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.
Once you have registered for the trip, you can also register for the extension. Click here for details.
Archaeology 
Art & Culture 
Food & Wine 
Heritage 
Local Specialists
Program Itinerary
DAY 1
ON OUR WAY
Mon. Mar 13, 2023
- Individual departures from the USA.
DAY 2
WELCOME TO ISRAEL
Tue. Mar 14, 2023
- 12:00 p.m. Meet at the hotel lobby and start our journey.
- Welcome to Jerusalem: Experience the convergence of the old and the new and stop at the Haas Promenade to recite the traditional “shehechiyanu” blessing.
- Enjoy an opening session & light lunch with the tour educator & leaders at Focaccia Bar Restaurant on Emek Refaim Street.
- Continue to the Old City and visit the Kotel (Western Wall) to experience the special atmosphere of this holy site.
- Visit the Jerusalem Archaeological Park, including the Davidson Center and Robinson’s Arch.
- Explore 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.
- Return to the hotel.
- Experience Jerusalem night life and explore the First Station.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Lunch
DAY 3
A CITY OF LAYERS
Wed. Mar 15, 2023
- Breakfast at an Israeli hotel is an experience in itself. Start the day with a bounteous buffet.
- Dialogue with Scott Copeland, our in house expert, about the political reality on the ground in Jerusalem.
- 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.
- Visit the Temple Mount, the site of the First and Second Temples, and today the location of the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest in Islam. (Time Permitting)
- Enjoy a special dinner experience: Take a multi-cultural tasting journey through the hustle and bustle of Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda open-air market. Enjoy the sights, smells, tastes, and sounds of this vibrant area where Jerusalemites shops.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
DAY 4
MASADA & THE DEAD SEA
Thu. Mar 16, 2023
- Enjoy an early breakfast at the hotel before setting out to explore the Dead Sea region.
- 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.
- Hike in Nahal David, part of the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. This is a desert oasis with springs, waterfalls, and freshwater pools, so don't forget your swimsuits. Featured are the ibex, hyraxes, and other desert mammals that live in this area. Nahal David is named after the biblical David, who fled here to escape from the murderous King Saul. (Time Permitting)
- Float in the Dead Sea. Not much can live (or swim) in the "Sea of Salt," which is nine times saltier than the ocean, but the weightless feeling of floating is great fun.
- Return to Jerusalem and to the hotel.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 5
THE POWER OF MEMORY
Fri. Mar 17, 2023
- Visit Yad Vashem, the national memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Your guided tour will include:
- The Avenue of the Righteous.
- The Children's Memorial.
- The Valley of the Communities.
- Visit Mt. Herzl, Israel's national cemetery, to discuss key events in the nation's history and to honor those who fell while fighting for the state. Our visit will include the main military Cemetery where Israel's fallen soldiers are buried side-by-side regardless of rank, each with a simple, stark gravestone.
- Return to the hotel to prepare for Shabbat.
- Join Jerusalem in welcoming the Sabbath, the high point of the Jewish week, with Kabbalat Shabbat at a Kol Haneshama.
- Festive Shabbat dinner at Shukriya.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast and Shabbat Dinner
DAY 6
SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM
Sat. Mar 18, 2023
- Optional Shabbat services lead by your clergy on the HUC Campus.
- 11:00am Meet at HUC and depart for the Old City.
- Explore Christian East Jerusalem through visits with Christian personalities and institutions with Hana Bendcowsky, Director of the Jerusalem Center for Jewish Christian Relations.
- Ben Kodesh Lechol: Havdallah at the Montefiore Windmill, overlooking the Old City.
- Free time in the Mamilla pedestrian arcade, a contemporary shopping area with a whiff of the past, located outside the Jaffa Gate of the Old City.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 7
PEOPLE BEHIND THE STORIES
Sun. Mar 19, 2023
- Explore Jewish and Israeli judicial traditions at the Supreme Court building and meet with a local leader of The Israel Religious Action Center. Learn how the current political climate effects reform Jews in Israel.
- Tour the grounds of Israel’s “Capitol Hill”: The Rose Garden, featuring more than 400 species of roses imported from all around the world; The Knesset – Israel’s Parliament building and its famous Menorah – Israel’s symbol monument built from bronze.
- Head up north.
- Enter the city of Shefaram, located between the Carmel Ridge and the entrance to the Galilee. This ancient-modern Arab town, once a Jewish center during the Talmudic period, later became one of the Crusades posts, and was eventually taken over by the Muslim Ottoman Empire. On this tour, which will be accompanied by a local Arab guide, you will experience various meetings with local residents, including visits to:
- A local family's home where you will be hosted for a delicious lunch.
