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 
Heritage 
Art & Culture 
Jeep Tour 
Local Specialists 
Nature Walks 
Active 
Family Friendly
Program Itinerary
DAY 1
DEPARTURE
Sat. Dec 23, 2023
- Depart the USA.
Overnight: Flight
DAY 2
THE START OF A SPECIAL JOURNEY
Sun. Dec 24, 2023
- Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport.
- Meet your tour educator who will accompany you on this journey of education.
- Welcome to Tel Aviv, also known as “the city that never sleeps.” A place of sun and fun, its centers of culture and history are complimented by great beaches, stores, and entertainment.
- Check into the hotel.
- Meet in the lobby of the hotel.
- Opening dinner at a local restaurant.
- Israel 101 – Welcome to Israel: Opening remarks and orientation by Rabbi Fellman and your tour educator.
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Meals: Dinner
DAY 3
THE FIRST HEBREW CITY
Mon. Dec 25, 2023
- Breakfast at an Israeli hotel is an experience in itself. Start the day with a bounteous buffet, followed by a dialogue with Scholar Rabbi Danny Schiff.
- 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. Walk through Jaffa's famous flea market – Shuk Hapishpeshim.
- Experience the dynamism of Jewish life at the 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.
- Diggin' for Roots: We'll literally get in touch with the land and history of Israel during an archaeological dig at the Beit Guvrin Caves. Get your hands dirty uncovering pottery from the Hellenistic period, 2300 years ago before crawling through the Maresha Cave Labyrinth. The non-crawlers among us will visit a more spacious part of the cave complex in this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Return to Tel Aviv and to the hotel.
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 4
COMMUNITIES PAST & PRESENT
Tue. Dec 26, 2023
- Check out of the hotel and depart Tel Aviv, beginning the drive north.
- Rescue Act: Get busy and help Israel's needy as we join the volunteer organization Leket Israel for a hands-on Tikun Olam activity. We'll be sorting and packing fruits and vegetables that, instead of rotting in the fields, will be distributed to the homes, shelters, and schools of those in need.
- Continue driving north to Caesarea. Stop at the Ancient Roman Aqueduct, located on the pristine beaches of Caesarea. With the ruins of a past empire to your backs, enjoy the power of the sand, sea and the rush of the water as you recite the poems of Hanna Senesh.
- Visit the Zippori National Park, known for its extraordinary ancient mosaics and its central role in Jewish life after the destruction of the Temple.
- Drive to the Upper Galilee and check into the kibbutz hotel.
- Dinner at the hotel.
Overnight: Upper Galilee
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
DAY 5
NORTHEN EXPOSURE
Wed. Dec 27, 2023
- Take a nature hike to the Suspended Trail above the spectacular canyon of the Banias Stream, at the foot of Mount Hermon.
- Take a jeep tour off-road up the Golan Heights and enjoy the beautiful natural scenery while leaning about the strategic complexity of the Golan.
- Visit a Druze village for a window into the unique world of the Israeli Druze community, with lunch on own.
- The panoramic views from Mt. Bental (overlooking the abandoned Syrian town of Kuneitra) give sharp insights into Israel’s security situation on the Golan Heights, and the enormous challenges it faced in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, and even today with the influence of Russia and Iran.
- OPTION 1 : Wine tasting at Pelter Winery in the Golan Heights.
- OPTION 2 : Enjoy the culinary delight of a chocolate workshop at the De Karina Chocolate Factory.
- ALL : Return to the hotel, followed by dinner.
Overnight: Upper Galilee
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
DAY 6
SPIRITUALITY & MORE
Thu. Dec 28, 2023
- Check out of the hotel.
- Explore Tsfat, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years and a contemporary artists’ colony, including:
- Guided visit to the Ari, Caro or Abuhav Synagogues, each with its great stories and mystical messages.
- A stroll through the quaint Artists’ Colony, shop in the galleries and crafts shops and engage in dialogues with local artisans inspired by the messages of Kabbalah.
- Dialogue with David Friedman, a Tsfat artist inspired by Kabbalah.
- Drive south past Tiberias, an ancient/modern city located on the shores of Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). One of Israel’s four holy Jewish cities, this is where the “Jerusalem” Talmud was codified and where Maimonides is buried.
- Visit Moshava Kinneret in the Jordan Valley for an in-depth look at communal living then and now in one of Israel’s first Moshavim or farming villages. Meet descendants of the Schneiderman pioneer family who run a spice farm and enjoy a tasting of dates and local spices.
- Drive southwards along the Jordan Valley, part of the enormous Syrian-African Rift.
