Explore the Land: (Tentative) Summer 2002

Days 1 and 2: Wednesday

Through Thursday

Arrival in Israel

On the Threshold of a Dream

Arrive in Israel.
Transfer to Jerusalem and check-in; orientation.
"The Stones Tell Their Stories": Walk through the Jewish Quarter and Old City rooftops, ending up at the Kotel: "Memories and Expectations".
Tunnels tour under the Kotel

We will be initiated into the magical atmosphere of Jerusalem with a walk through the Old City, during which we will enjoy tales, legends, and brief glimpses into the story of the city to prepare us for our encounter with the Wall and all it symbolizes for Jewish hopes and memories. At the Kotel we will record our anticipations of Israel, which will serve as a point of departure for what we will learn and experience in the coming days.

Day 3: Friday

4 Day Northern Extravaganza Tour

Masters of Mystery

Tour the mystical city of Safed: the synagogues of the Old City and Artists' Quarter. Continue to the Tzippori and learn about the Sanhedrin and legacy of Rabbi Judah the Prince. Relive ancient day life at Kefar Kedem and a donkey tour through the forest. Special Safed Kabbalat Shabbat and group Shabbat dinner with guest speaker.

Overnight: Safed.

In Safed, we recall the longings of the Jewish people for Israel through the centuries and the aliyah to Safed in the wake of the Spanish Inquisition; the scholars and mystics who wrought profound changes in the nature of Judaism and the destiny of the Jewish people.

In Tzippori we will learn about tensions and resolution of cultural conflict between Rabbis and the Pagan world in ancient times, the formation of the Mishnah, and the development of leadership models in Jewish History.

Mifgash . We will be joined in Tzippori by Israeli Yeshiva soldiers and share our Shabbat in Safed experience.

This encounter program includes study and discussions sessions. It will give us an opportunity to sink our teeth into the question of how modern Israelis relates to our Jewish heritage.

Day 4: Shabbat

A More Perfect World

Shabbat services in the tradition of the sages of Safed. Study sessions dealing with the texts created in Safed and their impact on Jewish Life. Walking tour of the Safed Citadel and the Davidka, highlighting the battle for Safed in Israel's War of Independence. Processing: Small-group discussion and analysis of the program's experiences and their implications for participants Jewish outlook. Concluding Havdalah Ceremony.

In our study sessions on this Shabbat, we will present the Safed-born idea of Tikkun Olam as a challenge for us all.

In our discussions, we will summarize the experiences of the trip, leaving us all infused with a new vision of what it means to be a part of the Jewish People.

Day 5: Sunday

Upper Galilee

Starting out at Mt. Meron we will tour the area where Rabbi Shimon wrote the Zohar while in hiding from the Romans 13 years.

Continue north to Tel Hai to encounter the legacy of the Halutzim (pioneers). Visit Kibbutz Kfar Blum to learn about life on a kibbutz.Hike in the Chatzbani river (one of the Jordanian water sources). Evening: Discussion session focusing on Israel-Diaspora interaction and mutual responsibility.

The kibbutzniks of Kfar Blum continue the traditions of Trumpeldor at Tel Hai: pioneering Zionism; communal values and lifestyle. Are these ideals still relevant for Israel in the 21st century?

Day 6: Monday

A View from the Heights

Ascend the Golan Heights for a tour of its magnificent natural landscapes and strategic sites: Introductory audio-visual presentation at Kazrin Museum and outlook into Syria from Mt. Bental. Informal study session about synagogue and community in the ancient Kazrin synagogue.

Hike to Gamla, the Massada of the North. One of the last Jewish fortresses after the destruction of the second Temple.

Visiting the Golan, its fortifications and water sources will afford us the opportunity to learn about Israel's struggle for survival and why achieving Mid-east peace is so complicated.

Day 7: Monday

City of A Thousand Faces

Visit the Haas Promenade for an outlook over Jerusalem: Understanding the geography of Jerusalem; Foundations of the Jewish connection to Jerusalem.

Audio visual seminar at Beit Turgeman. An in dept study of world aggression in the 20th century.

Day 8: Wednesday

Victors and Vanquished?

Climb Masada via the Messenger's Path. Tour the fortress, then descend by cable car. Visit the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve and swim in the Dead Sea..

Departure for Masada and ascent via the Messenger's Path enables a systematic presentation of the story of the Great Revolt against Rome before touring the Herodian ruins on the summit. The theme for discussion is: Is Jewish National Independence an ultimate value? What does this mean for Israel today?

Day 9: Thursday

From Ashes to Rebirth

Visit the Yad Vashem Museum and Children's Memorial.

