Jewish Community Tour

Welcome to Israel

Your tour guide will meet you at Ben Gurion airport and to celebrate your visit we’ll go directly to Neot Kedumim where you will have an opportunity to plant a tree and enjoy other activities. Neot Kedumim is a Biblical Landscape Reserve where you can see life as it was lived by our ancestors 3,000 years ago.

From here we will travel to Tel Aviv to check into the hotel and stay overnight.

Overnight: Tel Aviv

The First Hebrew City

We begin our tour in Jaffa, one of the world's most ancient ports. Enjoy the art galleries, cafes, and boutique shops which are all part of today’s Jaffa scene.

We will continue to the first neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Neve Zedek. This pretty area is packed with beautiful buildings, arty boutiques and stories about the establishment of the ‘White City’. It is home to many artists, poets and intellectuals including the famous artist Nahum Guttman and author Shai Agnon. Tel Aviv is named the ‘White City’ due to the large number of buildings built in the unique form of the Bauhaus architecture. In fact, Tel Aviv has the highest number of Bauhaus buildings in a city in the world. Rothschild Boulevard is a great place to view and understand this type of architecture.

If it is Tuesday or Friday we can walk along to the Nachalat Binyamin craft market. The atmosphere is like a street party – with colorful stalls, cafes and street entertainment. You can pick up unique hand-made mementos from the artists themselves.

We then go back to the future with a visit to the Innovation Center, which tells the story of the Start-Up Nation and explains the Israeli narrative of innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship. 

In the evening enjoy a lecture and Q & A with a speaker (different topics can be chosen)

Overnight: Tel Aviv

Our Ancient history and the Druze Community

Depart Tel Aviv and drive up the coastal road to Caesarea to explore the excavations spanning from the days of King Herod and the Romans until the Crusader period. Your guide will help you imagine exactly how this port city looked like in ancient times. 

We will then continue north up into the Carmel Mountain to the Druze Village of Isfiya. Hear about this special secretive community within Islam dating back to the 10^th century, and at the same time enjoying a home-cooked lunch of Druze specialties.             

Our trip will continue further up north in the Galilee to the ancient site of Zippori. See how Jews and Romans lived side by side 2,000 years ago. Visit the ancient Synagogue, possibly site of the Sanhedrin, and visit the Roman Villas with the spectacular floor mosaic including the “Mona Lisa of the Galilee”.

From here we will take you to your Kibbutz hotel in the Galilee.

Overnight: Galilee

Scenic beauty and mysticism

We’ll start our day with a tour of the Golan Heights. We’ll stop at an observation point overlooking the city of Kuneitra, and the Syrian territory. Atop Mount Bental we will take in the scenic beauty and learn about the political and strategic complexity of the area.  

Next, we’ll drive through the Upper Galilee and ascend to Safed, city of mystical Judaism (Kabbalah), one of the four Holy Cities to Judaism. Stroll through the old streets and visit the galleries of some of the most notable Israeli artists. Tour the old synagogues where Jewish mysticism is still a part of daily life.

From here we go up to Jerusalem via the Jerusalem Hills. On the way, we’ll visit the Yvel- Megemeria, School of Jewelry and Art where private enterprise is involved with social activities (https://www.yvel.com/social-contribution/), time permitting.

As we arrive in Jerusalem, we will stop at a viewpoint overlooking the old city and say the traditional Shehecheyanu blessing.

Overnight: Jerusalem

Jerusalem, The city of gold

We’ll start the day with an archeological experience at the Tzurim Valley National Park, overlooking a glorious view of Jerusalem. Uncover the glorious past of the Temple Mount where we sift through the rubble that originated in ancient buildings of the Temple Period and learn about findings from archeologists and expert guides at the site.

We’ll continue to explore the City of David – the “original” Jerusalem, where it all began. We’ll walk through a tunnel dug in Biblical times to bring water to Jerusalem – it was engineered so well that it still works today (pending weather conditions prepare to get wet or walk the dry tunnel) or walk through the more recently discovered Pilgrims Tunnels which will take you from the City of David to the Southern Wall excavations near Robinson's Arch.

