CWB 2015 Israel STEM Educators

Seminar
June 29-July 12, 2015

Monday June 29th Depart to Tel-Aviv

Tuesday June 30th Introduction to Land of Israel

Sites: Neot Kedumim, Caesarea National Park, Haifa
We will begin our sojourn in a special nature reserve located between Tel-Aviv and
Jerusalem in Neot Kedumim (which means an ancient oasis). At the reserve,
we will learn about some of the agricultural techniques used in antiquity and will
participate in a special hands-on leadership exercise. Following lunch en route,
we will travel to the ancient city of Caesarea Maritima. Here, Herod the Great
defied nature two thousand years ago and built an artificial port 500 yards out
into the open sea utilizing hydraulic cement. In addition to touring the ancient
Roman city with its theater, amphitheater, port and hippodrome, we will visit a
section of the aqueducts and examine the Roman engineering techniques
developed to bring water from long distances. We will arrive in Haifa in the early
evening and after checking into the hotel, we will take a short walking tour to get
a feel for the city and the regions geography. Time allowing, we will see a part of
the famous hanging Bahai gardens and through the German Colony in Haifa.
**Both lunch and dinner are included.
Overnight: Haifa
Wednesday July 1st - North
Sites: The Reali Hebrew School, Technion Israel Institute of Technology ,
Hecht Museum U. of Haifa
We begin the morning with a visit at the top math and science school in Israel, the
Reali Hebrew School (two IDF Chiefs of Staff are graduates) to interact with the
staff and to learn about mutual challenges (and perhaps mutual solutions)
surrounding STEM education. From there we will go to the Technion Israels
version of MIT. Our tour here will focus both on teacher training for STEM as well
as seeing some of the cutting edge technologies worked on in the institute

including robotics, Space technologies, etc. In the afternoon we will go to the

Hecht Museum in Haifa University and explore ancient technologies with a
focus on maritime culture as well as learning about how the educational
department works with the variety of groups that visit the museum.
**Lunch on your own (at the Technion), dinner is included.
Overnight: Haifa
Thursday July 2nd North
Sites: Nazareth, Sapir Site, Tel Chai College (science outreach program),
Metullah
Beginning the day with an early departure, we will travel to Nazareth to visit the
largest church in the Middle East the Church of the Annunciation. This major
Catholic church designates the place where the angel Gabriel announced to Mary
that she was pregnant And the Word became Flesh. Driving further east to the
north-west corner of the Sea of Galilee, we will visit the Sapir site where fresh
water is pumped from -214 meters below sea level up to sea level to be treated
and connected into Israels national water carrier. Our tour here will be the
starting point of an exploration of Israels innovative approach to its water
economy. In addition to looking at the scientific and technological elements of the
system, we will also devote time to its geo-political aspects. Continuing further
north, we will go to Tel Chai College to learn about their special science
outreach program to the weaker socio-economic populations in the general
region. Driving a bit more, we will reach the Israeli-Lebanese border in the town
of Metullah. From an overlook above the town, we will look deep into Lebanon
and discuss the relations between the two countries in recent years and where
they might be going in the future.
In the evening we will have our first debriefing session at the Kibbutz where we
will be lodging.
**Lunch on your own, Dinner included- Decks Restaurant
Overnight: Kibbutz Maagan
Friday July 3rd - North
Sites: Christian Sites on the Sea of Galilee, Misgav - robotics project,
R&R at the Sea of Galilee, Kabbalat Shabbat in Misgav region with home
hospitality
The morning will be devoted to learning and exploring the primary sites along and
around the Sea of Galilee that relate to Jesus three year Galilean Ministry,
including Capernaum, the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and
Fishes and Mt. Beatitudes . Called, Jesus home town in the Bible, Capernaum

is where Peter grew up and where Jesus was based during much of his 3 year
ministry preceding his crucifixion in Jerusalem. One of the earliest churches
known is located here, as well as the remains of the Jewish town from the late
Roman/Byzantine period. The Church of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes is
a German Benedictine Monastery commemorating Jesus miracle of the feeding of
thousands. Mt. Beatitudes symbolizes Jesus seminal Sermon on the Mount.
Driving west, we will visit the community of Misgav in the Lower Galilee to meet
students who will present their robotics projects to us. Returning to our
domicile, we will have some free time to swim in the Sea of Galilee and to rest up
before returning to the Misgav region for home hospitality with local families.
This will be an opportunity to interact with Israelis during their traditional Friday
night dinners (Kabbalat Shabbat)
**Lunch on own, Dinner included Home Hospitality
Overnight: Kibbutz Maagan

