Israel
All ages
Heritage
Israel Revisited
Overview
Return to Israel to cover new terrain and discover off-the-beaten-path treasures on a tour that coincides with Israel’s major national holidays.
Together, we’ll explore the beautiful Carmel Mountain and the Western Negev Desert. We’ll revisit Jerusalem and Tel Aviv from a new perspective, and we’ll tap into the innovative spirit that defines nearly every aspect of Israeli society today.
Israel Revisited is scheduled to coincide with the national holidays of Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day) and Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day). Together we’ll observe the national siren where the entire country stands in honor of those lost, and we’ll experience the authentic joy of celebrating Israeli independence, dancing in the streets of Tel Aviv.
On Israel Revisited, you’ll broaden your perspectives and gain a fresh appreciation for a country that is small in size, big on wonders!
- Arrive at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport and check into our Tel Aviv hotel by the beach
- Discover the beauty of Tel Aviv's street art on a walking tour of the Florentine neighborhood
- Welcome dinner at Balinjera – meet with the restaurant founder and Ethiopian-Israeli community leader, Ashager Araro
- Evening: Take part in a ceremony commemorating the start of Yom HaZikaron – Israel's Memorial Day
OVERNIGHT: TEL AVIV
Meals Included: Dinner
Today is Yom HaZikaron – Israel's Memorial Day
- Depart for a day trip to the Carmel Mountains north of Tel Aviv
- Celebrate the pioneers who risked it all for a new beginning at the Beit Ahronson Museum
Observe a minute of silence as the national Yom HaZikaron siren sounds - Experience how Israel absorbs its immigrants of today at Yemin Orde Youth Village, including a shared lunch with the student community
- Atlit Detention Camp – Learn about the challenges faced by Jewish refugees arriving on the shores of Israel following the Holocaust
- Return to Tel Aviv in the early evening
- Evening: Dinner on your own and join Jerusalem's Erev Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day) celebrations!
OVERNIGHT: TEL AVIV
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
Today is Yom HaAtzmaut, Israeli Independence Day
- Day Options:
- Option #1 – Day tour to Masada and the Dead Sea
(an extra $150/p cost applies) - Option #2 – Free day to enjoy Tel Aviv on your own and watch the annual Israeli Air Force flyover
- Option #3 – Celebrate Independence Day in Jerusalem, taking part in March of the Living's parade from City Hall to the Western Wall
- Option #1 – Day tour to Masada and the Dead Sea
- Evening: Attend a special Yom HaAtzmaut concert and event sponsored by March of the Living International with dinner included
OVERNIGHT: TEL AVIV
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
- Morning of Service – Volunteer project at the Jaffa Institute followed by free time to enjoy the Jaffa flea market
- Tour Israel's Independence Hall and break for lunch on your own along Tel Aviv's historic Rothschild Boulevard
- ANU – The Museum of the Jewish People on the campus of Tel Aviv University – view the Codex Sasson display and celebrate the diversity of Jewish life and traditions from around the world
- Travel to Jerusalem and check in to our centrally located hotel
- Evening: Guided tasting tour dinner at Mahane Yehuda open-air marketplace
OVERNIGHT: JERUSALEM
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
- Make new discoveries at the City of David complex, including the recently excavated Herodian Road, once used by pilgrims on their way to the Temple
- Enter the Old City at Zion Gate and explore the ancient Jewish Quarter, including a visit to the restored Hurva Shul and Old Yishuv sites
- Break for lunch on your own in the Cardo area of the Jewish Quarter
- Beyond the Walls – Explore how Jewish life first expanded beyond the Old City at Montefiore's Windmill, Mishkenot She'ananim, and the First Station Market
- Head back to our accommodations and prepare for our Shabbat in Jerusalem
- Option to return to the Old City to experience Kabbalat Shabbat at the Western Wall
- Shabbat dinner at our accommodations, joined by a Lone Soldier in the IDF
OVERNIGHT: JERUSALEM
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
- This morning is free to enjoy Jerusalem on your own or attend Shabbat services
6-day travelers check out at lunchtime and may store luggage in the hotel storage - Shabbat lunch is included at our accommodations
- Afternoon: Return to the Old City to tour the world heritage sites in the Christian Quarter and Arab Shuk (bazaar), including a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher
- Evening Options:
- 6-Day Program: An optional airport transfer is included for those departing on overnight flights
- 9-Day Program: Night out at Ben Yehuda – Jerusalem's iconic pedestrian street
OVERNIGHT: JERUSALEM
Meals Included: Breakfast & Lunch
- Depart from Jerusalem and travel south to the Israeli communities along the Gaza frontier
- Meet with members of Moshav Netiv HaAsara to learn how this community of peace activists is grappling with the past and looking to the future
- Break for lunch on your own in Sderot
- Bear witness to the devastation of October 7, 2023 – including a visit to the site of the Nova Music Festival Memorial, the Tekuma "car cemetery", and the Sderot Police Station Memorial
- Continue on to Sde Boker and check in to our hotel overlooking the Wadi Zin Canyon
- Dinner is served at the hotel
OVERNIGHT: NEGEV DESERT
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
- Morning: Learn about Israel's first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, and his vision for the desert, visiting his striking grave site
- Continue south for an off-road jeep tour in the Ramon Crater
- Break for lunch on your own in the growing desert town of Mitzpe Ramon
- Visit the Ramon Crater Visitors Center and take a short nature walk to enjoy the views
- Taste the fruits of Israel's desert agricultural revolution at a Negev Desert winery tasting & tour
- Dinner is served at the hotel
- Evening: Astronomer-led desert star-gazing activity
OVERNIGHT: NEGEV DESERT
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
- Depart Sde Boker and begin heading north toward Central Israel
- Tour the Israeli Air Force Museum at Hatzerim
- Continue to Beer Sheva to explore Israel's desert metropolis, visit Abraham's Well, and grab lunch on your own in the Old City district
- Cross-cultural encounter with a Bedouin women's weaving cooperative in the desert village of Lakiya
- Afternoon: Explore the campus of the Weizmann Institute of Science – Israel's premier research academy and a key driver of its innovation economy
- Return to Tel Aviv for a final celebration dinner & wrap-up conversation at a local restaurant
- An optional transfer to Ben Gurion Airport is included for those departing on overnight flights
Meals Included: Breakfast & Dinner
Included
- Airport Transfer: An airport greeting and a private transfer to our arrival hotel is complimentary for those arriving at Ben Gurion Airport between 6:00am and 4:20pm on the first day of the program
- Deluxe Hotels: A combination of centrally located, 4-star and 5-star hotels per the itinerary
- Guide and Program Leader: A licensed Israeli guide accompanies the group on 24 x 7 basis, and an additional program leader joins groups of at least 25 participants
- Touring Bus: A luxury private air-conditioned touring bus with a dedicated Israeli driver (Saturday in Jerusalem is a walking tour day without a bus)
- Two Meals Daily: Includes tax/gratuities at restaurant meals
- All Programming: Site entrance fees and all touring experiences noted in the itinerary
- All Applicable Taxes: Additional VAT (tax) applies for Israeli citizens at group hotels
- Remote Audio Headsets: For groups with 20+ travelers
Not Included
- Flights to/from Israel
- Local medical insurance (optional): Get peace of mind with a local health insurance policy and receive medical care without any co-pays, deductibles or paperwork
- Travel insurance (optional): Insure your investment, and plan ahead for the unexpected with a travel protection plan
- Meals not marked as included
- Hotel incidentals
- Israeli staff gratuities: Suggested $100-$125/person