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Gathering of the Diasporas

Israel, Summer 2022

Jennifer Saber, leader of the Gathering of the Disaporas tour.
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Early Bird Discounts:


Register and pay initial deposit by February 15, 2022 to enjoy a discount of $200 off the tour cost!


Register and pay initial deposit by March 31, 2022 to enjoy a discount of $100 off the tour cost!

KIBBUTZ GALUYOT

GATHERING OF THE DIASPORAS

TOUR OF ISRAEL
JUNE 13 - 23, 2022

ברוכים הבאים

(That's Hebrew for "Welcome", pronounced as Broo-kheem Ha-ba-eem)


Please note: This tour has been cancelled and will be rescheduled for 2023.


It is with great pleasure that this invitation is extended to join this unique tour of Israel, hosted by educator Jennifer Saber. The title says it all - "Kibbutz Galuyot" or, in English, "Gathering of the Diasporas". If you're interested in learning, experiencing (and tasting!) the magnificent melting pot that forms Israeli Jewish society, this program has been designed especially for you.


Although the tour is open to all, Jewish/Israel educators will also benefit professionally from the experience, returning home with lots of wonderful, interesting knowledge and ideas for less plans and class activities. Schools or local philanthropies may have scholarships available to assist with the costs.


The tour costs are based on a minimum of 15 participants and drop by $385 per person if we reach 20. So be sure to invite your friends, colleagues and anyone else who may be interested!


Reminder: All participants on Scopia LLC tours in 2022 are required to be fully vaccinated (including boosters). Your passport must be valid at least six months beyond the date of return. For more information visit the COVID-19 page.


Current processing times for passports can be longer than 4 months. It is highly recommended you apply now for a passport if yours expires before December 24, 2022.


For more information about the tour, please click on one of the links for a full tour brochure and description of coverage for the group travel insurance being offered. Otherwise, you are welcome to get basic information by exploring the tabs below. It's important to read and understand all the information prior to registration.


Before registering for the tour, please note Scopia LLC is not registered as a "Seller of Travel" in the states of CA, WA and IA and therefore this tour is not being offered to residents of these states, unless payment for the tour is provided in full by a person or organization outside of these states (such as a gift or grant).


After acquainting yourself with all the tour details (brochure, insurance), please click on the "Register" button to confirm your reservation. Be sure to have ready:

  • Your passport(s)
  • Your COVID-19 vaccination card(s)


We look forward to welcoming you on board and celebrating with you in Israel!

Got Questions About This Tour?

Please swipe along the tabs below to view more info!

Tour Costs Based on Min. 20 Participants

Tour Cost Per Adult (12+) Sharing a Double Room: $3,966.

Tour Cost Per Adult (12+) in Single Occupancy: $4,968.


Remember: The tour cost is based on minimum of 15 participants and the prices drop by $385 per person if we reach 20. So be sure to invite your friends, colleagues and anyone interested!


To calculate approximate total costs of the tour, please add flights to Israel, group travel insurance (7.2% of the tour cost and the flights), tips, COVID expenses such as PCR tests, and any expenses of a personal nature (gifts, phone plans, extra meals, etc.)


Please note single rooms are limited and will be confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis.

Included and Not Included

This is a general description of what is and what isn't included in the tour cost. For specific details please refer to the tour brochure.


Included in the Tour Costs:


Hotels –10 Nights – Standard Rooms (Star rating for general indication only):

  • June 13 – 16: 3 Nights Tal Hotel – Tel Aviv (3 Stars) or similar.
  • June 16 – 20: 4 Nights Dan Boutique Hotel – Jerusalem (3 Stars) or similar
  • June 20 – 23: 3 Nights Haifa Bay View Hotel – Haifa (3 Stars) or similar.

Transportation and Touring:

  • 8 Days of touring in Israel with an expert, English-fluent and licensed guide
  • 8 Days of touring in an airconditioned bus with a licensed, experienced driver
  • All entrance fees to sites and meals mentioned in the itinerary
  • All guide’s and bus driver’s expenses
  • 2 Bottles of Water on the bus, per participant, per day of touring.

