Ottawa Israel Experience 2015

Ottawa Israel Experience 2015

May 4-13, 2015

Guide: Karl Walter

Preferred Travel Agent for flight bookings: Marlin Travel

Contact Monica Voigt at 613-728-1616 or

(Program subject to change)

Day / Program
Day 01
Monday, May 4 / We begin our time together as we stroll along the beautiful Mediterranean Sea on the way to the Port City of Jaffa, while getting oriented for the journey of a lifetime.
Shalom and welcome to Israel!
Meet in the Lobby of the David Intercontinental Hotel, Tel Aviv to get acquainted and start the tour.
Take an afternoon walking tour to the Old Port City of Jaffa (Yafo), just south of Tel Aviv for a beautiful panoramic view of Tel Aviv and a sense of the first Jewish city of the modern era.
Have a coffee at the Anton Coffee Bar - The Hifawi Family will host you in their home at Ajami Jaffa – The new promenade overlooking the blue sea and refreshing breeze. You will hear stories of Jaffa's Ajami neighborhood and will taste the special Coffee Anton serves with a Sweet treat-baklava.
Return to the hotel to freshen up
Welcome dinner at Maganda, a Yemenite Middle Eastern restaurant.
Overnight:David Intercontinental Hotel, Tel Aviv /
Welcome!

Jaffa port
Day 02
Tuesday
May 5 / Start the day learning about the early defense and daring that was required to establish the State of Israel. The afternoon will be a cultural extravaganza of sights, sounds and great art.
Tour of the Palmach Museum dedicated to the strike-force of the pre-state underground Hagana defence organization and its contribution to the creation of the State of Israel
OR
Guided tour at the “Israeli Museum”which presents thelife of Yitzhak Rabin along the main events that have helped to shape Israeli Society
Afterwards we will visit Rabin Square, where Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated. Walk in his final footsteps and discuss the impact of this event on the State of Israel.
Visit the spiritually moving Independence Hall. We will take a step back in time as we listen to David Ben Gurion’s Declaration of Independence which ended 2,000 years of Jewish yearning for a return to the land of Israel.
Tour at the Carmel market and Neve Tzedek neighborhood
Shop for unique craft items in Nachalat Binyamin’s colorful, open-air market and see modern Tel Aviv in action.
Dinner at leisure
Overnight: David Intercontinental Hotel, Tel Aviv /
Independence Hall

Neve Tzedek
Day 03
Wednesday
May 6 / An eclectic and dazzling array of Israeli experiences – from connecting with Israeli soldiers to experiencing unique Druze culture. Cap off the day with an invigorating boat ride on the Mediterranean Sea.
Breakfast and check out
Drive up the coast to Caesarea and enjoy special guided Boot Camp experience - experience authentic Israeli military and Training techniques, a great opportunity to learn Krav Maga.
Drive to Nahalal to volunteer in Leket Israel. Participate and Contribute in the Table to Table project. Leket Israel, Israel's National Food Bank Serving is the country's largest food bank and food rescue network. The organization works to alleviate the problem of nutritional insecurity. Here you will work through the eyes of a local farmer and collect your vegetables by hand.
Druze Hospitality at Usafia village on Mount Carmel. Take a glance into the life of this special ethnic group, visit their houses, taste their food, and hear about their unique culture and religion.
Continue to Achziv to enjoy Tornado Boat Rides. The trip starts off with some fast sailing along the northern coast, up towards the islands of the beautiful Achziv sea reserve. From here, the entire region can be observed. The trip continues up past the picturesque white cliffs and as close to Rosh Hanikra caverns as the sea will allow.
Continue towards the Upper Galilee and check in at the hotel
Dinner is included in the main dining hall
Overnight: Kfar Blum /
Bootcamp

