbat Dinner • Oneg Shabbat and song session Overnight: Netanya Beach Front

JMI Teen Trip to Israel: Pinemere Camp 7

Shabbat, July 15: Camp Shabbat • Late wakeup and optional breakfast • Lunch at hotel • Free time for swimming, sports and camp activities with Israeli teens • Seudah Shlishit – staff led Shabbat Programs • Dinner at hotel • Havdallah Overnight: Margoa Netanya Hotel, Netanya Beach Front

Sunday, July 16: History, Art and Mysticism • Tour the mystical city of Tzfat, see the different synagogues and the artist quarter • Service learning seminar with Livnot u lehibanot • Lunch at seminar • Meet Avraham Lowental and learn about Kabbalah and the connection between Judaism and art • Hike down Mt. Arbel overlooking the Sea of Galilee • Check in Kibbutz accommodation Overnight: Kibbutz Amiad Guest House, Galilee

Monday, July 17: The Golan Heights: beauty and strategy • Head to the Golan Heights – get to see an overlook on Syria from Mt. Bental and learn about the strategic importance of this region. Hear about the dramatic story of the 1973 Yom Kippur war, as well as the current situation in war-torn Syria • Lunch in Kfar Blum and Ropes activity • Rafting on the Jordan River – relax on the cool water • Head to the Khirbat Naburiya campsite, outdoor dinner • Evening program under the stars Overnight: Under the stars – Khirbat Naburiya

Tuesday, July 18: Pioneering in the Galilee • Morning – Take part in a raft making competition on the Sea of Galilee – • Tour of Degania – Israel’s first kibbutz collective – visiting the chocolate factoring and including lunch • Learn about the Poets & Pioneers of the Galilee at the Kinneret Cemetery • Travel to the Western Galilee in the late afternoon – Check-in and dinner at our accommodations Overnight: Shlomi Guest House, Shlomi

JMI Teen Trip to Israel: Pinemere Camp 8

Wednesday, July 19: The Beautiful north • Breakfast and checkout • Rappelling outdoor experience at the beautiful Keshet arch • Head East to Rosh HaNikra, visit the gorgeous caves and Grottoes • Continue to Akko, lunch in the market, tour the beautiful old city port • Dinner at hotel • Evening – Diversity and Religion- Evening program at guest house Overnight: Shlomi Guest House, Shlomi

Thursday, July 20: From Pioneering to the first Hebrew City • Breakfast at hotel and check out • Explore the Bahai Temple and Gardens in • Visit the detainee camp established by the authorities of the British Mandate for Palestine at the end of the 1930sin order to prevent Jewish refugees from entering . • Visit Zichron Yaakov, once one of the first Jewish settlements of Halutzim (pioneers) in the country and today a beautiful art community • Pizur Lunch in Zichron Yaakov • Visit Beit Nili and learn about the underground Nili network • Head to Tel Aviv for check-in and free evening Overnight: Devorah Hotel, Tel Aviv

Friday, July 21: Tel Aviv, a city that never stops • Breakfast at hotel • Independence hall – visit the site where the state of Israel was declared. Learn about the complexity of the term "Democratic and Jewish State" • Graffiti tour in South Tel Aviv – learn about the issue of immigration from Africa through street art. • Visit the Nachalat Binyamin arts fair and Pizur lunch in the Carmel market. • Head to hotel, check in and prepare for Shabbat • Kabbalat Shabbat • Shabbat Dinner • Oneg Shabbat and Song session Overnight: Devorah Hotel, Tel Aviv

JMI Teen Trip to Israel: Pinemere Camp 9

Shabbat, July 22: Shabbat in Tel Aviv • Breakfast at hotel and late wake up • Shabbat activities • Lunch at hotel • Shabbat Free time • Seudah Shlishit – staff led Shabbat Programs • Sikkum HaShavua: summary of the week's events • Dinner at hotel • Havdallah • Evening out in the Tel Aviv port | Friends and family can visit (if pre-arranged) Overnight: Devorah Hotel, Tel Aviv

