USMA '61 ISRAEL TOUR

April 13-23, 2010 plus Egypt extension April 23-27, 2010

Tour Leaders: Pete and Barbara Gleichenhaus

This is a special tour designed especially for our class and friends.
We will visit the “must see” places but also sites not visited by regular tour groups.
We will meet with Israelis, IDF staff and officers.
But, most of all will enjoy comradeship in a beautiful country rich with history and culture.

Day 1.   Tuesday, April 13
Departure on ELAL night flight from JFK

Day 2.   Wednesday, April 14
Ben Gurion airport - Tel Aviv. Transfer to hotel. Dinner

Day 3.  Thursday, April 15
Visit to the Independence Hall, Prime Minister Rabin’s assassination site
  and Glilot Intelligence Memorial center.
Possible visit to IDF Tactical Command School.
Dinner at our Tel Aviv hotel.

Day 4.  Friday, April 16  
Early departure from the hotel, we start with a visit to the Roman port city of Caesarea.
Continue to the Galilee to take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee (If weather permits).
In the middle of the sea we shut the engines and read the scriptures (Mark 6:45-52).
We dock near Capernaum to visit the synagogue where Jesus preached.
Proceed to Tabgha- the site of the multiplication of the fish and bread and then Mount of Beatitudes.
Afternoon trip to Nazareth, to visit the Church of Annunciation
  and Cana where the first miracle of water turning into wine took place.
Kabbalat Shabat and dinner at our Tiberias hotel.

Day 5. Saturday, April17
Golan Heights.
Kesem Hagolan plus the Golan Museum in Katzrin.  
Bental observation point.  
Yom Kippur Emek Habacha tank battle presentation in Merom Golan.
Afternoon visit to the House of Dona Gracia – a unique story related to the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492.  
Tonight we are guests of a Druz family for dinner. 

Day 6.  Sunday, April 18
Drive to Zippori – The capital of Jewish Galilee after the destruction of the Second Temple, with amazing mosaic floors.
Visit Haifa Bahaii Gardens observation, (UNESCO declared site) and Pnimiya (IDF Mini West Point Academy).
Participate in a unique Memorial Day ceremony.
Proceed to Jerusalem and check into your Jerusalem hotel.   

Day 7.  Monday, April 19
Jerusalem. 
Visit “Yad Vashem” the new Holocaust Museum. 
Visit the Menorah near the Knesset.
Visit the Davidson Center (depicting life in Jerusalem of Jesus time). 
Dinner at your hotel.
Participate in Independence Day festivities.   

Day 8.    Tuesday, April 20   
A tour to Massada, the last Jewish stronghold against the Romans that fell after 700 committed a group suicide.
Enjoy the  Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, rich with minerals, nature’s gift to your skin.  
Dinner at our hotel.

Day 9, Wednesday, April 21
Morning start with a panoramic view of Jerusalem from the Mt. Of Olives, proceed to the Church of All Nations at the Garden of Gethsemane.
Visit the Israel Museum (Second Temple model and Dead Sea Scrolls).
Go to  Bethlehem and visit the Church of the Nativity to see and touch the cave where Jesus was born. 
Return to Jerusalem to visit The Way of the Cross and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher or the Garden Tomb at Golgota.   
Free time for shopping or relaxation.
Dinner on your own. Your guide will recommend a list of restaurants.

Day 10, Thursday, April 22    
Meet at the Perimeter Barrier around Jerusalem for a briefing or visit the Control Center of the city.
Proceed to Latroun IDF Armored Corp memorial and museum.
Afternoon Tzevet meeting or a private briefing by an IDF senior officer. 
Possible visit of Old Jaffa.
Farewell dinner and transfer to airport.

Day 11 Friday, April 23
Transfer to the airport and departure .
Arrival USA on same day, or join us to Egypt.

OPTIONAL EXTENSION TO EGYPT

Day 11, Friday, April 23  
Tel Aviv – Cairo flight. 
After midnight arrival.  Airport assistance and transfer to our hotel.

Day 12, Saturday, April 24
Cairo.  
Late morning visit Memphis, the city of the god Path and the capital of the oldest kingdom in the world to see the Alabaster  Sphinx and the Statue of Ramses II.
At Saqqara we visit the Step Pyramid of King Zoser, the Mastaba Tomb of Ti, Tomb of Ptahotep, the Serapeum and the Pyramid of Sekhemkhet.
In the afternoon visits to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.
Dinner and overnight in our hotel. 

Day 13, Sunday, April 25
Cairo.
After breakfast visit the famous Egyptian Museum where the treasures of King Tut Ein Khamon are exhibited.
Coptic Cairo (Hanging Church, St Sergius & St Barbara Churches).
The Synagogue Ben Ezra .
We also visit the Citadel and Mohammed Ali Mosque offering a beautiful view of Cairo and the Nile.
Dinner and overnight in our hotel. 

Day 14, Monday, April 26   
Alexandria – a complete day tour to the famous Mediterranean city named after Alexander the Great.
Visit of the Catacombe, National Museum, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina.  
Return to Cairo for dinner and our night flight back home. 

Day 15, Tuesday, April 27  
Arrive JFK in the morning.

Services included in basic program (Israel):

• Roundtrip flights from JFK at times that will enable domestic connections nationwide

• Daily tours with a licensed English speaking tour director and guide throughout.

• Transfers between airport and hotels in Israel.

• 4-5 star hotels (Holiday Inn – Sheraton type)

• Breakfast and dinner daily except for 1 dinner in Tiberias and 1 in Jerusalem to allow a variety of food, not just in hotels dinners.

• A deluxe dedicated bus.

• Luggage handling in Israel.

• Entrance fees to all visited sites as per the program

• Hats for all participants

PRICE:
Basic Program (Israel only):  April 13 – 23, 2010
$2750 plus $425 taxes and fuel surcharge (as known on Sep 9th, 2009).     
The price is per person in a double room with a minimum of 20 participants.  Payable by checks or bank transfer.  Payment by credit card requires a 4% fee.
 
EGYPT OPTIONAL EXTENSION: April 23 – 27, 2010
Egypt = $875  including: Tel-Aviv- Cairo - Tel Aviv flights, Superior 4 star hotel, breakfast and dinner daily, tours and transfers.

Registration deposit – For basic program Israel Only: $375 with insurance or $250 without insurance. 
For optional Egypt program: please add $140 with insurance or $100 without insurance. 
Travel insurance covers costs of cancellation fees for medical reasons, illness, accidents and lost or damage luggage. 
Payment of premium with deposit waives pre-existing medical conditions.  (see www.aviatours.net , Travel Insurance)