Katz & Dawgs Unlimited ™

An Interfaith Pilgrimage to Israel

January 18-26, 2016

Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim & First (Scots) Presbyterian Church
Led by Rabbi Stephanie Alexander & Pastor Daniel Massie

This collection of photos is posted in draft format; I'll be working on captions etc as time permits.

The descriptions provided below are modified slightly from the ARZA WORLD handout, and will be updated to what we REALLY did at some future time.

Please note: All photographs in this section are copyright. Permission to reproduce any photograph is granted for non-commercial use.

Comments and suggestions would be appreciated!
You can contact me at wwq@swq.com
Bill Quick

January 18: WELCOME Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport. Welcome by our representative and assistance with arrival formalities. Meet your tour educator and drive to Tel Aviv, known as the “city that never sleeps,” with its centers of culture, recreation and national history, great beaches and fine stores. Visit the Old City of Jaffa, ascend from the old port through the renovated alleyways to the Jaffa Overlook for an introduction to Tel Aviv at the place where it all began. Walk through the famous Jaffa Flea Market - “Shuk Hapishpishim”. Lunch on own. Check into the hotel. Time to unpack and freshen up 4:45 p.m. Meet in the lobby January 18 (continued) 5:00 p.m. Israeli Society @ 2016: Dialogue with scholar Paul Liptz of Tel Aviv University and the Hebrew Union College. Welcome dinner and orientation Middle-Eastern-style restaurant, Maganda, in Tel Aviv's Yemenite Quarter, with a varied menu of traditional salads and grilled meats. Overnight: Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv January 19: TEL AVIV: THE FIRST HEBREW CITY Walk through the museum at the new Rabin Center, dedicated to the history of society and democracy in Israel. The life of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin serves as a time-thread connecting the faces and events of modern Israeli history. Lunch on own en route. Visit Independence Hall, where David Ben-Gurion proclaimed the State of Israel on May 14th, 1948. - Explore Rothschild Boulevard to view examples of the intriguing Bauhaus-style architecture from the 1930s. The local proliferation of the style won Tel Aviv recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site and the nickname of 'the White City'. Free time to wander along the Nachalat Binyamin pedestrian mall, with its bi-weekly crafts fair and eateries' alongside is the colorful Carmel open-air market and across the way Sheinkin Street, with its hip cafés and funky chic shopping. Dinner on own. Overnight: Carlton Hotel, Tel Aviv January 20: A MOSAIC OF THE LAND 8:00 a.m. Check out of the hotel, depart Tel Aviv and drive north along the coastal plain to Caesarea, one of the Land of Israel's most important cities in the Roman Period; visit the Herodian theater and the new excavations along the Mediterranean shore, concluding with a visit to the ruined 900-year-old Crusader town. Lunch on own. Visit Nazareth and stop at Mt. Precipice for a grand view of the Jezreel Valley (and its many Biblical stories) and of Jesus' own home town. Visit The Mount of Beatitudes, traditional site of Jesus' 'Sermon on the Mount,' overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Explore Tsfat, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years and a contemporary artists' colony, including: ? Guided visits to the Ari, Caro or Abuhav Synagogues with their great stories and mystical messages ? A stroll through the quaint Artists' Colony and shop in the galleries and crafts shops. Continue the drive north to check into the kibbutz hotel Dinner at the Kibbutz hotel. Overnight: Pastoral Kfar Blum, Upper Galilee January 20 (continued) Explore Tsfat, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years and a contemporary artists' colony, including: ? Guided visits to the Ari, Caro or Abuhav Synagogues with their great stories and mystical messages ? A stroll through the quaint Artists' Colony and shop in the galleries and crafts shops. Continue the drive north to check into the kibbutz hotel Dinner at the Kibbutz hotel. Overnight: Pastoral Kfar Blum, Upper Galilee January 21: SERENITY, SPIRITUALITY & SECURITY IN THE NORTH Visit Caesarea Philippi (Banias), the site where Jesus revealed his mission to Peter and the other disciples. Visit an abandoned Syrian outpost, Tel Faher that once threatened Israel, and follow the footsteps of Israeli soldiers who fought there in the 1967 Six-Day War. The view offers an invaluable insight into the challenges of that war and its rapid and unexpected conclusion. Visit a Druze village for a window into the unique world of the Israeli Druze community, with lunch on your own. Visit Emek Habecha ('the Valley of Tears') on the eastern edge of the Golan Heights, site of one of Israel's fiercest battles in the Yom Kippur War. Visit Capernaum, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, the base of Jesus' Galilean ministry , with its remains of an ancient synagogue Return to the hotel. Dinner at the hotel. Overnight: Pastoral Kfar Blum, Upper Galilee January 22: ASCENDING TO JERUSALEM 8:00 a.m. Check out of the hotel and drive south. 