Taglit-birthright israel: Hillel Explore Israel, Campus Trip | Bus 707
George Mason University, SF Hillel & University of Rhode Island
January 5 – January 16, 2008
DAY ONE : Saturday, Jan 5, 2008 DEPARTURE FROM USA
Overnight : Flight
Day Two : Sunday, January 6, 2008
5:10 p.m. Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport on flight LY 008.
• Welcome to Israel by Hillel representatives.
• Opportunity before departing the airport to change money and receive cellphones.
• Depart the airport and travel to Zichron Ya’acov.
9:00 p.m. Dinner at the hotel.
• Check into the hotel.
• Orientation Program at the hotel.
Overnight : Havat Habaron Hotel, Zichron Ya’acov
Day Three : Monday, January 7, 2008
A MOSAIC OF ISRAEL’S COAST
7:30 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
8:30 a.m. Depart from the hotel.
• Guided visit to Zichron Ya’acov, one of the first communities established by the early
Zionist pioneers, including awalk along the colorful Pedestrian Mall.
11:00 a.m. Tzedek Project in Petach Tikvah.
• Lunch on your own en route.
• Hillel conversation – How I relate to Israel, How Israel Relates to Me.
• Visit the Armed Forces Memorial at Latrun, a pivotal point on the Tel Aviv – Jerusalem
road and the site of many fierce battles for control of the road to Jerusalem from Biblical
times through the War of Independence.
• Ascend to Jerusalem through the Judean Hills.
4:00 p.m. Stop at Mount Scopus to say the traditional “shehechiyanu” blessing, recited upon entering
Jerusalem.
• Taglit-Birthright Israel Mega Event at Binyanei Ha’Uma in Jerusalem.
• Drive to Ashkelon; check into the hotel.
Overnight : Dan Gardens Hotel, Ashkelon
Day Four : Tuesday, January 8, 2008
DIGGING FOR ROOTS
8:00 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
9:00 a.m. Depart from the hotel.
• David and Goliath: Where it all Began Stop at the base of Tel Azeika, site of David’s famous battle
against Goliath, and use the Biblical text to gain a deeper understanding of the story.
• Judean Lowlands - An opportunity to crawl through any number of caves and labyrinths
excavated over 2000 years ago, each with its own story and challenge, including Tel Goded &
Hirbit Midras.
• Lunch on your own en route.
2:00 p.m. Take part in an active dig at the Beit Guvrin Caves and prepare to get your hands dirty as
you uncover pottery from the Hellenistic period, 2,300 years ago, followed by a crawl through
the Maresha Cave Labyrinth.
• Return to Ashkelon.
7:00 p.m. Dinner at the hotel.
7:45 p.m. Depart from the hotel.
8:30 p.m. Visit the Ayalon Institute, near Rehovot, for an eye opening tour of a clandestine munitions
factory used during the British Mandate.
Overnight : Dan Gardens Hotel, Ashkelon
Day Five : Wednesday, January 9, 2008
JEWISH STRATEGIES FOR SURVIVAL– MIFGASH DAY 1
7:30 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
8:30 a.m. Depart from the hotel.
9:00 a.m. Meet soldiers for Mifgash – Mifgash introduction.
• Drive to Masada.
• Climb Masada, Herod’s mountain palace and site of the Jewish Zealots’ last stand against the
Roman Legionnaires. After a tour of the archaeological site, discuss Masada’s role as a symbol of
Jewish defence and its current significance in modern Israel.
• Lunch on your own in Arad.
• Nature walk through the Big Crater near Dimona with an opportunity to wander through the
colored sands.
• Hillel Conversation – Spirituality: Wrestling with G-d.
• Arrive to Mamshit.
6:30 p.m. Enjoy Desert Hospitality at the camel ranch including tea and coffee tasting, and a chance
to learn about the customs of desert dwellers, and their relationship to Israeli society.
7:00 p.m. Traditional Hafla style desert feast.
• Guided visit to the 2000 year old city of Mamshit, one of the stops on the ancient Nabatean
spice route.
