
Wrestling with the Angels, Israel
Prices from: $3,990 USD (land only).
Single supplement from: $1,168 USD.
DAY ONE: Monday
INTRODUCTIONEarly-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 campusEvening
Opening Dinner
Who Are We and Why Are We in Israel?
Introductions and ReflectionsOvernight: Jerusalem
DAY TWO: Tuesday
FATEFUL DECISIONS DURING THE FIRST AND SECOND TEMPLE PERIODSMorning
Why Jerusalem? Study session overlooking The City of David
Field trip to the Jewish Quarter
Group lunch in the Jewish Quarter of the Old CityFree time
Afternoon
Days of Glory; Days of Destruction
Exploration of the Herodian Mansion in the Old CitySummary Session: Why Was The Temple Destroyed?
Tour of the Western Wall TunnelsEvening
A visit to the Israel Museum and The Shrine of the Book (optional)
Dinner at leisure
Overnight: Jerusalem
DAY THREE: Wednesday
IN APOCALYPTIC TIMESMorning
Early departure for Dead Sea region
The Dead Sea Sect: Rejecting the Center in the Struggle for Light
Field trip to QumranAfternoon
Masada: Fighters for the Future of the Jewish People?
Field trip to MasadaSwim 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 REALITYMorning
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 IndependenceLunch 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 AvivThe Day the Music Died...
A visit to Kikar RabinReflections
Evening
Group dinner in the Yemenite Quarter of Tel Aviv
Overnight: Jerusalem
DAY FIVE: Friday
FATEFUL DECISIONS - THE CITIZENS' PERSPECTIVESMorning
Symbols and Signs - Mapping Jerusalem's Multi-faceted Population
Study session, followed by field trip to Jerusalem neighborhoodsAfternoon
Free time; Preparations for Shabbat
Evening
Lekha Dodi Likrat Kallah
Candle-lighting at King David's Tomb on Mt. ZionEvening service at the Kotel
Traditional dinner: Se'udat Shabbat
Group discussion and reflections
Overnight - Jerusalem
DAY SIX: Saturday
SHABBATMorning 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 TEMPLEMorning
Travel north to Caesarea
Between Caesarea and Jerusalem - Two World Views
Field trip and study session at CaesareaLunch at leisure
Afternoon
The Period of the Mishna: Responding to New Jewish Realities
Field trip and study session at Beit Shearim OR TsipporiDrive further north to Tsfat
Evening
Group dinner
Study session: The Fable of the Goat
Overnight: Tsfat
DAY EIGHT: Monday
FROM OLD TO NEW (ZIONIST) JEWS: TWO VISIONS OF REDEMPTION
MorningBuilding Community in Anticipation of Redemption
Exploration of story and synagogues of TsfatLunch 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 CemeteryEvening
Group dinner in Tiberias
Overnight: at the Kinneret
DAY NINE: Tuesday
FROM 67 to '67... AND BEYOND: FATEFUL DECISIONS - THEN AND NOWMorning
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 GolanWhat Do We Learn From the Story of Gamla?
Visit the Golan Archaeological Museum in KatzrinSummary session
Make our way back to Jerusalem
Evening at leisure
Overnight: Jerusalem
DAY TEN: Wednesday
DIFFICULT FREEDOM: DILEMMAS OF SOVEREIGNTYMorning
Israel and the Holocaust: What Meaning Has Been Given to the Holocaust in Israeli Collective Memory?
Site visit and study session at Yad VaShemLunch at leisure
Afternoon
Free time
Land and Compromise: Addressing one of Israel's Central Challenges
* Study session at hotel
* Departure for home hospitality and dinner
* Encounter with differing viewpoints on the issueOvernight: Jerusalem
DAY ELEVEN: Thursday
BACK TO THE FUTUREMorning
Symbols of Sovereignty
A visit to Mt. Herzl"And the Children Will Return to Their Borders..."
Stop at Kibbutz Ramat RachelS.Y. Agnon as Symbol
A visit and study session in the home of the Nobel LaureateLunch at leisure
Afternoon
Free time
Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going To?
Closing activity evaluating the seminarEvening
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.
- For more information, please contact us.