CELEBRATION TRIP TO ISRAEL CENTRAL AREA PARTNERSHIP CONSORTIUM MARCH 28 – APRIL 4, 2016 RRIVE ONDAY A M March 28 – Monday Welcome to Israel You are not a Tourist – This is your Home Day 1 Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport where you will be met by Amiel Representative who will assist you through the arrival procedures and will escort you to your bus and driver. Drive to the artists’ village of Ein Hod. The art exhibited in the village is contemporary – painting and sculpture, prints, ceramics, jewelry, textile, craft, glasswork and Judaic. Take a walk between the various galleries and workshops. Enjoy lunch at a restaurant. Welcome dinner with the Partnership Overnight – Nahariya March 29 – Tuesday A Day with the Partnership Day 2 Visit the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya - Israel’s only underground hospital facility, featuring 450 beds, 8 modern operating rooms, and comprehensive emergency preparedness protocols and regular mass casualty event drills for each department. These facilities and measures proved invaluable during the Second Lebanon War in 2006. Continue to the Ghetto Fighters Museum – Founded in 1949 by a community of Holocaust survivors, members of the Jewish underground in the ghettos of Poland, and veterans of partisan units, to be a place of testimony that would tell the story of the Jewish People in the 20th century in general and during the Second World War in particular. Enjoy lunch at Arnolds with a guest speaker, hear about “Israel 15” Then: TRACK 1: Tour the old city of Akko Visit the "Wings" in Bustan HaGalil Return to the hotel to freshen up Departure for the dinner Festive dinner with Israelis TRACK 2 Workshop at the Glass Center in Akko Visit the Hafuch center in Akko – 'Who is ready for a chess game' Return to the hotel to freshen up Departure for the dinner Festive dinner with Israelis (They can instead of the Ghetto Fighters go for a visit in the old city of Akko?) TRACK 3: Tour the old city of Akko Visit the Urban Kibbutz in Akko and meet with the young kibbutzniks of today Urban kibbutz is a small Jewish community, and like the traditional kibbutz, is a collective. Its members function as a single economic unit, expressing the socialist ideals of equality, cooperation and ideas. However, unlike the traditional kibbutz, they are located in an urban environment. Return to your hotel to freshen up. Enjoy dinner with friends from the Partnership. Overnight – Nahariya March 30 – Wednesday Israel’s Northern Borders and the Golan Heights Day 3 After breakfast, check out of your hotel and drive to Gesher Haziv for twinning program. Then continue to Kibbutz Hannita for a border tour with Arie Zali. Enjoy lunch at a restaurant en-route. Join Col. (Res.) Kobi Marom for an enlightening Geopolitical tour. You will start with a visit at the Helicopters Disaster Memorial in Sh’Ar Yishuv, and then ascend the Golan Heights to the Kunetra Outlook and Mt. Bental to view the Syrian border and learn about the challenges Israel faces in the light of the Syrian Civil war. Visit the Golan Olive Oil Mill for a tour and tasting. This major agricultural center combines modern technology with one of Israel’s oldest industries. Besides producing oil the olive has further medicinal value and the mill has developed various techniques to extract these remedial nutrients. In the evening enjoy dinner at the amazing Dobrovin Farm. The agricultural courtyard of the Dobrovin Farm was founded in 1900 by Baron Rothschild, and purchased in 1909 by the Dobrovin family from Russia. The Dobrovin Farm combines a historical site with the beauty of nature. It is quiet, peaceful and special place for a celebration Overnight – Upper Galilee March 31 – Thursday Exploring our Spiritual Past Day 4 Visit the Mystical City of Safed, one of the Four Holy Cities according to tradition with its Kabalistic studies. Stroll through the narrow, winding alley’s, visit some of the beautiful synagogues and browse through the artists’ workshops and galleries found in the flourishing artists' quarter. Visit the Kosmic Kabbalah Art Gallery of David Friedman. Experience a presentation that to give insight as to why Safed’s Kabbalistic tradition has had such a profound influence on Judaism, and why Kabbalah has become so popular in recent years. Explore the narrow alleyways of the unique city and wander the shops and galleries of Safed’s growing art community. Enjoy lunch in Safed (on own) Now Hike around the top of Mount Meron, the tallest mountain the the Galilee. The beauty of the green Galilee is truly mesmerizing. Here you will have another opportunity to study the kabbalistic texts of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai at his grave on the topic of Jewish views of the Afterlife as well as explore Jewish mystical practices of meditation. Enjoy a Kabbalistic study / experience with Rabbi B. together you will talk about the implications of Kabbalah, study some of these ancient texts, explore kabbalistic chants and practices, and most of all experience the transformative power of Kabbalah. Drive via the Sea of Galilee and stop at the ancient remains of Beit Shean (Scythopolis), the city where Saul and his sons where hung on the city walls by the Philistines (1st Samuel 31:10). Tour one of the largest excavated sites in Israel with its bathhouse and Cardo. Upon arriving to Jerusalem, stop at a viewpoint overlooking the Old City and celebrate your arrival with a special She’hecheyanu ceremony, a blessing we use to offer thanks for new and unusual experiences. Free evening to explore Jerusalem Overnight – Jerusalem April 1 – Friday The New City of Jerusalem Day 5 After breakfast enjoy a very interesting and unique combined session lead by Mr. Gil Hoffman, Jerusalem Post's chief political correspondent & analyst and Mr. Khaled Abu Toame West bank and Gaza correspondence for the Jerusalem Post, US News and World Report. The session will cover many aspects of the Israeli political situation. After breakfast drive to visit Yad Vashem, considered the primary memorial and museum of the Holocaust. Take a private tour of the new Holocaust History Museum, which occupies over 4,200 square meters, mainly underground. We will visit the very moving exhibit at the Children’s Pavilion, commemorating the death of over 1.5 million Jewish children in the Holocaust Holocaust. Next Visit Machane Yehuda Market – Israeli Shuk. Enjoy the colors, smells and unique atmosphere of the alleys and stalls, as well as tasting of local products. Lunch in the marketplace on your own. Return to your hotel for brief rest. Optional – walk to the Old City and walk to the Western Wall (Kotel), Judaism’s Holiest site, for a unique Shabbat. Special Shabbat Dinner with the Partnership communities in your hotel. Overnight – Jerusalem April 2 – Saturday Shabbat in Jerusalem Day 6 No bus provided this day – choose from various options: Option 1 – attend synagogue service. Option 2 - together with your guide, have a walking tour of the Old City. Tour the Jewish Quarter, the Christian Quarter and the Arab Bazaar. Option 3 – A Day Tour to Masada and the Dead Sea (priced separately) After an early breakfast, depart to the Dead Sea area. Traveling east arrive at the shores of the Dead Sea and descend to the lowest land point on earth at 1388 feet (423m) below sea level Continue south to the legendary mountaintop plateau of Masada and ascend by cable car to the ancient fortress. Explore the site with its synagogue and bathhouse. Here, was the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their struggle against the Romans. Visit the beautiful Ein Gedi Reserve. See the waterfalls at this Oasis in the desert, which is mentioned several times in the Book of Psalms, and hear the biblical stories of King David hiding from King Saul. The combination of Ein Gedi’s abundance of water and tropical climate provides the ability for wonderful exotic plant and animal life to flourish. Lunch N’ Swim at one of the Hotels on the shores of the Dead Sea. Cover yourselves with mud and enjoy the buoyant therapeutic waters of this mineral-rich Sea. Relax by the pool or take a spa treatment. Participate in Havdala service. Enjoy free evening as the city comes to life following Shabbat. Optional: In the evening, enter the Old City to see The Night Spectacular Light and Sound Show at the Tower of David Museum – a celebration of music and light reflecting Jerusalem’s 3,000 year old story. The history of Jerusalem is displayed along the ancient stones (cost not included). Overnight – Jerusalem April 3 – Sunday The Old City of Jerusalem Day 7 In the morning, head to Yad LaKashish which provides creative work opportunities and invaluable support services to over 300 needy elderly and disabled Jerusalem residents on a daily basis. The majority of participants are immigrants from areas such as the Former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, and South America, and all have found renewed meaning and purpose through their involvement in our programs. Begin a GeoPolitical tour along the Seam Line with Col. (Ret) Danny Tirza, the planner of the security fence between Israel and the West Bank. The reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 prompted the government to create a “security belt” of civilian neighborhoods. Take a “hilltop tour” of Jerusalem and view some of the Jewish neighborhoods, Gilo, Armon Hanatziv and Har Homa overlooking Arab neighborhoods, where Jews and Arabs reside side by side on the city’s seam line. Visit the City of David and see the newest and exciting excavations of Jerusalem during the time of the first Temple period. Enter the Old City and head for the Southern Wall Excavations.