Following a spiritual visit to the Western Wall we’ll go on to tour the Jewish Quarter, to see the Cardo, an 1800-year-old shopping mall still in use today and the Broad Wall, remains of the First Temple Period city wall. We will continue our walk through the Christian and Armenian quarters of the old city which will also include Mt Zion, the site of the Tomb of King David, who made Jerusalem his capital, and on the way experience the delights of the oriental bazaar - admire the wares, taste the delicacies, and smell the spices. 

Overnight: Jerusalem

Memory & Renewal

The day will begin with a visit to Mount Herzl and the state-of-the-art, Herzl Museum. Here we’ll learn about Herzl's vision that led to the creation of the State of Israel as a home for the Jewish People. We’ll visit the Mount Herzl cemetery and view the grave of Herzl and Israel’s leaders including Golda Meir, Yitzhak Rabin, and other Zionist luminaries as well as graves of Fallen Israeli Soldiers.

Then, we will drive to downtown Jerusalem to walk through the famous Machne Yehuda market where you can sense the sights, smells, and noises of the market and find many opportunities to taste local delicacies. It is both a regular fruit/veg market and a culinary center with specialty stalls and restaurants. Try a delicious falafel or shawarma, chocolate rugelach, bureka, halva, boutique cheeses and more. 

If this day is a Friday we can visit the Kotel plaza, just as Shabbat enters, to see the special celebrations and prayers that can be experienced only at this time of the week.

Overnight: Jerusalem

Masada Rocks and the Lowest Place on Earth

After breakfast, we’ll drive to the Dead Sea and soak up the relaxing, ethereal atmosphere of the area before arriving at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Masada. We’ll take the cable car up to this ancient fortress, built by King Herod. It’s a most amazing experience to wander around the ruins and hear the stories of determination and heroism.

Lunch will be at one of the hotels on the banks of the Dead Sea and afterward, you’ll have a chance to experience floating on your back on the lowest, saltiest body of water on earth. It is an incredible natural phenomenon and “swimming” in the Dead Sea is one of those experiences that cannot be put in words – you just have to try. 

After dinner at the hotel, we’ll enjoy a spectacular sound and light show on the ancient walls at the Tower of David. This magical experience combines the past and the present with bringing to life the Biblical stories of Kind David and Jerusalem using the most powerful modern technologies available. 

Overnight: Jerusalem

Yad Vashem and Defense

The day will begin with a visit to “Yad Vashem”, the Holocaust Memorial Museum - a world center for documentation, research, education, and commemoration of the Holocaust that safeguards the memory of the past and imparts its meaning for future generations. If time permits we can arrange a Memorial ceremony at the “Valley of Communities” and visit the Children’s Memorial. 

In the afternoon you can choose from two options to learn defense tactics and training:

One is an exciting visit to Efrat to participate in the training program at Caliber 3, www.caliber3range.com for Counter- Terrorism techniques and a hands-on class explaining the purposes and tactics of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).

OR

An unusual fun activity awaits everyone somewhere in the Jerusalem Hills. Experience what it takes to be an IDF soldier. SUFA special ops simulate the complete military experience from basic training through to combat fighting and discharge. You will learn basic skills, weapons training and hand to hand combat with Krav Maga.

Overnight: Jerusalem

Modern Israel

After breakfast, we’ll drive to Rehovot, to the Weizman Institute of Science, ranked tenth in the world, for the quality of its research. The tour begins at the Visitors' Center with its interactive exhibits and multi-media presentation of highly advanced technology. Then we’ll enjoy a hands-on experience at Gan Hamada, The Clore Garden of Science. The exhibits at the Garden demonstrate the laws of physics, solar energy, water, power, and other natural phenomena that are often taken for granted. Our tour here concludes with a visit to the house of Dr. Chaim Weizmann, the first President of the State of Israel and founder of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Two options for the afternoon:

We can go to the Children Museum in Holon for a special experience of “Dialogue in the Dark”.

OR

Visit the Ayalon Institute, a secret underground ammunition plant, used to produce ammunition during the British Mandate).  

We’ll then take you back to Tel Aviv for free time before a farewell dinner at one of Tel Aviv’s trendy restaurants. We’ll then drive to the airport for your return flight home.