Meals:

  • Full buffet breakfast daily at all hotels
  • 2 Midweek hotel dinners in Tel Aviv (June 13) and Haifa (June 22)
  • 1 Shabbat dinner at hotel (June 17) and 1 Shabbat lunch at hotel (June 18)
  • 5 Lunches along the way:
  • Iraqi restaurant lunch (June 15)
  • Moroccan/north African cooking session and lunch (June 16)
  • Makhneh Yehuda Market food tour, including tastings (June 19)
  • Habbani (Yemen) tastings in a private home (June 20)
  • Kurdish restaurant lunch (June 21)
  • Tulip Winery visit with wine tasting (June 22)

Others:

  • Fully escorted by program director
  • Local tour operator to assist as needed

Not Included in the Tour Costs:


Not included are any service not mentioned above as included in the tour costs. Examples: flights, meals on own, soft/alcoholic drinks during meals, touring outside of the itinerary, passports, visas, COVID testing, airline seat upgrades, Israel border taxes (when crossing into Jordan), expenses of a personal nature such as gifts, phone calls and data, mini-bar purchases, etc.


Specifically for this group:

  • Flights to/from Israel
  • VAT (17% on hotels) for participants holding a dual US/Israeli citizenship.
  • Any expenses related to COVID tests, quarantine (if required) or otherwise.
  • Travel Insurance – Will be charged as a group policy (7.2% of the tour cost).
  • Tips

Tour Itinerary

The itinerary is subject to change. Meals included in the tour cost are listed as (B, L or D). The tour will stop along the way for lunches (most not included) during touring days.


Monday, June 13: Welcome to Israel – Shalom! (D)

  • Please be at the hotel no later than 6:00 PM to check in to your room and enjoy dinner. Scopia LLC will try to match participants for transfers according to flight times.
  • 07:00 PM – Orientation Meeting at the hotel. Tel Aviv

OVERNIGHT - TEL AVIV


Tuesday, June 14: Tel Aviv (B)

  • Anu Museum – Guided Tour of the new museum (formerly Museum of the Diaspora)
  • Visit the Asif Culinary Institute with a tour of the rooftop garden, the library and resource center.
  • Lunch on own at the Asif Cafeteria.
  • Walking tour to Nachlat Binyamin and ancient Jaffa.
  • Free time to enjoy the open-street arts and crafts fair.
  • Free evening for dinner on own.

OVERNIGHT - TEL AVIV


Wednesday, June 15: Yemen, Babylon and Hassidim (B, L,)

  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Rosh Ha’Ayin – Heritage Center of Yemen, including fun dancing and music from Yemen.
  • Or Yehuda – Center for Babylonian Jewry (Iraq), including testimony from the last Jew to leave Iraq in 2010.
  • Authentic Iraqi lunch at a local restaurant
  • Walking tour of the Hassidic city of B’nai B’rak
  • Return to Tel Aviv for early dinner on your own.

OVERNIGHT - TEL AVIV


Thursday, June 16: Tel Aviv to Jerusalem via Ethiopia, Morocco and African Hebrews ( B, L)

  • Breakfast at the hotel and check out of hotel rooms.
  • Kiryat Gat – Beta Israel Ethiopian Center
  • Yeruham – Enjoy a cooking Session and lunch with the “Cooking Women of the South”. Not to be missed!
  • Dimona – Tour and learn about the African Hebrews
  • Travel toward Jerusalem, stopping along the way for a “Shehecheyanu” blessing.
  • Free evening for dinner on your own in Jerusalem.

OVERNIGHT - JERUSALEM


Friday, June 17: Yad Vashem (B, D)

  • Breakfast at hotel. 
  • Visit Yad Vashem – memorial to the Holocaust victims, including a special educational session.
  • Lunch on own at the Yad Vashem cafeteria.
  • Kabbalat Shabbat public ceremony at the First Station.
  • Shabbat dinner at the hotel.

OVERNIGHT - JERUSALEM


Saturday, June 18: Shabbat in Jerusalem (B, L)

  • Breakfast at the hotel.
  • Optional Tours at extra cost (see notes below)
  • Morning optional tour: Walking tour of the beautiful Yemin Moshe neighborhood.
  • Return to the hotel for lunch
  • Afternoon optional tour (with the bus) – Walking tour of the old city of Jerusalem (Market, Kotel, others)
  • Evening: Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David.
  • Free time in the city center for dinner on own.

