Jewish Heritage Tour — Tuesday Departure — 16 Days

Day 1 – Tuesday
John F. Kennedy Airport / New York

Leave from JFK Airport for an exciting visit to Israel with its historic sites holy to three religions.  (Please see the note at the end of the itinerary for JFK departure instructions.)

Day 2 – Wednesday
Ben Gurion Airport / Tel Aviv

When you arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, you will be met by a TAL Tours representative and transferred to your hotel in Tel Aviv.  Relax, have a good meal, and prepare for a day full of lots of sightseeing tomorrow.

You will spend your first night in Tel Aviv.

Day 3 – Thursday
Independence Hall / Mini Israel / Latrun / Yad Mordechai

Your tour will commence with a visit to Independence Hall, which is the site of the signing of Israel’s Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948, by Ben Gurion, the first prime minister.

Today Independence Hall is a museum that has many exhibits, including a permanent one that highlights the history of Tel Aviv/Jaffa.

From there you will drive to Latrun located in the Ayalon Valley. This is a very important location for Israel’s history as it’s the site of the victorious battle between  the Israelites led by Joshua and the Amorites.

Latrun would evolve to see many more battles, including the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, which began only 10 days after the declaration’s signing, and again in the 1967 war known as the “Six Day War.”

Located on Kibbutz Hill is the Ayalon Institute, an ammunition factory built in secret by the Jewish underground during the British Mandate. What made it so easy to fool the British is that it was assumed, because of its location in a kibbutz, that it was indeed part of the kibbutz. The factory’s production of ammunition ended in 1948 and today it’s a museum.

Next you will travel to the Yad Mordechai Kibbutz, so named to honor Mordechai Anilevitz.

Born Mordechaj Anielewicz in Poland in 1919, he was appointed at only 28 years old to be Commander of the Żydowska Organizacja Bojowa (a.k.a. ZOB), the Jewish Combat Organization.

Mordechai and the ZOB fought tirelessly during the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Mordechai died in battle against the Nazis on May 8, 1943.

To this day, he remains an extremely important person to Jews both in Europe and Israel. Posthumously, he’s been awarded for his valor with the Virtuti Militari (Poland’s highest honor) and the Cross of Grunwald by The Polish People’s Army.

You will overnight in Tel Aviv.

Day 4 – Friday
Tel Aviv

While in Tel Aviv you will visit the Nahum Goldmann Museum of the Jewish Diaspora. Both permanent and temporary exhibitions celebrate the life and culture of the Jewish Diaspora.  The museum’s goal is to connect Jews with their roots and rich culture and history while offering a place of collective bonding.

We will drive around the main streets of Tel Aviv as it’s the richest city in Israel as well as home to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

We will stop at Rabin’s Square, place of the assassination of Prime Minister Itzhak Rabin.

We will visit the port city of Jaffa, once occupied by Christians during the First Crusade and centuries later taken over by Napoleon.  See how the city survived several occupations and a plague that wiped out nearly all its inhabitants and has thrived to be the important historical site that it is today.  Visit the ancient ruins and walk along the restored artists’ quarter.

Also visit Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv’s first neighborhood, built in 1909.

From there we will walk to Nahalat Binyamin Market.  Every Tuesday and Friday vendors set up tables of jewelry, hand-painted ceramics, and other beautiful and unique objects of Judaica while street performers, clowns, musicians and fortunetellers give shows.

You will overnight in Tel Aviv.

Day 5 – Saturday
No Organized Tour

Tel Aviv is a bustling city with lots of wonderful cafés, restaurants and shops to explore. Although the financial district is closed, walk around its downtown.

You will overnight in Tel Aviv.

Day 6 – Sunday
Caesarea / Haifa / Acre / Rosh Hanikra

Your day will start with a drive north to Caesarea, the capital of Judea under the Romans, to see the excavations of the Crusader city along with the Roman port, aqueduct and the amphitheater that has been restored to its former glory as a concert venue.

Today Caesarea is modern city with a population of approximately 4,500 and is the only Israeli locality managed by a private organization.

Continue via the Druze villages to Haifa, Israel’s 3rd largest city. Haifa is a city with an interesting history as well. While once a city with a mixed population of Jews and Christians, today it’s a city of Jews and Arabs. At various times Haifa saw itself ruled by the Byzantine Empire, the Arabs, the Crusaders, the Mamluk, the Ayyabid, and the Egyptians.