9:00 a.m. Sail across the Sea of Galilee, in a boat much like that used by Jesus and the disciples and after disembarking on the eastern shores. View the spectacular 1st-century AD boat, similar to those used by the disciples. Drive via the Jordan Valley Rift to Jerusalem and upon entering the city stop for an overlook of the Old City from atop the Mount of Scopus. Enter via Zion Gate and walking through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, for guided visits to some of the sites excavated over the past 30 years, including the Cardo, a Byzantine street that is now the world's oldest shopping arcade and the Hurva Square, the central square of the Jewish Quarter. Experiences the special spiritual atmosphere at the Kotel (Western Wall). Check into the hotel and time to prepare for Shabbat. Experience a traditional family Shabbat dinner with members of Shabbat of a Lifetime. Overnight: King David Hotel, Jerusalem January 23: SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM Breakfast at the hotel. Walk through the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of All Nations in the Kidron Valley. Proceed to the Old City. One Mountain, Three Religions: Take an inter-denominational exploration of Mt. Zion, the traditional burial site of King David, the Room of the Last Supper and a mosque - all sharing a single building. Enter the Old city through the Zion Gate. Lunch on own, in the Old City. Visit the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, including parts of the Via Dolorosa, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. January 23: SHABBAT IN JERUSALEM (continued) Visit the Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, including parts of the Via Dolorosa, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (continued) Return to the hotel. 6:00 p.m. Meet with Rabbi Ron Kronish and additional representatives of the Inter-religious Coordinating Council in Israel to discuss initiatives the area of inter-religious dialogue. Free time to explore Downtown Jerusalem, including the Ben-Yehuda pedestrian mall and the Nachalat Shiva neighborhood, with dinner on own. Overnight: King David Hotel, Jerusalem January 24: MEMORY AND RENEWAL Breakfast at the hotel. 8:30 a.m. Challenges and Triumphs of Religious Pluralism and Social Justice in Israel: Dialogue with Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC). 10:15 a.m. Guided visit through the newly renovated Yad Vashem complex, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, including The Avenue of the Righteous, The new Historical Museum, The Children's Memorial, A concluding Memorial Service Lunch on own. 3:00 p.m. Visit the city of Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Return to Jerusalem. Dinner on own Overnight: King David Hotel, Jerusalem January 25: MASADA/Ein Gedi & THE DEAD SEA Breakfast at the hotel. LaDa'at The Geopolitics of Jerusalem: Depart the city of Jerusalem towards the Judean Desert, passing by the Security barrier, exploring some of the capitol's political and diplomatic complexities to gain a behind-the-headlines insight into current developments; you will be joined by a member of Rabbis for Human Rights. Descend to the Dead Sea Basin, drive by Qumran, and the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Ascend the cable car to Masada, Herod's mountain palace and site of the Jewish Zealots' last stand against the Roman Legionnaires; discuss Masada's role as a symbol of Jewish defence and its current significance in modern Israel and explore the many archaeological remains from the Roman and Byzantine Eras. Lunch on own at Masada. Bathe in the relaxing and healthy sulphur springs at the Kalia Beach and float in the Dead Sea. Return to Jerusalem. Dinner on own, perhaps on trendy Emek Refaim Street in the German Colony. Overnight: King David Hotel, Jerusalem January 26: FINAL THOUGHTS Breakfast at the hotel. Tree planting at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory. Return to the Old City and enter via Dung Gate to visit the Jerusalem Archaeological Park, including the Davidson Center, Robinson's Arch and the Southern Wall steps where Jewish pilgrims entered the Temple Mount 2,000 years ago. Depart the Old City Lunch on own. 2:00 p.m. Visit the Garden Tomb, traditional Protestant site of Calvary. Return to the hotel pack and freshen up. Late afternoon check out of the hotel and proceed to the Israel Museum for a wrap up conversation. 6:00 p.m. Festive farewell dinner at Modern, at the Israel Museum. 7:30 p.m. Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport and check in for the departure flight 11:10 p.m. Depart Israel on United Airlines Flight # 091. Overnight: Flight to USA

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