Optional Tours: The morning optional walking tour costs $300 and the afternoon optional tour (with the bus) costs $600. These costs are regardless of the number of participants. In the registration form, you will be asked if you are generally interested in joining one or both of these tours. Depending on the number of participants registered for each of the tours, we will know the cost per person to be added to the final payment.


OVERNIGHT - JERUSALEM


Sunday, June 19: North Afirca, Italy and Makhneh Yehuda Market (B)

  • Breakfast at the hotel. 
  • North African Heritage Center
  • Italian Synagogue with a lecture about Italian Jewry.
  • Fun food tour in the Makhneh Yehuda market, concentrating on foods and pastries from the diasporas.
  • Free time for dinner on own.

OVERNIGHT - JERUSALEM


Monday, June 20: Jerusalem to Haifa via Habban (Yemen), Cochin and Atlit:

  • Breakfast at hotel and check out of rooms.
  • Giv’at Ko’ach – A visit to the local replica Synagogue, to learn about the life of Jews in Cochin India).
  • Bareket – Private home visit to hear about the Habbani Jews from Yemen, including lunch.
  • Atlit Internment camp from the British mandate period.
  • Arrive in Haifa, check into hotel.
  • Free time for dinner on own.

OVERNIGHT - HAIFA


Tuesday, June 21: Peki'in, Kurdistan, Walls and Towers (B, L): 

  • Breakfast at hotel.
  • Peki’in – A visit to Beit Zinati
  • Sh’tula – Lunch at Hemdat Hagalil Kurdish Restaurant
  • Hanita – Homa Umigdal Museum
  • Free time in Haifa for dinner on own.

OVERNIGHT - HAIFA


Wednesday, June 22: To the Beginning, First Jewish Settlers Around the Sea of Galilee (B, D)

  • Breakfast at hotel.
  • Tours of Kibbutz D’gania and nearby Kinneret to learn about the early days of Jewish immigration to the area.
  • Lunch on own in the area.
  • On the way back, visit the social action Tulip Winery.
  • Return to Haifa for dinner at the hotel. 

OVERNIGHT - HAIFA


Thursday, June 23: Return to the US

  • Depart Haifa according to your return flight. Scopia LLC will try to match participants for transfers according to flight times. 
  • Welcome home and Shalom! 



Tour Information and Registration

Please read all the terms and conditions before clicking the button at the bottom to register. 


Tour Difficulty – Is this tour right for you?

The trip is not sold or offered as ADA-compliant. Participants should be able to walk and/or hike at a normal group pace on even or uneven, paved or unpaved roads or paths, ascend and descend stairs (sometimes without a railing), walk up or down hills, or stand in place for 20-30 minutes at a time, while listening to the guide’s explanations. The bus on the tour is not ADA-compliant and does not have a bathroom but it is air conditioned. It is possible to skip one or more of the sites and stay on the bus or in the hotel, but there will be no refund for unused entrance fees. The most strenuous touring will likely be in the old city of Jerusalem, which entails walking several miles on uneven pavements (although there are places to sit and rest during the explanations). Participants are responsible for their own health, such as medications or taking appropriate precautions related to allergies. The touring staff is not medically trained. June temperatures in Israel can reach 100⁰F or above during daytime. Regretfully, participants requiring a wheelchair or other mobility apparatus cannot be accommodated. 


Saftey and Health Information:

Please be sure to carefully read information provided in these websites:

  • US State Department information and travel advisory for Israel. Click Here.
  • CDC Health information for Israel. Click Here.

Travel Insurance:

Group Travel insurance is offered for this group and covers certain expenses resulting from cancellations, changes, medical care during the trip, flight delays or other unexpected circumstances as detailed in the Description of Coverage which will be provided when the insurance is purchased for the group. In the event of reimbursement by the insurance, the cost of the insurance is not refunded. 


Travel Insurance Disclaimer:

This plan provides insurance coverage that only applies during the covered trip. You may have coverage from other sources that provides you with similar benefits but may be subject to different restrictions depending upon your other coverages. You may wish to compare the terms of this policy with your existing life, health, home, and automobile insurance policies. If you have any questions about your current coverage, call your insurer or insurance agent or broker. Coverage is offered by Travel Guard Group, Inc. of Stevens Point, WI (800) 826-1300.