- A mosque and a dialogue with the Muezzin (the Muslim clergy) about Islam and the life of a Muslim Arab in Israel.
- The Roman Catholic Church with its beautiful art, where you will hear the unique story of the Eastern Christians living in Israel.
- The Old Synagogue of Shefaram abandoned in the 1900’s. Engage in a conversation about the minorities in the land throughout the ages.
- Check into hotel and enjoy dinner.
Overnight: Upper Galilee
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
DAY 8
SERENITY AND SECURITY IN THE NORTH
Mon. Mar 20, 2023
- Visit the Tel Dan Nature Reserve. (Time Permitting)
- Stop for an overlook from Mt. Bental (overlooking the abandoned Syrian town of Kuneitra) for sharp insights into Israel’s security situation on the Golan Heights, and the enormous challenges it faced in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
- Explore Tsfat, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years and a contemporary artists’ colony, including:
- A guided visit to the Ari, Caro, or Abuhav Synagogue, each with its great stories and mystical messages.
- A stroll through the quaint Artists’ Colony and shop in the galleries and crafts shops.
- Dinner at the hotel.
- Evening conversation with Kibbutz member.
Overnight: Upper Galilee
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 9
ALONG THE COAST
Tue. Mar 21, 2023
- Check out of the hotel and head to the Hula Lake, Israel’s best place for bird-watching and home to thousands of storks, cranes, pelicans, and flamingos. We’ll learn why early Zionist efforts to drain these swamps have been replaced by environmental protection. And for those with a need for speed, there’s bike-riding and golf-carting.
- Head towards Caesarea to enjoy lunch at Jem's and taste locally brewed beer.
- Visit Caesarea, one of the Land of Israel’s most important cities in the Roman Period. Discover the Herodian Theater and the excavations along the Mediterranean shore, concluding with a visit to the ruined 900-year-old Crusader town.
- Meeting with Rabbi Chen Ben Tzfoni of Kehillat Ra’anan and her congregants.
- Continue south and enter the city of Tel Aviv, known as the “city that never sleeps,” with its centers of culture, recreation, and national history.
- Check into the hotel.
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 10
A HEBREW CITY
Wed. Mar 22, 2023
- Visit the Old City of Jaffa. Ascend from the old port through the renovated alleyways to the Jaffa Overlook for an introduction to Tel Aviv at the place where it all began and walk through the famous Jaffa Flea Market – “Shuk Hapishpishim.”
- 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.
- Visit the Ayalon Institute near Rehovot and uncover its role in the establishment of the state of Israel. This secret ammunition factory produced millions of bullets for Jewish forces fighting for a Jewish state and the end of British rule over Palestine.
- Enjoy Tel Aviv’s night life.
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 11
IN THE CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS
Thu. Mar 23, 2023
- Check out of the hotel.
- Join a local resident with will take you on an urban culture tour of Tel Aviv, combining street art, language, and graffiti.
- Visit ANU - Museum of the Jewish People, which is dedicated to telling the ongoing story of the Jewish people.
- The assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995 was one of the great traumas of Israeli political history. Discuss his life and death at Rabin Square, the place where he was murdered, and take a quiet moment to reflect at the Rabin Memorial. We’ll also see how Rabin Square has become one of the crucial public spaces in Israel and the location for political protests, state ceremonies, and spontaneous celebrations.
- Festive Farewell dinner at Maganda.
- Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport and check in for the departure flight to the USA.
Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
DAY 12
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
Fri. Mar 24, 2023
- Return to the USA.
RATES & LODGING
participants
20+
Cost p/p in double room
$4,485
Cost p/p in single room
$5,685
Once you have registered for the trip, you can also register for the extension. Click here for details. Registration closed
Jerusalem: Dan Boutique
- Nights: 5
- Room Category: Superior Quadro
- Hotel Website
Upper Galilee: Hotel HaGoshrim nature
- Nights: 2
- Room Category: Classic
- Hotel Website
Tel Aviv: Dan Panorama
- Nights: 2
- Room Category: Tel Aviv
- Hotel Website
What to expect
- 9 nights' accommodations.
- 10 days of touring with a tour educator (guide) in a luxury, air-conditioned bus.
- Group departure transfer & assistance at the airport.
- Daily breakfast, 2 lunches & 4 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.
- Arrival transfer & assistance at the airport.
- 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. 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.
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