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ZOA Purim Mission

The Real Israel

March 21 – 30, 2016 

 (Itinerary as of December 3 – Subject to Change)

• Early afternoon: Departure from Dan Panorama Hotel in Jerusalem
• Briefing with Ambassador Dore Gold, Director Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations and author of The Rise of Nuclear Iran.
• At the Menachem Begin Heritage Center gain insight into the story of Israel’s struggle for independence and security through the life story of Menachem Begin
• Check-in at our hotel
• Later, we’ll head out to stroll the streets of Jerusalem and have our Welcome to Israel Dinner

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Join with ZOA’s National Board member Rubin Margules in distributing thousands of Purim baskets to Israeli soldiers
• Packed Lunch
• Evening and dinner on your own in Jerusalem

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Step back 2,000 years to the days of the Kingdom of Judea at Herod’s dramatic desert palace and burial place at Herodion National Park
• Meet Women in Green founder Nadia Matar at the Gush Etzion Oz Vegaon Park established in memory of Gilad, Ayal & Naftali who were kidnapped and murdered just down the road by Arab terrorists.
• Continue to Hebron – Meet community leader David Wilder and learn about the challenges facing the residents of the Jewish community of Hebron who have re-established Jewish life in what was a thriving center of Jewish life until the massacre of the Jews by the Arabs 1929,
• Visit Beit Hadassah, and Me’arat Hamachpelah, the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs.
• Meet Sheikh Jabari the former Mayor of Hebron and a key power player in the area. Learn about Arab – Jewish ties in Hebron and how the sheikh’s involvement over the years has prevented violence.

• Evening and dinner on your own in Jerusalem  

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

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• Breakfast at the hotel

• Join ZOA Israel Office Director Jeff Daube for an in depth exploration of Mt. of Olives. See first hand the results of the ongoing Arab vandalism and learn about the leadership role that the ZOA is playing in the USA and Israel to bring attention to this issue.
• Visit and meet residents of Maaleh Zeitim, a Jewish neighborhood on the slopes of Mt. of Olives.
• Packed Lunch
• Join with ZOA’s National Board member Rubin Margules in distributing  Purim baskets to Israeli soldiers
• Return to the hotel to prepare for Purim

• Megillah reading at a Jerusalem synagogue
• Dinner on your own

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Optional morning services and Megillah reading
• See the struggle for Jerusalem first hand on Jerusalem’s northern “seamline”. Visit Givaat Hatachmoshet, Ramot, Nebi Samuel, and Tel El Ful where King Hussein began to build his summer palace.
• Distribute Purim treats to IDF soldiers
• Purim Seudah Lunch
• Return to the hotel to prepare for Shabbat
• Shabbat candle lighting at 6:14 PM
• Join thousands welcoming Shabbat at the Kotel with prayer, song & dance (weather permitting)
• Shabbat dinner at the hotel

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

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• Breakfast at the hotel
• Enjoy the special atmosphere of Shabbat in Jerusalem by participating in Shabbat services at one of Jerusalem’s many synagogues or take time to explore the city on your own
• Shabbat lunch at the hotel
• Session at the hotel with Khaled Abu Toameh, Arab Affairs Correspondent for the Jerusalem Post Havdallah
• In the late afternoon, gather for a light Seudah Shlishit snack
• Walking tour to the famous windmill and the first neighbourhood built outside the Old City walls by Sir Moses Montefiore in the 1860s.

• Havdallah 7:36 PM
• Evening and dinner on your own in Jerusalem

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

• Breakfast at the hotel
• We’ll head north to the Shomron to meet local residents and leaders and gain better understanding of why Jews choose to live here in the “West Bank”.
• We’ll start at Psagot, a Jewish community “settlement” overlooking Ramallah and the Coastal Plain to the west and Wadi Kelt and Jericho to the east.
• See the homes of “New Migron” and learn the story of the destruction of the original Migron.
• Tour, taste and lunch at the Psagot Winery.
• Get a sense of Jewish roots going back thousands of years at Tel Shiloh which served as the home of the mishkan (Tabernacle) and spiritual center of the people of Israel over 3,000 years ago
• Meet residents at Rechalim and get a taste at the Tura Boutique Winery
• Visit Ariel, the largest Jewish city in Shomron including Ariel University which has over 14,000 studetns.
• Dinner at the Eshel HaShomron Hotel with owners Menachem and Tova Gilboa. Hear their remarkable story of Zionist commitment, bravery and survival in the face of terror.

