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11-Day Jewish Heritage Tour to Israel

11-Day Jewish Heritage Tour to Israel

This is Israel’s most extensive tour package we offer, with an in-depth review of its Jewish history and Heritage. Our 11-day Jewish heritage tour to Israel covers many sites and activities, unfolding Israel’s history and culture most excitingly. From the Golan Heights to the Red Sea, Tel-Aviv to the Negev desert. Our hand-crafted tour proposal combines outdoor activities, enchanting landscapes, cultural and food experiences, and much more.

Day 1 – Caesarea and Atlit

  • atlit-detention-camp-busWELCOME TO ISRAEL!. Assisting you with the passport control and the baggage claim, you are ready to go! Your first stop could be Caesarea, a former metropolis in Roman times. You will appreciate the new visitors center the wealth of archaeological remains, especially around the port.
  •  If time permits, you can also join a tour of Atlit Detainee Camp. In the 1940s, the British detained Jewish immigrants eager to reach the Land of Israel.
  • Reaching Haifa, appreciate the grand view of the Bahai Gardens in Haifa before checking in and setting dinner.

Overnight: Haifa

Day 2 – The Jewish Heritage in the Galilee

  • Visit the ancient site of Sepphoris, an important Jewish center in Talmudic times. Here, in the 3rd century CE, the Mishna was compiled.
  • Tour the site’s ruins, including its most extensive collections of mosaics in Israel.
  • Explore the enigmatic mosaic floor of Sepphoris’ synagogue, which presents a surprising combination of Jewish and Pagan subjects.
  • At nearby Beth Shearim, delve into the burial caves of the most significant Jewish cemetery in Galilee in antiquity, including the burial of the famed R. Yehudah the Prince.
  • Back in Haifa, visit Elijah’s cave and learn about the local traditions of the site.

Overnight: Haifa

Day 3 – The Jews of Akko and Peki’in

  • Drive to Akko, a central city since Canaanite times and former capital of the Crusaders.
  • Stroll among the antiquities and local market of Akko’s old city.
  • visit the British-era prison where Jewish underground members were arrested and some executed,
  • Continue to Rosh Hanikra Grottoes, where a cable car will lead you into the caves carved in the soft chalk rock, all at the border between Israel and Lebanon.
  • After lunch, head to Peki’in to visit the synagogue of a Jewish community whose ancestry traces back to Roman times(!).

Overnight: Tiberias

Day 4 – Jewish Spirituality in Safed

  • Drive to Safed, a former center known for Kabbalah philosophy and now a Jewish artists’ colony.
  • Stroll along Safed’s main street and appreciate its Jewish Art galleries.
  • Visit Ha’ari Hakadosh synagogue, where Rabbi Yosef Karo compiled the “Shulchan Aruch” Jewish Law Codex.
  • Nearby, visit the famous tomb of the Rashbi, the most popular Rabbi’s tomb in Israel.
  • Drive along the border with Lebanon and learn about Israel’s northern frontier.
  • Explore the old synagogue of Bar’am, one of the best-preserved synagogues from antiquity.

Overnight: Tiberias

Day 5 – Explore the Golan Heights

  • bentalAscend the Golan Heights and reach the top of Mt. Bental. Here, you can view both Israel and deep into Syria, and explore an unmanned IDF bunker here.
  • Nearby, visit the 1973 Valley of Tears battle site. In October 1973, a small tank force heroically successfully held against a massive Syrian attack.
  • Join an ATV tour next to the Syrian Border to appreciate the Golan countryside’s beauty and special geo-politics.
  • Have a unique lunch and hospitality experience in a Druze village.
  • View the site of Gamla. Here, 2000 years ago, the Jewish city was conquered in a brutal Roman assault. Today, the site is part of a nature reserve. It combines the archaeological site with unique eagle nestling enclaves and breathtaking vistas of the Sea of Galilee.

