Welcome to Israel!
3:00 pm Hotel check-in begins; arrival is at your convenience
Meet the ToI and Routes teams in the lobby to receive a welcome package and check in to the hotel.
5:20 pm Group will convene at the hotel lobby and depart to the opening dinner
6:00 pm Cocktail reception and opening Private Dinner at Cheder Prati with David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
David Horovitz is the founding editor of The Times of Israel. He is the author of “Still Life with Bombers” (2004) and “A Little Too Close to God” (2000), and co-author of “Shalom Friend: The Life and Legacy of Yitzhak Rabin” (1996). He previously edited The Jerusalem Post (2004-2011) and The Jerusalem Report (1998-2004)
9:30 pm Return to the hotel
Overnight: Crown Plaza Beach Hotel, Tel Aviv
Breakfast at the hotel
Start the week with a Israel 101 mini morning seminar-
11:00 am Drive to Levinsky Market
11:30 pm Tasting Tour Lunch in the Levinsky Market with Harry Rubenstein
2:00 pm Cultural Program with ToI Culture Editor Jessica Steinberg
Return to the hotel
7:00 pm Free evening and dinner on your own in Tel Aviv
Overnight: Crown Plaza Beach Hotel, Tel Aviv
Geopolitics and minorities in the north with ToI diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman
Breakfast at the hotel and Check Out
8:00 am Depart for Northern Israel
10:00 am Introduction with ToI diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman at Bir Elmakhsur and meeting with a representative from the Bedouin community
11:15 am Continue North
12:00 pm Lunch at Ein Camonim
2:00 pm Overview from Misgav Am with Lazar Berman-TBC
Israel’s complex ties with Lebanon
3:00 pm Drive to an overview of Syria
4:00 pm Overview from Mt. Bental with Lazar Berman: Bitter foe, potential partner?
4:45 pm Drive to Majdel Shams
5:15 pm Visit Majdel Shams and meet Naela Eldin, who lost her daughter during the Hezbollah attack on the soccer field in July 2024
6:00 pm Drive to Yesod Hama’ala for dinner
7:00 pm Home Hospitality Dinner in Yesod Ha’Maaleh
10:00 pm Drive to the hotel and check in
Overnight: Edmond, Rosh Pina
A day along the Lebanese border with ToI reporter Diana Bletter
Breakfast at the hotel and Check Out
9:00 am Depart hotel
9:30 am Understanding Life on the border at Shtula
11:00 am Geopolitical overview of the northern border from Mt. Adir and introduction with ToI reporter Diana Bletter
1:30 pm Home hospitality Druze Lunch at Hurfeish
Drive to Jerusalem
6:30 pm Check in to the hotel
Dinner on your own in Jerusalem
Overnight: Cassia Hotel, Jerusalem
Breakfast at the hotel
8:30 amBriefing with a Leading Israeli Thought Leader – TBC
Begin the day with an engaging conversation featuring one of Israel’s foremost authors, journalists, academics or public intellectuals. Gain unique perspectives on Israeli society, democracy, regional affairs and the country’s evolving place in the Middle East.
11:00 am Visit The City of David and walk the Pilgrim road
Walk in the footsteps of ancient pilgrims along the newly opened Pilgrimage Road in the City of David, a remarkable Second Temple-period street uncovered through years of archaeological excavation. Stretching from the Pool of Siloam toward the Temple Mount, this historic route offers a unique opportunity to experience Jerusalem as it was nearly 2,000 years ago.
1:00 pm Hummus lunch in the Old City
3:00 pm Return to the hotel and prepare for Shabbat
Drive to the Old City
(Shabbat begins at 4:02 pm)
Shabbat experience at the Kotel
7:00 pm Private Shabbat Dinner at the Jerusalem House of Quality
Return to the hotel
Overnight: Cassia Hotel, Jerusalem
Breakfast at the hotel
Option 1: Day at leisure
Option 2: Walking tour of the Old City – Four Quarters/Three Religions/One City
Lunch on your own
4:00 pm Private Conversation with a Leading Israeli Journalist or Author – TBC
Join one of Israel’s leading journalists, authors or public commentators for an engaging discussion exploring the complexities of Israeli society, regional affairs, media, public opinion and the challenges shaping the country today.
Havdala
5:15 pm Meeting and discussion with ToI Deputy Editor Amanda Borschel-Dan at the Hotel
Evening at leisure
Overnight: Cassia Hotel, Jerusalem
A day in the south with ToI Political Correspondent Tal Schneider and ToI Military Correspondent Mannie (Emanuel) Fabian for a military overview, honoring the Oct. 7 victims, and a look at community rebuilding.