Saturday July 4th Golan & Jerusalem

Sites: Mt. Bental, Umm El Kanatir, Mt of Olives Observation point in
Jerusalem
Departing the Kibbutz early, we will ascend the Golan Heights driving north-east
to an extinct volcano located close to the Israeli-Syrian DMZ. At Mt. Bental we
will learn about the strategic importance of the Golan Heights to Israel and the
issues that have been on the negotiating table between the two states in the past.
We will also delve into the present state of affairs the ongoing Syrian Civil War
including Israels main concerns vis a vis Syria. Driving south, we will reach
Umm El Kanatir - unique in Israel, this site is undertaking the complete
reconstruction (with the original materials) of the 1800 year old synagogue that
was discovered here. This is an opportunity to witness a special project in its
advance stages before completion. Leaving the Golan Heights, we will travel
south through the Jordan River Valley in the Syrian-African Rift until we
arrive at Jerusalem. We will ascend to the top of Mt. of Olives to get our first
view of the entire city laid out at our feet to the West.
**Lunch and Dinner included
Overnight: Jerusalem
Sunday July 5th Jerusalem
Sites: City of David, Davidson Center, Security Barrier

Meetings: Stav Erez of JNEXT project and founder of Sif-tech center for young
entrepreneurs, Elyassaf Ish-Shalom of PresenTense and a social business tour
around the City center.
We will begin to peel back the layers of Jerusalems history by starting at the
beginning at the City of David. This is the historic core of Jerusalem, where
human habitation began here some 5000 years ago. While it is the most
intensively excavated site in Israel, the City of David excavations are also
politically sensitive given their location in the heart of an Arab village in East
Jerusalem. The past few years have uncovered a 3800 year old water system
(Canaanite), a pool from Herod's time, the main commercial thoroughfare of
Jerusalem from 2000 years ago as well as copious epigraphic finds. A new section
of the antiquities was recently opened, enabling us to walk through the city's
drainage system (2000 years old) under the walls of the Old City, taking us to
excavations just south of the Temple Mount. An amazing site although it is quite
challenging for the extremely claustrophobic. Part of this site includes
traversing a 2700 year old water conduit (wet) that was constructed to hold out
under an extreme siege mentioned prominently in the Hebrew Bible (O.T.).
Emerging inside of the Old City from the original Roman drainage system, we will
find ourselves in the Davidson Center. In the wake of the Six Days War of 1967,
Israeli archaeologists began investigating and excavating around the base of the
Temple Mount on Mt. Moriah. Here we have the place where Jesus turned over
the Money changers tables as well as the original access point to the Temple
Mount. In this archaeological garden there is a museum that houses one of the
most sophisticated computer generated virtual tours of an ancient city that exist
anywhere.
Following lunch in the Old City, we will meet with young local entrepreneurs and
learn about their initiatives to create high-tech opportunities in Jerusalem. In
the late afternoon, we will tour a section of the security barrier, both examining
its technical aspects as well as the political/strategic background to its
construction. Debriefing session.
**Lunch on own, Dinner included.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Monday July 6th Jerusalem
Sites: Christian sites (Mt. Olives, CHS, etc), Israel Museum, meetings and
David Citadel Night Spectacular
First thing in the morning we will focus on the key Christian sites in Jerusalem.
These will include descending by foot from the top of Mt. of Olives to Dominus
Flevit - tradition has it that this is where Jesus wept over the coming destruction
of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem and on to the Garden of Gethsemane -

it was here that Jesus contemplated his impending arrest and execution (sweat
blood). On site is a special (modern) church that is sitting on the remains of an
older 5th century AD church. Entering the Old City via the Lions Gate, we will
proceed to St. Annes - a complex just inside the Lion's gate in the Old City with
a very well-preserved Crusader period church (850 years old) as well as remains
of Bethesda which is mentioned in the New Testament. From there we will begin
our walk along the Via Dolorosa Throughout Christian history devout
Christians have come on pilgrimage to the Holy Land to walk in the footsteps of
Jesus on his way to his destiny on Golgotha (Calvary). The Catholic version of this
devotional procession developed in the middle Ages and is known as the Via
Dolorosa or the Stations of the Cross 14 stations in all which begins in the
Muslim Quarter of the Old City and culminates in the Church of the Holy
Sepulcher in the Christian Quarter - From a Christian vantage point, the most
important event in the history of the world took place in Jerusalem the
crucifixion and the subsequent resurrection of Jesus. This historic Crusader
(Medieval) Church contains within its precincts Golgotha (Calvary) and the site of
the resurrection.
We will then drive to the Israel Museum. From 2007-2010, Israel's premier
museum underwent a $100 million renovation. The result is a world class museum
which competes with some of the best. It includes a massive model of Jerusalem
circa 70 CE, the Shrine of the Book containing the Dead Sea Scrolls,
magnificent archaeology and Judaica wings, as well as a sculpture garden, youth
wing and assorted modern Israeli and general art wings.
After the museum, we will meet with more Jerusalemites involved in jump-starting
the high-tech industry in the City - Gila from Made in Jerusalem and Hanny
Alame (high-tech entrepreneur in the Arab sector)
Following some well-deserved R&R, we will go to Davids Citadel to experience
the Night Spectacular there.
**Lunch included, Dinner on own.
Overnight: Jerusalem
Tuesday July 7th Jerusalem
Sites: Temple Mount, Yad Vashem seminar + lunch there, Tsur Baher
school.
Early departure to visit the top of the Temple Mount - One of the foci of sanctity
in Jerusalem, this site is holy both to Jews and Muslims. Several Jewish Temples
stood here starting from 3000 years ago until the destruction of the last one in
the year 70 CE (AD). 1300 years ago, Muslims built the third holiest site to Islam
here and the current structures on the mountain reflect the Islamic sanctity of the
site. Today, the struggle over sovereignty over the Temple Mount constitutes one