Overnight : Mamshit Camel Ranch, near Dimona
Day Six : Thursday, January 10, 2008
THE LAYERS OF JERUSALEM– MIFGASH DAY 2
8:00 a.m. Breakfast at Mamshit.
9:00 a.m. Enjoy a camel ride through the desert.
• Depart from Mamshit.
10:30 a.m. Bathe in the relaxing and healthy sulphur springs at the Ein Gedi Spa and float in the Dead
Sea, including lunch.
• Drive to Jerusalem.
• Guided visit to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem including the Southern Wall
Excavations, Davidson Center and the Western Wall.
• Stroll through the Ben Yehuda and Nachalat Shiva Pedestrian Mall, joining the many Israelis
out on the town, including dinner on your own.
8:30 p.m. Check into the hotel.
Overnight : Shalom Hotel, Jerusalem
Day Seven : Friday, January 11, 2008
GEOPOLITICS AND DAILY LIFE IN JERUSALEM – MIFGASH DAY 3
7:00 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
8:00 a.m. Israeli Society in 2008 – A dialogue with scholar Paul Liptz of the Tel Aviv University and the
Hebrew Union College.
9:00 a.m. Depart from the hotel.
• Visit the graves of Theodor Herzl and Yitzhak Rabin at Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem, followed by a
visit to the I.D.F military cemetery.
• Experience the sites, smells, and tastes of Jerusalem while walking through the Machaneh
Yehuda Market, including lunch on your own.
• Return to the hotel; prepare for Shabbat.
4:13 p.m. Shabbat candle lighting in the lobby.
4:45 p.m. Shabbat services at the hotel.
6:30 p.m. Shabbat dinner.
8:00 p.m. Shabbat workshops.
9:00 p.m. Oneg Shabbat.
Overnight : Shalom Hotel, Jerusalem
Day Eight : Saturday, January 12, 2008
SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM– MIFGASH DAY 4
Up to 9:00 a.m.Breakfast at the hotel.
8:30 a.m. Depart the hotel for optional Shabbat services.
10:30 a.m. Optional Shabbat services in the hotel.
12:30 p.m. Shabbat lunch at the hotel.
• Optional Bnai Mitzvah or Naming ceremonies.
5:28 p.m. Havdallah service.
• Depart the hotel for dinner on your own.
8:00 p.m. Hillel Cultural Event at Mul HaHar at the Armon HaNatziv promenade in Jerusalem,
including: A dialogue with Avraham Infeld, President Emeritus of Hillel, followed by a live
performance of Israeli popular music.
• Return to the hotel.
Overnight : Shalom Hotel, Jerusalem
Day Nine : Sunday, January 13, 2008
MEMORIES FOR THE FUTURE– MIFGASH DAY 5
7:00 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
8:00 a.m. Check out and depart from the hotel.
9:00 a.m. Program at Yad Vashem, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jewish victims of
the Holocaust, including a guided visit of the new Historical Museum.
• Hillel conversation – My connection to Jewish Memory.
• Lunch on your own en route.
• Mifgash conclusion program.
• Drive north along the Trans-Israel Highway for a close up view of the ‘Security Barrier’ along
the seam zone between Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
• Check into the hotel.
7:00 p.m. Dinner at the hotel.
8:30 p.m. Grandma’s Dream Play – one woman’s show about Israel and the U.S.A & the life between
the two.
Overnight : Kfar Giladi Guesthouse, Kibbutz Kfar Giladi
Day Ten : Monday, January 14, 2008
NATURE & SECURITY
7:00 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
8:00 a.m. Jeep tour through the Golan Heights following the battles of the Six Day War. Enjoy the
beautiful natural scenery and gain an insight into the strategic complexity of the Golan.
9:30 a.m. Walk through the Tel Dan Nature Reserve located on the largest tributary of the Jordan
River and the Biblical settlement of Dan.
• Explore Israel's security situation on the Golan Heights – view the border with Syria, observe
the abandoned city of Kuneitra and the United Nations outpost at Mount Bental.
• Lunch on your own en route.
• Guided visit and exploration of Safed, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years, and a
contemporary artists’ colony.
• Dinner on your own en route.
• Return to the Kibbutz.
8:30 p.m. Israeli Folk Dancing workshop & disco night.
