Back in Canada

Apologies for the complete lack of updates. The itinerary, which I'm posting below in abbreviated form, was tight, and the tubes of the Interweb hard to access. So... over the next few days I'm going to post a few comments on what we did, focusing on reflections from the many things that were seen.

Our itinerary:

11:25 Arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport on flight AC 084
15:15 18:30 Tour the Old City of Jerusalem
19:00 19:30 Cocktails with your hosts Judy and Larry Tanenbaum and introduction to the land of Israel with Tzvi Sperber
19:30 Hafla dinner at Eretz Bereshit in the Judean desert

Overnight: Mount Zion Hotel, Jerusalem

TUESDAY, MAY 15

07:45 09:00 Breakfast briefing at the hotel on the current state of Israeli politics with Dr. Reuven Hazan, Professor of Political Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

09:45 10:45 Meeting with Likud MK Yuli Edelstein at the Knesset

11:30 12:30 Briefing at the Israel MFA – “Israel’s Strategic Outlook” with Igal Palmor, Director of the Magreb-Syria-Lebanon department at MFA and Ronen Gil-Or, Deputy Director, First North America Department - TBC

12:40 13:20 Packed lunch at the Rose Garden

13:30 14:30 Visit the Supreme Court with Marcha Friedman to talk about the Israeli Law system and Professor Allen Zysblat Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Law of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to talk about the influence of Canadian law on Israeli legislation and case law, and generally about the potential for Canada-Israel legal cooperation

15:00 16:30 Meetings at the American Colony Hotel with Palestinian representative (Hanna Siniora)

and Ulric Shannon, Senior Political officer at the Canadian representative office to the Palestinians - TBC

16:45 18:30 Jerusalem Security barrier tour with Avi Melamed, former Senior Advisor, Arab Affairs to the Mayor of Jerusalem

18:15 19:45 Return to hotel and time to freshen up

20:00 Dinner at Anna Ticho House with former Knesset Member, Professor Naomi Chazan on social policy issues and the status of woman in Israel

Overnight: Mount Zion Hotel, Jerusalem

WEDNESDAY, MAY 16

08:00 09:00 Breakfast briefing - Overview of the Middle East Peace Process and talk on NGO's with Dr. Gerald Steinberg, Editor, NGO Monitor and Director, Program on Conflict Management and Negotiation, Bar Ilan University

09:00 Mifgash starts

09:15 Check out and depart hotel

10:00 11:00 Visit Maale Adumim, the largest Israeli town in the West Bank and meet with Herb Keinon, diplomatic correspondent for the Jerusalem Post – Location TBC

11:00 12:30 Drive north on route 90 along the Israel - Jordanian border

12:30 13:30 Lunch at the Beit Shean Mall

15:00 15:45 Visit Mount BenTal on the Golan Heights and talk on security related issues with an IDF spokesperson - TBC

16:15 18:00 Tour/Hike in the Golan Heights

18:00 19:00 Drive to Hotel

19:00 20:15 Check-in at the Sheraton Hotel and time to freshen up

20:30 Dinner at Deck's on the shore of the Kineret river

Overnight: Sheraton Hotel, Tiberia

THURSDAY, MAY 17

07:15 07:45 Breakfast and check out

08:00 09:30 Visit to the Christian sites around the Sea of Galilee

09:30 11:00 Drive to Haifa

11:00 12:00 Visit the Bahá’í Gardens and meet with a representative for an introduction on the Bahá’í faith (Dress code: modest)

12:30 14:00 Lunch and visit to the Golda Meir Mount Carmel International Training Center to learn about Israel’s development work abroad with its Director Mazal Renford

14:00 15:30 Depart Haifa and drive to Holon

15:30 17:00 Visit to the "Save a Childs Heart Project" in Holon

17:00 17:45 Depart to Tel Aviv

17:45 19:45 Check into the Sheraton Moriah Hotel and time to freshen up

20:00 Dinner at La Relais Jaffa restaurant with Aluf Benn, Diplomatic Editor of Haaretz

Mifgash ends

Overnight: Sheraton Moriah Hotel, Tel-Aviv

FRIDAY, MAY 18

08:30 09:00 Breakfast

09:30 10:30 Meet with Canadian Ambassador Jon Allen at the Embassy

11:00 12:30 Visit the neighborhoods of Jaffo and Neve Tzedek

12:30 14:30 Lunch on own and Shopping on Nahalat Binyamin, arts & crafts outdoor Market

14:30 17:30 Free time

17:30 19:00 Return to hotel to freshen up

19:15 21:00 Dinner at Bellini Restaurant

21:30 Mayumana show, dance and percussion

Show starts at 22:00

Drinks at the Old Port in Tel Aviv - Optional

Overnight: Sheraton Moriah Hotel, Tel-Aviv

SATURDAY, MAY 19

08:00 08:30 Breakfast

08:30 Check out

08:30 10:30 Depart for the Dead Sea Region and meet up with Tour Guide Itai Lavee

10:45 12:00 Cable car up Masada (ancient Roman/Jewish fortress) and tour site

12:30 15:30 Rest, Swim and Lunch at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Dead Sea

16:00 17:00 Hike the natural reserves of Ein Gedi

17:00 18:00 Drive to Jerusalem

18:00 20:00 Check in and time to freshen up

20:30 21:30 Dinner at Grill Bar on the downtown Ben-Yehuda pedestrian mall

Walk and free time on the downtown pedestrian mall, Ben-Yehuda Street

Overnight: Mount Zion Hotel, Jerusalem

SUNDAY, MAY 20

07:30 08:30 Breakfast briefing with Khaled Abu Toameh - Palestinian Affairs correspondent for the Jerusalem Post – “An inside view of Palestinian Politics”

9:00 11:30 Visit Israel's National Holocaust Museum, Yad Vashem

11:30 12:30 Drive to Rehovot

12:30 13:15 Lunch

13:30 15:00 Visit to the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, (one of Israel's leading center’s of scientific research)

16:00 17:30 Archeological dig

18:00 19:00 Visit the Nachson Winery

19:00 19:15 Return to Jerusalem

19:15 20:15 Return to hotel and time to freshen up

20:30 Dinner at Canella restaurant in downtown trendy neighborhood

Overnight: Mount Zion Hotel, Jerusalem

MONDAY, MAY 21

08:00 08:30 Breakfast

09:00 10:30 Visit the Gilo Center for Citizenship, Democracy and Civic Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

11:00 13:00 Visit to the Israel Museum – Explore exhibit on settlement in Israel from the ancient period onward

13:15 15:00 Lunch at Tzachko in the Iraqi Market and brief tour of the Mahane Yehuda outdoor market

15:30 17:30 Visit the City of David, revealing some of the most exciting archeological finds of the ancient world

17:45 18:45 Last minute shopping on Ben Yehuda Street

18:45 19:15 Personal summary with camera crew

19:15 20:15 Freshen-up at hotel

20:30 Group Summary at Darna over dinner

Overnight: Mount Zion Hotel, Jerusalem

TUESDAY, MAY 22

08:30 09:00 Breakfast

09:15 Check out

09:30 10:30 Transfer to airport

12:55 Flight to Toronto on AC 085