A Family Journey Like No Other

Day 1: Departure

Leading up to the trip, you’ll meet and mingle with your Spark small group, make new friends and connections, learn and share, and prepare for the trip of a lifetime. You’ll book your own flight(s) to Israel and CJP will take care of all of the details from the moment you touch down in Tel Aviv.

• Depart from Boston on various flights

✈️ Traveling to Israel has never been easier: Delta Air Lines and El Al Airlines have nonstop flights from Boston to Tel Aviv.

Day 2: Welcome to Israel

• Arrive in Israel and proceed to Tel Aviv
• Check out the Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel)—the largest market in Tel Aviv
• Explore Nachalat Binyamin Market. Located in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Tel Aviv, it's one of the best places in the city to find handmade items and arts and crafts
• Explore the wonderful sights and museums in Jaffa
• Opening Celebratory Dinner as we welcome Shabbat with five hundred new friends

Day 3: Optional Shabbat activities

• Shabbat Services in various Tel Aviv synagogues
• Explore Ramat Gan Safari, home to the largest animal collection in the entire Middle East
• Visit the Children’s Museum, an educational-cultural institution providing unique, hands-on experiences 
• Check out the Ayalon Institute, a secret underground ammunition factory from the 1940s
• See the Weitzmann Institute of Science, one of the world's leading multidisciplinary basic research institutions in the natural and exact sciences
• Tour the incredible ANU Museum of the Jewish People which plays an integral role in strengthening Jewish identity and perpetuating Jewish heritage worldwide
• End the day with Havdalah followed by a festive and fun dinner with entertainment and special guests as we celebrate Israel’s 75^th

Day 4

• Spend the day touring Tel Aviv and taste your way through the markets and neighborhoods of this vibrant city
• See Independence Hall, best known as the site of the signing of Israel's Declaration of Independence, located on Tel Aviv’s historic Rothschild Boulevard
• Experience a Tel Aviv Street Art Tour that takes you inside the city’s street art and graffiti scene, serving as a unique expression of the city’s geographical location, cultural particularities, social movements, and artistic subcultures
• Run and play at Park HaYarkon where you can rent a bike, take a boat ride, visit the botanical gardens, and enjoy the playgrounds
• Enjoy free time in Tel Aviv to enjoy the spectacular restaurant and shopping scenes. Tel Aviv is a lively, active city with entertainment, culture, art, and festivals.
• Optional festive Christmas Eve programming in Jaffa

Day 5

• For those families interested, spend Christmas morning touring Nazareth, the city where Jesus spent his earliest years
• Or, your first stop will be Caesarea – an ancient coastal city built by Herod the Great.
• Depart for Haifa. Boston and Haifa have been sister cities since 1989, and through the Boston-Haifa Connection, Combined Jewish Philanthropies has been working to open the hearts and change the lives of the citizens in the city. 
• Tour the Templar Tunnel and Fortress in Old Akko
• Explore the caves and grottos at Rosh Hanikra
• Arrive at your kibbutz hotel in the Golan Heights just in time for dinner, dessert, and a dip in the heated indoor pool

Day 6:

• Spend the day touring Israel’s glorious North.
• Enjoy easy hikes to see waterfalls, explore the beautiful Hula Valley by golf cart, and ride a mountain coaster at the exhilarating Manara Cliff.
• Take a jeep tour through the Golan, meet IDF soldiers, and pick fresh fruit.
• End the night with a festive surprise group dinner. 

Day 7:

• Make your way towards Jerusalem
• Visit Kfar Kedem, where you will see what everyday life in the Galilee was like two thousand years ago – ride a donkey, milk a goat, turn wheat into bread, crush olives into oil, and more
• Plant a tree to leave your lasting mark on the land of Israel
• Arrive in Jerusalem! Marvel at the beauty and history as we begin our exploration of this holy city
• Enjoy the shopping and food scene on Ben Yehuda Street or view a laser light show overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem

Day 8:

• Spend time in the Old City of Jerusalem. Tour the Jewish Quarter and visit the Western Wall, learn about the city’s 4,000-year-old history, and see some of the world’s holiest sites
• Celebrate with our community members who become Bar or Bat Mitzvah
• Check out Machane Yehuda Market, often referred to as the “Shuk” (open-air market). Popular with locals and tourists alike, the market's 250+ vendors sell fresh fruits and vegetables, baked goods, fish, meat, cheeses, wines and liquors, clothing, shoes, and more!
• Have a memorable dinner overlooking panoramic views of the Old City and modern city of Jerusalem

Day 9:

• Rise and shine! Let’s head to the Negev Desert.
• Take the cable car up Masada and relate to a story of perseverance and power, faith and surrender, ambitions, and a tragic end
• Get dirty at a Dead Sea party! The Dead Sea is 10 times as salty as the ocean which turns swimming into floating. We will enjoy lunch and spa facilities, massages, and mud at this special location.
• Or, spend time in the Judean desert enjoying camel rides, a drum circle, and a special meal…Bedouin tent-style
• Gather for a special Kabbalat Shabbat experience with musical performances followed by a community Shabbat Dinner

Day 10: Spend our last day exploring Jerusalem

Optional Shabbat activities:

• Shabbat Services in various Jerusalem synagogues
• Walking tours of the Old City of Jerusalem and surrounding neighborhoods of this holy city
• Visit Gan HaShlosha, the “Sachne,” undoubtedly one of the most beautiful places in Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee, some believe that Gan Hashlosha is the real-world location of the garden of Eden, and, once you visit, you might understand why.
• End our final day with a celebratory Havdalah
• Depart for the airport or enjoy one final free evening in Jerusalem