This 8 day program is a perfect introduction to Israel, a land where the past and present merge side by side. Spend 1 night in Tel Aviv, 1 night in Tiberias and 5 nights in Jerusalem, Explore unforgettable sights, celebrate Shabbat in the Holy City of Jerusalem and rediscover your Jewish heritage. This itinerary is recommended for wheelchair and scooter users, slow walkers, visually and hard of hearing travelers.
On arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, your driver will be waiting to take you for a drive through Tel Aviv and Jaffa before arriving at your hotel in time for check in. NOTE: Check in at most hotels is at 200 PM and check out is 1200 Noon. Overnight Tel Aviv.
Stroll through the Jewish Quarter to the Cardo, known as Cardo Maximus, lined on both sides with columns serving as the main thoroughfare of Byzantine Jerusalem. See the excavations of the Herodian Mansions and discover how wealthy Jerusalemites lived 2,000 years ago. Tour the Southern Wall Excavations and stop at the Davidson Center’s for a 10 minute 3D virtual tour of the Western Wall. Tour the Kotel Tunnels, one of the most incredible places in Jerusalem showing the Western Wall and the Holy Temple as they were in Roman Times until the destruction of the temple in the year 70 CE.
NOTE: It is time to prepare for Shabbat with candle lighting at the hotel and to celebrate Kabbalat Shabbat followed by Shabbat dinner at the hotel. Overnight: Jerusalem.
Our day begins with a somber visit to Yad Vashem remembering the darkest moment in Jewish history. See the unique and moving Children’s Memorial hollowed out from an underground cavern which pays tribute to the 1.5 million murdered Jewish children whose names, ages and countries of origin can be heard in the background. Also see the Garden of the Righteous honoring non-Jews known as the Righteous among Nations who risked their lives to save Jews. Afterwards experience Israel’s newest attraction known as “Herzl’s Vision” where you will learn the story of Theodore Herzl whose vision of a Jewish Homeland was only a ‘dream’.
Next is the Israel Museum, Israel’s national museum situated in the Givat Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem housing the famous Dead Sea Scrolls discovered in Qumran in 1947. The unique white dome recreating the lids of the jars in which the first scrolls were found. Nearby is the Model of Jerusalem from the late Second Temple period where this 50:1 scale model meticulously recreates the year of 66 CE in which the Great Revolt against the Romans took place. After dinner enjoy a 45 minutes spectacular Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David Citadel where moving images from 20 projectors tells a pictorial tale of the history of Jerusalem.
After breakfast we will drive around to see the new city of Jerusalem which includes the Knesset, the site of the Israeli parliament with its surrounding Wohl Rose Gardens with over 15,000 rose shrubs and over 400 different species of roses. Next is Ammunition Hill where one of the fiercest battles for Jerusalem took place during the Six Day War. Spend the balance of the afternoon doing last minute shopping, packing and relaxing. Relax and enjoy a farewell dinner at restaurant in Jerusalem before being transferred to Ben Gurion Airport for your return flight home.