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

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• Breakfast at the hotel
• Depart to Sederot whose residents have endured over 10 years of rocket attacks by the Palestinian forces that control the nearby Gaza Strip. Meet local residents who will show us the city and border areas and share their experiences with us. Learn about how they cope with constant threats from Hamas controlled Gaza.
• Meet American born Rabbi David Fendel who heads the Sederot Hesder Yeshiva where students combine advanced Torah study with IDF Army service
• Lunch
• Join Ari Briggs of Regavim to get beyond the myths and slogans related to land distribution, ownership and use by the Bedouin and others in the Negev. Regavim is an organization whose goal is to ensure responsible, legal & accountable use of Israel’s national lands
• Meet Jewish farmers who are struggling to strengthen the Jewish presence in the Negev and are facing hostility from Arab neighbors and government bureaucrats.
• Return to Jerusalem for evening and dinner on your own.

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Join Ateret Kohanim for a behind the scenes tour of the Old City of Jerusalem and the struggle to maintain and expand the Jewish presence.

• Lunch on your own
• Head to the Knesset for meetings and briefings with cabinet ministers and members of Knesset
• Dinner and session with Nitsana Darshan Leitner Director of Shurat Hadin Israeli Law Center an Israeli based civil rights organization combating terrorist organizations and the regimes that support them.

Overnight: Dan Panorama Hotel, Jerusalem

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Check out of hotel
• Head to the studios of online radio station “Voice of Israel” and meet Executive Producer and veteran journalist and leader Dan Diker.
• Briefing and tour with analyst Yitzhak Sokoloff including overviews of the Coastal Plain, Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport and Security Fence. Gain insight into the security issues involved with potential Israeli territorial concessions.
• Head to Tel Aviv for lunch on your own
• Meet Likud Knesset Member Yoav Kish
• Summary session and Farewell Dinner – One group bus drop off at Ben Gurion Airport
• Listed activities and speakers are subject to availability and confirmation.
• Program will be staffed by a Keshet Israel Tour Educator
• All underlined meals are included in the package price.
• This itinerary is proprietary to Keshet and is intended for the promotion of and to inform those considering joining this Keshet trip. It is not to be transmitted to any other party without prior authorization from Keshet.

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The Center for Educational Tourism in Israel

PO Box 8540 Jerusalem 91084 Israel

Phone: 972-2-671-3518 | Fax: 972-2-671-3624

[email protected] | www.keshetisrael.co.il

Land Package Price Per Person: $2,980

Price includes Standard Tips & Gratuities for guides, bus driver, hotel bell staff and waiters for included meals.

In double occupancy hotel accommodations; based on a minimum of 25 paying participants

If there will be fewer than 25 paying participants, the price per person will increase.

Options & Discounts

Deposit & Payment Schedule   

Refund Schedule For cancellation or non-participation for any reason  

Payment Options

• Online – Pay with MasterCard or Visa online at https://www.keshetisrael.co.il/forms/keshet-billing
• Check – Mail a check payable to Educational Encounters International, Inc.(EEII) to:

Educational Encounters International, Inc.(EEII), ), 110 Chestnut Ridge Road, Suite 228, Montvale, N.J. 07645

• Keshet strives to offer fair pricing and therefore does not budget for contingencies resulting from weather or security issues. Itineraries may be altered as a result of these factors. Also, the prices listed reflect rates quoted by hotels and vendors as of June 2015. In the event of devaluation of the US dollar exchange rates, hotels and other vendors may add surcharges; Keshet reserves the right to pass such increases on to trip participants.