Terms and Conditions:

  • By paying any payments you signify that you represent the travel party and have read, understood, and agree to these terms, conditions, and disclaimer.
  • Payments are accepted by checks or wire transfers. If Scopia LLC will have the ability to charge credit cards in time, deposits only may be paid by credit cards with an added agency service fee.

Important dates to remember:


  • February 15, 2022: A non-refundable deposit of $100 per person is due, plus $29 per person for the initial group insurance policy. Add $5 agency service fee for credit card payments.
  • April 1, 2022: A second, non-refundable deposit (amount to be determined) is due, plus insurance which is 7.2% of the payment.
  • May 1, 2022: Final payment (plus insurance balance, currently 7.2% of the tour cost) is due and is non-refundable.

There is no refund for unused services while in Israel. Insurance costs are not reimbursed by the insurance company in case of cancellation(s).


Rate Calculations: Scopia LLC reserves the right to correct errors or omissions in calculations at any time. All rates are subject to change without advance notice until final payment has been made.


Others:

  • These terms and conditions are separate and different from any terms and conditions set by the airlines or other suppliers paid directly.
  • Credit Card Chargebacks - Payments by credit card do not change these Terms and Conditions. Prior to initiating a "chargeback" with the credit card company, please try to resolve any disputes with Scopia LLC directly. In the event of a "Chargeback" investigation finding in favor of Scopia LLC, the customer will be charged a $100 administrative fee for each "Chargeback".
  • Unless purchased as an option, travel insurance does not cover adventure sports such as SCUBA diving, hang gliding, rappelling, snow or water skiing, etc.

Disclaimer:


PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE. IT CONTITUTES PART OF YOUR CONTRACT FOR TRAVEL RELATED SERVICES. PLEASE CHECK THE RESERVATION CONFIRMATION FOR ERRORS. CONTACT SCOPIA, LLC WITH ANY QUESTIONS.


Scopia LLC (herein "Travel Agency") is acting as a mere agent for suppliers in selling travel-related services, or in accepting reservations or bookings for services that are not directly supplied by this Travel Agency (such as air and ground transportation, hotel accommodations, meals, tours, etc.). Travel Agency, therefore, shall not be responsible for breach of contract, failure to comply with any laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or any intentional or negligent actions, omissions, or defaults on the part of such suppliers, which result in any loss, damage, delay, inconvenience or injury to travelers or travelers' companions or group members.


Travel Agency shall not be responsible for any injuries, damages, or losses caused to any traveler in connection with dangers and risks inherent in sporting/adventure activities, climatic conditions, accidents or illness, terrorist acts, mechanical or construction failures or difficulties, social or labor unrest, local laws, abnormal conditions or developments, acts of God, or any other actions, omissions, or conditions outside the travel agent's control.


Travel Agency does not guarantee any supplier's rates, bookings, reservations, connections, scheduling, or handling of baggage or other personal effects. Traveler assumes complete and full responsibility for, and hereby releases the agent from, any duty of checking and verifying any and all passport, visa, vaccination, or other entry requirements of each destination, and all safety and security conditions of such destinations, during the length of the proposed travel.


Traveler's payment for and retention of tickets, reservations, or bookings after issuance shall constitute a consent to the above and an agreement on his/her part to convey the contents hereto to his/her travel companions or group members. By embarking upon his/her travel, the traveler voluntarily assumes all risks involved in such travel, whether expected or unexpected, and traveler hereby expressly agrees to forever release, discharge and hold Travel Agency and its agents, employees, officers, directors, associates, affiliated companies, and subcontractors harmless against any and all liability, actions, causes of action, debts, suits, claims, and demands of any and every kind and nature whatsoever which traveler now have or which may hereafter arise out of or in connection with the trip or participation in any activities arranged for by Travel Agent.


Travel insurance is strongly recommended for all travelers to obtain coverage for themselves, travel companions, and family members to cover unforeseen travel issues such as cancellations, interruptions, delays, lost/stolen/damaged travel documents and personal property, medical expenses, and emergency transportation.

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