- Welcome to Jerusalem: Enter the vibrant and colorful ancient city of Jerusalem and experience the convergence of the old and the new.
- Stop at the Haas Promenade for an overlook of the Old and New City of Jerusalem and to recite the traditional “shehechiyanu” blessing.
- Check into the hotel.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 7
A CITY OF LAYERS
Fri. Dec 29, 2023
- Learning Together in the “Hart” of Jewish Pluralism: Join a scholar from the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem for a special study program that integrates ancient Jewish texts with modern questions.
- ADULTS AND OLDER YOUTH (entrance permitted from age 10)
- Visit the Yad Vashem complex, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, including:
- The Avenue of the Righteous
- The Historical Museum
- The Children’s Memorial
- YOUNGER YOUTH (accompanied by a youth counselor)
- Visit the Biblical Zoo, a beautifully landscaped habitat with a special focus on preserving Biblical fauna, geared to children of all ages (2-80), OR spend time at the interactive Bloomfield Science Museum.
- ALL
- Experience the sights, smells, and tastes of Jerusalem while walking through the Machaneh Yehuda open-air market.
- Kabbalat Shabbat services at Kehilat Hayuvel led By Rabbi Ezra Endi, followed by home hospitality Shabbat dinner (pending confirmation).
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast & Shabbat dinner
DAY 8
SHABBAT IN THE HOLY CITY
Sat. Dec 30, 2023
- Join Rabbi Fellman for shabbat services at a local synagogue.
- Explore the Israel Museum, housing more than 5,000 years of cultural treasures.
- Ben Kodesh Lechol: Havdallah overlooking the Old City.
- Life in Palestine 2023: Dialogue and tour the streets of the city with a Rami Nazzal local journalist and guide with an opportunity for lunch in Bethlehem.
- Free time in 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.
- Optional: The Night Spectacular at the Tower of David Museum: The walls of the Citadel serve as a stage for a night-time show – a celebration of sight and sound – that depicts the story of Jerusalem.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 9
THE LAYERS OF JERUSALEM
Sun. Dec 31, 2023
- Speaking Common Languages of Peace: Examine the role of shared Jewish-Arab education in creating integrated communities and in turning fear into friendship. We’ll tour the Yad B’Yad (Hand in Hand) school in Jerusalem, part of a network of bilingual, multicultural educational institutions which aim to show that the two communities can learn and live together.
- 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 (optional dry exit). Walk through the recently opened Second Temple-period tunnel under the walls of the Old City, emerging in the Jerusalem Archaeological Park.
- Visit the Egalitarian- Family Kotel (Western Wall) and experience the special atmosphere of this holy site.
- Tour the Jewish Quarter and continue with visits to archaeological treasures and other highlights, among them:
- A walk along the Rooftops of the Old City for a behind-the-scenes look at the various communities in Jerusalem and how they live alongside each other.
- 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.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 10
THE DEAD SEA BASIN
Mon. Jan 1, 2024
- Descend to the Dead Sea Basin.
- Ascend by cable-car to Masada, Herod’s mountain palace and the site of the Jewish Zealots’ last stand against the Roman Legionnaires. Discuss Masada’s role as a symbol of Jewish defense and its current significance in modern Israel. Descend them mountain via cable car.
- Experience the weightlessness of the Dead Sea as you float in its waters.
- 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.§ Walk through Arugot Stream in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, the largest and most beautiful in the Judean Desert, into a world of canyons and waterfalls.
- Return to Jerusalem and to the hotel for a late check-out,
- Festive farewell dinner. Rabbi Danny Schiff will be joining the group.
- Group transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport to check in for the departure flight to the USA.
Overnight: Flight
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
DAY 11
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN
Tue. Jan 2, 2024
- Return to the USA.
RATES & LODGING
participants
20+
Cost p/p in double room
$4,825
Cost p/p in single room
$6,125
Child As 3rd (Reduction)
- ($450)
Tel Aviv: Crowne Plaza Beach
- Nights: 2
- Room Category: Deluxe
- Hotel Website
Upper Galilee: Kfar Giladi hotel
- Nights: 2
- Room Category: Bazalet
- Hotel Website
Jerusalem: Leonardo Plaza Hotel
- Nights: 4 +LCO
- Room Category: Deluxe NC
- Hotel Website
What to expect
- 8 nights' accommodations. Late check out on the day of departure is included.
- 9 days of touring with a tour educator (guide) in a luxury, air-conditioned bus.
- Daily breakfast & 5 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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