Presents
The
ULTIMATE ALL-INCLUSIVE DELUXE
A
special FAMILY mission - BAR/BAT MITZVAH TOUR
MARCH
Break dates to be advised
The most comprehensive family
tour offered in North America with the most experienced operations team!
More fun for the kids!!!
Longer stay (More nights), more meals, more sites,
more activities and a more comprehensive tour
Meet at Toronto’s
Pearson Airport, bid farewell to friends who have come to say good-bye, board
our flight. Israel, here we come!
DAY 2:- Arrival in Jerusalem
Welcome to Israel! Eagerly awaiting your
arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, our guide will help you through customs and
porters will load your bags onto our super deluxe, air conditioned motor
coach. We’ll drive to Jerusalem, the
eternal capital of Israel, at the gates of Jerusalem participate in a ‘Shehechiyanu’
ceremony check into our luxurious, hotel in Jerusalem. You might be too excited to relax and
absorb some sunshine with the thrill of being in our land of Israel. During the
welcome dinner, we will be briefed on the program. In the
evening, walk through people friendly Ben Yehuda pedestrian street with its
sidewalk cafes and restaurants. BD
DAY
3: – Old City
of Jerusalem
This morning we drive to Mount Scopus
for a view of the Old City. We enter the gates of the Old City into the Jewish Quarter and walk along the Cardo, the colonnaded main
street of Byzantine Jerusalem, for a timely, guided, introduction to the
history of Israel and region. Inside the Davidson Center you’ll
see a fantastic computer imaging presentation of the Temple, continue to the Southern
Wall Excavations, and of
course, the Kotel – the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site,
the “Hafirot Hakotel" (the new Wall excavations). See the stores
under the Robinson Arch. Get first hand information on all the new developments
in the area, including the bulge created by the illegal excavations of the
Islamic authorities. Visit the Rabbinical Tunnel along the
Western Wall of the Temple Mount,
another monumental achievement of the ancient Israelites who inhabited
Jerusalem thousands of years ago. In the evening we return to the wall to join
the Friday night prayers, return to the hotel for a traditional
Shabbat Dinner. BD
DAY 4: - Jerusalem
A free day to rest,
explore the Old City, visit relatives, friends. Swim in the enclosed pool or
participate in a walking tour of the Old City and the Citadel
Museum. The afternoon and evening are free. B
DAY 5: Sunday,
– New City of Jerusalem
Today begin with a Tree Planting
ceremony in Jerusalem. On to the new Yad Vashem the holocaust
memorial for a lecture followed by a tour of the museum, Children=s Memorial, walk along
the Avenue of the Righteous and Dead Communities Valley. After a special
"Izkor" (memorial service), we proceed to visit Har (Mount) Herzle the military
cemetery where Theodore Herzle and most of Israel's great statesmen are buried.
After a stop for lunch we’ll visit the City
of David that was the Capital of the Israeli kingdom. Learn about
Jerusalem’s water supply in ancient times; walk through the water collected at
the bottom of Hezekiah Tunnel and return to our hotel. Before dinner time there will be a meeting
and rehearsal with the Rabbi for the families, and individually
with the Bar/Bat Mitzvah children (to ensure their comfort with the Rabbi). The
evening is free to discover night life and the great culinary options this city
has to offer. Dinner at the hotel. BD
DAY 6:
– Masada/Dead Sea
A pre-dawn departure to Massada. We ascend by the new cable car to view the
gorgeous view of the mountains of Moab and Dead Sea from this fortress which
staved off the arduous Roman advance and earned a position as one of one
hundred “World Heritage Sites” by the United Nations. The Bar/Bat
Mitzvah service will be held in our shaded spot, ensuring everyone’s
maximum enjoyment of the ceremony. You’ll have some time to visit the famous
palace, synagogue, bathhouse and more, built here by Herod the Great. We proceed onto our Desert Experience
– a day of exceptional family excitement!
We’ll encounter the desert Bedouins at Havat
Hanokdim. A caravan of camels will take us for a ride through
the desert where we’ll have a “Chafla” lunch, enjoying Bedouin
hospitality. Return to the Dead Sea to enjoy dipping ourselves
into the mineral-rich waters of the Dead Sea, cover our bodies with black mud (good for what ails you!) and have fun.
