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
Join us for the 2024 Cincinnati Community Mission to Israel! Generous subsidies of $4,000 per person, up to a maximum of $12,000 per family, are available thanks to the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati.
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.
An unforgettable trip awaits! Our community will take a transformative journey to Israel from July 7-16, 2024 and we are inviting you to participate!
Your $500 per person deposit is fully refundable till Sept. 1, 2023.
Once you have registered for the trip, you can also register for the extension to Petra in Jordan. Click here for details.
Active 
Archaeology 
Art & Culture 
Current Affairs 
Expert Scholar 
Food & Wine 
Heritage - Local Specialists
Nature Walks 
Social Justice - Special Access
Program Itinerary
DAY 1
ON THE WAY
Sun. Jul 7, 2024
- Depart on your flight to Israel.
Overnight: Flight
DAY 2
ARRIVAL
Mon. Jul 8, 2024
- Arrive at Ben-Gurion International Airport.
- Check-in to your hotel. (Hotel check-in time is generally from 3:00pm.)
- Opening session & welcome dinner with the tour educator & leaders.
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Meals: Welcome Dinner
DAY 3
THE FIRST HEBREW CITY
Tue. Jul 9, 2024
- Creating a community in the first Hebrew city- dialogue with Rabbi Ariel Konstantyn.
- From Hebrew City to Hebrew State: Walk along the Independence Trail in Tel Aviv and embark on a remarkable journey that begins with the founding of Tel Aviv in 1909 and ends with the establishment of Israel in 1948.
- Eat, drink, and learn at Levinsky Market, where we’ll sample food, sweets, and spices from all over the Mediterranean and the Middle East.
- Experience the dynamism of Jewish life at the newly opened ANU Museum of the Jewish People, dedicated to telling their story and representing their diversity, highlighting the creative works and cultural riches of a variety of communities in different periods of history until the present day.
- This evening we participate in a festive dinner together with everyone on the Cincinnati Community Mission.
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Community Dinner Event
DAY 4
THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS
Wed. Jul 10, 2024
- Beginnings: Modern Tel Aviv grew out of ancient Jaffa. Gaze out over the Mediterranean Sea; learn why Jaffa, mentioned in the biblical story of Jonah and the Whale, is so historically important; and see how its Old City reflects the present as well as the past.
- The Start Up Nation - The Peres Peace Center was created by the late Shimon Peres, former Prime Minister and President of Israel, to develop peace building programs based on innovation and optimism. Our visit will include a tour of the Israeli Innovation Center, which celebrates the people and companies that are making Israel the "innovation nation." The center includes continually updated, high-tech exhibits on everything from artificial intelligence to the latest developments in water use.
- Accompanied by Rabbi Joshua Berman a biblical archaeologist, visit Tel Azeka, the site of David’s battle against Goliath.
- Take part in an archaeological dig at the Beit Guvrin Caves: prepare to get your hands dirty uncovering pottery from the Hellenistic period, 2,300 years ago, and optionally crawl through the Maresha Cave Labyrinth, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Free time to enjoy Tel Aviv's kosher restaurants.
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 5
BETWEEN TWO CITIES
Thu. Jul 11, 2024
- Check-out of the hotel and depart for Jerusalem.
- Visit the Temple Institute (Machon HaMikdash).
- Explore the Jerusalem Archaeological Park, including the Davidson Center, Robinson’s Arch and the Southern Wall steps where Jewish pilgrims entered the Temple Mount 2,000 years ago.
- Proceed to the Old City and begin by stopping at the Kotel (Western Wall) to experience the special atmosphere of this holy site.
- Continue with a walking tour through the Jewish Quarter for visits to archaeological treasures and other highlights, among them:
- The Cardo, the main street of Jerusalem in the 6th century.
- King Hezekiah’s First Temple-period “Broad Wall”.
- Hurva Square, the central square of the Jewish Quarter.
- Stop at The Mir Yeshiva to feel the richness and intensity of Haredi life in Israel today.
- Check-in to your Jerusalem hotel.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 6
THE DEAD SEA BASIN
Fri. Jul 12, 2024
- Setting out early to explore the Dead Sea region.
- As Low as It Goes: We'll drive to the Dead Sea Basin, 1412 feet below sea level and the lowest place on earth. The desert, the landscape, and the views are breathtaking.
- The Last Stand: Take the cable car to the top of Masada with its extraordinary views and fascinating archaeological remains. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is where Jewish rebels are believed to have made their final attempt to resist Roman invaders (c 74 CE). We'll learn about Masada's importance as a symbol of Jewish defense and discuss its influence on modern Israel.
- We’ll drive by Qumran, where a separatist Jewish sect from the Second Temple period created an isolated community and where the Dead Sea Scrolls, some of the most ancient and important religious manuscripts in existence, were discovered.
- The Sea of Salt: Visit the Dead Sea.
