Home > Connect > Israel Engagement > WHC Israel Family Trip 2023
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This August, join Washington Hebrew Congregation’s Rabbi Sue Shankman and Cantor Susan Bortnick for the trip of a lifetime as we spend 11 days exploring the hustle and bustle of Tel Aviv, the lush beauty of the Sea of Galilee, and of course the sacred history of Jerusalem.
You’ll stay in some of the finest accommodations Israel has to offer and will experience everything from Masada and the Dead Sea to Yad Vashem and the Old City, plus many more along the way.
And if you’ve ever wanted a b’nei mitzvah in the Holy Land, whether you’re 13, 83, or anything in-between, that opportunity is included, at Ezrat Israel in Jerusalem!
The trip is open to everyone, so invite your family and friends (even if they’re not WHC members) to come along.
So sign up today! A $500 per person deposit holds your spot, with final payment due May 31.
Depart Dulles International Airport to Tel Aviv; United Airlines flight #72 ETD: 10:45 pm.
Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport. UA # 72 ETA: 4:40 pm. Meeting and assistance through customs. Transfer to Tel Aviv. Welcome dinner. Overnight: Dan Hotel, Tel Aviv
Breakfast at hotel. Visit Peres Center for Peace and Innovation; The center, founded by Nobel Peace Laureate and former President of Israel Shimon Peres, explores Shimon Peres’ vision for Peace in the Middle East and Israel as a leading start-up nation. Time permitting: Visit the Palmach museum, an interactive museum displaying the legacy of the Elite striking force of the Haganah and Israel battle for Independence. Stroll through Nachlat Binyamin Arts and Crafts market. Join Beit Tefilah Israeli for a musical Kabbalat Shabbat at Tel Aviv beach. Group Shabbat dinner. Overnight: Dan Hotel, Tel Aviv. Shabbat Shalom
Breakfast at hotel. Drive to Giv’at Hakibutzim; Visit the Ayalon Institute to reveal a pre-state secret. Tour of Jaffa’s old port and artist’s colony. Tour of Tel Aviv; Walk through Neve Tzedek to Rothchild Blvd. Afternoon: Visit the newly opened Anu Museum of the Jewish People. Overnight: Dan Hotel, Tel Aviv
Breakfast at hotel. Depart Tel Aviv, traveling via the coastal highway to Caesarea, visit the Roman theater and walk along the Mediterranean coast. Drive to Ussfya Druze village; meet this unique ethnic group that tied its fate with the fate of Israel. Home hospitality followed by traditional lunch. Proceed to Haifa; View the Bahai Shrine and world-famous Bahai gardens. Visit Acre; UNESCO world heritage city; Visit the Crusader’s Halls and underground city. Dinner and overnight: Nof Ginosar, Kibbutz hotel.
Breakfast at hotel. Hike Tel Dan nature reserve and Biblical city. Board your jeep to ascend the Golan Heights for insight into the strategic complexity of Israel’s Northern borders. Continue to Kibbutz Misgav Am for security briefing and meeting with Kibbutz members living on the borderline. Rafting down the Jordan River. Dinner followed by lantern-lit tour of Nimrod fortress. Overnight: Nof Ginosar, Kibbutz hotel
Breakfast at hotel. Drive to Sefad, famous for its role in the development of Talmud and mysticism; visit its exquisite artists’ quarter, cobbled streets, and old synagogues. Visit Kfar Kedem Biblical village; Experience and recreate the day-to-day life of this ancient land. Donkey ride, Biblical activities, and lunch. Drive to Jerusalem. Shehecheyanu ceremony on Mount Scopus overlooking the “Golden City’. Overnight: Orient hotel, Jerusalem
Breakfast at hotel. Enter the Old City of Jerusalem – A small city with three great religions. Our visit to the Old City will take us to the Southern Wall excavations, Davidson Center, the Western Wall, the Western Wall Tunnel, the Via Dolorosa, and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Walk along the Arab Shuk and the Roman Cardo. View the Knesset and the Supreme Court. Guided tour of Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial including the Children Pavilion. Special b’nei mitzvah twinning project followed by a ceremony and certificate presentation. Overnight: Orient Hotel, Jerusalem
Breakfast at hotel. Overlooking the Southern Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, Rabbi Sue Shankman and Cantor Susan Bortnick will lead b’nei mitzvah service – a lasting memory you will always treasure. Festive b’nei mitzvah lunch and celebration. Overnight: Orient Hotel, Jerusalem
Breakfast at hotel. Drive through Ella valley where David fought Goliath to Tel Maresha for a most fascinating experience; digging our roots at Beit Guvrin with the guidance of the Archeological Seminars Experts, we will learn about past civilizations and visit the Roman Columbarium. Return to Jerusalem. Culinary tour of Machane Yehuda. Kabbalat Shabbat at Western Wall. Shabbat dinner and overnight: Orient Hotel, Jerusalem
Breakfast at hotel. Depart Jerusalem via the Judean Desert and along the Dead Sea shores. View Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls lay hidden. Ascend by cable car to Masada; King Herod’s fortress and Jewish zealots’ last stronghold. Freshen up and have lunch at the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. Return to Jerusalem. Farewell dinner. Transfer from Jerusalem to Ben Gurion Airport for your departure home. United Airlines flight 73 to IAD. ETD: August 13 at 12:20 am.
Arrival at Dulles International Airport. ETA: 5:30 am. Shalom Ulehitra’ot
United Airlines direct flights from Washington Dulles International (IAD) and back to IAD.
Deposit requirements and terms for flights: $200 per person. Deposit is refundable, less $500 airline handling fees until March 31, 2023
Cost is $5,300 per person, sharing double room
Single supplement: $1,788 Child age 2-12 reduction when sharing parent’s room: $950
Land and Air Deposit: To confirm your land and air arrangements, please forward $500 per person deposit. This deposit, less $50 per person handing fees, is refundable until March 31, 2023.
All cancelations must be in writing, effective from the day received. No refunds are issued for cancellations received after the tour departs. Airline penalties could be equal to the total cost of the ticket.
Following cancellation fees will be deducted from your refund or deposit.
Luggage is the responsibility of the passengers and the airlines. Lost luggage claims are the passenger’s responsibility to notify the airlines directly.
Must be valid six months beyond trip return date. Please email ASAP a copy of your passport with a photo.
The sequence of activities in the itinerary may change or be reversed and some may be omitted due to circumstances beyond our control. Pricing is subject to change until the trip is paid in full.
United Airlines checked luggage: 1 piece up to 50 pounds per person.
Hand luggage (carry-on): 10 pounds per person.
Find answers to frequently asked questions at the Travel Israel website: http://www.sy-israel-tours.com/faq.html