We stay at the Dead Sea for dinner and overnight at our deluxe hotel. BLD
Begin our tour driving to the north. Visit the Oasis of Ein Gedi
continue via the Jordan Valley where we will stop at an observation point to
view the Kingdom of Jordan and the Jordan Valley. Proceed to Beit Shean,
to view the Roman amphitheatre and tour the largest excavation site of
any Roman city in the Middle East. End the day at Kibbutz Ayelet
Hashachar’s shooting range to test our target shooting skills! As the kids boast about who scored best. We
check into our Kibbutz hotel, for Dinner and overnight. Those interested
will meet with Kibbutz member to learn about Kibbutz life. BD
Exploring the northernmost part of Israel:
What a blast! We begin at Safed the City of Kabala old Synagogues
and artist colony. Visit an army base, a real Army Base – not
just a museum!! - for yet another unbelievable experience. We speak with the soldiers who defend the
northern borders and observe the life of a combat unit! We Ascend by a cable
car to Kibbutz Manara for a fantastic view of Lebanon and
continue to the Banias Springs, one of the sources of the
Jordan River, afterwards, we’ll proceed to Har (Mount) Ben Tal. This stronghold overlooks the deserted
Syrian city of Kuneitra and provides a breath taking view of the whole area
including kibbutzim below and how vulnerable they had been, prior to 1967.
Proceed to Katzrin the Capital of the Golan Heights. In the evening we drive to Tiberias where we
have an evening of fun and good food at Decks Restaurant on Lake
Kinneret. Overnight in Tiberias. Overnight at the Kibbutz. BD
After a bountiful breakfast, we visit Kfar
Kedem a replica of a biblical time village to see the life of our
ancestors. Continue to Haifa, Israel’s major port city. View the Baha’i
Shrine and beautiful Persian Gardens and the Haifa Bay. Visit a Druze
village for lunch and continue
to Caesarea the most famous port city built by King Herod, visit
the newly excavated Hippodrome and experience the new Multi Media
presentation that depicts the history of this ancient city and with
which you will have one on one “animated” conversation with the people who
lived there two thousand years ago.
Drive south to Tel Aviv – our last stop. Check into our deluxe hotel for
Dinner and overnight. BD
After your delicious
buffet breakfast, we drive to Machon Ayalon near Rehovot, the
pre-state underground ammunition factory and see how the early Israelis
prepared for battle under the noses of the British Army. Continue to the
ancient city, Beit Govrin for archeological digging at Tel
Maresha. We sort through our excavated treasures then visit caves! In the afternoon – on the way back to
Tel Aviv we visit the Carmel Market and Nachlat Binyamin
promenade, have authentic Israeli falafel, mingle with the crowd and become
part of this bustling life style. We return to the hotel to prepare for our
traditional Shabbat Dinner at the Hotel. BD
DAY 11: – Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration – Tel Aviv
Free
in Tel Aviv to enjoy the sun and the sea. Take advantage of the vast activities
this city is offering or visit with relatives.
Tonight,
we will have our Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebration dinner.
Guests may be invited (must be coordinated in advance). BD
DAY 12: – Tel Aviv & Back home
This morning is free to
finish our shopping and packing. At 14:00 we check out and get on the bus to
visit the Independence Hall where in May 1948, the proclamation
of the establishment of the State of Israel was declared by its first Prime
Minister, David Ben Gurion. You’ll see the original documents and drafts created
by the pioneer leaders of the fledgling Jewish nation and stand beneath an
inspiring portrait of Theodore Herzle, in this, the room where history was
made! Enjoy a city tour and see the “white City” Tel aviv was
declared as a Heritage site by the UN for the many structures designed by
Bauhause architects. We visit the 4,000 year old port city of Jaffa,
you’ll have a breath-taking view of modern Tel Aviv and the ancient/modern
contrast of the two. We go to a restaurant for our farewell dinner and transfer
to the Airport.BD
As
bookings are made months prior to departure and also due to AIRLINES frequent
schedule changes it may be necessary to make minor changes before the final
itinerary is published. Final versions
of the itinerary will be sent to the participants approximately three months or
less before departure. The information
meeting held prior to departure will provide further details. All efforts are
made to use the restaurants mentioned in the itinerary. However changes may have to be made at the
last minute subject to number of participants and availability, on location.
Time Table:
1.
Interview and
Registration.
2.
Finalize extensions of
stay, additional tours and other individual arrangements. It is highly
recommended to finalize these arrangements no later than 6 months before
departure!
3.
Travel insurance must
be issued 3 months prior to departure (Deposits becomes non refundable).
4.
Airline tickets must
be paid and issued 35 days prior to departure.
5.
Final land tour
payments must be made 30 days prior to departure.
6.
An information meeting
will be held prior to departure to give participants an opportunity to
meet. Valuable information and
documentation will be distributed. Out of town families will receive materials
by courier.)