Program is tentative and subject to change. Connect with our Customer Care Team by calling: (888) 230-6008 Mon.-Thur. from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).
YOUR journey
J² crafts journeys of inspiration, education, and Jewish connections to Israel and worldwide. We are guided by a simple but powerful concept: No two trips are the same; each experience should be personal, meaningful, and backed by superb service. Travel is not just about the places you visit, but the connections you make along the way.
Archaeology 
Art & Culture 
Current Affairs 
Expert Scholar 
Food & Wine 
Heritage 
Home Hospitality 
Innovation - Local Specialists
Program Itinerary
DAY 1
ON OUR WAY
Sat. Jan 27, 2024
- Depart the USA.
Overnight: Flight
DAY 2
WELCOME TO ISRAEL
Sun. Jan 28, 2024
- Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport.
- Welcome dinner at the hotel with local colleagues.
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Meals: Dinner
DAY 3
THE TAPESTRY OF ISRAEL
Mon. Jan 29, 2024
- A Culture of Creativity: Talk with technology journalist Viva Sarah Press about how tiny Israel is playing a giant role in hi-tech. We’ll hear the personal stories behind the Start-Up Nation and find out why Israeli innovation (and chutzpah) is changing the hi-tech world and our lives.
- Visit the Peres Peace Center, created by the late Shimon Peres, former Prime Minister and President of Israel, to develop peacebuilding programs based on innovation and optimism.
- You’re warmly invited into the home of Doris Hiffawi to hear about her life as a Christian Arab in Jaffa.
- Guided by both Jewish and Arab guides, explore the complexities and current issues prevalent in Jaffa society.
- Drive north on the Trans-Israel Highway and see the Security Barrier which runs along the seam zone between Israel and the Palestinian territories.
- Dinner with the Mayor of Haifa Einat Kalisch-Rotem and Reform Colleagues from Haifa and neighboring cities.
Overnight: Haifa
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
DAY 4
LIFE IN THE NORTH: PAST AND PRESENT
Tue. Jan 30, 2024
- Farmers, Fighters, and Flyers: Visit Nahalal, Israel’s first moshav, and encounter the Israeli experiment of communal living, then and now. We’ll discuss why its members played such a prominent role in the Israeli military while visiting the village’s secret weapons hideaway used during the 1948 War of Independence.
- The revolution of the Mishna Guided visit to Beit She’arim, Site of a 1,800-year-old Jewish necropolis and the graves of some of the most important codifiers of Jewish tradition declared an UNESCO Site.
- Head to Sindyanna of Galilee and sample some of their award-winning olive oil. Discover how this nonprofit organization is producing fine, fair-trade products and creating economic opportunities for Arab women, one of Israel’s most underemployed sectors.
- Twenty percent of Israel’s citizens are Arab. We’ll discuss the complex situation for Israeli Arab citizens with Zouheir Bahloul, an Israeli Arab sports broadcaster, journalist, and politician.
- Opportunity for group conversation & reflection.
- Visit a village on Mount Carmel for a glimpse into the lives of Israel’s Druze community. We’ll enjoy the tastes of the Druze kitchen with a home hospitality dinner.
Overnight: Haifa
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
DAY 5
ON THE SEAM
Wed. Jan 31, 2024
- Check out of the hotel.
- Take a moment at the top of Mt. Carmel to admire the view of Haifa Bay, including the beautiful Baha’i Gardens and the gold-domed Shrine of the Bab.
- The Reform movement and Russia and Ukrainian refugees meet with Student Rabbi Miriam Klimova and hear about the challenges and joys of leading a Russian Ukrainian community in Haifa.
- Take a Tasting tour through the multicultural Wadi Nisnas neighborhood and Shuk market.
- Travel to the Reform Congregation in Shoham to meet with Rabbi Rinat Sefania. Learn about the status of Holocaust survivors in Shoham and Israel, including demographics across Israel, welfare issues and politics in supporting survivors, and more. Bake challot, cakes and cookies to deliver to Holocaust survivors in Shoham.
