DAY 1 - Arrival into Tel Aviv. Transfer to hotel. Enjoy the beach alongside the Tel Aviv Promenade. Welcome dinner. Stay in Tel Aviv for 3 nights.

DAY 2 - We spend two full days in and around Tel Aviv. Visit Ben Gurion House, Tel Aviv City Hall, Beit Hatfutsot History and Culture Museum, and Israeli Deaf Association at Helen Keller Center. Evening walkabout at hipster Florentin to see various graffiti and dinner at a Yemeni restaurant.

DAY 3 - Visit “Invitation to Silence” exhibit at the Israel Children’s Museum in Holon. Explore the ancient port city of Jaffa, which is the oldest part of Tel Aviv. If possible, we may enjoy a show by the Nalaga’at Theater Deaf-Blind Acting Ensemble.

DAY 4 - Drive to the city of Haifa in northern Israel. Enroute, we stop to visit the ancient Roman port city ruins of Casearea, Elijah’s Cave as well as Bahai Gardens with beautiful views over the harbor. In the afternoon we continue to Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. Visit the Basilica of the Annunciation, where Angel Gabriel visited Mary. Stay in Nazareth for 2 nights.

DAY 5 - Today we explore Sea of Galilee and surroundings. We step ‘in the footsteps of Jesus’ and visit different places that are mentioned in the Bible including taking a boat trip on the lake where Jesus walked on water, held the sermon at Mount of Beatitudes, fed 5,000 people with loaves and fishes at Tabgha, and was baptized in the Jordan River. Enjoy a lunch at a local fish restaurant. Visit ancient town of Capernaum.

DAY 6 - In the morning, we visit Golan Heights, and see Mount Hermon. Arrive into Jerusalem in the afternoon. Stay in Jerusalem for 3 nights.

DAY 7 - We head out to the Arabic village of Kufr Qasim, which is the hometown of one of our local deaf guides. Kufr Qasim has a lively Deaf community, who will be happy to to welcome us for lunch at the community center. Return to Jerusalem. Starting at Mount of Olives, we walk down through the cemetery to the Garden of Gethsemane, before entering Old Jerusalem through Lion’s Gate where we begin following Via Dolorosa, the processional route that Jesus walked on the way to his crucifixion. At the end of the route, we enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

DAY 8 - With a local deaf guide, we visit the Israeli Museum in the morning. After lunch at Mahane Yehuda, we walk through the Armenian and Jewish sectors of Old Jerusalem including the Western Wall, Hurva Synagogue, and the Dome of the Rock. Walk through the ultra-orthodox Haredim Jewish neighborhoods.

DAY 9 - Visit Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum. Leave Jerusalem and enter the Palestinian territories. Visit Ramallah, the defacto capital of Palestine. We visit the deaf association for an introduction to the Palestinian deaf community and their way of life. Visit a deaf school. Overnight in Ramallah.

DAY 10 - We travel further to the town of Bethlehem, the place where Jesus was born. Visit the Church of Nativity and the Shepard’s Fields. Palestinian lunch at a deaf family’s home. Check out some of Banksy’s art work, including the Walled Off Hotel. Overnight in Bethlehem. B,L

DAY 11 - In the morning, we visit Hebron with our deaf Palestinian guides. It is a holy site for both Judaism and Islam. Meet a deaf ceramic painter at a glass blowing studio. Visit the Tombs of the Patriarchs – where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah were buried. By the end of morning, we drive to Jericho, one of the oldest cities in the world. Take a cable car ride up to the cliff to visit the Monastery of the Temptation. After lunch, we continue towards Dead Sea, which is almost 10 times as salty as the ocean. Stay at Ein Gedi for 2 nights. B

DAY 12 - Visit one of most spectacular and intriguing historical sites in Israel: Masada. Optional pre-sunrise climb to the top of the mesa-like plateau. This is to escape the mid-day heat but primarily to enjoy spectacular views over the desert at sunrise. A once in a lifetime experience! Alternative ascent by cable car. In the afternoon, we relax in a spa or visit the nature reserve of Ein Gedi. Float ourselves in the salty Dead Sea.

DAY 13 - Head into the Negev Desert. Visit a deaf Jewish settler in Susya. Stop at the village of Al-Sayyid to meet Deaf Bedouins. Learn a bit of Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language. Visit the Museum of Bedouin Culture in Be’er Sheva. Explore the desert while riding on camels at a ranch. Overnight at Be’er Sheva.

DAY 14 - Return back to Tel Aviv for your flight back home. Or continue with our optional 7 day extension in Jordan.