Travel-Learn Program

When: November 27, 2012 - December 08, 2012 (iCal)

Description

Join Tufts travelers and visit a land of extraordinary beauty and belief, of spirit and story, history and hospitality. Arrive in Tel Aviv, Israel’s arts and culture capital, where we will take a guided tour including Independence Hall and the “White City” district, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Travel north along the coast to Caesarea to see ancient Roman ruins before continuing on to the artists’ village of Ein Hod. In the hills of Galilee, stay at a hotel on the grounds of kibbutz founded in 1916. Continue to Tiberias on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Explore Nazareth with visits to the Church of Annunciation, the Mount of Beatitudes, and the ruins of Capernaum. We will conclude our journey with an in-depth discovery of Jerusalem including the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, the Old City, the Western Wall, the Church of Holy Sepulcher, the Israel Museum and Ein Kerem. A 5-day/4-night optional post-tour extension to Jordan, exploring Petra and Amman, is also available.

Activity level: Moderately Active

Download the program flyer.

For Early Booking Incentive and to avoid disappointment of a sold out program, register now!

Cost

From $5,374 per person, double occupancy (includes air from Boston or New York)

Contact

For more information,contact Usha Nand Sellers Ed. D., Director Tufts Travel-Learn Program, at usha.sellers@tufts.edu or 617-627-5323.

Itinerary

Depart U.S. for Tel Aviv – Day 1

Arrive Tel Aviv – Day 2

We arrive in the afternoon in Tel Aviv, and transfer to our hotel in the heart of the city. Tonight we will attend a welcome dinner at the hotel.

Tel Aviv – Day 3

After breakfast, we will visit the vibrant city of Tel Aviv, Israel’s arts and culture capital. Our tour features Independence Hall; the renovated neighborhood of Neve Tzedek; and the “White City” district with its distinctive Bauhaus architecture, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We conclude the day in nearby Jaffa, visiting the port, market, and Artists’ Quarter. Dinner is on our own.

Tel Aviv/Upper Galilee – Day 4

After breakfast, we travel north along the coast to Caesarea to the ruins of an ancient Roman amphitheater and harbor. We continue to the artists’ village of Ein Hod, where artists of all media come to live and work in a stunning natural setting. Here we will visit the Janco-Dada art museum featuring the work of founder Marcel Janco and other artists of the Dada movement. Then we travel to our hotel on the grounds of a kibbutz founded in 1916. Later, we visit a working farm. Lunch is on our own and in the evening we will meet for a group dinner.

Mount Bental/Tiberias – Day 5

After breakfast, we begin a full day of exploring with a tour of the kibbutz and a visit to a local winery. We continue on to Mount Bental in the Golan Heights for a panoramic view of Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Our next stops are the ruins of Capernaum; and Tabgha, site of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. Then we travel on to Tiberias and our historic hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. This evening we will dine together.

Tiberias/Nazareth - Day 6

After breakfast, we head out to Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. Then the New Testament comes to life as we travel to Nazareth, now a center of Christian pilgrimage. Here we visit the Church of the Annunciation, the largest church in the Middle East and the storied setting of the Annunciation. After lunch together, we take a walking tour through the medieval streets of Safed, center of Jewish mysticism and home to many artists. We participate in a Kabala workshop and visit some of the galleries here before we meet for dinner at an ancient dairy.

Tiberias/Jerusalem – Day 7

After breakfast, we travel to Jerusalem, stopping at the archaeological site of Beit Shean, where ongoing excavations have revealed the ruins dating as far back as the 4th century BCE. Then we travel on to Jerusalem, sacred to the world’s three major religions. We get our first look at the revered city from a panoramic lookout on Mt. Scopus. After lunch, we get acquainted with Jerusalem's downtown area. Tonight’s dinner is on our own.

Jerusalem – Day 8

Today we begin with a tour of Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial, set on the Mount of Remembrance. Here we will absorb some of the ambiance of this multicultural enclave at the bustling outdoor market of Machane Yehuda ("Shuk"). Afterwards a visit to Haas Promenade provides spectacular panoramic views of the city. The remainder of the day is at leisure until we dine together tonight at our hotel.

Jerusalem/Masada – Day 9

We start today exploring the shores of the Dead Sea and its Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1956. Then we head to the ruins at Masada, a UNESCO site, and the celebrated mountain stronghold where outnumbered Jews took their own lives rather than surrender to the Romans. Here we will ascend by cable car to tour the ruins, overlooking the Dead Sea. Then we will have the opportunity to swim in the Dead Sea before lunch together. Tonight’s dinner is on our own.

Jerusalem/Old City – Day 10

After breakfast we delve into the original settlement of the City of David. Then we will take a walking tour through the Old City: the Jewish Quarter; the ancient Cardo marketplace still in use today; and the Western Wall, sacred to Jews as the last remaining section of the wall that enclosed and supported the Second Temple on the Temple Mount. From here we travel to the Judean Hills for an ethnic cooking class followed by lunch served with local wines. Tonight’s dinner is on our own.

Jerusalem – Day 11

This morning we return to the Old City for a tour of the tunnels beneath the Western Wall. Then we visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site where Jesus is believed to have been crucified and buried. After lunch at a local restaurant we return to the New City and the Israel Museum, whose treasures include the Dead Sea Scrolls, Shrine of the Book, and a scale model of Jerusalem from the Second Temple era. Dinner is on our own.

Jerusalem/Bethlehem – Day 12

After breakfast, we will visit the picturesque Jerusalem neighborhood of Ein Kerem, birthplace of John the Baptist and Christian pilgrimage site. We continue on to the West Bank city of Bethlehem, birthplace of both King David and of Jesus of Nazareth – and home of the Church of the Nativity (please note this excursion depends on security clearance). Lunch is on our own and the remainder of the afternoon is at leisure. We will meet for an early farewell dinner.

Depart Tel Aviv for U.S – Day 13

After breakfast, we will transfer by motorcoach for Tel Aviv and our connecting flights to the U.S.

Price and Itinerary are tentative and subject to change.

617-627-5323|usha.sellers@tufts.edu