Bess and Paul Sigel Hebrew Academy of Greater Hartford

Take the trip of a lifetime!!  Join us on an adult adventure through The Holy Land of Israel led by Rabbi Mordechai Weiss June 20th 2010 to July 2nd 2010.

See Israel as you never have before!!!!

Click here for downloadable trip overview and schedule in pdf format

For day by day schedule click here:

Sunday, June 20th, 2010

Departure

Monday, June 21st, 2010

• Arrival
• Breakfast and drive north
• Rosh Hanikra – An incredibly beautiful, unique, white chalk cliff thatplunges into the Mediterranean Sea. The waves, bashing against the softchalkstone, create caves and tunnels called grottos (-in Hebrew: NIKRA). Rosh Hanikra is found on the Israel-Lebanon border.
• lunch
• tziporri
• Overnight: Lavi Hotel, Lower Galilee

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

• Wake up!
• On the bus and Ready to go
• Manara Cliff (Tzuk Manara) – The Manara Cliff is located at Kibbutz Manara, less than 1km west of Kiryat Shmona. It boasts the country’s longest and steepest cable car ride, with a view of the Hula Valley that is unmatched.
• Kfar blum- kayaks & Lunch.
• Galil winery
• Kinneret cruise – Sea of Galilee-a sweet water lake in the northern Jordan valley. Its main sources are the Jordan river flowing from the mountains and rain water.

Wednesday, June 23rd , 2010

• Wake up!
• On the bus and Ready to go
• Gadot Observation Point – Overlooking the Galil and the Golan Heights, this observation point is named for Kibbutz Gadot – a kibbutz whose civilian members put themselves in the line of fire to defend the Galil up until 1967. The site is dedicated to soldiers who fell in the fight for the defense of the Galil and the Golan
• Gilabun– A hiking trail with beautiful waterfalls in the southern part of the Golan Heights.Talmudic Park in Katzrin- An urban village in the Lower Golan Heights.
• Ruins indicate that Katzrin is the site of a Jewish settlement from the Mishnaic and Talmudic times.
• lunch
• Oz77 – Movie presentation of one of the fiercest battles in the Golan Heights during the “Yom Kippur” War in 1973.
• Mount Ben Tal Observation pt. – Site of a former Israeli bunker, Mount BenTal is an observation point over looking the Golan Heights and Israel’s Northern borders.
• Overnight: Lavi Hotel, Lower Galilee

Thursday , June 24th , 2010

• Wake up!
• On the bus and ready to go
• Tzfat (Safed) – The city of Jewish mysticism, Kaballah, was home to manyillustrious Jewish sages and mystics during the 16th century, includingRabbi Yosef Caro and Rabbi Yitzchak Luria. Walking through the alleys of Tzfat, let yourself absorb its unique atmosphere, sense the spirituality of the town, its kabbalists, its beauty, art and unique people.
• Visit the candle factory in Tzfat
• Kfar Kedem – Experience a re-creation of day-to-day life of a Galilean village from two thousand years ago including a donkey ride over ancient trails and a Biblical style lunch!
• Mount Arbel – With a stunning view of the Kinneret and Lower Galilee, the peak of Mt. Arbel is the top of a steep cliff in whose fortified caves the Zealots, who revolted against Herod, sought refuge.
• Return to Jerusalem
• Haas Promenade (Hatayelet) – The promenade offers a breathtaking overlook of Jerusalem from the South, supposedly the spot from which Abraham first saw Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount.
• Check in
• Overnight: King Solomon Hotel, Jerusalem

Friday , June 25th, 2010

• Bringing in Shabbat
• Wake up
• On the Bus and Ready to Go
• City of David – Many archaeological wonders can be found on the site of King David’s capital city, including houses, castles and guard posts, pieces of the old city wall, and the daring enterprise of King Hezekiah’s amazing water tunnel.
• Southern Excavations of the Temple Mount – Learn the secret of the stairs leading up to the Hulda Gates and to the southern entrance of the Temple Mount. Explore the remains of storehouses and ritual baths in the
• Temple Mount environs and find out more about 2nd Temple period Jewsas you visit the basement of an Ottoman Palace.
• Lunch
• Preparations for Shabbat
• Candle lighting: 18:51
• Kotel- Kabbalat shabbat
• Friday night meal at Hotel
• Old city walls
• Overnight: King Solomon Hotel, Jerusalem

Shabbat , June 26th, 2010

• Shacharit
• Kiddush activity
• Shabbat Lunch at the Hotel
• Tour of Yamin Moshe/Nachlaot
• mincha
• maariv
• Havdala 20:02
• Free time
• Overnight: King Solomon Hotel, Jerusalem