From Haifa, we will move along to Acre, in the Western Galilee region of Northern Israel so you can see the ancient city and its harbor. Legend has it that Hercules was able to heal his wounds from curative herbs found in Acre.

You will overnight at a kibbutz guesthouse.

Day 7 – Monday
Safed / Tel Facher / Banias / Tel Hai

Your day will start with a drive to Safed, the center of Jewish mysticism, where you will visit the ancient synagogues and the artists’ colony. Visit many important synagogues in the area, including the Ha’Ari.

In the 16th century, the Ashkenazi Ha’Ari Synagogue was built on the northern edge of the Sephardic neighborhood. It was built by Sephardic Greek pilgrims who immigrated to Safed.

Continue to the Golan Heights to see the former Syrian bunkers, the city of Kuneitra and the new Israeli town of Katzrin.

Stop at Tel Facher, a former Syrian army camp. Visit the “Roaring Lion” monument to pay homage to Josef Trumpeldor, an early Zionist activist with the Zion Mule Corps. Prior to this, Josef Trumpeldor saw combat in the Russo-Japanese War, World War I and the Battle of Gallipoli.

He was instrumental in bringing Jewish immigrants to Palestine and he died in 1920 defending the Zionist settlement Tei Hai. Allegedly his last words were: “Never mind, it is good to die for our country.”

You will overnight at a kibbutz guesthouse.

Day 8 – Tuesday
Beit Shean / Beit Alpha / Gan Hashlosha / Jerusalem

Enjoy a drive to Tiberias to visit the grave of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon – the Rambam.  Born in Spain in 1135, he fled to avoid his fate of “convert to Islam or death.” From Spain he and his family found refuge first in Morocco, then Israel. He is credited with being the first person to write a systematic code of all Jewish law — the Mishneh Torah.

From there proceed to Beit Shean, also called “Scythopolis,” which is the biggest archeological park in Israel. Excavations have been unearthed from both Roman and Byzantine periods.

Make a stop at Beit Alpha to see the beautiful mosaic floor of a synagogue from the Byzantine period.

Onto Gan HaShlosha National Park (Sachne), the mountain where King Saul died as he bravely fought off the Philistines. As a treat, have a dip in the natural pool of water that remains warm all year round.

From there we will drive the Jordan valley to Jerusalem. We will make a stop at Mount Scopus for a blessing as you enter the city.

You will overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 9 – Wednesday
Jerusalem: The Old City

Your tour starts in Mount Zion, where you will visit the tomb of King David, which is located in the lower level of what still remains of the former Hagia Zion, a Byzantine church.

Your tour will continue on to Mount Scopus and then to the Mount of Olives for an opportunity to walk through the newly restored Jewish Quarter. You will see the Kotel Tunnels with your own eyes.

If you have heard about the local Arab bazaar, this is your opportunity to visit it. You will walk to the Davidsohn Center and walk through the Roman Cardo.

See what still exists of the ancient remains of old Jerusalem from the First Temple period as you walk through Jaffa Gate to David’s Tower.

You will overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 10 – Thursday
Jerusalem: The New City

Your day starts in celebration of the Bar Mitzvah ceremonies at the Kotel.

Continue to Me’a She’arim, which is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Jerusalem.  Established in 1874, it is where the majority are Haredi Jews, the most conservative of all Orthodox Jewry.

Drive by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and see the menorah with the biblical emblems en route to the Israel Museum.

Then you will be able to see the Shrine of the Book, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, as your next stop will take place at the Israel Museum.

Next you will see the model of Jerusalem just as it existed during the Second Temple period.

Next your tour takes you to Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the martyrs and survivors of the Holocaust. Although this will be a somber point of your tour, it is a truly important one for the history of Jews.

Lastly, you will visit what was once a Jordanian-controlled military post and the site of one of the most hard-fought battles of the Six Day War — called Ammunition Hill. In 1975 the memorial site was built and today lists the names of 182 Israeli soldiers who lost their lives reclaiming Israel in this battle.

You will overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 11 – Friday
Qumran / Masada / Dead Sea

Your day starts in the Judean Desert, which is bordered by the mountains of Judea and the Dead Sea. Breathtakingly beautiful, and relatively small in comparison to most deserts, it is home to several nature reserves and historic sites as well as monasteries. At 1300 feet (400 meters) below sea level, this desert has the distinction of being the lowest point on earth.

Stop at Qumran to visit the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered several decades ago.  From there, your tour will take you on a drive along the shores of the Dead Sea to Masada, home to several battles between 37 BCE and 72 AD.

