Journey through Jewish History
March 28-April 7, 2011   |   22 Adar II - 3 Nissan, 5771 
* Subject to change  *

Monday, March 28 (22 Adar II)
Early arrivals option:  Meet in hotel lobby at 1:00 p.m.
Campus or Sanctuary: Between Ideals and Reality

A special exploration of the Hebrew University, Mount Scopus 5-6:45 p.m. Administrative arrangements in the lobby of the hotel 6:45 p.m. Depart from Hotel 7:15 p.m. Opening Dinner at Beit Maiersdorf, The Faculty Club of Hebrew University, Mt. Scopus. Greetings: Dr. Yonatan Mirvis, International Director, FMAMS: Who Are We and Why Are We in Israel? Introductions and reflections. Overnight – Inbal Hotel, Jerusalem.

Tuesday, March 29 (23 Adar II)
Fateful Decisions During the First and Second Temple Periods

Day commences at 8:00 a.m. Why Jerusalem? Study session overlooking The City of David. Field trip to the Jewish Quarter. Group lunch in the Old City. Jerusalem in Her Glory. Exploration of the Herodian Mansion in the Old City. Days of Glory; Days of Destruction. Summary Session: Why Was Jerusalem Destroyed? Tour of the Western Wall Tunnels. A visit to the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum (optional). Dinner at leisure. Overnight – Inbal Hotel.

Wednesday, March 30 (24 Adar II)
Responses in Apocalyptic Times

Day commences at 7:30 a.m. Depart for Dead Sea region. Rejecting the Center in the Struggle for Light. Field trip to Qumran. Lunch at leisure. Masada: Fighters for the Future of the Jewish People? Field trip to Masada. Swim in the Dead Sea (optional). Or Study Session: Bar Kochba: True or False Messiah? Return to Jerusalem by early evening. Group dinner in Jerusalem. Overnight – Inbal Hotel.

Thursday, March 31 (25 Adar II)
New Cities from Old – Jewish Culture Redefined in a Changed Reality

Day commences at 8:00 a.m. A City Rises From the Dunes. Explore earliest neighborhoods beyond the walls of Jaffa. "We Hereby Declare the Establishment…" Visit Independence Hall, site of the signing of Israel’s Declaration of Independence. Lunch at leisure. Can We Build Anew by Learning from Our Past? Bialik in Tel Aviv– Then and Now. Study session in Bialik's house, central Tel Aviv. "Captain, My Captain" (Whitman). A visit to Kikar Rabin. Reflections. Group dinner. Late return to Jerusalem. Overnight – Inbal Hotel.

Friday, Arpil 1 (26 Adar II)
Fateful Decisions - the Citizens’ Perspectives

Day commences at 8:15 a.m. Symbols and Signs - Mapping Jerusalem’s Multi-faceted Population. Study session. Field trip to Jerusalem neighborhoods. Lunch at leisure and afternoon free. Shabbat Evening: Lekha Dodi Likrat Kalah... Meeting in the lobby. Candle-lighting at King David’s Tomb on Mt. Zion. Evening service at the Kotel. Traditional dinner: Se’udat Shabbat. Group discussion and reflections. The Late Late Show (optional) Rabbi Akiva's Jerusalem of Gold (studies of midrash)  or The Rebbe's Tisch (Walk to Me'ah Shearim). Overnight – Inbal Hotel.

Shabbat – Parashat Tazria

Morning services at Synagogue(s) of choice. Parshat Hashavua: A Look at the Torah Portion. Study session. Group lunch. Walking Tours (Choose one option): 1. The Jerusalem Poetry of Yehuda Amichai; or 2. Along King David Street: Three Buildings, Three Faiths, Three Agendas. Se’udah Shlisheet. Havdalah. Dinner and evening at leisure. Overnight – Inbal Hotel.

Sunday, April 3 (28 Adar II)
Fateful Decisions in the Wake of the Destruction of the Second Temple

Day commences at 7:45 a.m. Travel to Caesarea. Between Caesarea and Jerusalem – Two World Views. Field trip and study session at Caesarea. Lunch at leisure. The Period of the Mishna: Responding to New Jewish Realities. Field trip and study session at Beit Shearim or Tsippori.  Proceed towards Tsfat. Check in and dinner at hotel. The Fable of the Goat. Evening study session. Overnight in the north.

Monday, April 4 (29 Adar II)
From Old to New (Zionist) Jews

Day commences at 8:00 a.m. Building Community in Anticipation of Redemption. Exploration of story and synagogues of Tsfat. Lunch at leisure. "Deep River; My Heart is Over Jordan…" Rafting on the Jordan River. Drive to hotel to freshen up. Of Farmers and Poets: What Motivated the New Jew? Field trip to Kinneret Farm and Kinneret Cemetery. Group dinner in Tiberias. Overnight in the north.

Tuesday, April 5 (Rosh Chodesh Nissan)
From 67 to '67... and Beyond: Fateful Decisions – Then and Now

Day commences at 8:00 a.m. Options on the Syrian Front. Study session at hotel. "From Here you Look Seven-Fold Larger." Overview into Galilee Panhandle from Golan Heights. Yom HaDin: What Went Wrong? Stop at sites connected to the Yom Kippur War and examination of outbreak of Yom Kippur War. Meeting in Katzrin, “Capital” of the Golan, with resident of the Golan. What Do We Learn From the Story of Gamla? Visit the Golan Archaeological Museum in Katzrin. Return to Jerusalem. Overnight – Inbal Hotel.

Wednesday, April 6 (2 Nissan)
Difficult Freedom: Dilemmas of Sovereignty

Day commences at 8:30 a.m. Israel and the Holocaust: What Meaning Has Been Given to the Holocaust in Israeli Collective Memory? Site visit and study session at Yad VaShem. Lunch on your own and Free time until 5 p.m. Land and Compromise: Addressing one of Israel’s Greatest Challenges. 5:00 p.m. Introduction 6:15 p.m. Departure for home hospitality. Group dinner. Encounter with differing viewpoints. Overnight – Inbal Hotel.

Thursday, April 7 (3 Nissan)
Back to the Future

Day commences at 8:15 a.m. Symbols of Sovereignty. A visit to Har Herzl. "And the Children Will Return to Their Borders..." Stop at Kibbutz Ramat Rachel. Lunch at leisure and free afternoon. Where Have We Been and Where Are We Going To? Closing activity evaluating the seminar. Festive farewell dinner.

NOTE: Please try to arrange flights from 11:45 p.m. on, so as to enjoy the dinner with the group.