• Optional visit to Kfar Giladi’s Slik – a weapons cache from pre-state Israel.
Overnight : Kfar Giladi Guesthouse, Kibbutz Kfar Giladi
Day Eleven : Tuesday, January 15, 2008
TEL AVIV: THE FIRST HEBREW CITY
7:30 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
8:30 a.m. Check out and depart from the hotel.
• Drive to Tel Aviv.
• Visit the Jaffa Overlook for an introduction to Tel Aviv at the place where it all began.
• Hillel conversation – Special & Normal.
• Walking tour through the colorful re-gentrified Neve Zedek one of Tel Aviv’s cultural centers.
• Visit the Nachalat Binyamin pedestrian mall, with its restored buildings and sidewalk artists,
and continue onto the colorful Carmel Market and then to Shenkin, one of Israel’s most avantgarde
streets, including lunch on your own.
• Visit Rabin Square, named for assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the center of Tel
Aviv’s cultural and political life, including a visit to the Rabin Memorial.
• Wrap-up conversation.
5:00 p.m. Visit to Independence Hall, site of David Ben Gurion’s monumental proclamation of the
State of Israel in May 1948.
6:30 p.m. Final dinner.
8:35 p.m. Depart from Tel Aviv and travel to Ben Gurion International Airport.
9:05 p.m. Check in for flight LY 027.
12:05 a.m. Flight departs Tel Aviv.
Overnight : Flight
Day Twelve : Wedneday, January 16, 2008
• Arrive to the USA.
Taglit-birthright israel: Hillel Bus 707 Staff
Group Rakaz : David Raphael
Hillel Staff : Scott Bailey & Meryl Klein
Tour Educator : Sharon Wagner-Zauder
Program Implemented By DAAT
19 Washington St, P.O. Box 71047
Jerusalem, 91710 Israel
Tel: 011 972 2 625 9911
Fax: 011 972 2 625 6626
e-mail: daat@daattravel.co.il
website: www.daattravel.co.il
24 HOUR EMERGENCY CONTACT : 011 972 52 444 2015
| Accomodations | ||
| Havat HaBaron Hotel Zichron Ya’acov Tel: 011 972 4 630 0333 Fax: 011 972 4 630 0313 |
Dan Gardens Ashkelon Tel: 011 972 8 677 1777 Fax: 011 972 8 671 0066 |
Mamshit Camel Ranch Near Dimona, Negev Tel: 011 972 8 655 1054 Fax: 011 972 8 655 0965 |
| Shalom Hotel Jerusalem Tel: 011 972 2 675 2222 Fax: 011 972 2 641 2563 |
Kibbutz Kfar Giladi |
Taglit-birthright israel: Hillel Explore Israel, Campus Trip | Bus 618
George Mason University, University of Virginia & Boston University
MAY 28 – JUNE 8, 2007
DAY ONE : Monday, May 28, 2007 DEPARTURE FROM USA
Overnight : Flight
DAY TWO : Tuesday, May 29, 2007
ARRIVAL IN ISRAEL
08:05 a.m. Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport on flight LY028.
• Welcome to Israel by Hillel representatives.
• Opportunity at airport to change money and receive cell phones.
• Guided visit to Caesarea, one of the Land of Israel's most important cities during the Roman Period; visit the Herodian Theater and new excavations along the Mediterranean shore concluding with a visit to the 900-year-old crusader city built on the same site.
• Drive to the Galilee.
• Guided visit to the ancient synagogue at Arbel and hike down the Arbel cliffs, with a view of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee).
• Check into the hotel.
6:30 p.m. Dinner at the hotel.
8:30 p.m. Orientation program at the hotel.
9:30 p.m. Night swim at the hotel.
Overnight: Mercure Hotel, Tiberias
DAY THREE : Wednesday, May 30, 2007
SPIRITUALITY & THE GALILEE
6:30 a.m. Wake-up
7:00 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
• Hike in the Tel Dan Nature Reserve.
• Visit the Mitzpe Gadot look-out, to hear about the story of the six day war.
• Cross the Golan Plateau to the border with Syria and observe the abandoned city of Kuneitra and the United Nations outpost located nearby from Mount Bental.
