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The following is the a sample itinerary of the IsraelExperts AIPAC program. The itinerary below will give you an idea of the type of original and balanced program we strive for and what you will experience if you receive this amazing gift!
Day 1 - Welcome to Israel!
- Early evening arrival at Ben-Gurion International Airport where
you will be met and assisted through customs by IsraelExperts staff
and your Israeli tour guide.
- Drive north to Zichron Yaakov and check-in at hotel and freshen up before joining your fellow participants
for dinner and a short orientation seminar.
- Enjoy an evening stroll through one of modern Israel's first communities.
- Accommodation - Zichron Yaakov
Day 2 - The Golan Heights & the Galilee
- Ascend the Golan Heights - View the borders of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, and discuss the strategic significance of the Golan Heights.
- Travel to the Galilee - Visit sites and people illustrating the various connections to the land of Israel. We'll stop for a walking tour of the ancient mystic city of Tsfat.
- Visit to an Israeli Army Base - View Israel's border with Lebanon and discuss security considerations in the North of the country.
- Check into our hotel and dinner.
- "Threat Matrix: Iran, Hezbollah, and the Security Situation Along Israel's Northern Border"; discussion led by Elliot Chodoff, Israeli Military and Security Expert.
- Accommodation - Galilee
Day 3 - Rafting & Tel Aviv
- We begin today by rafting on the Jordan river.
- Lunch, followed by drive south to Tel Aviv.
- Visit to Rabin Square - the site of the assassination of Israel's 7th Prime Minister.
- "The U.S. and Israel: Alliance in a Time of Transition"; (U.S. Embassy in Israel); Speaker is Gene Cretz, Deputy Chief of Mission, United States Embassy, Israel.
- Check into the hotel and dinner.
- Evening out on the beach in Tel Aviv.
- Accommodation - Tel Aviv
Day 4 - Tel Aviv & the Desert
- Visit to Yitzhak Rabin Center - Tour the newly opened center dedicated to the life and career of the late Israeli Prime Minister.
- Explore the connection between Israel and World Jewry at Beth Hatefutsoth Museum of the Diaspora.
- Drive South to the Dead Sea Region - Our drive through the Negev and Judaean Deserts will include a stop at the Israeli Airforce Museum near Beersheva.
- Check into our hotel and live viewing of Prime Minister Olmert's Speech to Joint Session of U.S. Congress.
- Dinner.
- Discussion: AIPAC in Washington - led by Brian Jaffee, AIPAC Deputy Leadership Development Director
- Accommodation - Arad
Day 5 - Massada & the Dead Sea
- Depart for Masada, where we will ascend the Roman ramp and tour the remarkable remnants of this fortress.
- Float in the Dead Sea followed by a hike in the Ein Gedi Oasis.
- Travel to Jerusalem and check into our hotel.
- "Between Washington and Jerusalem" - Speaker is Leslie Mirchin, AIPAC Director of Policy and Research, Jerusalem Office.
- Dinner at the hotel.
- "After the Elections: Palestinian Politics and Society" - Speaker is Khaled Abu Toameh, Palestinian Affairs Correspondent, The Jerusalem Post.
- Evening out in Jerusalem.
- Accommodation - Jerusalem
Day 6 - The old city & Shabbat preparations
- After breakfast, visit to the Haas and Goldman Promenades Overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem. This is a visual introduction to the complexity of Jerusalem in the search for Middle East peace. Drive to Gilo for an overlook of the Palestinian town of Beit Jala and new sections of the security barrier around Jerusalem.
- Visit to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem - Explore the Roman Cardo, Ophel Excavations and the Southern Steps of the Temple Mount before continuing to the Kotel (Western Wall).
- Lunch and Walking Tour of Mahane Yehudah Shuk and Nachlaot Neighborhood.
- Prepare for Shabbat - Time to shower and change for Shabbat services and dinner.
- Kabbalat Shabbat - We'll go down to the Kotel (Western Wall) together for a special service to welcome the Shabbat.
- Shabbat Dinner followed by Oneg Shabbat.
- Sccommodation - Jerusalem
Day 7 - Shabbat in Jerusalem
- Shabbat Services - Optional.
- Discussion: AIPAC on Campus (for undergraduate participants) - led by Galit Heller, AIPAC Senior National Field Organizer.
- Discussion: AIPAC Beyond Campus (for post-undergraduate participants) - led by Jessica Levy, AIPAC Miami-Dade County Leadership Management Director & Rachel Whitlark, AIPAC Valley Area Assistant Director
- Discussion: Careers at AIPAC - led by Jesse Dickerman, AIPAC Southwest Region Associate Director & Kim Pellman, AIPAC Valley Area Assistant.
- Lunch followed by free time for family visits at the hotel.
- Walking tour of the Yemin Moshe neighborhood, and the Hinnom Valley.
- Israel in Our Lives: A Discussion with Young Israeli Political Activists.
- Havdallah followed by dinner and a night out in Jerusalem.
- Accommodation - Jerusalem
Day 8 - Jerusalem
- "After the Elections: Israeli Politics and Society" - speaker is Yossi Klein Halevy, Shalem Center
- Visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial - This tour of the facility and Holocaust Seminar will also include a meeting with a survivor of the Shoah.
- Visit with Hillel at Hebrew University and the Frank Sinatra Cafeteria - Esther Abramowitz, Associate Director for Programs in Israel and the Former Soviet Union.
- "Convergence: What's Next?" - at the Office of the Prime Minister - speaker is Ari Varon, Foreign Policy Assistant to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
- Dinner at the hotel.
- "From Bust to Boom: Israel's High-Tech Revolution" - speaker is Jon Medved, Co-Founder, Israel Seed Partners.
- Accommodation - Jerusalem
Day 9 - Jerusalem
- "Israel in the 21st Century: Confronting Challenges, Embracing Opportunities" - speaker is Gidi Grinstein, Reut Institute.
- Visit to the Knesset - Israel's Parliament. This includes a tour and meeting with young Parliamentary Aides.
- Views from the Knesset - Conversations with Members of Knesset from diverse political parties.
Binyamin Netanyahu, Likud
Yaacov Edri, Kadima
Marina Solodkin, Kadima
Nadia Chilu, Labor
Aryeh Eldad, National Union
- Lunch followed by visit to Har Herzl Military Cemetery where Israel's top leaders are buried, including Americans who gave their lives during the establishment of the State of Israel.
- L'hitraot (See you again!) at the boutique winery of Kibbutz Nachshon. Enjoy a farewell dinner at this beautiful Israeli vineyard.
- Yom Hastudentim Party at Bar-Ilan University.
- Depart for flight home to USA.
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