Sunday June 27th, 2010

• Wake Up
• Check out- leaving Jerusalem
• Dead Sea – See if you can float in the Sea of Salt, the lowest place on earth! The mineral-rich Dead Sea is located in the South of the Jordan Valley, the lowest spot on earth (398m below sea level!!!).
• Nachal David (Ein Gedi) – An oasis in the Judean desert, Nachal David offers an opportunity to walk along parts of a small riverbed that ends on the shore of the Dead Sea, north-east of Kibbutz Ein Gedi.
• lunch
• Masada – Remains of a large 2nd Temple fortress situated in the Judean Desert, 17km. south of Ein Gedi. Seized by the rebels during the revolt against Rome, it became the last Zealot stronghold after the fall of Jerusalem. The siege at Masada lasted three years.
• Camels at Chan hashayarot
• Overnight: Hotel at the Dead sea

Monday, June 28th, 2010

• Wake up!
• On the Bus and ready to go
• Air Force Museum – Learn about the history of the air force and see different planes that were used by the I.D.F throughout the years.
• Machtesh Gadol – A natural crater in the Negev Mountains, between Dimona and Yeruham.
• Lunch
• Sfinat Hamidbar – Experience camel rides and Bedouin hospitality.
• Drive Back To Jerusalem
• Kotel Tunnels – Discover buried and hidden parts of the Kotel (The Western Wall) on a fascinating tour through tunnels dug under houses in the Old City.
• Overnight: King Solomon Hotel, Jerusalem

Tuesday June 29th, 2010

• Wake Up!
• On the bus and ready to go
• Hebron – A city in the Judean hills, 36 km, south of Jerusalem, Hebron is one of the most ancient cities in the land of Israel. Biblical names for the city include ‘Kiryat Arba’ and ‘Mamreh’. The city is the site of The Cave of the Patriarchs, (Ma’arat Hamachpela), where, according to tradition, the patriarchs and the matriarchs (excluding Rachel) were buried. Legend has it that Adam and Eve were also buried there.
• Kever Rachel – The burial place of the Matriarch Rachel, who died during childbirth on the way from Bet El to Efrat. Ya’acov and his sons buried Rachel on the road where she died and erected a monument in her memory. The current building housing the grave was built by Sir Moses Montefiore in 1841.
• Overnight: King Solomon Hotel, Jerusalem

Wednesday , June 30, 2010

• Wake Up
• On the bus and ready to go
• Drive to Tel Aviv
• Dialogue in the Dark – Going through a museum in the dark, and experiencing the daily life of a blind person.
• Lunch
• Jaffa (Yaffo) – A city on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea, south of Tel Aviv. Yaffo is an artists’ colony and entertainment center with many buildings and historical sites from the Canaanite and Medieval periods.
• Independence Hall – The story of the house in which Israel’s independence was declared and the fantastic tale of the people who made it happen.
• Overnight: King Solomon Hotel, Jerusalem

Thursday ,July 1st 2010

• Yad Vashem – Located on Har Hazikaron (the Mountain of Remembrance) in Jerusalem, Yad Vashem is dedicated to documenting the history of the Jewish people during the Holocaust period, preserving the memory and story of each of the six million victims, and imparting the legacy of the Holocaust for generations to come through its archives, library, school, museums and recognition of the Righteous Among the Nations.
• Mount Herzel – Israel’s national cemetery is also Jerusalem’s military cemetery, where soldiers of past and present are buried. Mt. Hertzl is the burial place of many dignitaries and prominent figures of the Jewish people such as Theodore Hertzl, Yitzchak Rabin, Channa Sennesh and Yoni Netanyahu. The new Hertzl Museum is located at the entrance to the site.
• Herzl Center
• Lunch
• Mea Shearim-experience the life in a Haredi Neighborhood in Jerusalem.
• Machane Yehuda – Enjoy the special atmosphere in the big food market of Jerusalem just a few hours before going back home.
• Temple Institute Museum – Learn about the special Temple rituals and see the masterfully recreated vessels and priestly garments of the Temple period.
• Farwell dinner

Friday, July 2nd, 2010

• Return to US

PRICE

ALL INCLUSIVE $4950.00 PER PERSON

WHAT DOES THIS INCLUDE?

ALL MEALS-ENTRANCE FEESGUIDES-HOTELS-TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM AIRPORT- ALL TOURING

WHAT DOES THIS NOT INCLUDE?

$60 TIPS- ANY SOUVENIRS THAT YOU PURCHASE-UNANTICIPATED ADDITIONAL FUEL CHARGE BY ELAL- TRIP CANCELLATION INSURANCE (AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SCHOOL OFFICE)

• LIMITED SPACE- WE WILL ONLY TAKE A MAXIMUM OF FORTY (40) PARTICIPANTS.
• MINIMUM PARTICIPATION TWENTY PEOPLE CALL THE SCHOOL AND RESERVE YOUR SPACE.
• $500.00 DEPOSIT TO GUARANTEE YOUR PLACE- THIS DEPOSIT IS FULLY REFUNDABLE UP TO MARCH 22nd WHEN THE FULL AMOUNT IS DUE. THERE ARE NO REFUNDS AFTER MARCH 22ND 2010.
• ALL CHECKS SHOULD BE MADE OUT TO THE HEBREW ACADEMY.

***Early Bird Registration***

Register before January 15, 2010 with a $500 deposit, and receive an early bird deduction of $500.

Visit our Adult Israel Tour site at sigelacademy.org