Tsfat by Orne Ravid, iStock

Wrestling with the Angels, Israel

Dates: May 23 - June 2, 2022
Prices: TDB
The natural choice for your first seminar with Melton – even if you have visited Israel previously – providing new depth and understanding. The seminar takes participants along a 3,800-year timeline of the land and its narratives, from the world of Abraham to contemporary Israeli society. A variety of texts serves to bring the sites alive and provide an opportunity to explore pivotal moments in the history of the Jews in the land of Israel.
 
For more information, please contact us.
Please read Melton's comprehensive COVID-19 policy here.

 

  • DAY ONE: Monday
    INTRODUCTION

    Early-arrivals option

    Meet in hotel lobby at 1:30 p.m.

    Campus or Sanctuary: Between Ideals and Reality
    A special exploration of the Hebrew University, Mount Scopus campus

    Evening

    Opening Dinner

    Who Are We and Why Are We in Israel?
    Introductions and Reflections

    Overnight: Jerusalem

    DAY TWO: Tuesday
    FATEFUL DECISIONS DURING THE FIRST AND SECOND TEMPLE PERIODS

    Morning  

    Why Jerusalem? Study session overlooking The City of David
    Field trip to the Jewish Quarter

    Group lunch in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City  

    Free time

    Afternoon

    Days of Glory; Days of Destruction
    Exploration of the Herodian Mansion in the Old City   

    Summary Session: Why Was The Temple Destroyed?

    Tour of the Western Wall Tunnels

    Evening

    A visit to the Israel Museum and The Shrine of the Book (optional)

    Dinner at leisure

    Overnight: Jerusalem

    DAY THREE: Wednesday
    IN APOCALYPTIC TIMES

    Morning

    Early departure for Dead Sea region

    The Dead Sea Sect: Rejecting the Center in the Struggle for Light 
    Field trip to Qumran

    Afternoon

    Masada: Fighters for the Future of the Jewish People? 
    Field trip to Masada 

    Swim in the Dead Sea  OR

    Study Session: Bar Kochba: True or False Messiah?

    Evening 

    Group dinner in Jerusalem

     Overnight: Jerusalem

    DAY FOUR: Thursday
    NEW CITIES FROM OLD - JEWISH CULTURE REDEFINED IN A CHANGED REALITY     

    Morning

    A City Rises From the Dunes 
    Explore earliest neighborhoods beyond the walls of Jaffa

    "We Hereby Declare the Establishment of a Jewish State…" 
    Explore the growing city, including Rothschild Boulevard, where Ben Gurion declared Israel's Independence

    Lunch in central Tel Aviv

    Afternoon

    Can We Build Anew by Learning from Our Past? 

    Bialik in Tel Aviv- Then and Now 
    Study session in Bialik's house in central Tel Aviv 

    The Day the Music Died... 
    A visit to Kikar Rabin

    Reflections

    Evening

    Group dinner in the Yemenite Quarter of Tel Aviv

    Overnight: Jerusalem

    DAY FIVE: Friday
    FATEFUL DECISIONS - THE CITIZENS' PERSPECTIVES

    Morning

    Symbols and Signs - Mapping Jerusalem's Multi-faceted Population
    Study session, followed by field trip to Jerusalem neighborhoods

    Afternoon

    Free time; Preparations for Shabbat

    Evening

    Lekha Dodi Likrat Kallah
    Candle-lighting at King David's Tomb on Mt. Zion

    Evening service at the Kotel   

    Traditional dinner: Se'udat Shabbat

    Group discussion and reflections

    Overnight - Jerusalem

    DAY SIX: Saturday
    SHABBAT

    Morning Services at Synagogue(s) of choice

    Study session: Parshat Hashavua: A Look at the Weekly Torah Portion   

    Group lunch

    Afternoon

    Choice of Walking Tours:

    • The Poetry of Yehuda Amichai  OR   
    • Along King David Street: Three Buildings, Three Faiths, Three Agendas