Overnight: Tiberias

Day 6 – Greet Jerusalem

  • Have an optional sail on the Sea of Galilee from Tiberias to Kibbutz Ginosar.
  • See the unique first-century CE synagogue discovered in Magdala. Assess the meaning of the enigmatic decorated stone found in its center. Combine it with an optional visit to Capernaum‘s ancient synagogue.
  • Visit the tomb mark of Maimonides and possibly other rabbis’ tomb marks in Tiberias.
  • Assess the archaeological discoveries that may relate to the ancient Sanhedrin found in ancient Tiberias and Hamath Tiberias.
  • Pass by Kinneret farm and cemetery and learn about the first Jewish Pioneers here, who also founded the first kibbutz in the world (!).
  • Enjoy a typical Israeli barbecue lunch in Beit She’an, followed by a tour of the site’s rich remains from Roman times.
  • Reach Jerusalem towards sunset and greet with a “Sheheyanu” from the Mount of Olives grand view of the city.

Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 7 – Unfolding Biblical Jerusalem

Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 8 – The Temple Mount and the Western Wall

Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 9 – Masada and the Dead Sea

  • masadaDrive towards the Dead Sea with an ptional stop on at Sea Level sign for fun and short Camel Ride.
  • At Masada, admire the site which witnessed a great drama 2000 years ago. See the wealth of remains and assess its tragic end for the Jewish rebels.
  • Have an authentic kibbutz lunch experience at  Kibbutz Ein Gedi, followed by a stroll in the famous Botanical Gardens.
  • Alternatively, drive to one of the hotels by the Dead Sea for a lunch and swim experience.
  • On the way back to Jerusalem, stop to view the caves where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered (Qumran).
  • If time permits, learn how Biblical Tsitsit was made at the unique Tekhelet Factory.

Overnight: Jerusalem

Day 10 – Track Goliath and Samson in the  Shephela

  • Drive to the pastoral low hills of the Shephela countryside.
  • Reach the summit of Tel Azekah and assess the reality behind the biblical story of the Battle site of David and Goliath.
  • Tour biblical Lachish and learn about its devastation by the Assyrians in 701 BCE.
  • Dive along the historical 1948 Burma Road and learn about the battles of providing Jerusalem with vital supplies during the War of Independence.
  • Time permitting, join a tour of the 1948 Secret Bullet Factory (“Machon Ayalon”).

Overnight: Tel-Aviv

Day 11 – Fun in Tel-Aviv

  • tel aviv shutterstockVisiti the Independence Hall on Rothschild Boulevard, where the state of Israel was declared.
  • Continue on Rothschild Boulevard and learn how Tel-Aviv was established and developed into Israel’s metropolis.
  • Proceed to Jaffa and learn about its rich history. Stroll in its scenic alleys and enjoy its unique art galleries.
  • Go to the Flea Market for a lunch break and chance finds of rare vintage memorabilia.
  • Reach Rabin’s Assassination site. Here, in 1995, the Israeli prime minister was shot by opposition to the contemporary peace process with the Palestinians.
  • Time permitting, visit the Palmach Museum or the ANU Museum, or try the extreme jet fighter flight simulator (“The Squadron”)!

Contact us to inquire more about an 11-day Jewish Heritage tour to Israel:

    Our tour days with Danny were outstanding— so enlightening; the bat mitzvah also went absolutely great, and since that was the main purpose of the trip, we are ecstatic to have accomplished our goal.

    Sam P,. USA

    We have really enjoyed our time with you.. I learned so much from your explanations… I really think I will remember this trip forever. Todah Rabbah!

    Dorit Sh., USA

    I wanted to thank you for making our first trip to Israel such a spectacular one… You were the perfect guide... You really made the Bible come to life…

    Jennifer and Stuart Z., USA

    Not only are you a great maggid of the history of the Jewish people and their homeland but you are an awesome photographer. I know that the trip is not over, but it has already exceeded our expectations.

    Cliff K., USA

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