- Drive to Jerusalem.
- Enter the vibrant and colorful ancient city of Jerusalem and experience the convergence of the old and the new.
- Experience Jerusalem’s night life.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast, Tasting Tour & Dinner
DAY 6
THE LAYERS OF JERUSALEM
Thu. Feb 1, 2024
- Take part in a session led by your J² expert: “Organizing a Tour: What Does It Take?”
- Explore the Jerusalem Archaeological Park, including a visit to the Davidson Center and the Southern Wall Excavations.
- Experience the complexity of inter-religious relations on Mount Zion. We’ll first visit the Upper Room. It is venerated by Christians as the location of Jesus’ Last Supper but was, for a period, converted into a mosque. In a room directly below, Jews pray at the place believed to be King David’s Tomb.
- Experience the sights, smells, and tastes of Jerusalem while taking a walk through the Mahane Yehuda open-air market.
- Discuss the way forward in the struggle for religious pluralism and gender equality in Israel with Orly Erez – Likhovsky director of the Israel Religious Action Center.
- Evening at leisure in Jerusalem.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 7
THE POWER OF MEMORY
Fri. Feb 2, 2024
- Meet Matti Friedman, a Canadian Israeli journalist, who is an op-ed contributor for the New York Times and columnist for Tablet magazine.
- J² staff educators will lead a session on what to avoid and what opportunities can arise in the relationship between the tour guide, group leader, and group.
- The Danger of power – study session with a guest scholar - Visit Herodian, where King Herod built an impressive palace-fortress and where he is believed to have been buried in 4 BCE. This archaeological Site is the ideal place to explore the clout and character of one of ancient Israel’s most influential and polarizing figures.
- Is Religion the Way Forward or an Obstacle to Peace? We’ll go beyond the Green Line to meet with Ali Abu Awwad and Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger/ Rabbi Shaul Judelman from Shorashim (Roots), a program bringing West Bank Palestinians and their Jewish neighbors together despite their fears and suspicions.
- Kabbalat Shabbat services at a local synagogue followed by a home hospitality Shabbat dinner.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast & Shabbat Dinner
DAY 8
SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM
Sat. Feb 3, 2024
- Services at local Synagogues.
- Enter the Old City through St. Stephen’s Gate (aka Lions’ Gate). This gate, which is believed to be the start of Jesus’ walk from prison to the crucifixion, is where Israeli paratroopers entered the Old City during the Six Day War of 1967, on their way to conquering the Temple Mount.
- We’ll see the Pools of Bethesda, where Jesus cured the lame man (John 5) and experience the amazing acoustics of the medieval Church of St. Anne. The route will take us past the 2nd-century Ecce Homo Arch where, according to tradition, Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus to death. We will also see the nearby Sisters of Zion Convent.
- The exploration of the Christian Quarter will include following the Via Dolorosa, the path Jesus is believed to have taken when he walked, holding a cross, to the crucifixion.
- Lunch in the Old City.
- At the end of the Via Dolorosa is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the place where Jesus is believed to have been crucified. This church is one of Christianity’s great pilgrimage sites and a testament to the remarkable diversity of the Christian world. It includes an empty tomb where it is said that Jesus was buried and resurrected.
- Reflect on and share about your experiences.
- Farewell dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight: Flight
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
DAY 9
SEE YOU SOON, NOT GOODBYE
Sun. Feb 4, 2024
- Arrive home.
RATES & LODGING
participants
20+
Cost p/p in double room
$1,949
Cost p/p in single room
$2,209
Tel Aviv: Dan Panorama
- Nights: 1
- Room Category: Tel Aviv
- Hotel Website
Haifa: Dan Panorama
- Nights: 2
- Room Category: Superior Carmel
- Hotel Website
Jerusalem: Dan Panorama
- Nights: 3+LCO
- Room Category: Jerusalem
- Hotel Website
What to expect
- 6 nights' accommodations. Late check out on the day of departure is included.
