Amiel NEWS FLASH #9 - April 2011

Newsletter Topics
National Pogram
F.I.T. Department
New Programs and Activities
Vardi's Opera AIDA at Masada
Feast of Tabernacles 2011
Hotels News
Basic Information on Israel

Please let me convey to our friends and the people of Japan that our thoughts are with them following the recent events. 

 

Spring is knocking on the door and this edition of our News Flash is designated to recap the programs and activities introduced in the recent period. We would like to show our appreciation and take this opportunity to thank our friends and partners, wherever they are, for their support.

 

We are privileged to feature a new promising project by the Gilboa (Gilboa Mountain) Regional Council called "Gilboa-Jenin-Nazereth Tourism for Peace". Jenin is a large Palestinian city and only 25 minutes away from Nazereth. The Gilboa region is an area where Christians, Moslems and Jews live side by side with mutual respect. This special initiative will hopefully show blossoms of peace just as the almond trees are in full bloom and the first spring flowers are sprouting from the ground.

 

Last but not least, you will find on the bottom a wonderful article about Tel Aviv published in the last issue of the On Board Magazine of Swiss.

 

Let me close by wishing all a delightful spring, a successful season and Happy Holidays!

 

Kind regards,

Oni Amiel

New on Amiel Tours B2B website! National Programs - Guaranteed departures. The tour is exciting, the service is professional, the experiences will last a lifetime and the rates are attractive and competitive. Visit our website today.

We would like to inform you that our Mrs. Alex Hasson has been assigned a new position in our office and will now be responsible for and in charge of the Service Department and for the development of our important B2B on-line booking.

 

The F.I.T. Department has now been divided into two sections:

1. EUROPE - under the supervision of Mrs. Anat Gelkop
   Mobile Phone : (00972) 052 627 5013  -  e-mail : anat@amiel.israel.net
   
    
2. U.S.A./CANADA /FAR EAST + Private Cars - under the supervision of Mr. Aviv Rahat
   Mobile Phone : (00972) 052 527 8017 - e-mail : aviv@amiel.israel.net 

We are also pleased to inform you that we have now arranged for a telephone line to be open 24 hours a day for all emergencies and we may be contacted at Tel. No. 052 6275010, and you will always receive our very best attention.  

 

In charge of this new set up is Mr. Adi Aharoni, V.P. Operations at Amiel Tours.

 

We wish everyone all the very best and every success in their new positions and look forward to a continued close and excellent relationship with you in the future as in the past and feel sure that you will be served to your complete satisfaction as always.

New Programs and Activities

1. Gilboa - Jenin - Tourism for Peace
   A new and very promising project is now being developed between Israel and the Palestinian Authorities in the Gilboa - Jenin region and there is no conflict of interest on either side in this respect. The Gilboa Regional Council and the District of Jenin in the Palestinian Authority have been cooperating recently in the development of tourism projects. Read more 
   
    
2. Shuk and Cook (Hit the market and learn how to create a meal fit for a king)
   Allow your senses to be ignited through the visions , sounds and aromas of Israel. Experience a culinary voyage from around the world that will have your taste buds jumping for joy! Shop your product in "Machane Yehuda" market (main open market of Jerusalem) with a special budget and prepare your own lunch in a guided cooking class. Savor the rewards of your labor while toasting with the fruits from boutique wineries....Shuk and Cook .....read more 
   
    
3. The Israel National Trail (for the hikers among us...)
   We would like to reintroduce to you The Israel National Trail (INT).
   The INT is a footpath approximately 940km (580 miles) long that winds its way from the Red Sea in the south to the Syrian/Lebanese border in the north. The trail crosses the Negev Desert, passes three seas, runs alongside ancient ruins and through modern cities.
   We invite you, next time you come to Israel, to combine parts of it and add a day or more of stretching and exercise by walking a portion of this magical trail, in your favorite area of our country. Or, as written in Genesis 13:17 
   "Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth." 
   
