All conference participants are invited to a poster session reception, scheduled to take place at the end of the first day of the conference (May 4th) in the lobby of the IBM Haifa building. Desserts will be served.

SYSTOR Main Event: Caesarea Tour and Dinner

Magnificent Caesarea is just one of the many fascinating tourist sites that relate the story of ancient Israel. The tour bus will leave from the conference site at 16:30 on Tuesday, May 5th, and head south to Caesarea. We'll visit the great archeological sites, such as the low aqueduct, the Byzantine bathhouses, and the hippodrome. The tour itself will take around 90 minutes, after which we'll have dinner at one of the restaurants on the harbor. We expect to be back in Haifa around 20:30. The bus will have two drop-off points: one at IBM and another one in the center of the Carmel, close to the hotels. The price for this social event is approximately $70 (depending on the number of participants) and will be charged on the first day of the conference.
* Make sure to reserve a seat by selecting this option on the registration page.

Other Tours

The Baha'i Gardens tour

Haifa is the world headquarters of the Baha'i faith. Located just a 15-minute drive from IBM, the breathtaking Baha'i Gardens are open to the public, offering a stirring view of the Haifa Bay and the azure Mediterranean Sea. The English-language tour of the Gardens is offered at 12:00 noon every day except Wednesdays. It starts at 45 Yefe Nof Street and lasts approximately 50 minutes.
Although we did not succeed to include the tour of the Gardens in the conference program, visitors to Haifa should make an extra effort to take the tour. It is free of charge, and participants are accepted in the order of arrival, based on available space. If you decide to attend, please dress modestly and bring a hat and something to drink. For more information about the gardens and the tour, see http://www.ganbahai.org.il/en/guided-tours/.

Staying in Israel a few more days?

Several conference participants have expressed their intent to stay in Israel for a couple of extra days. For those who wish to join, we have contacted Guy Tour travel agency who is arranging a guided of the Old City of Jerusalem on Thursday morning, May 7 and room in a hotel. Please contact for more details:

E-mail address: guy-t@inter.net.il
Tel: 972-(0)4-8100999
Fax: 972-(0)4-8100140
Mobile: 972-(0)50-5321169
Web: www,guytours.com

This tour is also practical for people flying out of Israel later on Friday since the airport is only 40 km from Jerusalem.

If you have never toured Jerusalem, this is an opportunity not to be missed. According to Jewish tradition, "Ten measures of beauty descended to the world; nine were taken by Jerusalem and one by the rest of the world. [Babylonian Talmud: Kidushin 49b] ".

* Note that the tour is not accommodated within the conference's program.