- Return to Jerusalem.
- Join Shabbat services at a local synagogue.
- Festive Shabbat dinner.
OR
Home Hospitalty Dinner.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast & Shabbat Dinner
DAY 7
SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM
Sat. Jul 13, 2024
- Shabbat services at local synagogues.
- Home hospitality lunch.
- Optional walking tour of Yemin Moshe, one of the first neighborhoods beyond the Old City Walls.
- Three Stars in the Israeli Sky: At nightfall, we will mark the end of a special Shabbat with a communal Havdallah ceremony.
- Lights! Action! Jerusalem! Watch the Night Spectacular at the Tower of David Museum. The walls of the Citadel serve as the stage forthis cinematic celebration of sight and sound depicting the story of Jerusalem.
- Optional visit the Mamilla pedestrian arcade, a very contemporary shopping area with a whiff of the past, located outside the Jaffa Gate of the Old City; dinner on own.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
DAY 8
THE POWER OF MEMORY
Sun. Jul 14, 2024
- Early morning exploration of the Western Wall Tunnel, the underground continuation of the Kotel, and examine important archaeological discoveries that are revising our understanding of daily life in ancient Jerusalem. Shacharit in this unique location.
- Continue to the City of David, the core of ancient Jerusalem, and learn how the city was administered during the First Temple period. Our visit will include: Archaeological discoveries illustrating how the wealthy and powerful lived in ancient Jerusalem. With a local guide explore the excavations at the City of David, the very core of ancient Jerusalem, view the Gihon Spring and wade through the 2,700-year-old water tunnel of King Hezekiah.
- Experience the Mahane Yehuda open-air market and have a tasty lunch.
- Visit Yad Vashem, the national memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, an essential emotional and educational experience. Your tour will include:
- The Avenue of the Righteous, where trees symbolic of the renewal of life have been planted along with plaques honoring brave non-Jews who saved Jews during the Shoah.
- The Historical Museum, a state-of-the-art interactive display reflecting decades of research and educational expertise. The story of the Holocaust, with an emphasis on individual victims, is told through survivor testimonies, original artifacts, and personal possessions saved from the ghettos and camps.
- The Children’s Memorial, commemorating the 1.5 million children lost during the Holocaust.
- A memorial service where we will pay tribute to those who were lost. It will include the opportunity to talk about family members and loved ones who died during the Shoah.
- This evening we participate in a festive dinner together with everyone on the Cincinnati Community Mission.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Community Dinner Event
DAY 9
EARTHLY & HEAVENLY JERUSALEM
Mon. Jul 15, 2024
- Where are we and where are we going? A conversation with Ambassador of the United States to Israel - Thomas R. Nides.
- Meeting with President of Israel - Isaac Herzog at his official residence.
- Visit Gush Etzion including meetings with residents and an interactive experience at Machon Zomet.
- Encounter Jerusalem’s Ha'Tzalah - an orthodox organization dedicated to providing emergency services.
- Free time.
- Check out of your hotel before a festive farewell dinner.
- Group transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport to check in for your departure flights to the US.
Overnight: Flight
Meals: Breakfast & Farewell Dinner
DAY 10
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
Tue. Jul 16, 2024
- Arrive back in the U.S.
RATES & LODGING
participants
30+
Cost p/p in double room
$5,985
Cost p/p in single room
$7,675
$5,345 Cost per person sharing a room as third.
Cost of accommodations for pre & post nights including breakfast and all taxes:
-PRE Tel Aviv: Hilton $565,- per night per double occupancy room, $545,- per night per single occupancy room, $630,- per night per double occupancy room with child as third.
-POST Jerusalem: $400,- per night per double occupancy room, $385,- per night per single occupancy room, $440,- per night per double occupancy room with child as third.
The night of July 15 is not included. If you would like to reserve the full night (with check out on July 16) a charge of $160, per room will apply.
*All rates are subject to availability. Registration open
Tel Aviv: Hilton
- Nights: 3
- Hotel Website
Jerusalem: The Inbal
- Nights: 4 + LCO
- Hotel Website
What to expect
- 7 nights' accommodations. Late check out at 6:00 p.m. on the day of departure is included.
- 8 days of touring with a tour educator (guide), 7 days of touring in a luxury, air-conditioned bus.
- Daily breakfast, 3 lunches & 3 dinners (plus 2 Community Dinner Events).
- The J² adventures App available on the App Store & on Google Play (active 7 days before your departure and throughout your trip).
- 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 $500 per person 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.
- 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 after September 1, 2023 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. Please refer to the small print tab on your trip’s webpage or in your proposal for your cancelation policy and fees.
- 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.
J2 STUFF.
We have everything you need to know before you go. Check out our Instagram my_j2adventures for cool updates and interesting tidbits.
The J2 App
available on the App Store & on Google Play.
