February, 2023 (5783) Itinerary

Please note that the itinerary is not final and is subject to change based on time, weather, security and other considerations. Click here for a printable pdf.

Day 1 (Monday, February 6th) - Arrival - Welcome to Israel! Travel North

• Welcome to Israel! Land at Ben Gurion Airport where you will be met by our representatives. You will meet the tour guide and the bus as your clear customs
• Meet with guide and Israel Maven representative
• Load bus and travel North
• Discover the magnificent port city of Caesarea including the Roman Theater, Hippodrome, Palace of King Herod & more...
• 1:00pm - Tour the historic, award-winning Tishbi Winery and enjoy tastings of wine - Lunch included!
• Visit the heavily fortified old British Prison in Akko where members of the Jewish Underground were incarcerated, and sometimes executed, prior to Independence in 1948
• Continue to hotel
• Unpack, rest & relax
• Dinner at hotel - included!
• Overnight: Ramot Resort - North

Day 2 (Tuesday, February 7th) - Upper Galilee

• Full Israeli breakfast at hotel
• Explore the gorgeous Tel Dan Nature Reserve where nature, history & hydro-politics come together
• 11:00am - Enjoy an off-road ATV ride on the slopes of the Golan Heights and relive the drama of the battle during the Six Day War
• Felafel Lunch- included
• Discover the Mystical City of Tzfat, including the beautiful synagogues, artists' colony, candle factory & more
• 4:00pm - Meet with Kabbalistic artist Avraham Leventhal
• Dinner on own en route
• Overnight: Ramot Resort - North

Day 3 (Wednesday, February 8th) - Golan Heights to Jerusalem

• Full Israeli breakfast at the hotel
• Check-out & departure
• Lookout over the border with Syria from atop the former Israeli forward post of Mt. Bental & gain a deeper understanding of the complex & changing realities on the ground
• Visit the remarkable Ancient Synagogue at Um El Kanatir that has been painstakingly recreated using revolutionary technological methods.
• Lunch on own in Kazrin - not included
• 2:00pm - Meet with former IDF commander Yaakov Selavan at Tel Saki & hear about the incredible story of the battle here in the Yom Kippur War
• Transfer to Jerusalem & check-in to accommodation
• Overlook from Yemin Moshe to the Old City of Jerusalem - welcome to Jerusalem!
• Dinner on own in Jerusalem
• Overnight: Dan Panorama - Jerusalem

Day 4 (Thursday, February 9th) - Old City of Jerusalem

• Full Israeli breakfast at Hotel
• Departure from hotel
• Introduction to the Old City of Jerusalem at the impressive Jaffa Gate
• Walk along the Ramparts of the Old City Walls from Jaffa Gate to Zion Gate
• Experience the sites & sounds of the historic Jewish Quarter including the Cardo, Broad Wall, Batei Machase & more
• Lunch in Jewish Quarter on own
• Visit Ezrat Yisrael for Mincha service! Hear about the egalitarian section of the Western Wall.
• Time for reflection at the Western Wall
• 1:40pm - Explore the fascinating Western Wall Tunnels that unlock the secrets of Jerusalem's glorious past
• Walk in the footsteps of Prophets & Kings in the City of David & feel the Bible come to life.
• 7:00pm - Dinner at host family and meet with Gil Hoffman - Jerusalem Post Political Correspondent
• Overnight: Dan Panorama - Jerusalem

Day 5 (Friday, February 10th) - Jerusalem - Preparation for Shabbat

• Full Israeli breakfast at hotel
• 9:10am - Pay tribute to the Memory of Six Million at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum & Children's Memorial.
• Experience the vibe at the Machane Yehudah Outdoor Market
• Lunch on Own
• Explore the cobble-stoned Nachlaot neighborhood, where the old and new, the traditional and the funky, coexist in colorful glory.
• 4:41pm - Preparation for Shabbat
• Join thousands of Jews as they bring in the Shabbat at the Western Wall
• Shabbat of a Lifetime - Shabbat dinner hosted by a local Jerusalem Family.
• Overnight: Dan Panorama - Jerusalem

