San Diego/Orange County Community Young Professionals/Grad Students

This fantastic tour is specifically for San Diego and Orange County-area young professionals and students so you'll fly from Los Angeles to explore your way through Israel! And, everyone on the trip is from southern California so you'll return with a whole new circle of friends!

Day 1 - Welcome to Israel!

Afternoon arrival in Israel - You will be joined by your Israeli participants at the airport
Travel to base
Check into rooms
Shehechiyanu Ceremony and Kabbalat Shabbat
Shabbat Dinner
Oneg Shabbat – group activity and program outline

Day 2 - First Shabbat in Israel

Morning Services – Why Do We Pray? Group activity and discussion
Jewish Lands and Jewish Texts – program led by staff – intro to the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel
Time to rest
Havdalah
Walking tour in Nachlaot, Hanukkah candles/chanukiot

Day 3 - In the Footsteps of Our Ancestors

Cave spelunking in Madras
Travel south
Lunch
Ein Avdat Canyon – desert hike through one of the most spectacular canyons and oases in the region
David Ben Gurion's Grave – Visit the grave of the first prime minister of the State of Israel, learn of his story, his leadership and his special connection to the Negev.
Bedouin Hospitality in Kfar Hanokdim

Day 4 - The Judean Desert

Early ascent to Masada – enjoy the sunrise and tour the site that has a unique story of faith and survival and that has become a central part of Israeli culture and Jewish legacy
Ein Gedi Hike
Swim in the Dead Sea!
Drive to Jerusalem
Fun group activity

Day 5 - The Old City of Jerusalem

Haas Promenade-Introduction to Jerusalem
Mt. Zion – learn of the centrality of the city to the three faiths – Christianity, Islam and Judaism
City of David - explore the first Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem, when King David chose Jerusalem as his capital, forever linking the city with the story of the Jewish people
Tour the Jewish Quarter - learn the stories of its inhabitants, then and now
The Kotel – the central, most significant site in Jewish tradition
Return to hotel and rest
Ben-Yehudah Street
Preparation for Yad Vashem

Day 6 - Memory and Remembrance

Yad Vashem – visit the National Memorial for the Victims and Martyrs of the Holocaust
Mt. Herzl – the tombs of the leaders of the nation and the military cemetery tell the story of the struggles for Jewish independence from the first days of Zionism to today
Drive north

Day 7 - Security and Israel's Neighbors

Kinneret Cemetery: Zionist heroes with Joel Goldman
Mt Bental – overlook into Syria and entire region, introduction to the area and the story of the Golan Heights
Valley of Tears – the battles of Yom Kippur War 1973
Winery in the Golan
Group activity at hotel

Day 8 - Spirituality and Kabbalah

Tsfat – tour of the old city, ancient synagogues and artists' galleries
Travel to Jerusalem
Check into hotel
Kabbalat Shabbat – at the Kotel
Shabbat Dinner
Oneg Shabbat – group fun!

Day 9 - Shabbat in Jerusalem

Morning Services – optional local synagogues
Group Activity – The Spirituality of Shabbat
Time to rest
Havdalah
Free Evening in Jerusalem

Day 10 - Partnership and Service

Travel to P2K community in Kiryat Malachi and Hof Ashkelon
Meet with local representative and youth club
Participate in volunteer project & community service
Travel to Tel-Aviv
Kikar Rabin (Yitzchak Rabin Square)
One-woman show: "The Four Faces of Israel"

Day 11 - Tel-Aviv – Then and Now

"Being Jewish in America and Israel": Panel with American immigrants
Tour of Neve Tzedek, oldest neighborhood in Tel Aviv
Lunch on Sheinkin St.
Final shopping at Azrieli St.
Program evaluation
Festive meal
Depart for the airport