Druze hospitality
Day 04
Thursday
May 7 / Connect to Ottawa’s partner region in Israel;meetsome of the people that make our Partnership special, and see first-hand the programs that our community dollars support. Then sample some of the finest wines that Israel’s burgeoning wine industry has to offer.
Breakfast at the hotel
Visit P2G projects including Hanadiv school in Metulla
Head to the Har Bental overlook, the abandoned Israeli bunker. Here we can look deep into Syria and learn about the village of Kunetra and the 1967 & 1973 Wars.
Next, enjoy exciting ATVRides of the Golan Heights
Next, visit 2 boutique local wineries for tour and wine tasting.
Located on Moshav Kidmat Tzvi in the Golan Heights and named for the rich volcanic black rocky soil in which most of its grapes grow, Bazelet HaGolan winery was founded in 1998 by Yoav Levy who started his path as a farmer growing Cabernet Sauvignon grapes and selling them to other wineries. After doing this for over a decade, he was bitten by the winery bug and decided to start a winery of his own, “Legend” has it that he first made wine for his son’s Bar-Mitzvah.
Odem Mountain Winery was established by Idit & Michael Alfasi in the year of 2003,creating a familial enterprise in the Golan Heights along with their sons' generation and out of their deep love to wine. All of these combined en route for establishing a boutique familial winery making special, creative, quality wines, but most of all – tasty.
We will conclude our day with a ‘wet and wild’ adventure kayaking down the Jordan River.
Return to the hotel to prepare for dinner
Dinner at Charole restaurant and meet with IDF reserve colonel Kobi Marom for a security briefing
Overnight: Kfar Blum /
ATV rides

Kayaking

Har Odem winery
Day 05
Friday,
May 8 / We begin our ascent towards Jerusalem, then watch the city of Jerusalem literally transform - first with the hustle and bustle of Shabbat preparations, and then the quiet and magical rhythm as Shabbat begins.
Breakfast and check out
Drive through the lakeside city of Tiberias resting on shores of the Sea of Galilee
Travel south along the Jordan Valley
Visit Bet She’an archaeological park, one of the biggest excavated sites in Israel. The Talmud mentions this city as being the "entrance to paradise". Visit the bathhouse and the Cardo.
We’ll ascend up the Judean Mountains and upon arriving in Jerusalem, we will stop at a viewpoint overlooking the Old City where we shall celebrate our arrival with a special Shehechiyanu ceremony, a blessing we use to offer thanks for new and unusual experiences.
Just before Shabbat starts we will join the excitement at Machane Yehuda Market for the traditional pre-Shabbat shopping rush and see a rare glimpse into Israeli culture.
Check in to the hotel and prepare for Shabbat
18:15Depart the hotel
18:45Shabbat begins
Kabbalat Shabbat at the Kotel
Walk back to the hotel
Shabbat dinner is included in the a private hall at the hotel, with speakerNeil Lazarus, an internationally acclaimed expert in the field of Middle East Politics, Israel Public Diplomacy and Effective Communication Training.
Overnight: David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem /
Beit Shean

Jerusalem

Kotel
Day 06
Saturday, May 9 / Enjoy a quiet and relaxing day in Jerusalem, highlighted with a walking tour of the old city, where we will be at the epicentre and crossroads of three major religions.
Take a first glimpse of the Old City of Jerusalem from a unique perspective; take the Ramparts walk from the Tower of David to the Dung gate. The walls were commissioned by Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent during the 16th century. The Ramparts Walk winds along the top of the walls, affording stunning views of west Jerusalem, several major Old City Christian churches including the Church of the Dormition, a rare glimpse inside the cloistered Armenian Quarter, the Valley of Hinnom, the Judean Desert and more.
Walk through the Jewish Quarter, reconstructed after the Six-Day War in 1967. A special point of interest in the restored Jewish Quarter is the "Cardo", meaning the "heart" of this ancient Byzantine City. View the unearthed main Roman thoroughfare and ancient marketplace lined with columns.A special point of interest is the Hurva Synagogue in the middle of the Jewish Quarter. Jerusalem's main Ashkenazi synagogue, until it was destroyed by the Arab Legion during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. The newly rebuilt synagogue was dedicated in 2010.
Arrive at the Western Wall - "Kotel".
Visit the Christian quarter – Walk to Via Dolorosa- site of pilgrimages since Byzantine times, and arrive at the Holy Sepulcher, the massive and labyrinthine building housing the last five Stations of the Cross.
Walk through the Arab Bazaar and see Middle Eastern life with it rich colors, flavors, and smells- Time for shopping.
At night:
Option 1 -begin to descend through the many layers of Jerusalem’s past at the time of the Temple through the Western Wall Tunnels.
Option 2 -enter into Migdal David to see the Sound and Light Show which displays the history of the city of Jerusalem along the ancient stones.
Dinner at leisure at Mamilla mall
Overnight :David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem /
The Hurva synagogue before reconstruction

