Please take note of the changes that have been made in the itinerary. They were made necessary by the fluctuating situation in Gush Katif, and other considerations. We trust you will understand, and go with the flow. For those of us on the trip, the changes are not significant, but we assume you will want to inform your families and friends who would desire the contact information.

SUNDAY, MAY 29 – We depart from NEWARK AIRPORT – at 2:30 PM on El Al Flight #28.  Please be at the airport before noon to receive your tickets and name tags. Although you are permitted two bags and a carry-on, please try to limit your luggage to one bag and a carry-on, since the bullet proof bus in which we’ll be traveling has less luggage room than regular tour buses. Also, we have many bags of toys and other items to be distributed to the children in Gush Katif and they will need your help in checking in these bags, without incurring additional baggage costs.  

MONDAY, MAY 30 – We arrive in the beautiful new Ben Gurion airport at 8 AM. Israel Danziger, leader of Mishmeret Yesha, will be our guide and will meet us in our bullet proof bus. We will head directly to GUSH KATIF, where we will be met by Dror Vanunu, who will escort us around the various communities of the Gush, and introduce us to the beautiful residents of those communities, many of whom have become our friends. We will stay overnight in Midreshet HaDarom, just a block from the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.

TUESDAY, MAY 31- The entire day will be spent in GUSH KATIF, visiting communities, seeing the synagogues, hothouses, schools, farms, and meeting some of the new residents of the communities, who have left their comfortable homes in Israel to move into caravans or tents in order to show solidarity with the Gush Katif residents. Overnight in Midreshet HaDarom with guest speakers from the community.

WEDNESDAY, June 1 – We leave Gush Katif and travel to the northern Shomron.  Lunch at Elon Moreh, then on to Itamar where we will plant trees, visit Yitzhar, Har Greezim, and Adei Ad, a true hilltop community where the residents patrol on horseback. Demonstrations of the Mishmeret Yesha first response teams will be arranged at one of the visits.  Overnight at the beautiful Ashel Hashomron Hotel outside of Ariel. The telephone number there is: 011-972-3-936-6841. Be sure to have your bathing suits for swimming in their Hollywood style pool.

THURSDAY, JUNE 2- We will be guests of the Ariel rescue unit, privileged to see a demonstration of their operation, and then travel to Sanur, one of the communities slated for expulsion. MK Dr. Arieh Eldad, who has moved to Sanur, will be there to greet us. Rav Eliezer Waldman, who has moved his Yeshivat Nir to Sanur, has also been alerted to our visit. We will go on to Mevo Dotan, Homesh, Kedumim, and then back to the Ashel HaShomron in the evening for overnight and guest speakers.

FRIDAY, JUNE 3 – Departing from the Shomron, we will drive south to Bethlehem to visit Kever Rachel, where Chaim Silberstein, of Uvneh Yerushalayim, will take us on a special tour of their building program. We will go onto to Efrat for lunch, plant trees, visit a missile site, explore some of the Gush Etzion communities, and travel to Jerusalem where we will check into the DAN JERUSALEM – telephone: 011-972-2-622-6666. This is a five-star hotel and therefore an upgrade from our usual home in Jerusalem, the Kings. There is a swimming pool, so you will have use for your bathing suits once again. It is also across the street from the Old City, giving us easy access to the Kotel for our Yom Yerushalayim activities. Shabbat dinner at the hotel, overlooking the Old City.  David Bedein, of the Israel Resource News Agency, will be our guest and discuss the issues surrounding the illegal expulsion plan.

SHABBAT, JUNE 4 – In Jerusalem – Morning services as desired at the Great Synagogue, next door to the Kings Hotel, other near-by synagogues, or at the Kotel, as desired. Shabbat lunch will be at the Dan Jerusalem hotel. Ambassador Yoram Ettinger will be our special guest speaker at lunch. Afterwards, there will be an optional afternoon walking tour of the Old City with Ateret Cohanim, the Jerusalem Reclamation Project. Shalosh Seudot will be with the group and following Havadalah, the evening will be free for personal plans.

SUNDAY, JUNE 5 – An early morning visit to the Temple Mount will be arranged with Rabbi Richman for those who wish to participate in that activity. (There are very specific requirements for that visit, one of which requires rubber soled shoes, sneakers, so keep that in mind when packing.) Mid-morning we will travel to Hebron, with a guided tour through the holy city led by David Wilder. If time permits, we will visit some of the surrounding hilltop communities.  In the evening we will join the marchers celebrating Yom Yerushalayim, the reunification of Jerusalem.

MONDAY, JUNE 6 – The day will be dedicated to celebrating Yom Yerushalayim. We will begin the day at the Kotel, then have a tour of Jewish east Jerusalem, viewing both the Jewish and Arab growth in the area. There will be marches, special ceremonies at the Kotel, and events geared to supporting Gush Katif. We will have the details about them as they are developed. Our gala Farewell Banquet will mark the end of the trip. Those concluding their visit will depart for the airport in our bus at 8:30 P.M. for the 12:10 AM El Al Newark flight 027 or the 1 AM EL AL JFK flight 001. Please be sure to let Bruce Rudolph know which flight you prefer. His email address is: brudolph@health.nyc.gov.

As always, a host of distinguished speakers will be included in the AFSI/ZOA program. We will try to fit in meetings with Knesset members wherever possible, as well as a meeting with Bill Mehlman, Chairman of the Jerusalem AFSI branch. Herbert Zweibon, AFSI’s chairman, will also join us at some point in the trip.

Those interested in getting information about travel insurance should contact Bruce Rudolph. In the past, we have rented cell phones from Amigo (888-264-4687; 718-258-5200) and Travel Cell (718-375-69880) and found them both to be satisfactory.  Arutz Sheva also has a phone rental plan (1-646-432-4542). If you are interested in having your own phone, please compare rates and terms and make your own choice.

Also, let us remind you that passports must have a six month leeway in order to be accepted. If your passport will expire within the next six months, you must renew before departing with us. Please be sure to give us your exact name as it appears on your passport. Finally, if you have not returned the WAIVER, please do so by fax to 212-828-1717.

We look forward to meeting and greeting you at the airport, where you will be given a bag of toys for delivery to Gush Katif, along with your orange T-shirt.  L’hitraot.