    
4. The Abraham path (for more hikers ....)
   A new initiative called The Abraham Path founded by Dr. William Ury at Harvard University's Global Negotiation Project, and endorsed and assisted by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, UN World Tourism Organization, and the World Heritage Alliance. The Abraham Path Initiative is a non-profit, non-political, non-sectarian organization honoring all cultures and faiths.
   The Abraham Path ("Masar Ibrahim al Khalil") is a route of cultural tourism which follows the footsteps of Abraham / Ibrahim through the Middle East, from Turkey, through Syria and Jordan to Israel. Part of this path is a 60km route along the Israel National Trail, from Be'er Sheva to the city of Arad, which includes sites related to Abraham, such as Tel Sheva, Tel Arad, the Bedouin village of Rahat, the Falahin village of Drijat, and Abraham's Well in the city of Be'er Sheva.
   In this spirit, hopefully, we can walk our way together towards a future peace in the Middle East. 
   
    
5. Jesus Trail
   "Green Piecing Israel Together One Step at a Time"
   Spring-time brings to mind the growing demand and poularity of walking and hiking holidays. The Jesus Trail is a 65 km (40 mile) hiking and pilgrimage route in the Galilee region of Israel that traces the route Jesus may have walked, connecting many sites - read more     
   
    
6. ETGARIM- (Hebrew for Challenge) Programs for Special Needs in Israel - read more
   A unique and innovative organization established in 1995 as a non-profit organization by a group of disabled Israel Defense Force veterans and rehabilitation experts. Their principal aims are to enable children, adolescents and adults with special needs to realize their optimum potential and to integrate within society through outdoor training within the challenging environment of nature. Please click to find out more about Etgarim.      
   
    
7. Yad Vashem's Bar/Bat Mitzvah Programs
   Yad Vashem offers two Bar/Bat Mitzvah programs to enrich your child's coming of age experience by memorializing a victim of the Holocaust who did not have the privilege of such a celebration - read more   
   
    
8. Israel Nature and Parks Authority
   New Sites' Opening -The Inn of The Good Samaritan and the Euthymius and Martyrius Monasteries
   Amazing mosaics, interesting archaeological sites and a fabulous view! - read more   
   
    
9. Yarok Az ("Intense Green") - eco-touristic dairy farm on the foothills of Mt. Tabor in the Lower Galilee. 
   Groups and families may visit this ecological gem to learn about permaculture (practical ecology) and sustainability, and partake in a variety of workshops relating to goats and goat cheese making, ecology, and traditional craft workshops and more -  read more   
   
    
10. Vertigo Eco Village
    Come and see creative arts and ecology are combined to create a countryside educational center for people from Israel and around the world. It is located in the Ella Valley (appx. 3o-45 minutes drive from Jerusalem) and you can find in one of their workshops one of the many handcraft fields and take special Israeli dancing class - read more.    
    
     
11. Bio-Tour Sde-Eliyahu - Touring the Organic Experience
    Bio-Tour provides unique tours about organic farming; biological pest control; religious kibbutz life; the interaction between man and earth and between tradition and modern technology.
    Bio-Tour also offers a choice of professional lectures on:
    ·    The biology of the Bumblebee and natural pollination.
    ·    Organic farming
    ·    Wild life in the Valley of Springs
    ·    The Templer community    
    
     
12. New Biking City Tours in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and beyond - read more
    Our friends at EcoBike provide a relaxing and unique biking experience for all age groups and biking levels. Whether riding through the quiet streets of Jerusalem on a Sabbath morning, through the thronged streets of busy Tel Aviv, or along quaint Israeli back roads, EcoBike provide personalized attention in a variety of languages. Certainly a new way for many a traveler to see this ancient land!
    Click here to read more about the various programs and fees offered by EcoBike.   
    
     
13. Holyland Riders
    Israel is a unique Mediterranean kaleidoscope of sights, senses, colors, culinary delights, adventures, tourist sites and religious attractions. It is a magical combination of East meets West, ancient and modern, and beauty and ruins. This unforgettable tour is a once-in-a-lifetime experience filled with precious memories and moments to cherish....
    Click here to read more    
    
     
14. PLEASE DO TOUCH!!
    Stimulate your senses in a place found nowhere else in the world!
    The "Nalaga'at" Center (read more)which means "do touch" in Hebrew, is a unique, award-winning center established in 2007 in the Jaffa port.  The Center is comprised of the "Nalaga'at" Theater, home to the Deaf-blind Acting Ensemble, Café Kapish, with its deaf waiters, and BlackOut, the pitch-black restaurant with its staff of blind waiters.
    For an eye-opening and sense-stimulating experience, Amiel Tours would be happy to organize for your clients a special visit and workshop at the center, such as:  a Sign Language Workshop, a Clay Workshop in the dark, or a Wine Tasting Workshop with blind instructors. 
    