Jewish Quarter

Tower of David
Day 07
Sunday,
May 10 / Options for this day include a trip to Massada and the Dead Sea area, or participate in an archeological dig and exploration of caves. Meet up in the evening for a relaxing group dinner.
After breakfast, meet with an MK for a briefing at the hotel
Bus 1 –
Depart to the Dead Sea area.
Drive south to the legendary mountaintop plateau of Massada and ascend by cable car to the ancient synagogue of Massada and explore the ancient fortress. Here was the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their struggle against the Romans.
Lunch is included at the beautiful Crown Plaza Hotelon the shores of the Dead Sea. Cover yourselves with mud and enjoy the unsinkable therapeutic waters of this mineral-rich Sea.
Visit the beautiful Ein Gedi Reserve. See the waterfalls at this Oasis in the desert, and discuss the biblical stories of King David hiding from King Saul. The combination of Ein Gedi’s abundance of water and tropical climate provides wonderful exotic plant and animal life.
Bus 2 – with 2nd bus and guide
Visit the ‘underground’ at theAyalon Institute, which tells one of the fascinating and mysterious stories in the history of the struggle for the establishment of the State of Israel. Here, beneath the ground, and right under the nose of the British, a factory was created for the production of 9mm bullets for the Sten submachine gun, which was the personal weapon of Palmach fighters.
Next we’ll visit the Latrun Armored Corps Museum; learn about the road to Jerusalem and the battles relating to this road.
Lunch en route (included)
An archaeological adventure; digging up the past at Beit Guvrin / Tel Maresha and crawl in one of the 5000 caves of the region
Return to Jerusalem
Dinner at Olive and Fishrestaurant
Overnight: David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem /
Masada

Latrun
Day 08
Monday, May 11 / From anguish to hope – begin the day with a look at modern Jerusalem, and then experience Yad Vashem where we will learn about this very dark time for the Jewish people.
Tour along the Seam Line with Col. (Ret)Danny Tirza, who planned the security fence between Israel and the West Bank. The reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 prompted the government to create a “security belt” of civilian neighborhoods. Take a “hilltop tour” of Jerusalem and view some of these neighborhoods, Gilo, Armon Hanatziv and Har Homa which overlook Arab neighborhoods, where Jews and Arabs reside side by side on the city’s seam line.
Quick stop at the Knesset building where we’ll be able to take pictures in front of the famous Menorah in front of the famed building.
Visit Yad Vashem, consideredthe primarymemorialandmuseumof theHolocaust. Visit theHolocaustHistoryMuseum,whichoccupiesover 4,200squaremeters, mainlyunderground. At the endof themuseum’shistoricalnarrative isthe Hall ofNames, arepositoryfor thepages oftestimonyof millionsofHolocaustvictims, and amemorialto thosewhoperished. We will also visit the very moving exhibit at the Children’s Pavilion, commemorating the death of over 1.5 million Jewish children in the Holocaust.
Afternoon and dinner at leisure
Overnight:David Citadel Hotel, Jerusalem /
The security fence

Yad Vashem
Day 09
Tuesday, May 12 / Connect with the land by exploring the natural beauty and splendour of Israel’s desert. This adventure filled day is sure to please the outdoor enthusiast in all of us.
Breakfast at the hotel
Travel to the Negev Desert
Visit Ben Gurion’s desert home in Kibbutz Sde Boker
Short hike at Ein Avdat Oasiswith an option to climb out the canyon via the ladder
Lunch on own at Cafe Aroma, Avdat
Jeep tour at Ramon Crater
Depart to Tel Aviv and check in at the hotel
Farwell dinner with the guide at one of Tel Aviv local restaurants
Overnight: Tel Aviv /
Ein Avdat

Ramon Crater
Day 10
Wednesday,
May 13 / Check out of the hotel
Travel to the airport and depart Israel with everlasting memories! /
Shalom!

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