Handle, Recycle & Create Half-day Tiyul to Tel Aviv Wednesday 4 January 2012

What was once a banqueting hall in Bnei Brak has now become a production line. Mentally challenged people are employed by Green Factory Hands - a protected plant which produces items from recycled materials. The plant is part of the organization “Other Employment” which is an occupational rehabilitation center. At Green Hands, a new lease of life is given to leftover plastic and paper waste. The plant makes products such as wallets, bags and lamps. On our visit, we will meet some of the workers and hear about the rehabilitation process. We will see their beautiful, usable and robust range of products.
From there, we shall visit The Council for a Beautiful Israel. It is the leader of positive environmental activism and the recipient of grants from the Ministry of Education and the Defense Ministry for environmental studies. The center is situated in the HaYarkon Park overlooking the Yarkon River. From this tranquil location, the CBI’s activity is driven by the principle that all citizens need to take responsibility and initiative in caring for the environment, both for themselves and future generations. CBI’s mission is carried out primarily through educational initiatives in its center in Tel Aviv and by mobile units extending its study programs in the peripheries.
During our visit, we will have a tour and lecture from the professional director to hear how they intend to promote environmental aesthetic standards.
Cost: NIS 140 After 24/11/11 NIS 150 Including morning coffee and pastry
Depart: 7.30am Kikar/7.45am Young Israel Return: 1.00pm

Beauty in the Eye of the Beholder Day tiyul to the Southern Carmel Thursday 19 January 2012

Our day starts in Ein-Hod at the Yanko Dada Museum. Founded in 1983 by a group of friends and admirers of the artist Marcel Janco, the museum contains several display galleries. The permanent display is dedicated to Janco's artistic creation; the Entrance Gallery is slated for young artists and special projects; the lower gallery exhibits contemporary art; and the Pit for video art projections. The museum also features a youth wing and a Dadalab – a unique art laboratory. Our next stop is at the majestic factory building in the heart of the symbolic ancient port of Dor, the Glass Factory Museum (Mizgaga). It was at the Mizgaga that Baron de Rothschild established his own wine bottle making plant but, three years after its establishment, the factory was closed. It is now a museum exhibiting items from the factory and findings retrieved from the depths at the Dor-Tantura coast and Tel Dor.
Our optional kosher lunch stop will be at Bein Hayekevim at Kibbutz Mayan Zvi. At the southern end of Mount Carmel is Ramat Hanadiv – a natural gem dedicated to the memory of Baron de Rothschild. We shall stroll along the meticulously designed, traditional European paths of the Memorial Gardens. At its heart lies the crypt of Baron de Rothschild, the well-known benefactor and Father of the Yishuv. The grounds are an oasis of green trees from around the world as well as specific plant groupings such as a rose garden, an aromatic garden for the blind and a butterfly garden. Finally we shall visit the Visitors' Pavilion, the first building in Israel to receive certification of adherence to Green Building standards. We will see the film Beyond the Gardens.
Cost: NIS 240 After 18/12/11: NIS 250 Including morning coffee and pastry
Optional meat/vegetarian lunch NIS 80
Depart: 7.30am Kikar/7.45am Young Israel Return: 5.30pm