A Seminar with Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman, the first-ever kosher tour of Egypt through the eyes of the Tanakh.
Led by the leading authority on ancient Egypt and the world of the Torah, Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman, you will see the Torah come alive as we revisit the world of our forefathers from the period of the Exodus. Brush your hand over authentic mud bricks with straw from the period of enslavement. Read the name “Miriam” in hieroglyphic inscriptions. Visit the temples of the Pharaoh of the Exodus, Ramesses II, and discover inscriptions that pertain directly to the story of the Exodus. The inscriptions and reliefs are both vast in number and astonishingly well preserved, and at every stop, we will open our Tanakhim and discover how passage after passage comes alive in new and full color.
This tour also encompasses the major highlights of Egypt. Explore the legendary Pyramids of Giza and gaze in awe at the Sphinx. Uncover the treasures of Egypt at the Grand Egyptian Museum see King Tutankhamun’s famous gold mask. In Luxor roam around the colossal Temple of Karnak and tour the beautifully illuminated Luxor Temple at night and explore the tomb strewn Valley of the Kings. See the towering Colossi of Memnon and explore the beautiful Temple of Queen Hatshepsut. In Aswan explore the romantic Philae Temple and learn about Jewish observance at the Elephantine Fortress – a diaspora community dating from the time of Ezra! In Cairo, you’ll travel back in time through the greatest archival discovery in Jewish History—the Genizah at the Ben-Ezra Synagogue.
Our leader for this adventure is the world-renowned scholar and lecturer Rabbi Dr. Joshua Berman, professor of Tanakh at Bar-Ilan University. Rabbi Berman has served on the International Advisory Committee of the Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, and his pioneering work on archaeological evidence for the Exodus has been featured in the Wall Street Journal.
Close thisFlight from Israel. Transfer to the hotel. Dinner at the hotel.
Flight from the USA. Arrival at Cairo airport. Transfer to the hotel, where we will meet the tour guide.
Cairo: We begin the tour at Rambam Synagogue. We will continue to the Egyptian Museum at Tahrir Square. Dinner at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel. Located at a short distance from Saqqara, the Red Pyramid at Dahshur was built for the pharaoh Snefru, father of Khufu for whom the Great Pyramid of Giza was built. The Red Pyramid is the first ‘true’ pyramid, and it has the second largest base of all Egyptian pyramids.
READ MOREWhat makes it yet more interesting is that it can be fully accessed, including the chance to see the burial chamber. There’s something special about exploring the cold and silent passageways inside the pyramid. Do not go inside if you are not comfortable in enclosed space. Dinner at the hotel. After dinner till drive to the airport and will fly to Aswan. Transfer to hotel.
Close thisBreakfast at the hotel. This site, Abu Simbel Temples, south of Aswan along Lake Nasser’s shore, is the most famous in all of Egypt after the Giza Pyramids.
READ MOREBuilt by the greatest of the pharaohs, Ramesses II, who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus, these huge rock-cut temples marked the southern boundary of the Egyptian Empire with Nubia at the peak of its power during the New Kingdom. They were meant to convey the power of Egypt’s rulers to anyone who laid eyes upon them, and we will see how the Torah appropriates many of its symbols. The four statues guarding the doorway to the larger of these temples are the largest sculptures that survive from the ancient Pharaonic era. Dinner at the hotel.
Close thisBreakfast at the hotel. Aswan: We will visit the unfinished obelisk, the largest known ancient obelisk. We will continue to Elephantine Fortress, the site of the oldest diaspora community known to us.
READ MOREFrom the many papyri found there we will learn about Pesach observance at the time when the second Temple had only recently been built. We will also travel to the island of Philae and take in the Philae Temple, unmatched in beauty and majesty. Our final destination for today is Aswan high Dam, the world’s largest embankment dam, which was built across the Nile. Dinner at the hotel.
Close thisBreakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, we will drive to Luxor. Luxor: We will visit the great temples of Karnak. The temples of Karnak consist of several temples, in the past, the two temples were linked by an avenue of ram headed sphinxes.
READ MOREThe important temples in Karnak are the temples of the god Amun, his wife the goddess Mut and their son Khonsy. Other significant landmarks are the sacred lake, the hypostyle hall and some colossal statues. We will visit several sites that shed light on the instructions for the construction of the Mishkan and the account of Pharaoh Shishak about his campaign ot Canaan, reported in 1 Kings and in Chronicles. Shabbat dinner at the hotel.
Close thisShacharit and Kiddush/Lunch. We’ll spend a wonderful, peaceful and relaxing Shabbat. Seuda Shlishit. At night we will visit the exquisitely lit temple at Luxor where we will see more inscriptions relating to the Exodus.
Breakfast at the hotel. Optional: Early morning hot air balloon flight over west Luxor. Luxor: Today we will visit Ramses III’s magnificent memorial temple of Madinat Habu, fronted by sleepy Kom Lolah village and backed by the Theban mountains, one of the west bank’s most underrated sites.
READ MOREIt boasts astonishingly well-preserved art and inscriptions that shed light on warfare as described in the time of the Tanakh. We will visit Tombs of the Nobles. We’ll visit the Necropolis of Thebes where we will discover a series of relief paintings that depict the process of slaves making mudbricks, Valley of the Kings. After dinner we will visit Luxor Suk. Dinner at the hotel.
Close thisBreakfast at the hotel. Luxor: We will cross by ferry to west bank of the Nile and the Valley of the Kings. It was there that the fabulous treasures of Tutankhamun which dazzled the world, were discovered. We will visit the Tomb of Rameses VI.
