<p> בס"ד</p><p>Information Letter #3</p><p>This is another in a series of communications designed to help prepare you for your upcoming year of study at the Midrasha. In this letter you will find detailed information describing group flight arrangements for this coming year, as well as a copy of the annual schedule for next year.</p><p>TRAVEL</p><p>We are happy to announce that registration is now open for the Midrasha's group flight. Ariel Tours will be handling the flight arrangements for our group. They can assist you with alternative travel arrangements as well – departing on a different date or originating from cities other than NY.</p><p>To reserve your space on the group flight you must follow the simple registration procedures as detailed on their special website http://www.arieltours.com/schools. This site contains a wealth of information regarding the group flight, including frequently asked questions and luggage guidelines. As many of you are aware, air fares have risen significantly over the past year, while baggage allowances have been cut. We are therefore pleased to inform you that all students who register and pay for their tickets in full before 5 pm on Sunday, May 13 will receive a $50 discount and a special luggage discount. Please see the Ariel site for details.</p><p>With many years of experience handling school group flights, Ariel Tours has incorporated answers to most of the questions that parents usually have. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you carefully read their web pages. If you wish, you may contact them directly via email at: [email protected], or call (718) 633-6194 extension #1. </p><p>Flight details for North American students are as follows:</p><p>You will be flying on El Al flight #002, departing from Kennedy International Airport on Monday, August 20th at 7:00 PM. Check in is three hours prior to takeoff. Our group flight will be assisted by Ariel Tours representatives in JFK Airport. The flight will be arriving at Ben Gurion airport at 12:25 PM on Tuesday, August 21st. We look forward to greeting you upon your arrival at the airport. </p><p>Students flying as part of the group will be met at the airport upon their arrival in Israel. Due to scheduling conflicts, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet students arriving on other flights. Students arriving independently are responsible to arrange their own transportation to the Midrasha.</p><p>Please note that our experience has been that students who take the group flight generally have a more stress-free experience than those traveling alone, and we therefore recommend that you book the group flight through Ariel Tours. Nonetheless, you are not required to use this flight, nor are North American students required to use Ariel Tours as their agent. If you choose not to take advantage of the group flight, we ask that you please send us the details of your independent travel plans as soon as possible to Leiba at [email protected]. In any event, all students are expected to be at the Midrasha no later than 3:00 PM on Tuesday, August 21st. </p><p>(מדרשת הרובע בעיר העתיקה בירושלים (ע"ר 50 Chabad Street, Old City, Jerusalem 97500 ISRAEL Tel: 02-626-5999 Fax: 02-628-4690 רח' חב"ד 50 העיר העתיקה ירושלים 97500 טל: 02-626-5970 פקס: 02-628-4690 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.harova.org בס"ד</p><p>The group flight ticket is an open-ended, full year ticket. As was stressed in our previous communication, for visa renewal purposes please be sure that your passport is valid at least until March, 2014. When planning flights, please keep in mind the following dates:</p><p>Ellul Term: 3 Elul (Tuesday, August 21) — 11 Tishrei (Thursday, September 27th) Winter Term: 25 Tishrei (Friday, October 11th) — 29 Adar (Monday, March 11th) Summer Term: 27 Nissan (Sunday, April 7th) — 2 Tammuz (Monday, June 10th) [end of term for Northern Hemisphere students]</p><p>Please note that students are expected to participate in all educational programs and tiyulim, and you should not book flights that conflict with our term dates. This is true if you intend on returning home for vacation periods, as well as for your return flight home. A full year schedule is attached to this mailing and it is available for viewing on our website. According to El Al regulations, passengers flying on an open ticket must book a direct return flight, meaning that you cannot use this ticket if you wish to make a stopover in Europe before returning home.</p><p>Flight details for British and European students </p><p>Due to El AL ticketing policies, it is less expensive to book tickets directly in England or Europe as opposed to arranging a group flight from Israel. As a result, we do not sponsor a formal group flight from England. Nonetheless, if you are flying directly from England, you might consider coming on El Al flight #318, departing from London’s Heathrow airport on Monday, August 20th at 10:30 PM. Check in is three hours prior to takeoff. The flight will be arriving at Ben Gurion airport at 5:10 AM on Tuesday. If you are registered through the Bnei Akiva Torani scheme, then your flight arrangements will be coordinated through Bnei Akiva. </p><p>If you are not traveling with Torani, we ask that you please send the details of your independent travel plans as soon as possible to Leiba at [email protected]. In any event, all students are expected to be at the Midrasha no later than 3:00 PM on Tuesday, August 21st. </p><p>ANNUAL SCHEDULE</p><p>We have attached a copy of next year's schedule to this mail. Please note that due to late developing scheduling issues it is subject to minor changes over the course of the year. </p><p>We can’t wait to see you in Ellul!</p><p>Sincerely yours,</p><p>Rabbi Michael Susman Associate Director</p><p>(מדרשת הרובע בעיר העתיקה בירושלים (ע"ר 50 Chabad Street, Old City, Jerusalem 97500 ISRAEL Tel: 02-626-5999 Fax: 02-628-4690 רח' חב"ד 50 העיר העתיקה ירושלים 97500 טל: 02-626-5970 פקס: 02-628-4690 e-mail: [email protected] website: www.harova.org </p>