Arriving in Jerusalem When the Offices Are Closed

Dear Student, Our purpose is to provide you with guidelines should you find yourself arriving in Israel later than planned and after the reception hours of the Rothberg International Schools administrative offices. Our office reception hours are Sunday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m.3:00 p.m. We are closed on Friday and Saturday, and our offices reopen on Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. Any student arriving after these hours will need to make private arrangements for accommodations until the following morning, without exception. To further clarify, if your plane is scheduled to arrive at Ben-Gurion International Airport at 2:00 p.m. or later, you should not expect to arrive in Jerusalem in time to complete registration and obtain your housing keys. If this is your situation and you will need a place to stay for the night please refer to the guidelines below: 1) How do I make a phone call? If you do not have a cell phone on-hand upon arrival, you will either need to purchase a Telecard (may be purchased at the Ben-Gurion Terminal), or have a handful of Israeli coins. There are public phones in the airport that take either coins or telecards. 2) Who do I call? Once you have retrieved your baggage at the airport, it is recommended that you call a few hostels in Jerusalem to check whether there are vacancies prior to traveling to the city. This will spare you from paying excessive taxi fees or from having to lug your baggage around town. Below is a list of hostels in Jerusalem within a relatively modest price range. Be sure to confirm the nightly rate over the phone, and take the name of the person with whom you spoke. Dont worry about asking for directions, as the exact addresses are listed below, and any taxi driver from Jerusalem will be familiar with the location of these hostels: o Abraham Hostel, Ha'nevi'im 67, Jersualem. Anyone from the school who books their stay at the hostel will receive a 10% discount on the price of their room or dorm bed when booking directly through website http://www.abraham-hostel-jerusalem.com/ or via phone: 972 (0)2 6502200 or email at: reservations@abrahamhostels.com. Simply mention Rothberg international school when making the booking and you will be discounted the 10% in the confirmation.

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Rabin Youth Hostel: Nachman Avigad 1, Tel: 02-6780101 Jerusalem Hostel: Jaffa 44, Tel: 02-6236102 Agron Hostel: Keren Hayesod 1, Tel: 02-6217555 Palm Hostel: Hanevi'im 6, Tel: 02-6273189 Beit Ben-Yehuda: Ein Gedi 28, Tel: 02-6730124 Bait Va'gan Guest House: Ha'pisga 8, Tel: 02-6420990 Gesher Hostel: King David 10, Tel: 02-6228000

Please remember The Rothberg International School offices are closed. 3) How do I get to Jerusalem? The ride to Jerusalem should take approximately 45 minutes. There are a number of transportation options available:

Sherut: This is a shared minivan taxi option, where you pay a fixed per person rate for a ride to a residential or hotel address, run by Nesher Tours, Their station is located near exit gate #3 of the Arrivals hall; follow the signs. Tel: 02-6257227. This is the most recommended way to travel to Jerusalem because it is less expensive than taking a private taxi cab and has the convenience of doorto-door travel. Keep in mind that you will need to wait for the van to fill with passengers before departing from the airport Payment (approximately 50 shekels) is accepted in Israeli currency only. Private Taxi: Private taxis will be lined up outside of the Arrivals hall. Go to the taxi dispatchers counter (Level G) to request a cab. That way you will be sure that you are travelling with an approved cab. The cost for travel to Jerusalem is approximately 300 shekels. Bus Lines: Take Egged shuttle bus#5, which departs from the airport every 15 minutes, and tell the driver that you wish to purchase a ticket for Jerusalem (21 shekels as of July 2008). You will get off the shuttle bus at El-Al Junction and then wait for bus #947 to Jerusalem, which departs approximately every 30 minutes between 6:45 a.m. and 8:20 p.m. Afterwards, it only departs at 9:00 p.m., 9:40 p.m. and 10:20 p.m. Please note that this line comes from Haifa, so the hours posted here are estimated arrival times, which may vary due to traffic conditions.

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Following your arrival in Jerusalem, you will probably need to catch a taxi to the hostel of your choice. Make sure that there is a lit-up yellow sign above the cab, with a taxi license number on it and that the driver turns on the fare meter. 4) Important phone numbers to have on-hand:

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Rothberg International School housing office: 02-5881606 Madrich On-Call (available during weekdays and weekends): 054-8820830. Police: 100 Terem (24-hour emergency health care): Yermiyahu 80, Beit Yahav, Tel: 02-5093333

Important: Until you have completed your registration at the University, your health insurance is not active and you will need to pay for any health services out-of-pocket. 5) What do I do once I wake up (and eat breakfast)? The Rothberg offices open at 08:30 a.m. It may be easiest to arrive by taxi, especially if you have a lot of luggage, or you can consult with the reception desk at your hostel regarding which Egged bus line to take. The School is located in the Boyar Building on the Mount Scopus campus. If you arrive by taxi, you should instruct the driver to enter the campus via Bezalel Gate. If arriving by bus, you will enter the University through an underground tunnel. You can ask the nearest security guard for directions to our building (approximately a 10 minute walk). Rothberg staff will be waiting with open arms to receive you once you reach the Boyar Building. Best of luck and welcome to Israel. We look forward to seeing you soon!