- 7 days of touring with a tour educator (guide), 7 days of touring in a luxury, air-conditioned bus.
- Daily breakfast & 6 dinners.
- Water on the bus.
- Porterage at the airport & hotels.
- All site entrance fees & program fees as per your final program.
- Credit card fees.
- Flights to & from Israel.
- COVID related expenses, including tests.
- Evening transportation when dinner is not included.
- Amendments to the program: In the event that any sites, programs or meals etc. are added to the program, an additional fee may be required.
- Personal extras: Items of personal nature such as laundry, wines, mineral water, beverages, coffee, tea, food other than the table d’hotel menu, passport and visa fees, insurance, and foreign port taxes, unless otherwise specified.
- US and foreign airport taxes, Q fuel surcharge and border taxes when applicable.
- Value Added Tax is currently not applicable to tourists visiting Israel. Should the law change, you will be notified accordingly, and VAT will be added to your final invoice.
- Gratuities: Recommend guidelines for tipping are provided in the terms section.
- Please review our terms & conditions (T&C’s) or request that we send you our full T&C’s. Until you do that, here is the small print, and other stuff you may want to know:
- Validity | All prices quoted are based on exchange rates as of the proposal date and are subject to change without notice. Rates are per person and are based on shared twin room occupancy.
- How to Make a Reservation | The quickest way to make a reservation is to register online or contact us by email. We accept VISA, MasterCard, and American Express credit cards. A non-refundable deposit is required in order to complete the registration process.
- For any assistance with this registration process or other trip-related queries, please email Customer Care: [email protected].
- Payments | The balance of your payment is due 90 days before your trip begins, or as specified in your invoice. You will receive an email reminder 2 weeks before this date. Various payment options are available as follows:
- Credit card | We accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express. Please check with your credit card provider regarding international processing fees. We are unable to process payments of over $1,000 over the phone. Please submit payment online via a credit card or by wiring funds via your bank.
- Domestic bank wire transfer | Payment should be wired in the same currency that is listed on your invoice. Please add the name of your group or invoice number as a reference and forward a copy of the transfer receipt by email. The bank transfer should clearly state the beneficiary’s name on the wire transfer.
- Please use the following information: Citizens Bank: 1 Citizens Drive, Riverside, RI 02915 Routing number: 021313103 (Domestic only) ACH: 036076150 SWIFT Code: CTZIUS33 (International only)
- Beneficiary Instructions: For the benefit of J² Adventures. Account number: 1001858331
- J² Adventures reserves the right to automatically cancel your reservation on that date and it may be subject to reconfirmation should the final payment not be received.
- Cancelation Policy | All cancelations need to be made in writing. The cancelation fee depends on the date when we receive written notification of your request to cancel your booking. Please note that the deposit is non-refundable.
- Cancelation fees | Cancelations made 90 or more days prior to departure incur the loss of the deposit. Cancelations made 89 to 46 days prior to departure incur the loss of 50% of the full trip cost. Cancelations made 45 days or less prior to the departure incur the loss of 100% of the full trip cost.
- Cancelation fees may also include: Hotel or supplier cancelation fees. J² Adventures reserves the right to adjust its terms of payment, including cancelation policies and initial deposits.
- Protect your investment for $495 p/p: Should you cancel your trip up to 5 days before your departure for any reason, our POM program offers you a trip refund. Call 888-230-6008 or e-mail: [email protected].
- Please click here to view our full terms (T&C’s). These T&C’s apply to all reservations created within J2 Adventures.
DISCOVER NEW WORLDS.
JEWISH JOURNEYS.
A family vacation to Israel. An adventure of a lifetime traveling with friends to Morocco. A trip to Poland or Portugal with your community. What do these trips have in common? No matter where you go, you will come back with a fresh perspective and appreciation of the place you visited as well as a heightened awareness of your identity as part of the global Jewish community.
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