of the biggest stumbling blocks in the peace negotiations between Israel and the
Palestinians. Next, we will visit Yad Vashem Israels national Holocaust
memorial for a seminar followed by lunch.
If possible, we will visit a Palestinian school in East Jerusalem and learn about
their integration of STEM.
In the early evening there will be a debriefing session
Free evening
**Lunch included, Dinner on own
Overnight: Jerusalem
Wednesday July 8th Judean Desert
Sites: Qumran or Ein Gedi, Masada, Dead Sea
Leaving early from Jerusalem to beat the heat in the desert, we will travel straight
to Qumran where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered at the end
of 1947. The archaeological excavations here revealed the remains of an ascetic
Jewish sect, known as the Essenes (or the Dead Sea sect), that lived in the area
from the 2nd century BC until their demise around the year 68 AD. From there we
will continue south to Masada a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There we will
grapple with Herods solution to the complete absence of water in the area as
well as the Roman siege technology that ultimately conquered the site from its
well-fortified defenders. Driving further south, we will dip into the Dead Sea The lowest place on earth (-420 meters below sea level), the Sea is characterized
by its salinity, it high mineral content and the low levels of healing radiation.
Swimming in the Sea is a one of a kind experience.
**Lunch included, Dinner on own.
Overnight: Beersheva
Thursday July 9th South and Coastal Plain
Sites: Amal Reut Mahane Natan school (special technology and science
program for Bedouin), Jack Joseph and Morton Mandel Childrens
Museum, Weizmann Institute , MindCet Center for Innovation in
Educational Technology.
Waking up in Beersheva, the capital of the Negev Desert, we will start off with a
visit at a school that has successfully operated a STEM program to assist
Bedouin at risk youth to complete their high school studies. From there we
will visit a new childrens museum that incorporates the latest technology to
create a powerful interactive educational experience for kids up to 12 years of
age. Still in the Negev, we will next go to MindCet a center for innovation in
educational technology. Driving towards Tel-Aviv, we will stop to tour the
Weizmann Institute Israels top science research center in Rehovot.

Free evening in Tel-Aviv.

**Lunch included, Dinner on own
Overnight: Tel-Aviv
Friday July 10th Tel-Aviv
Sites: Center for Educational Technology, Independence Hall, Nachalat
Binyamin, Carmel market.
First thing in the morning we will visit Israels Independence Hall where on
May 14th, 1948, the Jews of the Holy Land declared independence after 2000
years without sovereignty. This took place three years after the end of the biggest
disaster of Jewish (and maybe world) history the Holocaust. Afterwards we will
go to the Center for Educational Technology on the Tel-Aviv university campus
followed by free time in the open-air arts and crafts market in Nachalat
Binyamin and the adjacent Carmel food market.
Lunch is on your own in the area of the Carmel market
Before the festive Sabbath dinner at the hotel, we will have our final debriefing
session - bringing it all back home.
**Lunch on you own, Dinner included.
Saturday July 11th - Old Jaffa
Sites: Old Jaffa + free time
Most of the day will be down-free time own your own. In the late afternoon, when
the weather has cooled down a bit we will tour the Old City of Jaffa One of the
ancient harbors of the Holy Land mentioned in Biblical and extra-biblical sources,
Jaffa is a charming city that contains churches and antiquities and arts and crafts.
** Lunch and dinner on own.
Overnight: Tel-Aviv
Sunday July 12th Tel-Aviv
Sites & Meetings: SpaceIL, Google, panel at Mind Space (Education in
the service of society Sefi Atias (XLN), Josh Gottesman (TOM) and Roi
Zikorel (Trump Foundation).
On our final day we will be visiting cutting edge projects and taking in some of
the Start-Up Nation initiatives. SpaceIl is a project that aims to land an Israeli
space craft on the moon (on a shoe-string budget). Google has one of its most
important R&D centers located in Israel. We will get to see a panel of innovators
who will present their vision of science in the service of society.
Lunch will take place between visits
Final supper at Maganda restaurant in Tel-Aviv

**Lunch and Dinner included.

Overnight: Tel-Aviv
Monday July 13th- Depart for Pittsburgh