On this day, we will create an integrated perspective on the two most significant Jewish events of the 20th Century: The Holocaust and the birth of Israel. We will explore the impact of the Holocaust on Jews in Israel and abroad, and ask what Jewish history means for Jewish destiny.

Day 10: Friday

Morning Seminar at Ohr Somayach

Experience hands-on Jewish learning with some of the world's top Jewish philosophers, followed by free time to experience pre-Shabbat shopping in the Mea Sharim neighborhood.

Friday through Sunday at the Jerusalem Dan Pearl Hotel.

Kabbalat Shabbat at the Kotel and dinner at Ohr Somayach followed by a tour of the Chasidic night life in Jerusalem. Mea Sharim neighborhood.

Day 11: Shabbat

Shabbat in Jerusalem

Shabbat services. Group Shabbat breakfast and lunch. Afternoon walking tour of Yemin Moshe.Shabbat culminates with a tour of the Sephardic neighborhood of Beit Yisrael and 3^rd meal at Ohr Somayach followed by Havdalah services.

Evening: Birthright Expo

We will take advantage of the special experience of Shabbat in Jerusalem to encounter Jews of varied ethnic backgrounds and meet some of Jerusalem's unique personalities.

In Yemin Moshe we will visit the first modern neighborhoods outside the Old City.

Day 12: Sunday

Archaeological dig and seminar

An exciting dig and tour in the ancient cities of Tel Asaka and Kfar Hanokdim

Day 13: Monday

In the Footsteps of the Fighters

Tour of Ammunition Hill: Retracing the steps of the 1967 liberation of Jerusalem. Climbing thru the former Jordanian bunkers culminating with a fascinating audio-visual.

The Latrune Tank museum has a vast collection of tanks and a fascinating movie describing the history of the Israeli heavy armored divisions.

Day 14: Tuesday

From the Four Corners of the Earth

Seminar Tour of Beit Hatefutzot (The Museum of the Jewish Diaspora)
Visit to Bene Brak and Panovitch Yeshiva
Farewell dinner

Our interactive program at Beit Hatefutzot uses guided exploration and discussion to discover Great Jewish Ideas: life cycle, calendar, community; and decision-making at the crossroads of Jewish History as a model for contemporary Jewish identity and involvement. The concluding discussion will focus on the significance of Medinat Yisrael to Jewish existence.

Bene Brak is Israel's largest religious city. We will visit one of the world's largest and most prestigious rabbinical colleges, the Panovitch Yeshiva.

Day 15: Wednesday

Departure from Israel

Aside from presenting basic information about the history of Jerusalem and Israel in ancient times, we will engage in discussions of themes raised by the sites we visit. For example:

The Moral Responsibilities of Leadership (The Life of King David)
Sects and Parties in Classical Judaism and how they shaped traditional Jewish Belief and Practice - what does this teach us about Jewish Pluralism?
The Priests and the Temple - What do we look for in religious leaders?
Jewish Culture and World Culture: How can we create a synthesis?

Frequent rap sessions and lectures will include the following topics

From Hollywood to the Holyland

Judaism & the Western World: An actor from Hollywood relates his voyage from Hollywood to the Holyland.

Love Thy Neighbor

Seminar in Jewish Identity: Man in introspection with society. Developing sensitivity towards one's fellow man in a world where selfishness and violence are on the restate

Zionism, Messianism & the Peace Process

Seminar in Jewish Identity: Is there a mitzvah of settling, developing and populating the land of Israel? The current reality and prognosis of the Peace Process and the new Middle East.

Materialism & Spirituality

Seminar in Jewish Identity: The golden midpath - The hustle and bustle of the 21st century bridging the spiritual realms of the writing of the Kabbalists.

Woman as Rabbis?

The Role of Women & Men in Judaism

Find out the historical benefits Judaism gives to wives, mothers, and daughters.

Group Dialogue - Modern Zionism & the 21st Century

Lessons on the Devopment of a Nation.

How to inspire the love of modern Israel to fellow Jews in the diaspora. Seminar detailing the ways of modern middle east life and lifestyles.

Power of Speech

Seminar in Jewish Identity: Words can kill.

Learning the ability of having a positive attitude to one's fellow man.

Family Life

Seminar in Jewish Identity: The break-up of the nuclear family.

The centrality of the Jewish home in the continuity of Jewish values and ethics.

Facing the Missionary

Judaism & Christianity

Explore historical roots of Christianity and understand how to answer a proselytizing missionary.

The Parameters of Charity

Seminar in Jewish Identity: An understanding of the laws of charity, interests, and business ethics. The ancient decree against corruption.

Science Under the Microscope

Judaism & Evolution

Learn what the Torah says about mankind, where we came from and where we are headed.