Itinerary

Hebrew College

Israel Educational Journey

Led by Rachel Raz

February 14-26, 2017

Tuesday February 14: FLIGHT TO ISRAEL

Wednesday February 15: BRUCHIM HABA’AIM-WELCOME TO ISRAEL 

• Arrival at Ben Gurion airport Opening Program in Old Jaffa, overlooking the port where pilgrims and new olim entered the Holy Land for centuries.
• Welcome Dinner at Café Yafo in the Jaffa Flea Market

Thursday February 16: BEN GURION’S VISION 

• Reenact the moving moment when David Ben Gurion (Israel first prime minister) declared the establishment of the State of Israel at Independence Hall (Tel-Aviv). 
• Travel south to the Negev. Program on women’s empowerment in the Bedouin community at “Bat Hamidbar” (Desert Daughter Natural Healing Remedies and Cosmetics) located in Tel Sheva. 
• Lunch stop in Beersheba. 
• Visit Kibbutz Hatzerim which owns “Netafim”-the innovator of drip-irrigation technology. 
• Outlook over the Wilderness of Zin from the grave of David Ben Gurion.  Discussion on his vision of making the desert bloom. 
• Continue to Mitzpeh Ramon.Star Gazing at Mt. Gamal-Ponder why the Torah was given in the desert and what Elijah meant by a “Still, Small, Voice”.

Friday February 17: THE DEAD SEA REGION

• Early breakfast. 
• Mitzpeh Ramon Visitor’s Center-learn more about Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon, as well as the geology, flora & fauna of the Maktesh (crater). 
• Travel to the Dead Sea Region via Dimona.  Float in the Dead Sea at a private beach.
• Continue to Jerusalem for check-in and to prepare for Shabbat. Kabbalat Shabbat at the Kotel followed by festive Shabbat dinner.

Shabbat February 18: JERUSALEM SHABBAT

• Morning at leisure to attend Shabbat services at local synagogues. (optional). 
• Afternoon at leisure to explore Jerusalem.
• We reconvene in the late afternoon for a program on Israel’s diversity and minority groups with Helen Gottstein.
• Evening:  Group Havdalah and Tower of David “Night Spectacular” sound & light show. Dinner and evening at leisure.

Sunday February 19: JERUSALEM OF GOLD

• Visit the Gan at Kibbutz Reishit, an urban kibbutz dedicated to urban renewal. 
• Visit the beautiful Chagall Windows at the synagogue at Hadassah Hospital in Ein Karem.
• Knesset (house of Israeli parlament) Menorah. 
• Enter the Old City from Jaffa or Zion Gate for a walking tour of the Jewish Quarter, including the Broad Wall and Cardo. 
• Explore the Southern Wall Excavations to gain a better understanding of the role of the Temple and pilgrimage in ancient times. 
• Kotel (Western Wall) Visit. 
• Lecture at Hartman Institute.

Monday February 20: INNOVATION NATION

• Visit the Ayalon Institute, a secret underground bullet factory from the Mandate Period.
• Learn more about the Weizmann Institute’s cutting edge technologies at the interactive visitor’s center.
• Visit “Save A Child’s Heart”- a unique project of Wolfson Hospital, in which Israeli pediatric surgeons provide pro-bono cardiac surgery for children from all over Africa and the Middle East.
• Travel north along the Mediterranean Coast to the Carmel Region. 
• Enjoy an authentic home hospitality Druze dinner in Daliat-el-Carmel and some shopping at the Druze market.

Tuesday February 21: BOSTON-HAIFA CONNECTION- 
                                       EXPLORING THE CITY AND ITS PEOPLE

• Visit at the German Colony and the Wadi in Haifa: getting to know old Haifa and the intersection of cultures in the Arab neighborhood. 
• “Parents at the Center” - visit the center in Kiryat Eliezer and learn about this special center that provides guidance and support to families (mostly Russian, Arab and Ethiopian) we will participate in a workshop- this center was built with the support of the Jewish community of Boston. 
• Visit “Lilac Center” - participate in and observe program at the Ethiopian community 
• Program with Haifa partners.

Wednesday Feb 22: INNOVATION IN EDUCATION

• Milo-Art center: workshop at the art center that offers workshops for children and their teachers. Rachel Solomon, Director of the center is a long time member at the Boston Haifa connection. 
• STEM early learning center: Director Eti Appelboum- explore and learn the emphasis Israel is putting on STEM education. Visit this new site that opened last year in collaboration with the Haifa Science museum and with guidance by Nobel Prize winner.(Kiryat Hayim). 
• Akko: visit the ancient city and learn about its history and people. 
• Home hospitality in Haifa. 

Thursday  February 23: STRENGTHNING THE PERSONAL CONNECTION

• Morning with host at their work place 
• Gan Karmit:  (educational farm) activities related to the holiday of Tu B’Shvat (Jewish Arbor Day) – celebration of trees. 
• Milo Art center (Ronit Offer) Boston Haifa program - getting to know one another and developing program about our shared topic, "A person is a tree of the field."
• Free time with host families.

Friday  February 24: SHABBAT- BUILDING COMMUNITIES

• Gan-Shibolet: community garden.
• Shabbat  celebration at the orthodox preschools (Kiryat Shmuel). 
• Travel to Kibbutz Mizra for Shabbat. 
• Shabbat dinner and program at Kibbutz Sarid.

Saturday February 25: SHABBAT- A DAY OF REST AND INSPIRATION

• Explore Kibbutz Sarid, milking cows, nature walk…
• Program and lunch with the Israeli partners.
• Evening:  transport from Haifa to Ben Gurion airport.