friendship circle family mission to israel

• A supportive environment

• Slower, more relaxed pace

• Alternate activities to meet all needs

• No embarrassment when a meltdown occurs

• A trip designed to provide a dual focus on parents and children

• To connect with other Friendship Families

• Sunday, June 21- Wednesday, July 1st

• 11 Day Trip is long enough to get acclimated

• Right After School Ends

• Doesn’t break up your summer

• Not as hot as in July or August

DAY ONE - MONDAY JUNE 22ND– ARRIVAL

• Arrive in Ben Gurion Airport where you will be met by our representatives and assisted through passport control, baggage claim & customs

• Transfer to Jerusalem

• Check-in to hotel – rest, relax & unpack

• Welcome & orientation with staff

• Enjoy a spectacular lookout over Jerusalem from the Haas Promenade

• Time for reflection at the Western Wall

• Dinner at hotel

• Overnight: Jerusalem

DAY TWO – TUESDAY JUNE 23RD – JERUSALEM

• Breakfast at hotel

• Experience the sites & sounds of the Jewish Quarter including the Cardo, Broad Wall, Batei Mahase & more with musical accompaniment

• Lookout over the Temple Mount

• Lunch & shopping time in the Jewish Quarter

• Discover the splendor of the Second Beit HaMikdash as you navigate the Western Wall Tunnels

• Visit the Time Elevator for an exciting “ride” through the history of Jerusalem

• Dinner on Ben Yehudah Street


DAY THREE – WEDNESDAY JUNE 24TH – JUDEAN DESERT


• Depart for Judean Desert (take comfortable walking shoes, protection against the sun, water-shoes, towel & bathing suit)

• Ascend by cable car to the desert fortress of Masada where the Zealots struggled against the might of the Roman Empire after the Temple was destroyed.

• Lunch

• Explore the beautiful Ein Gedi Oasis where David fled from King Saul & cool off under a waterfall

• Float in the Dead Sea – the lowest place on Earth

• Enjoy camel rides & traditional desert hospitality at Abraham’s Tent in Genesis Land


DAY FOUR – THURSDAY JUNE 25TH – BET GUVRIN


• Take part in a “real life” archeological excavation as you Dig for a Day in Bet Guvrin

• Picnic lunch

• Re-enact the most famous battle in history when David killed the giant Goliath in the Valley of Elah

• Visit the Armored Corps Memorial in Latrun & climb on the tanks

• Return to Jerusalem

• Evening at leisure


DAY FIVE – FRIDAY JUNE 26TH – HEVRON


• Time for reflection at Kever Rachel

• Explore the Jewish neighborhoods of Hevron including Avraham Avinu, Bet Hadassah & Tel Romeida & Mearat HaMachpela

• Challah baking with local Shluchim Danny & BatSheva Cohen

• Return to Jerusalem

• Experience the vibe at the Machane Yehudah Outdoor Market

• Time to rest & prepare for Shabbat

• Join thousands of Jews from around the world in joyous celebration of Shabbat as the Western Wall

• Shabbat dinner at the hotel


DAY SIX – SHABBAT JUNE 27TH – AT LEISURE

• Davening at Great Synagogue, Italian Synagogue, Hurva or Mayanot

• Shiur on Parshat Shavua

• Lunch at hotel

• Rest & relax

• Optional walking tour of Yemin Moshe neighborhood, Montefiore's Windmill & Hinom Valley

• Seuda Shlishit at hotel

• Musical Havdallah

• Dinner on Ben Yehudah Street


DAY SEVEN – SUNDAY JUNE 28TH – TEL AVIV

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Checkout & departure

• Discover the Underground Bullet Factory at the Ayalon Institute where munitions were secretly manufactured by the Haganah, under the noses of the British.