READ MOREWill’ continue to Deir-el Medinah, an ancient Egyptian workmen’s village which was home to the artisans who worked on the tombs in the Valley of the Kings during the 18th to 20th Dynasties of the New Kingdom of Egypt We will explore the Ramasseum, the massive memorial temple of Ramses II, the Pharaoh of the Exodus. We will probe the massive inscription of his 80 year reign that are chock-full of references that bring alive the story of the Exodus and the building of the Mishkan. The temple is surrounded by mudbrick storehouses that date from the period of the Exodus. Dinner at the hotel.
Close thisThis morning we’ll bid a sad farewell to Egypt. Our tour is now over and we take our memories with us as we head to the airport from where we take our flights home.
* Price per person in USD double or twin room
** Supplement Price for single room
Domestic flight ticket Cairo – Aswan.
5-star hotels
Kosher full board: Breakfast & Dinner + Sandwiches for lunch
Entrance fees to all archeological sites included in the program.
Local English Speaking licensed tour guide throughout the itinerary.
Transfers & transportation by private A/C buses.
Tips for service providers abroad
English-speaking tour leader from Israel
Supplement for those who arrive from Israel: $265 per person. It includes:
1 night in Cairo
Dinner
Day 9: Tour in Cairo for several hours between flights
International round-trip flights.
Egypt Visa (US/Canada/Australian/UK/Switzerland and most European passports) pay $25 upon arrival for a Visa at the airport No advanced application is necessary.
Personal expenses, any other item which is not included.
Travel and luggage insurance.
Hot air balloon.
Tip for English-speaking tour leader from Israel-it is recommended to give a minimum of $5 per person/per day.
There may be changes in the itinerary due to flight times changes and other objective reasons.
In the event of a change, cancellation or malfunction related to flights, sailing or other method of transportation, the airline or transporting company alone shall be responsible.
Only strictly kosher food is provided to our travelers on all our tours. On some of our tours we are able to provide glatt meals. Kashrut is of utmost importance to us and we take special measures to ensure that everything served is kosher.
Breakfast is prepared using our utensils. We use local fresh fruits and vegetables, and we use milk products when they are permitted. We use kosher cereals, and bread. We usually serve hard boiled eggs and sometimes scrambled eggs or omelets. At breakfast, we prepare our lunches so that people have their choice as to what they eat for lunch. We bring food from Israel to supplement what is served in the hotel such as cheeses, peanut butter, tuna, etc.
For dinners, we serve either fish or meat (usually chicken) as our main course. In areas where meat is not available nor readily acquired, we will have fish. When possible, we acquire the meat locally from Chabad or other reliable kosher source, and in some cases we fly the meat in from Israel. We try to provide as many meat meals as possible. The main course at dinner is preceded by soup and salad and accompanied by freshly prepared vegetables. Dessert typically consists of fresh fruits.
We do not guarantee Pat Israel and Chalav Israel for all destinations.
In many destinations we have our own dishes and silverware. Where we don’t, we provide disposables at the meals. When we cook in hotel kitchens, we use our own knives, cutting boards, pots and pans, cooking implements and disposable metal trays. All food preparation is done on covered surfaces under the strict supervision of our trained staff/guides who function as our mashgichim.
We make great efforts to assure that our travelers will experience local foods first-hand, while maintaining stringent observance of Kashrut laws on all occasions.
On most of our tours, you will be accompanied by two of our staff members- one a guide for the tour who is knowledgeable about the places you are visiting and will accompany you throughout the day and the second, a person who will deal with the logistics of the tour and provide kashrut supervision in the kitchen.
It is our aim to provide the finest hotel possible in each area we visit. We require our hotels to allow us to work in the kitchen and to supervise the cooking and there are many hotels that are not willing to cooperate. They simply have no desire for us to be “meddling” in their cooking process nor are they happy about our bringing our equipment into their kitchens. We work very hard to find the best hotel in the area that will meet our requirements. Because we are not ready to compromise on kashrut, we may not always be able to use a five star hotel.
Terms of Payment
• From the time of registration $300 per person.
• From 60-34 days before departure 50% of the tour price
• From 35 days before departure- Full payment
Important Remark
• There may be changes in the itinerary due to objective reasons.
• The price of the tour is dependent upon 20 paying passengers.
• Travel days are INCLUDED in the total days of the tour. Insurance must cover those days as well.
• In the event of a change, cancellation or malfunction related to flights, sailing or other method of transportation, the airline or transporting company alone shall be responsible.
• The Grand Egyptian Museum is not open yet. The opening date is TBA
• Fridays and Saturdays, holidays and holidays in Israel, Sundays and holidays abroad are not counted as a business working day.
• Please be aware that changes may be made to the final itinerary after domestic flights are finalized and changes made by travel agents abroad are received. Tour itineraries undergo changes according to the above, as well as due to climatic changes or hazards which require necessary changes. As travel agents, we do not have control over the changes that are required many months after the tour was originally planned. In the event that you find it necessary to cancel registration for the tour due to these changes in the itinerary, you will be refunded all your money.
• Passports must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the return date from the tour.
Terms of cancellation
• From the time of registration, US $ 47 per passenger for cancellation fees which will be charged in any case.
• From 31-60 business working days before embarking on the trip: 50% of the price of the trip to the traveler.
• From 15-31 business working days before embarking on a trip: 75% of the price of the trip to the passenger.
• Less than 14 business working days before departure: 100% cancellation fee including all associated costs such as visa.
• If any flight tickets were issued or additional services such as visas were purchased, etc., their prices will be added to the above cancellation fees.