Breakfast at the hotel
7:45 am Depart to the Gaza Envelope
9:45 am Meet ToI military reporter Mannie (Emanuel) Fabian for a military overview of the Gaza envelope from Black Arrow view point/Sderot VR
10:45 am Drive to Kfar Aza/Sderot/Givat Kobi
11:15 am Visit one of the Gaza envelope communities affected by October 7th
1:30 pm Lunch at local foodtruck
Travel time
2:45 pm Women’s courage on October 7th: visit the Nachal Oz Observers memorial monument with ToI Political Correspondent Tal Schneider
3:30 pm Drive to the Nova festival massacre site
4:00 pm Visit the site of the Nova Music Festival Massacre site and meet Shalev Biton, Nova Festival Massacre survivor, and Younis Algrenawi, who risked his life to save those fleeing from Hamas terrorists
5:30 pm Drive to Jerusalem
Dinner on your own in Jerusalem
Overnight: Cassia Hotel, Jerusalem
Breakfast at the hotel and Check Out (load luggage on the bus)
8:30 am Briefing with A Senior Political Analyst -TBC
10:00 am Private Briefing with a Senior Israeli Foreign Policy Expert – TBC
Meet with a senior Israeli diplomat, policy advisor or international legal expert for an insightful discussion on Israel’s foreign relations, regional diplomacy and the strategic issues shaping the country today.
11:30 pm Free time and lunch on own in Jerusalem
4:00 pm Program Summary with ToI Founding Editor David Horovitz at the hotel
David Horovitz is the founding editor of The Times of Israel. He is the author of “Still Life with Bombers” (2004) and “A Little Too Close to God” (2000), and co-author of “Shalom Friend: The Life and Legacy of Yitzhak Rabin” (1996). He previously edited The Jerusalem Post (2004-2011) and The Jerusalem Report (1998-2004)
5:15 pm Drive to final dinner
6:00 pm Private Farewell Dinner at Sea Dolphin restaurant
8:30 pm Group transfer from dinner to the Ben Gurion Airport
9:30 pm Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport for departure flights
!שלום ולהתראות
Shalom U’lehitraot!
Price per person sharing a double room
Single Supplement to reserve a room for individual occupancy
Payment policy:
Please note- The total cost of the Times of Israel November Program is $8,185 per person sharing a double room. The supplement for a guest rooming on their own is $1,400.
Please note that the second and third payments will be automatically charged to the same credit card used for the deposit. An email will be sent to you regarding these charges before being processed.
Cancellation policy:
All cancellations must be made in writing and addressed to: orly@routestravel.com . The applicable cancellation fee is determined based on the date when Operator receives written notification of Customer’s request to cancel Customer’s booking. The term “all amounts owed for the tour’ includes the basic Tour Price, Single Supplements, where applicable, and the cost of any additional services requested.
Non-Operation of Tour:
Please note that the rates above are based on a minimum of 20 Tour participants. In the event the number of registered participants is less than 20 on September 16, 2026, the Operator will consult with the Tour Sponsor (TOI) with a view to exploring if there is a solution to operate the Tour with less than 20 participants or alternatively at a later date. However, Operator reserves the right and at Operator’s sole discretion to cancel the Tour and refund amounts received from each participant.
More than ever, Travel Insurance is a vitally important feature of any planned travel and safeguards against unexpected developments
Travel protection offers many great benefits and peace of mind when traveling. One of the many benefits is, to insure the travelers trip cost, in the event a traveler needs to cancel the trip, due to unforeseen medical illness of the insured or of an immediate family member.
The other key benefit included here is medical expense coverage, given that the majority of our health insurance plans, lack coverage for accidents/illness occurring outside of the US.
In addition to trip cancellation and medical expense coverage, other benefits protecting the travelers during their journey are , trip delay , trip interruption, lost or delayed luggage upon arrival in destination, medical evacuation, 24/7 emergency assistance and much more.
To receive a quote and for any travel insurance questions you may have, please reach out to Liana DiCurzio at Traveland. Her email is Liana@traveland.net please be sure to mention that you are traveling with ToI/Routes Trips
We highly recommend reaching out for an insurance quote, as soon as possible after making the very first initial payment, as some benefits and plans such as the Cancel For Any Reason plan (CFAR), are time sensitive, and are only available for purchase within 13 days of the very first trip payment
Israeli VAT not applicable to non-Israeli tourists for a variety of services and is therefore not included in our prices. In this connection, please note the following:
If the trip is oversubscribed at the time of your registration, please fill in your information on the registration form, and you will be added to the program waiting list