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Accommodations

Please contact Daniel Ehrlich, Keshet’s Educational Director, with any questions about the trip: [email protected]

Arrival in/Departure from Israel: Flights are being arranged by each traveler. Keshet assumes no responsibility for flight arrangements, delays or cancellations. When booking flights, please note the following:

While you are free to make travel arrangements with the company of your choice we can recommend an excellent flights agent in Connecticut with whom many Keshet clients have had excellent experiences: 

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Eitan Battat  – Traveland      1-800-246-0466 Ext. 223     203-929-6000 Ext 223       [email protected]

Land Package Price Includes

• All group transportation in Israel on private chartered bus as per the itinerary

• All hotel accommodations – double occupancy – as per the itinerary

• All site admissions and programs as per the itinerary.

• Israeli breakfast every morning plus 11 additional included meals

• Keshet Israel Tour Educator

• Keshet Insulated water bottle holder

• Map of Israel

• One group bus transfer to Ben Gurion Airport on Wednesday evening March 30

• Tips for guide, bus driver, hotel bell staff and waiters for included meals

Not Included in Package Price 

• Airfare

• Transfer from Ben Gurion Airport

• Meals on your own

• Laundry service

• Personal charges at hotels and restaurants

• Medical & Trip Insurance

• Costs associated with the ZOA Purim Basket Project

• Contributions to ZOA

Trip Insurance Keshet urges you to purchase cancellation insurance and supplemental medical coverage (which covers preexisting conditions).We recommend the “Cancel For Any Reason” policies which offer the broadest coverage. Please note that most insurance policies require purchase within 14 days of your date of registration for the trip.  While you are free to purchase insurance from any company of your choice, Keshet has made arrangements with SMS-Travel Insurance Center of Omaha, Nebraska. SMS has over 25 years of experience as worldwide insurance brokers and can help you choose the policy that best meets your needs. Our contact persons are Yonah Engel & Dani Eisenstock:

E-mail: [email protected]          USA phone: 1-888-747-3773               Mention promo code: KESHET

Please note: We cannot accept responsibility for any losses or expenses which you or any member of your party may incur as a result of failure to secure adequate insurance coverage.

Trip Insurance Keshet urges you to purchase cancellation insurance and supplemental medical coverage (which covers preexisting conditions). We recommend the “Cancel For Any Reason” policies which offer the broadest coverage. Please note that most insurance policies require purchase within 14 days of your date of registration for the trip.  While you are free to purchase insurance from any company of your choice, Keshet has made arrangements with SMS-Travel Insurance Center of Omaha, Nebraska. SMS has over 25 years of experience as worldwide insurance brokers and can help you choose the policy that best meets your needs. Our contact persons are Yonah Engel & Dani Eisenstock: E-mail: [email protected]          USA phone:         1-888-747-3773    Mention promo code: KESHET  Please note: We cannot accept responsibility for any losses or expenses which you or any member of your party may incur as a result of failure to secure adequate insurance coverage.

Disclaimers & Authorizations

Keshet: The Center for Educational Tourism and Educational Encounters International, Inc. act only as an agent for the tour participants in making arrangements for hotels, transportation, touring, restaurants, or any other services in connection with the itinerary. We will exercise reasonable care in making such arrangements. However, we do not assume any liability whatsoever for any injury, damage, loss, accident, delay or irregularity to person and property because of an act of default of any hotel, airline carrier, restaurant, company, or person rendering any of the services included in the tour. The right is reserved to cancel or change itineraries or to substitute comparable service without notice. The right is reserved to decline or accept or retain any tour passengers should such person’s health or general deportment impede the operation of the tour to the detriment of the other tour participants. Rates are based on standard rooms unless otherwise indicated.  No refunds will be given for unused package inclusions.  Itineraries may be altered as a result of security, logistics or weather concerns determined by either Keshet or the contracting group. Costs associated by such changes are the responsibility of the group. In the event of devaluation of the US dollar, hotels and other vendors may add surcharges; Keshet reserves the right to pass such increases on to trip participants. Keshet may use photographs/videos taken on the trip for promotional purposes.  If you do not want your photo/ video to be used please notify us in advance. Pricing is based on a minimum number of participants.  Should the group number fall below the minimum, Keshet reserves the right to alter the program and/or recalculate the pricing.

Trip Pricing $2,980  Land Package Price Per Person in double occupancy hotel accommodations; based on a minimum of 25 participants. If there will be fewer than 25 participants, the price per person will increase.

Refund Schedule For cancellation or non-participation for any reason

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