PAS Adult Learning Israel Trip 2011 - Park Avenue Synagogue

III. ITINERARIES
Our trip will include up to three of the following itineraries based on participant interest:
Track I: Yisrael: Wrestling with the Angels – Encounters with Jewish History in the Land of Israel
A bird’s eye view of the sweep of Jewish history in the Land of Israel, examining through on-site text study the
critical turning points in the history of the Jewish people and the land over four thousand years. Texts range from
Bereishit to yesterday’s news, from legal to poetic literature, while the sites are studied as texts in and of themselves.
Thematic Elements: longings for Jerusalem; social strife then and now; rejection and acceptance of central authority; Tel Aviv as a cultural
symbol; Shabbat and Israeli culture; the Shoah and its impact on Israeli identity; the challenges of Jewish sovereignty.
Primary sites tentatively include: Ancient Jerusalem, Dead Sea region, Tel Aviv, Modern Jerusalem neighborhoods, administered
territories, Yad Vashem, Mount Herzl.
Track II: Altneuland Revisited
Herzl’s 1898 visit to Palestine led to his writing a book, Altneuland, in which he envisaged visiting the land of Israel 25
years hence, describing what he encountered and what had been achieved. This seminar similarly encounters this
Old-New Land, exploring the vision behind modern Israel and the challenges facing Israeli society today and
tomorrow. Each topic is examined through pertinent texts, studied on site.
Thematic Elements: approaches to the Land; center and periphery in modern Israel; the future of Jerusalem and territorial matters;
minority rights in Israel society; intellectual excellence and the future of Israel; the role of the army in Israeli society; Haredim and modern
Israel; between Law and Justice.
Primary sites tentatively include: Tel Aviv Then & Now, Negev development towns, academic/scientific research facilities, meetings with
soldiers, Haredi Jerusalem, Arab communities, Political Jerusalem, the Supreme Court.
Track III: Biblical In-Sites
What better way to engage in the study of formative Biblical texts than to go to the very places referred to, Tanakh in
hand, and encounter the stories and their lessons afresh? This seminar explores the pivotal character and narratives
of the central books of our Biblical heritage, examining the circumstances and ideas which helped make this, the
Book of Books, central to Jewish identity and of great impact on humankind.
Thematic Elements: more dilemmas of the forefathers (Genesis); the meaning of the entry and conquest of the Land (Joshua); contending
claims to the Land of Israel (Judges, Samuel); societal anarchy and its price (Judges); apocalyptic visions and a rebuilt Jerusalem
(Prophets); exile, return, and the image of our foremother Rachel (Prophets, Genesis).
Primary sites tentatively include: various sites in and around Jerusalem, Dead Sea and Jericho region, Coastal Plain down to Ashkelon,
Judean Hills, Rachel’s Tomb.
Please note that space is limited for each of the above itineraries. Seats on the bus for each itinerary will be
granted on a first-come first-served basis, with no more than 25 participants in each group. PAS reserves the right to
run one, two, or three of these itineraries based on participant interest. We may decide to run two buses for one
track (groups to tour separately) if there is sufficient interest. Please be sure to mark your track preferences clearly on
your Trip Registration Form.
IV. ACCOMMODATIONS
We will stay at the Inbal Hotel in Jerusalem for the full length of the Seminar (Sunday, May 29 – Sunday, June 5),
traveling each day to different sites around the country depending on our various itineraries. All participants will stay
in superior standard double rooms.