Sunday, July 23: The First Hebrew City • Israel Update- Neil Lazarus: Political update on Israel and the region • Tour Neve Tzedek- Tel Aviv's first neighborhood • Tour Jaffa, the old port city that is a symbol of co-existence • Visit Jaffa's flee market+ pizur lunch • Dinner at Café Kapish and watch the show "Na Laga'at" – the center was founded based on the belief that everyone has the right to contribute to society - a unique artistic experience, sharing with participant the experience of the blind and the deaf • "Not by bread alone" a special show at the center for the blind and the deaf. Overnight: Devorah Hotel, Tel Aviv

Monday, July 24: Saluting our founders • Breakfast at hotel • Visit the Museum – follow Palmach characters through the time of the establishment of Israel • Explore Rabin Square • Pizur lunch and street questionnaire in Tel Aviv: learn from the people on the street about life in Israel • Head to Beit HaTfutzot – the Jewish peoplehood museum in Tel Aviv • Summary session: Identities and connections: Group reflection • Dinner with wounded Israeli soldiers at Achim L’Achim Overnight: Neve Ilan Guest House, Central Israel

JMI Teen Trip to Israel: Pinemere Camp 10

Tuesday, July 25: Western Negev and Sderot • Breakfast at hotel • Tour of Israel’s world-leading desalination plant in Ashkelon • Drive to the Western Negev region • Visit the JNF underground recreation center in Sderot • Lunch at Humus Shel Thina in Sderot • Visit Shvil HaSalat and enjoy the products of hi-tech agriculture in the Negev • Overview of Gaza from The Black Arrow Overnight: Neve Ilan Guest House, Judean hills

Wednesday, July 26: Tikun Olam: making this a better world • Breakfast • Head to Rehovot and visit the Weitzman Institute • Visit the pre-State underground hidden Ayalon bullet Factory that manufactured personal weapon for the Palmach fighters • Lunch with Ethiopian families in Gadera • Leket Israel- Volunteer at Israel largest food bank and pick vegetable to be distributed among poor families • Return to the hotel, pack • BBQ dinner near Neve Ilan • Guest Speaker–StandWithUs: how do we take all that we learned this summer and bring it back home to our community or on to our college campuses Overnight: Neve Ilan Guest House, Judean hills

Thursday, July 27: Tying it all together

• Breakfast and checkout • Save a Childs Heart a unique program that provides life-saving cardiac surgery and other lifesaving procedures for children from developing countries. • Israel- The start Up Nation- Visit Taglit innovation center • Pizur lunch at Sarona market. • Final summary session with JCC Maccabi Israel staff and circle time at Neot Kdumim Biblical Park: including tree planting Festive final dinner • Wrap-up discussion and final banquet dinner at Neot Kedumim • Head to Ben Gurion Airport for overnight flights back to America Overnight: Over the Mediterranean

Friday, July 28: • 00:30 am depart Tel Aviv on El Al flight # 027 to Newark • 05:40 am arrive to Newark Lehitra’ot – see you again!

JMI Teen Trip to Israel: Pinemere Camp 11

JCC Association is proud to present the JCC Maccabi Games™, JCC Maccabi ArtsFest™, and JCC Maccabi Israel™.

Connecting Jewish teens through sports, the arts, and travel.

Stephen P. Seiden, Chair

Leah Garber, Vice President, Director, JCC Israel Center

Doron Krakow, President and CEO, JCC Association

Elkana Bar Eitan, JMI Director

Adam Blue, JMI Program Manager

jcca.org | jccmaccabiisrael.org

JCC Maccabi Israel

JCC Association JCC Israel Center 520 Eighth Avenue The Solomon & Mary Litt New York, NY 10018 Building tel: (212) 532-4949 12 Moshe Hess Street fax: (212) 481-4174 Jerusalem, 94185, Israel tel: 011-972-2-625-1265 fax: 011-972-2-624-7767