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Israel

From the Ancient to the Cutting Edge: Discover Israel

Program No. 22871RJ
From the ancient city of Jerusalem to modern day Tel Aviv, discover a complex land of kings and empires, natural beauty and modern ingenuity with time to explore on your own.

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Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Sep 15 - Sep 25, 2024
Starting at
4,799
Nov 3 - Nov 13, 2024
Starting at
4,799
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Filling Fast!
Sep 15 - Sep 25, 2024
Starting at
5,989
Filling Fast!
Nov 3 - Nov 13, 2024
Starting at
5,989

At a Glance

Thousands of years of history are waiting in the journey from the walls of Jerusalem’s Old City, to ancient villages along the shores of the Galilee and the vibrancy of Tel Aviv. Join scholars and experts, artists and farmers as they offer you a hearty “baruch haba!” (welcome) and share the best of their country with you. This learning adventure has plenty of independent time to search for the best falafel or shawarma in the Machaneh Yehuda Shuk, explore one of the many museums of Jerusalem or Tel Aviv or walk through one of the unique neighborhoods, each with its own flare and atmosphere.
Activity Level
Let's Go!
Walking up to two miles per day; some cobblestone streets and stairs. Hot, dry weather in Dead Sea region.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Ascend the ancient fortress of Masada, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, by cable car and float in the invigorating waters of the Dead Sea.
  • Visit a local kibbutz to learn how Israel has made the arid countryside bloom with fruits, vegetables and flowers.
  • "Shuk & Cook" Culinary experience in the Macheneh Yehuda market.

General Notes

Program includes independent time to explore the city and several meals on your own. Group Leaders will provide directions for self-directed excursions. Suggestions for free-time activities provided in preparatory materials.
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor
by Yossi Klein Halevy
Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor is one Israeli’s powerful attempt to reach beyond the wall that separates Israelis and Palestinians and into the hearts of "the enemy." In a series of letters, Yossi Klein Halevi explains what motivated him to leave his native New York in his twenties and move to Israel to participate in the drama of the renewal of a Jewish homeland, which he is committed to see succeed as a morally responsible, democratic state in the Middle East. This is the first attempt by an Israeli author to directly address his Palestinian neighbors and describe how the conflict appears through Israeli eyes. Halevi untangles the ideological and emotional knot that has defined the conflict for nearly a century. In lyrical, evocative language, he unravels the complex strands of faith, pride, anger and anguish he feels as a Jew living in Israel, using history and personal experience as his guide.
The Prime Ministers
by Yehuda Avner
The Innocents Abroad
by Mark Twain
(Especially Chapters 51-56)
The Illustrated Atlas of Jerusalem
by Dan Bahat
A History of Israel from the Rise of Zionism to Our Time
by Howard M. Sachar
My Life
by Golda Meir
A moving autobiography by former Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir.
Jerusalem: The Biography
by Simon Sebag Montefiore
Ancient Israel: A Short History from Abraham to the Roman Destruction of the Temple
by Hershel Shanks, editor
Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide
by Michael B. Oren
Michael B. Oren’s memoir of his time as Israel’s ambassador to the United States—a period of transformative change for America and a time of violent upheaval throughout the Middle East—provides a frank, fascinating look inside the special relationship between America and its closest ally in the region.
My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel
by Ari Shavit
Israeli journalist Ari Shavit illuminates the issues and threats that Israel is currently facing and uses the defining events of the past to shed new light on the present. The result is a landmark portrait of a small, vibrant country living on the edge, whose identity and presence play a crucial role in today's global political landscape.
Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation
by Yossi Klein Halevi
"Like Dreamers" interweaves the stories of a group of 1967 paratroopers who reunited Jerusalem, tracing the history of Israel and the divergent ideologies shaping it from the Six-Day War to the present. This book gives insight into where Israel and Israelis are politically, socially, economically, and religiously.
Let There Be Water: Israel’s Solution for a Water-Starved World
by Seth M. Siegel
Let There Be Water illustrates how Israel can serve as a model for the United States and countries everywhere by showing how to blunt the worst of the coming water calamities. Even with 60 percent of its country made of desert, Israel has not only solved its water problem; it also had an abundance of water. Israel even supplies water to its neighbors-the Palestinians and the Kingdom of Jordan-every day.
Walking the Bible: A Journey Through the Five Books of Moses
by Bruce Feiler
Islam: A Short History
by Karen Armstrong
Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East
by Dr. Michael B. Oren
Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle
by Dan Senor and Saul Singer
START-UP NATION addresses the trillion dollar question: How is it that Israel-- a country of 7.1 million, only 60 years old, surrounded by enemies, in a constant state of war since its founding, with no natural resources-- produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada and the UK?





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