A Taste Of Israel 2011

Shalom!

The final details are in! The itinerary is set! All that is left is to pack your bags and join us for an incredible time in Eretz Israel! Check out the daily itinerary below.

CLICK HERE FOR PRICING AND RESERVATIONS

If you have any other questions, please feel free to e-mail rabbi@kehilatsarshalom.org.

Now, a quick story.

The first time that Kim and I went to Israel, we had no idea how we were going to pay for it. We certainly didn’t have the money, and we didn’t know how we were going to get it. But, we put our deposits down in faith, that God would somehow provide the rest.

Every time another payment came due, we had the money. There was no rich benefactor who donated it out of the goodness of his heart, we just had the money. Either our income had gone up for that month somehow, or our expenses had gone down for some reason, I still am not sure exactly what happened, other than that God provided for everything we needed.

He will do the same for you. Step out in faith. Set aside $200 per person RIGHT NOW. Once we know how much the trip will be, and the itinerary, and we start accepting deposits, send those deposits in right away. That will do a few things. First, it will set your heart to praying that God will provide the rest. It is a step of faith. Second, it will hold your spot on the trip. Third, we will see how many people are serious about taking the trip, and be able to plan accordingly. People say all the time that they want to go, but there is no commitment. It will show us that there is commitment to this trip.

And remember that the deposits are generally 100% refundable up to a few months before the trip. So if you send in your deposit in January, and in May you find out that you won’t be able to go for some reason, you have lost NOTHING. Now there will come a time as we get closer that part or all of your deposit becomes non-refundable, but that is far down the road.

Here is our tentative itinerary:

Monday Nov 28

We board our flight to Israel.

Tuesday Nov 29

Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport and transfer to our hotel in Tel Aviv.  We’ll check-in, refresh ourselves and have dinner.  After dinner we’ll take a short walk along the Tel Aviv beach promenade.  Overnight: Tel Aviv

Wednesday Nov 30

In the morning, we visit the Independence Hall for a briefing on Israel’s fight for independence, while listening to a recording of David Ben Gurion proclaiming Israel’s independence.  Continue to Caesarea, the ancient capital of Roman Judea.  Here history comes alive as modern technology enables visitors to “see” and “speak” to major figures throughout history. From there we will go to Beit Lid where 22 people (21 of them IDF soldiers) were killed by a suicide bomber in 1995.  We will hear a personal account from Moran Rosenblit.  In the afternoon we’ll visit old Jaffa for an HD Bible study. Overnight: Tel Aviv

Thursday Dec 1

In the morning, we visit the Ayalon Institute*, an underground pre-state munitions workshop built by the Palmach.  After that we will tour the lower Judean plain and visit Elah Valley and Tel Azaka, the site of the historic battle between David and Goliath where we will have an “on site” Bible study.  From there we will drive down south to have a relaxing afternoon in Ein Gedi. Overnight: Ein Gedi.

Friday Dec 2

A cable car ride will take us to Massada, listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO (those who wish can walk up the “Snake Path” at sunrise).  We then take a “living history” tour of King Herod’s palace-fortress and hear the dramatic story of the Jewish Zealots in their rebellion against the Romans.  We then visit a few scenic spots representing the beauty of the Negev (Israeli desert), take a camel ride, and enjoy a special Bedouin Hafla, an authentic, festive Bedouin lunch, and then end our day by relaxing at Ein Gedi spa.  Overnight: Kibbutz Ein Gedi

Saturday Dec 3

we will start our trip up north, we pass by Qumran*, the site where the Dead Sea scrolls were found

and biblical Jericho .  Continue to Capernaum, where we will visit an ancient synagogue and Peter’s home, which stand side by side.  Afterwards, we will not only get to view an ancient boat* from the Messiah’s era, but we will also board a replica of one and take a leisurely ride on the Sea of Galilee.  We will end the day with a visit to the Mount of Beatitudes with time for worship and personal meditation.  Overnight: Near Tiberius

Sunday Dec 4

We start the day with a drive to the Golan Heights.  During the ride, we can understand the strategic importance of this high plateau by visiting the ’73 Syrian Fort Lookout and observing why kings went to war in this area.  We visit Oz 77, a small hill overlooking the border with Syria, where during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, a brave tank battalion halted a Syrian attack of a thousand tanks.  Afterwards we travel below Mt. Hermon to the site of the ancient city of Caesarea Philippi.  From there we continue onto the biblical city of Dan, where we will walk, bible in hand, below the impressive 4000 year-old Canaanite walls and bring the ancient biblical stories to life.  Our walk takes us from the ancient town into the Eden-like haven of the Dan Nature Reserve, where we hike along and across running streams.

Overnight: Near Tiberius

Monday Dec 5

Today we start our journey up to Jerusalem, In the morning we will drive On our way to our hotel near the Sea of Galilee we drive through Tel Megiddo (Armageddon) up to the up the Carmel Mountain to the Muhraka, where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal. We continue to the Druze village of Daliat El Carmel where we will meet a local family whose son was killed by a suicide bomber.  We will then join them for a traditional Druze lunch in their home.  After lunch we will continue to God’s city Jerusalem. We will start our visit in Jerusalem, the historical capital of the Jewish people, and capital of the State of Israel with an overlook of Jerusalem from Mount Scopus. And than we will go to our hotel in Jerusalem. After dinner we’ll spend time at Ben Yehuda Street, a popular area to experience Israeli culture.

Overnight: Jerusalem.

Tuesday Dec 6

This morning we enter the Old City through Zion Gate and entering into the Jewish Quarter, we’ll stroll through narrow ancient alleyways and visit the Temple Institute, and the Davidson Center at the southern archeological park.  In the afternoon we will visit to the Temple Tunnels for an exciting underground walk through history.  We will continue to the Pool of Bethesda and then exit through the Lion’s Gate.  In the afternoon, we visit the Western Wall.

Overnight: Jerusalem

Wednesday Dec 7

Today starts with a visit at Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. Afterwards, we will go to the famous Jerusalem Marketplace and experience life as people live today in Jerusalem. After lunch we will explore the City of David by walking down Warren’s Shaft into Hezekiah’s Tunnel (the amazing water project of 4000 years ago that saved Jerusalem during the Assyrian siege) and exiting by the Pool of Siloam.  In the evening we will enjoy a special light & sound show at David’s Tower*.  Overnight: Jerusalem

Thursday Dec 8

We begin our last day in Israel with a visit to Mt. Herzl, where we will visit the Herzl Museum and then walk through the Har Herzl National Cemetery and than continue to a beautiful lookout over the Golden City from the Mt. of Olives, and then follow the path of our Messiah’s footsteps down to Gethsemane.  We finish our experience in Israel with a special time at the Garden Tomb, a peaceful spot where we can remember the Messiah’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection.  In the evening we’ll participate in a traditional Sabbath reception and have a farewell dinner.  Afterwards we will head to the airport for our late evening transatlantic flight back home.

Friday Dec 9

Arrive back home in the evening.

Again, if you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail them to me. rabbi@kehilatsarshalom.org.

Blessings!
Rabbi Neal