     
15. Design Museum Holon - read more
    The highly anticipated and recently opened museum, created by Ron Arad Architects, has already been internationally lauded as one of the most innovative architectural achievements of the 21st century's first decade.  The greater part of the building's exterior is shrouded by a sinuous ribbon façade composed of five bands of Corten weathering steel, forming a blend of textural, spatial and optical experiences that seamlessly meld the principles of sculpture, architecture, design and art for the enjoyment of the public. A dialogue with visitors is fostered as they meander through the open-sky Upper Gallery or down the winding staircase from the lobby to the Lower Gallery.  The museum will feature contemporary and historical pieces from diverse design disciplines, including industrial, fashion, textiles and jewelry. 
    
     
16. Hurva Synagogue in the Old City of Jerusalem Reopens after 8 Years of Restoration - read more about the project in the Wall Street Journal.    
    
     
17.  The Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation -
    This first of its kind center located in the town of Efrat (18km/11 miles south of Jerusalem), offers an array of Bible classes and seminar and is dedicated to teaching Christians and Jews together about the Hebraic foundations of Christianity and their common mission in the world. 
    
     
18. Bible Lands Flights - read more
    How about trying out a high quality sightseeing experience in the air?
    Bible Lands Flights provide a bird's-eye-view of Israel, emphasizing the geographical and historical contexts of the magnificent archaeological sites where Biblical events took place, ranging through the pre-historic, Canaanite, Israelite, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Crusader periods. 
    
     
19. "Otzar HaStam" of Safed - read more
    A new visitors' center in the mystical city of Safed portrays the ancient art and heritage of the Jewish scribes ("Sofrei HaStam"). We will be happy to combine a visit to the center with a spell-binding and magical walking tour along the old alleyways of Safed, with its rich history and Kabbalah traditions. 
    
     
20. Segway Tours & Team Building All-Over Israel - read more
    Amiel Tours will be happy to arrange for your group a tour in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Caesarea or Haifa with a personal Segway guide. The company also offers team-building exercises and an authentic native meal along the way. Click here to read more 
    
     
21. ON BOARD MAGAZIN OF SWISS
    Tel Aviv is featured as one of 10 cities as the "New Hotstop" on the Mediterranean Sea in the ON BOARD MAGAZIN OF SWISS: "...In Tel Aviv, the century-old city on the Mediterranean Sea, life is all about experience and enjoyment. The atmosphere here is open, tolerant, free-spirited and laid-back ..."
    Part 1
    Part 2  

Verdi's grandest opera performed at the footsteps of Mt. Masada with a triumphal march that has never been so impressive. The improbable love story of the Ethiopian princess and the Egyptian army officer will be presented with the majestic mountain as a backdrop.
Packages available include:
·    2 nights at the Dead Sea 3-5 June with Verdi's Requiem on 3 June and Verdi's Aida on 4 June
·    2 nights at the Dead Sea 5-7 OR 7-9 June with Verdi's Aida on 5 or 8 June
·    3 nights at the Dead Sea 2-5 June with Verdi's Requiem on 3 June and Verdi's Aida on 4 June
·    3 nights in Jerusalem 2-5 June with the Gala Opera on 2 June and Verdi's Aida on 4 June
Please contact us for further details.

Address:  5 Yoni Netanyahu Street, Or Yehuda 60376    P.O. Box 557, 60250, ISRAEL Telephone: + 972 3 538-8444  Fax: +  972 3 533-6174 E-mail: mngt@amiel.israel.net / marketing@amiel.israel.net  Internet: http://www.amiel.com   Online Booking & Confirmation: www.amielb2b.com
www.euromic.com	www.amiel.com	www.ustoa.com