Masada is where Herod the Great is said to have fortified the area between 37 and 31 BCE in the event of a revolt against him.  At the onset of the first Jewish-Roman war, it’s also the site where a group of Jewish extremists overcame the Roman garrison of Masada.

Later in 72 AD the Roman governor backed by the Roman Legion was successful at claiming the fortress. The zealots did their best to fight off the Romans and then committed suicide en mass rather than be enslaved.

Descend by cable car and then, time and weather permitting, take a float on the Dead Sea — “the lowest health spa in the world.” See why the same place that is inhabitable to all life forms offers health benefits not found anywhere else in the world.

Day 12 – Saturday
No Organized Tour

Relax, sleep in or consider venturing to the Ein Kerem where you can visit the Abbell Synagogue inside the Hadassah Medical Center. The synagogue houses the permanent collection of Marc Chagall’s stained glass windows, a gift he bestowed to the synagogue in 1962 as a way to give back to the land and people he loved so dearly.

Day 13 – Sunday
The Negev Desert / Timna / Eilat

Travel south to the Negev desert, see the site of Israel’s first Air Force base. Visit the Air Force Museum and the aircraft once used by Israel’s elite military.

Continue south for a visit of Kibbutz Sde Boker, where you can pay respects to Israel’s first Prime Minister Ben Gurion at his gravesite. It is only fitting that he be laid to rest overlooking the magnificent Zin Valley.

Measuring 50 meters deep, 40 kilometers long, and at its narrowest point 2 kilometers and at its widest point 10 kilometers, is Ramon Crater. All that can be said is that you have to see it to believe it.

From there we drive to Timna, the 23-square mile park, to see the naturally forming sandstone pillars that are so perfect they had to have been man-made. They are dubbed “King Solomon’s pillars” and you will see why these pillars are named after the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem.

You will overnight in Eilat.

Day 14 – Monday
You have the option of joining the optional tour to Petra (additional charge) or touring Eilat at your leisure.

Should you opt to tour Petra, we will proceed to the Jordanian border for a required visa. Please ensure that you have your passport.

We will drive through desert highways to the city of Petra, which dates back to the 6th century B.C. and is the capital city of the Nabateans. Considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world, Petra also made the BBC’s list of “the 40 places you have to see before you die.”

What makes Petra worthy of such praise?

Its earliest known settlers are said to date back to 1550 B.C. from the 18th dynasty of Egypt. However, its most well-known settlers are the Nabateans, who are more than likely responsible for the dams and water channels.

Excavations suggest that Petra was inhabited not only by Egyptians and Nabateans but also by Greeks and Syrians.

Do take the 700-meter horseback riding to the entrance of the Siq, which is about 1.2 km (walking distance).  For an extra charge, you may rent a chariot to get inside Petra and back to the gate outside.  In addition to the history of Petra, see for yourself the following:

•    The Treasury, Royal Tombs
•    The Court, Roman Theatre
•    Roman Street
•    Qassier El- Bint
•    And many other smaller monuments

After touring Petra, we will have lunch before our drive back to the Jordanian border.

Time permitting, we may be able to make a stop in Aqaba, known as the Gulf of Eilat.

What makes this area so significant is that Egyptians routinely stopped there en route to Kush to buy frankincense, myrrh, bitumen, natron, juniper oil, linen, and copper amulets for use in mummification. This is documented as early as the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt.

You will overnight in Eilat.

Day 15 – Tuesday
Eilat / Mamshit / Tel Aviv

Our first stop today will be the Underwater Observatory Marine Park, where you can see the stingray, turtle and shark tanks, including many other exhibits. This is one of the largest aquariums in the world and was built into coral reef.

If you’ve always wanted to ride a camel, today is your lucky day! We will proceed to Mamshit for a camel riding experience and visit to an authentic Bedouin tent.

Learn about the Bedouin hospitality and enjoy a light lunch. Drive back to Tel Aviv.

You will overnight in Tel Aviv.

Day 16 – Wednesday
Tel Aviv / Ben Gurion Airport

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Ben Gurion Airport for departure.

The above program can be extended and tailor-made for groups.

Note on JFK airport departure instructions:

It is very important that you arrive at JFK airport a minimum of three hours prior to departure. This allows you ample time to check your bags, get through security and find your departure gate. In order to more easily go through check-in and security, ensure that your passport and airline tickets are readily accessible.

Although waiting longer at the gate may not seem desirable, the alternative — should you not allow yourself sufficient time — is that you must rush through check-in and security.

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