• Lunch on your own in Katzrin.
• Visit the Naot factory shop at Kibbutz Naot Mordechai.
4:00 p.m. Enjoy Rafting or Kayaking on the Jordan River at Beit Hillel.
• Return to Tiberias.
8:00 p.m. Dinner at the hotel.
9:30 p.m. Night disco cruise on the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee) with drumming workshop.
Overnight: Mercure Hotel, Tiberias
DAY FOUR : Thursday, May 31, 2007
TRAVELING THE RIFT
6:30 a.m. Wake-up
7:00 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
8:00 a.m. Check out of the hotel.
8:30 a.m. Tzedek project in Tiberias-paint a mural at a local school.
• Mifgash introduction.
• "The Spiritual Search" Guided visit to Safed, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years and today a myriad of alleyways connecting synagogues and a contemporary artist colony.
• Lunch on your own en route.
• Drive to Jerusalem via the Jordan Valley.
5:00 p.m. Stop at Mount Scopus to say the traditional “shehechiyanu” blessing, recited upon entering Jerusalem.
• Check into the hotel.
• Dinner on your own on Ben Yehuda Street.
• Walk along the Ramparts of the Old City.
Overnight: Shalom Hotel, Jerusalem
DAY FIVE : Friday, June 1, 2007
THE LAYERS OF JERUSALEM
6:30 a.m. Wake-up
7:00 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
8:30 a.m. Walk through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, for a guided visit to the Kotel (Western Wall), the Herodian Mansions and the Southern Wall excavations.
• Lunch on your own in the Jewish Quarter.
• Hillel conversation: Jewish Memory
• Experience the sites, smells, and tastes of Jerusalem while walking through the Machaneh Yehuda Market.
4:00 p.m. Return to the hotel.
6:59 p.m. Shabbat candle lighting.
7:15 p.m. Shabbat services at the hotel.
8:15 p.m. Shabbat dinner at the hotel.
9:30 p.m. Group Oneg Shabbat.
Overnight : Shalom Hotel, Jerusalem
DAY SIX : Saturday, June 2, 2007
SHABBAT IN THE HOLY CITY
Up to9:00 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
10:00 a.m. Shabbat services, and opportunity to walk to the Kotel (Western Wall) in the Old City.
12:30 p.m. Shabbat lunch at the hotel.
1:30 p.m. Shabbat workshops.
• Free time to rest or swim in the pool.
5:00 p.m. Optional Bar/Bat Mitzvah or Naming ceremony.
7:00 p.m. Dinner at the hotel.
8:21 p.m. Havdallah.
9:15 p.m. Evening out in Jerusalem.
Overnight : Shalom Hotel, Jerusalem
DAY SEVEN : Sunday, June 3, 2007
MEMORY & RENEWAL –MIFGASH DAY 1
7:00 a.m. Wake-up
7:30 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
9:00 a.m. Special program at the newly renovated Yad Vashem complex, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust. Visit the new Historical Museum and the Children's Memorial, followed by a memorial service.
• Hillel conversation: My connection to Jewish Memory
• Lunch on your own in Jerusalem.
• Nature hike in the Jerusalem Forest to the Sataf Spring.
• Geo-Political tour of the city of Jerusalem exploring the political and diplomatic complexities of recent years, including Har Homa, Gilo and the new ‘Security Fence’ in the Jerusalem area
• Dinner on your own on Emek Refayim Street.
7:30 p.m. Hillel Rocks Jerusalem – special event to include speaker, Israel Programs Fair and concert of Israeli music.
Overnight : Shalom Hotel, Jerusalem
DAY EIGHT : Monday, June 4, 2007
THE STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL – MIFGASH DAY 2
6:30 a.m. Wake-up
7:00 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
8:00 a.m. Check out and depart.
• Visit Mount Herzl, and visit the grave of the founder of Political Zionism, Theodore Herzl, followed by the graves of Yitzhak Rabin and other leaders of the nation.
• Depart Jerusalem.
10:30 a.m. Take part in an active archaeological dig at the Beit Guvrin caves and crawl through a 2000 year old cave labyrinth.