    Se'udah Shlisheet  - late afternoon snack and schmooze

    Havdalah

    Evening

    Dinner and evening at leisure

    Overnight: Jerusalem

    DAY SEVEN: Sunday
    FATEFUL DECISIONS IN THE WAKE OF THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SECOND TEMPLE

    Morning

    Travel north to Caesarea   

    Between Caesarea and Jerusalem - Two World Views 
    Field trip and study session at Caesarea 

    Lunch at leisure

    Afternoon

    The Period of the Mishna: Responding to New Jewish Realities 
    Field trip and study session at Beit Shearim OR Tsippori   

    Drive further north to Tsfat

    Evening

    Group dinner

    Study session: The Fable of the Goat

    Overnight: Ruth Safed Hotel

    DAY EIGHT: Monday
    FROM OLD TO NEW (ZIONIST) JEWS: TWO VISIONS OF REDEMPTION

    Morning

    Building Community in Anticipation of Redemption 
    Exploration of story and synagogues of Tsfat   

    Lunch at leisure

    Afternoon

    "Deep River; My Heart is Over Jordan…" 
    Rafting on the Jordan River (weather permitting)

    Of Farmers and Poets: What Motivated the New Jew?
    Field trip to Kinneret Farm and Kinneret Cemetery

    Evening

    Group dinner in Tiberias

    Overnight: at the Kinneret

     

    DAY NINE: Tuesday
    FROM 67 to '67... AND BEYOND: FATEFUL DECISIONS - THEN AND NOW

    Morning

    Options on the Syrian Front
    Study session   

    "From Here you Look Seven-Fold Larger..." Overview into Galilee Panhandle from Golan Heights and examination of the period leading to the 1967 War

    Yom HaDin: What Went Wrong?
    Stop at sites connected to the Yom Kippur War and examination of outbreak of Yom Kippur War in 1973. 

    Lunch in Katzrin, “Capital” of the Golan

    Afternoon

    My Past; My Future/Our Past, Our Future
    Meeting in Katzrin with resident of the Golan 

    What Do We Learn From the Story of Gamla?
    Visit the Golan Archaeological Museum in Katzrin 

    Summary session

    Make our way back to Jerusalem

    Evening at leisure

    Overnight: Jerusalem

    DAY TEN: Wednesday
    DIFFICULT FREEDOM: DILEMMAS OF SOVEREIGNTY

    Morning

    Israel and the Holocaust: What Meaning Has Been Given to the Holocaust in Israeli Collective Memory?
    Site visit and study session at Yad VaShem 

    Lunch at leisure

    Afternoon

    Free time

    Land and Compromise: Addressing One of Israel's Central Challenges 
    * Study session at hotel
    * Departure for field trip, home hospitality and dinner
    * Encounter with differing viewpoints on the issue

    Overnight: Jerusalem

    DAY ELEVEN: Thursday
    BACK TO THE FUTURE

    Morning

    Symbols of Sovereignty 
    A visit to Mt. Herzl   

    "And the Children Will Return to Their Borders..." 
    Stop at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel

    S.Y. Agnon as Symbol 
    A visit and study session in the home of the Nobel Laureate

    Lunch at leisure

    Afternoon

    Free time

    Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going To? 
    Closing activity evaluating the seminar

    Evening

    Festive farewell dinner

    NOTE: Please try to arrange flights from 11:45 p.m. on, so as to enjoy the dinner with the group.

    Note: Itinerary subject to change. Museum visits and personal shopping time may be disrupted due to unforeseen circumstances or the many religious, state and local holidays observed in the destinations being visited.

  • Contact the Melton Travel Seminars Team

    Call Haim Aronovitz at the Melton Travel Seminars offices in Israel:

    +972-54-799-7906
    +1-877-729-2805 (toll free from USA)
    +1-800-088-094 (toll free from Australia)

    Call Andrea Gardenhour at the Melton Travel Seminars offices in the US:

    847-714-9843
    818-489-8300 (mobile)

    Or, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or fill out our contact form.