2nd Bar-Ilan Winter School on Cryptography
If you staying at the Kfar Hamaccabia Hotel, we would like to meet you Saturday 18/02 night at 19.00 on the ground floor of the hotel. You will have a chance to register for the school, receive the school material and meet the other participants. Light refreshments will be served.
NEW - We changed the original plan for the excursion: On Tuesday afternoon we will have a guided excursion to Jerusalem. At the end of the tour we will have dinner and then we will go back to the hotel around 10pm. The excursion and the dinner are included in the school registration.
Please let us know as soon as possible whether you plan to attend the tour.
You will land at Ben Gurion Airport. There is a train running from the airport to Tel Aviv (except during Shabbat, see below). If you are staying at the school hotel, we recommend taking a taxi from the airport to the hotel. To avoid any problem, only use certified taxis. The taxi station is clearly marked at the exit of the airport. A taxi from the airport to the hotel will cost you around 110 NIS (~30 USD). Taxi drivers will usually offer you a fixed price. You can bargain on the price but you will usually get a better price by just asking to use the meter (note that the drivers are required to use the meter if you ask so). Tipping the taxi driver is not customary.
The weekend in Israel is Friday and Saturday. All public transport (except taxi) stops running on Friday afternoon and starts again on Saturday night (after sunset). Many restaurants and shops will be closed during this time. Also, if you arrive on Saturday, you will most likely not be able to check-in in your room before 18.00 (you can call the hotel a couple of days before arriving to check this).
International credit cards are widely accepted in Israel. However, we recommend you to carry some cash on you for taxis and purchases from food stands/markets/etc. You can withdraw money from one of the many available ATMs using your credit card or exchange money upon arrival at the airport.
Most European/US phones will work in Israel (check the conditions with your operator). You can also buy a prepaid sim card from an Israeli operator (Orange, Cellcom, ...) to use during your stay in Israel. The emergency numbers in Israel are: Police 100, First Aid 101, Fire department 102.
Electricity in Israel is 220 Volts, 50Hz. Israeli has its own kind of power sockets, that are compatible with non-earthed European plugs (two round pins).
Even if the weather in Israel is usually nice and warm during the day, temperatures drop significantly at night. You should bring some warm clothes and be prepared for the possibility of rainy days.
The Kfar Maccabiah Hotel is located in Ramat Gan, 15-20 minutes from Ben Gurion Airport.
Hotel address: 7 Peretz Bernstein street, Ramat-Gan - 52109 Israel
Phone: +972-3-6715715
Fax: +972-3-5744678
Email: hotel@kmc.co.il
Breakfast is included and it is served from 6:45 AM.
The hotel is a part of the Kfar Maccabiah Sports Club complex, which is the largest in Israel. The club covers 50,000 square meters and includes many diverse sporting facilities which all meet the highest international standards. These facilities are open, and are free of charge to the hotel's guests (partially opened on Mondays). The facilities include five swimming pools, two of which are indoor and heated; 14 tennis courts, and more. For information on other hotel's facilities please link to: http://www.kmc-hotel.co.il/?cat=8
There are many sites that you can visit on your free time; please contact the hotel concierge for more details.
Your dining options around the hotel are somewhat limited (the hotel features a buffet dinner for 90NIS and a restaurants with mains for 50-60NIS).
Tel Aviv is emerging as one of the international capital of dining. To let you enjoy the many restaurants and cafés, we will provide transport from the hotel to Tel Aviv on Sunday and Monday night. You will be responsible for your transportation back to hotel (we recommend you share a taxi with some of the other participants). Please note that restaurants prices do not include service, and a 10-15% tip is expected.