Day 6 (Saturday, February 11th) - Shabbat in Jerusalem

• Full Israeli breakfast at hotel
• Morning at leisure - options include:
  • Morning at leisure to relax by the pool
  • Join morning services at a local synagogue
• Explore the impressive Israel Museum including the Shrine of the Book, Model of Jerusalem, Archeology Wing, Sculpture Garden & Wing of Jewish Life.
• Hunt for a bargain at the bustling Arab Souk in the Old City
• Lunch on own on Shabbat
• Walking tour in the Neighborhoods of Yemin Moshe/Talbiya
• Time for reflection with Rabbi Feivel and guide
• 5:58pm - Havdalah at Yemin Moshe
• 7:00pm - Watch the Sound-&-Light Spectacular screened on the walls of the Tower of David. (Show is outdoors. Please dress warmly & ensure to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the start.)
• Overnight: Dan Panorama - Jerusalem

Day 7 (Sunday, February 12th) - Judean Desert

• Full Israeli breakfast at hotel
• Departure - Don't forget towels, bathing suit, water, hats and sun screen
• 10:00am - Ascend the formidable desert fortress of Masada where the Zealots contested the might of the Roman Empire
• Lunch on own en route
• Explore the beautiful desert oasis of Ein Gedi where David fled from King Saul and cool off under a waterfall
• Experience the sensation of floating in the Dead Sea – the lowest place on Earth - at Kalya Beach
• Return to Jerusalem for dinner on own
• Overnight: Dan Panorama - Jerusalem

Day 8 (Monday, February 13th) - New Jerusalem

• Full Israeli Breakfast at hotel
• 9:30am - Morning class at at the Conservative Yeshiva
• Encounter the leaders and heroes who are interred at the Mount Herzl National Cemetery
• Lunch on own in Jerusalem
• Re-enact the dramatic battle at Ammunition Hill that led to the liberation of the Old City of Jerusalem in 1967
• 4:30pm - The Jerusalem Youth Chorus - visit with the joint Jewish- Arab youth join for dialogue and music
• Dinner on own
• Overnight: Dan Panorama - Jerusalem

Day 9 (Tuesday, February 14th) - Jerusalem Hills to Tel Aviv

• Full Israeli breakfast at hotel
• Check out and depart
• Visit the Castel - site of one of the most significant battles to lift the siege of Jerusalem during the War of Independence in 1948
• 11:00am - Visit the new interactive museum at Sha'ar HaGai and learn about the incredible sacrifice made, in order to keep the lifeline to Jerusalem open in the 1948 War of Independence
• Lunch on route on your own
• Discover the Armored Corps Memorial at Latrun
• 2:00pm - Plant a tree in the JNF Ben Shemen Forest
• Continue to Tel Aviv
• Dinner on own in Tel Aviv
• Overnight: Tal by the Beach Hotel - Tel Aviv

Day 10 (Wednesday, February 15th) - Tel Aviv

• Full Israeli breakfast at hotel
• Depart from hotel
• Explore the Old Port of Jaffa with its charming alleyways, artists' galleries & stunning views over Tel Aviv
• Stroll through the Jaffa Flea Market & hunt for a bargain
• Explore the story of the birth of Tel Aviv and the establishment of the State of Israel, at the Independence Hall Exhibition at the Shalom Mayer Tower
• Experience the vibe at the bustling open-air Carmel Market with its lively vendors & colorful displays of fresh produce
• Lunch on own
• 2:00pm - Visit the state-of-the-art Peres Center for Peace and Innovation which celebrates the vision of former President Shimon Peres & the incredible "blue-and-white" technological innovations that have changed the world we live in.
• Dinner on own in Tel Aviv
• Overnight: Tal by the Beach Hotel - Tel Aviv

Day 11 (Thursday, February 16th) - Tel Aviv Area

• Full Israeli breakfast at hotel
• Check out and depart
• 10:00am - Volunteer at Leket picking fruit and vegetables for the needy.
• 12:30pm - Visit the Underground Bullet Factory at Machon Ayalon where the Haganah secretly manufactured ammunition under the noses of the British prior to Independence.
• Lunch on route on your own
• 3:30pm - Enjoy a Street Art Graffiti Tour of the bohemian Florentine Neighborhood & feel the pulse of Tel Aviv
• Time at leisure
• 6:30pm - Final dinner and summary at a Maganda restaurant
• Depart for Ben Gurion Airport
• Return flight to the US
• Next Year In Jersualem!