• Lunch in Old Jaffa overlooking the Mediterranean

• Relive the dramatic declaration of the State of Israel in 1948 @ Independence Hall

• Visit the Nachalat Binyamin Promenade, Carmel Market & trendy Sheinkin Street

• Transfer to North

• Check-in to hotel in time for dinner

• Evening program

• Overnight: Kibbutz Lavi Hotel

DAY EIGHT – MONDAY JUNE 29TH – UPPER GALILEE


• Experience the Mystical City of Tzfat including beautiful shuls, artists' colony, candle factory and more

• Meet with local Kabbalistic artisan Sheva Chaya & watch a live glass-blowing demonstration

• Enjoy a beautiful nature walk in Tel Dan or Banias

• Raft down the Jordan River from Kfar Blum

• Dinner in Tiberias

• Boat ride & drum circle on the Sea of Galilee


DAY NINE – TUESDAY JUNE 30TH – GOLAN HEIGHTS


• Ascend the Golan Heights by jeep

• Enter an abandoned Syrian bunker at Mitzpe Gadot

• Tour the Talmudic Village of Kazrin

• Lunch

• Lookout over Syria from atop Mt Bental

• Take part in a chocolate-making worshop at the De Karina Factory in Ein Zivan

• Host IDF combat troops for a BBQ on their base – pending military confirmation


DAY TEN – WEDNESDAY JULY 1ST – COASTAL REGION


• Checkout & departure

• Plant a tree in the JNF Lavi Forest

• Go back in time to the days of the Mishna in Kfar Kedem including pita baking, donkey rides & lunch

• Nature walk in the Carmel Mountains where Eliyahu forced a showdown with the Prophets of Baal

• Discover the magnificent port city of Caesarea including the Roman Amphitheater, Hippodrome, Palace of King Herod & multimedia presentation

• Dinner & closing of program at Kfar Chabad

• Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport

• Fly to the USA

• NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!!!!

• Volunteers

• Lighter Schedule

• Planned Activities

• Camp Shutaf

• Alternative Activities

• Grandparents

• Hotel Rooms

• Flexible Flight Options

• Special Needs Organizations In Israel

• VIP Meet & Greet at Ben Gurion Airport upon group arrival

• 6 nights’ accommodation at the Leonardo Plaza Hotel in Jerusalem (Superior New City View Rooms)

• 3 nights’ accommodation at the Kibbutz Lavi Hotel (Lev Rooms)

• 2 Luxury air-conditioned coach buses

• Services of 2 top-level guides for 9 days

• Breakfast Daily

• 8 Dinners

• 6 Lunches

• Entrance Fees into all sites and activities on itinerary

• Water and Snacks on bus rides

Participants Adult Rate Child Rate Total Rate

2 Adults & 1 Child $3335 $2479 $9149

2 Adults & 2 Children * With Adjoining Room Leonardo Plaza Hotel

$3335 $3125 $12920

2 Adults & 2 Children * With adjoining hotel room throughout

$3335

$3225 $13120

2 Adults & 3 Children * would need an adjoining hotel room

$3335

$3225 (x2) and $2479 (x1)

$15599

1 Adult & 1 Child $3335 $3335 $6670

1 Adult & 2 Children $3335 $3225 (x1) and $2479 (x1)

$9139

• Single Supplement: $1195

• Estimated airfare $1700-$2000

• Working with a top travel agency

• Custom trip tailored to the needs of participants

• Working with a Special Needs organization in Israel to plan the perfect accessible/sensory friendly trip

• Wheelchair Accessible Bus

• Potential 2-3 Day Mini Camp

• Providing each family with a great Friendship Circle Volunteer

The following subsidies can be applied to parents and children participating (including adult children with special needs) in the trip. Grandparents are welcome to join the trip but are not included in the total count in regards to subsides.

For three or less participants: $8,000 subsidy For 4-5 participants: $10,000 Subsidy For Six or more participants: $12,000 These Subsidies can be applied to the land package only and do not cover airfare.

• October 15: Revised itinerary Presented

• October 30: Verbal Commitment Required

• November 15: Final Itinerary Presented

• November 30: Formal Registration Required

• January 15: $500 Deposit required

• April 15: Full Payment Required

friendship circle family mission to israel

Government & Nonprofit