Itinerary
Day 1
- Meet at JFK Airport in New York
- Check-in with NCSY and then go as a group to check-in with El Al
- Meet the TJJ staff and other participants
- Orientation/ice breakers in the airport
- Fly to Israel!
Day 2
- Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv
- Welcome to Israel at the Western Wall in Jerusalem!
- Travel North
Day 3
- Build and race rafts on the Kinneret – group building activity
- Hike Down the Arbel Cliff
- Tour of ancient Tziporri – Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi and writing of the Mishna
Day 4
- Hike Across the Elal River
- Rappeling in the Golan
- Preparation for Shabbbat
- Shabbat Candle lighting
- Kabbalat Shabbat
- Oneg Shabbat
Day 5
- Shabbat
- Optional prayer service, kiddush, Shabbat meal
- Educational Program
- Walking Tour in the area
- Evening service and Havdalah
Day 6
- Hike the famous Yehudiya Trek
- Kesem Hagolan – Golan Presentation
- Evening Tour of the ancient city of Quatsrin and the impressive shul in its center
Day 7
- Golan Heights
- Water hike down the Jilabun Canyon
- Lookout from the Volcanic Mount Ben Tal and crawl through former Syrian bunker
- Emek Habacha – The Golan and the Yom Kippur War
- Berry Picking in the Golan
Day 8
- Mount Gilboa – Ketef Shaul – tour Israel with the Tanach, and reenact the biblical stories
- Nachal Hakibutsim
- Bike ride in the Gilboa
Day 9
- Tour the ancient city of Tzfat and discover the modern city with its artist colonies
- Visit the new Stam Center in Tzfat, meet a scribe and together discover th hidden world of the Hebrew letters
- Take the Panoramic view from the top of Mount Meron
Day 10
- Hike the Kziv Crossing to Monfort castle
- Explore the Rosh Hanikra Grottoes via the Gondolas
- Matsuva
- Learn the stories of the Israeli Defense Forces MIA’s from the top of Me’arat Keshet
- Late afternoon Tour of Acco, Tunisian synagogue, and old seaport
Day 11
- Free Shabbat to visit friends and family in Israel
- Drop Off at the OU Israel Center in Jerusalem or Rakevet Tsafon in Tel Aviv
Day 12
- Shabbat
- After Shabbat, return to group
Day 13
- Tour the Border with Lebanon and meet the citizens and soldiers living and serving in Misgav Am
- Kayak down the Jordan River
Day 14
- Visit Pki’in and the cave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai
- Social action activity – run a program for underprivileged kids at Northern Absorption Center
- Swim in the Kinneret
- Cruise on the Kinneret
Day 15
- Jerusalem
- City of David – Rediscover Biblical Jerusalem, reveal some of the most exciting archeological finds of the ancient world
- Enter Warrens Shaft
- Walk through the Hizkiyahu Aqueduct
- Visit and Pray at the Kotel – Western Wall
- Underground tour of the Kotel Tunnels
- Lunch in the Old City of Jerusalem, and Tour of the Old City, shuls and Cardo
- Yom NCSY – Join over 1,000 people at the mega-event!
Day 16
- Yad Vashem – Guided Tour of the Holocaust memorial museum
- Tour Mt Herzl – Nation founders and leaders section, and IDF cemetery
Day 17
- Cave crawling at the Bar Cochba caves of Tel Goded
- View the Valley of Ellah from Tel Azeka – The David and Goliath battle
- Visit Mini Israel
Day 18
- Tour of Atlit detention camp and museum – the story of the 1940’s illegal immigration
- Zichron Ya’akov – Visit the beautiful coastal city, its boardwalk and museums
- Check in and Prepare for Shabbat
- Candle lighting
- Kabbalat Shabbat at the Western Wall
- Shabbat Dinner at the OU Israel Center
Day 19
- Shabbat
- Optional prayer service, kiddush, Shabbat meal
- Educational Program
- Walking Tour in the area
- Evening service and Havdala
Day 20
- Guided tour of Hall of Independence
- Rabin Square – Politics in Israel
- Azrieli mall and lunch: a look into Modern day Tel Aviv
- Tour of old Jaffa
Day 21
- Social action activity- Save a Child’s heart. Play with kids waiting for a heart transplant
- Leket Israel – Picking vegetables for Israeli soup kitchens
- Dialogue in the Dark – seeing life through a blind perspective
Day 22
- Ein Gedi – climb the Judean desert mountains to discover this amazing Oasis where Kings David and Saul confronted
- Dead Sea – float in the lowest place in the world!
- Masada – Tour Herods legendary mountaintop fortress and its fascinating story
- Overnight in bedouin tents
Day 23
- Join a camel caravan in the Negev Desert
- Sde Boker
- Machtesh Gadol
- Merchav Am – new pioneers
- Eilat Boardwalk
Day 24
- Boat Cruise and Snorkeling in Eilat’s red sea gulf
- Water Sports & Lunch
- The Egyptian border – borders in Israel
Day 25
- Tour of Chevron and Cave of the Patriarchs
- Gush Etzion – the never ending story of the Gush battle, its fall and rise
- Kever Rachel
- Haas Promenade – beautiful overlook of Jerusalem
- Feel the pre-Shabbat rush and excitement at the Machne Yehuda outdoor marketplace
- Candlelighting
- Kabalat Shabbat
- Oneg Shabbat
Day 26
- Shabbat
- Optional prayer service, kiddush, Shabbat meal
- Educational Program
- Walking Tour in the area
- Evening service and Havdala
- Last night activity…
Day 27
- Relaxed day for shopping etc..
- Banquet at OU Center
Day 28
- Travel to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv
- Depart for JFK Airport in New York