• Mifgash wrap-up.
1:30 p.m. Lunch on own en route.
4:00 p.m. Arrive at the Mamshit Camel Ranch, followed by a camel ride.
• Learn about the relationship of Bedouins to Israeli society, and enjoy Bedouin style hospitality.
• Take part in a Bedouin 'Hafla' feast.
• Hillel conversation: Spirituality – Wrestling with G-d.
Overnight: Mamshit Camel Ranch, near Dimona
DAY NINE : Tuesday, June 5, 2007
MEMORY &RENEWAL–MIFGASH DAY 3
• Early wake up and departure from Mamshit.
• Visit Masada, Herod’s mountain palace and site of the Jewish Zealots’ last stand against the Roman Legionnaires. Discuss Masada’s role as a symbol of Jewish defense and the current meaning and significance in modern Israel.
10:00 a.m. Experience the weightlessness of the Dead Sea as you float in its waters at the Ein Gedi Spa, followed by lunch.
• Short hike to Nahal David the freshwater spring at the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, a lush oasis in the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea.
• Hillel conversation: Special and Normal- You Choose.
• Travel to Jerusalem and check into the Shalom Hotel.
6:30 p.m. Dinner at the hotel.
8:00 p.m. Final Wrap-up program.
Overnight : Havat HaBaron Hotel, Zichron Ya’acov
DAY TEN : Wednesday, June 6, 2007
THE MEDITERRANEAN COAST –MIFGASHDAY 4
6:30 a.m. Wake-up
7:00 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
8:30 a.m. Guided walk along the colorful Pedestrian Mall in Zichron Ya’acov.
11:00 a.m. Visit Acre (Akko), a UNESCO Heritage Site, and a multi-layered experience from the days of the Crusades through contemporary Israel, including the Crusaders’ City, the famous British Prison, The Templar’s Tunnel and the Turkish Bath (Hamam) with its unique audiovisual experience.
• Lunch on your own.
• Descend via cable car at Rosh Hanikra to explore the natural grottos in the cliff.
5:00 p.m. Special program on coexistence at the Beit Hagefen Center, including a walking tour of Wadi Nisnas and a dialogue on coexistence in Haifa with some members of the Arab community.
• Dinner on your own in Haifa.
• Return to Zichron.
Overnight : Havat HaBaron Hotel, Zichron Ya’acov
Taglit-birthright israel: Hillel Bus 616 5
DAY ELEVEN : Thursday, June 7, 2007
TEL AVIV FIRST HEBREW CITY –MIFGASH DAY 5
6:30 a.m. Wake-up
7:00 a.m. Breakfast at the hotel.
8:00 a.m. Check out of the hotel and depart.
9:30 a.m. Tzedek project picking fruit or vegetables with Table to Table.
• Visit the Old City of Jaffa and stroll through the renovated artists’ colony and the ancient port.
12:45 p.m. Visit to Independence Hall, site of David Ben Gurion’s monumental proclamation of the State of Israel in May 1948.
• Lunch on your own in Tel Aviv.
• Visit Rabin Square, named for assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the center of Tel Aviv’s cultural and political life, including a visit to the Rabin Memorial.
• Hillel conversation: Special and Normal- You Choose.
• Free time in Tel Aviv.
8:00 p.m. Farewell dinner at the Banana Beach in Tel Aviv.
10:00 p.m. Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport and check in for flight LY001.
DAY TWELVE : Friday, June 8, 2007
SHALOM VE LEHITRA'OT
1:00 a.m. Depart Tel Aviv. :
Taglit-birthright israel: Hillel Bus 618 Staff
Group Rakaz : Brian Cohen
Hillel Staff : Scott Bailey & Johan Zinn
Tour Educator : Tamar Loyfer
Program Implemented By DAAT
19 Washington St, P.O. Box 71047
Jerusalem, 91710 Israel
Tel: 011 972 2 625 9911
Fax: 011 972 2 625 6626
e-mail: daat@daattravel.co.il
website: www.daattravel.co.il
24 HOUR EMERGENCY CONTACT : 011 972 52 444 2015
