Israel

Congregation Agudas Achim Trip to Israel in December 2012

Congregation Agudas Achim is pleased to offer congregation members and interested others an opportunity to visit Israel, December 18-30, 2012.  This trip will be led by Rabbi Neil Blumofe, who has played an instrumental role in designing a trip that will prove to be extra special.  Not only will we visit artists in the Galilee and tour the underground tunnels of Jerusalem, we will also have unprecedented opportunities to explore areas of Judea and Samaria that congregations rarely, if ever, visit, to give us an inside look at what life is like for both Jewish settlers and Palestinians in the West Bank.  This is literally a-once-in-a-lifetime travel and educational experience, not to be missed. 

What’s Special About This Trip to Israel?

After participating in programs at the Hartman Institute during July 2011, Rabbi Blumofe returned to his congregation with a “different” sort of Israel trip in mind.  He’d had a series of tremendous experiences in Israel in which he was able to visit the West Bank, to spend time with and learn from both Israeli settlers in Judea and Palestinians building an unprecedented planned community in Samaria.  He wanted to share these experiences with his community in a deep way, and so is offering excursions into Judea and Samaria as part of this itinerary.  Add to to the West Bank excursions, conversations with scholars and activists about issues of Jewish religious pluralism in Israel, visits to life-giving sustainable agriculture projects in the desert, and time with artists in their studios, and you have a tremendously important and educational, as well as exciting tour.  This combination of experiences is not at all what you will find in other Israel itineraries.

Dates

All participants are asked to convene in Tel Aviv, Israel at a pre-selected meeting site at Ben Gurion International Airport on Wednesday, December 19, 2012.  The tour ends late the evening of December 30, 2012.  Pre- and Post- tour add-on packages are available directly from the tour company, if desired.

Itinerary

Though subject to change without notice, the general itinerary is as follows:

Services Included

·         VIP airport greeting and transfers

·         Hotel accommodations according to itinerary

·         Israeli breakfast daily and additional group meals as noted in the itinerary

·         All activity costs and entrance/program fess as per itinerary

·         Licensed Israeli guide daily

·         Deluxe motor coach daily (except Shabbat day)

·         Guard and armored bus on the two travel days in Judea/Samaria

·         Guide/driver gratuities at $75/person

Services NOT Included

·         International flights

·         Trip/Travel insurance ($200-$300 depending on plan; STRONGLY advised.)

·         Local medical insurance (can be added for $1.50/day)

·         Hotel incidentals

·         Meals not listed in the itinerary

Costs

·         Estimated land costs are $2750/person

·         Estimated air costs are $1500-1900/person for coach class service

·         Trip/Travel insurance (STRONGLY recommended) is $200-$300, depending on coverage chosen

·         Payment service fees (the synagogue has outsourced all bookings to the tour company) are 1% of land cost if paying by check or 3.5% of land costs if paying by debit or credit card.  There is no additional fee for paying in installments.

Total Trip Costs are expected to run from approximately $4500, excluding some meals and incidentals.

CAA Community Israel Experience

Please note the payment schedule and cancellation policies prior to registering for the trip.

Special Pricing Items

Single room supplement: $685/person

Discount for extra 1-2 persons staying in a room: $250/person

If you do not have a room partner, we will do whatever we can to pair up individuals of the same gender who want to share a room, but we cannot guarantee this will be possible in all cases. 

Children

Children’s programming will not be offered for children under the age of 13.

Handicapped Accessibility

Although Congregation Agudas Achim would like to accommodate all those who wish to register for this trip, there are certain difficulties about traveling in Israel that cannot be avoided.  There are no handicapped accessible tour buses, so at a minimum, all participants must be able to navigate at least three steps onto and off of a tour bus.  Additionally, many areas are not easily (if at all) navigable by wheelchair or motorized scooter, such as foot paths in the Negev and the streets of Tsvat.  These difficulties make this trip unrealistic for those who require the use of walkers, wheelchairs, or motorized scooters for mobility. 

Handicapped accessible restrooms also are not available in all areas.  Please check with the tour company about your specific needs, to ensure that the hotels and rest stops being used meet your physical requirements.

All participants must be prepared to walk over uneven surfaces (such as ancient streets), on dirt paths, and in areas with a significant incline. 

Physical Fitness

Please carefully review the itinerary.  This trip involves a great deal of walking and hiking.  While all activities are optional, please note for yourself whether or not you are physically able to hike mountains, crawl through ocean caves, ride horses, participate in a jeep tour, etc.  The good news is that if you feel slightly unprepared for some of these activities, there is time to train and improve your physical fitness before the tour. 

There may be height/weight limits on both the camel and horseback riding activities.  Those limits are TBD. 

Notes on Women, Egalitarianism, and Pluralism

Be aware that expectations of women in Israel are not the same as in the United States.  Women will sometimes be expected to dress demurely in loose fitting clothing, in a skirt that covers the knees, a blouse that does not reveal any of the decolletage with sleeves at least to the elbows and have their heads covered. 

There is no egalitarian minyan in Tsvat.  Rabbi Blumofe will lead an egalitarian Kabbalat Shabbat service.  Saturday morning, all Shabbat service options are Orthodox. 

If you are a woman who davens wearing a tallit/tefillin, be aware that your public use of these items will be limited. 

Visiting the West Bank

Rabbi Blumofe and the tour company are collaborating to bring trip participants two thought provoking and educational days in the West Bank.  On those days, we will make use of a armored bus and will have a guard with us.  Everything possible will be done to protect our safety. 

If you have concerns about going to the West Bank, please feel free to discuss them with Rabbi Blumofe, who visited these sites recently.  Also, remember that all activities on this tour are optional.  On both day trips into the West Bank, trip participants will have the option of spending a free-day in Jerusalem instead of making the excursion.  (Lunch those days will only be provided to those who go into the West Bank.) 

Who May Go on This Adventure?

Registration is open to Congregation Agudas Achim members and their immediate families only From January 1, 2012 through February 1, 2012. 

After February 1, 2012, registration will open to members of all Austin area Jewish congregations, participants in Agudas Achim’s “Living Judaism” class, and any interested others.

Space is Limited

Please note that space on this trip is limited.  At present, we plan to take only 40-45 participants.  We have chosen this number to keep the group intimate and allow us to go into areas that cannot accommodate large numbers of people.  Please plan accordingly and register early if you are interested. 

A wait list will be kept if needed.

After February 1, all registrations are taken on a first come, first served basis.

A minimum of 40 participants is required to make the trip possible at the quoted prices.

I Have More Questions; Whom Can I Call?

Connie Scharff is a volunteer serving as the coordinator for this event.  You may contact her at 512-551-8688 Sunday-Friday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. CT or via email at cscharff@sbcglobal.net.

I’m Ready to Register; What Do I Do?

Registration will be taken beginning January 1, 2012 by Karen Katzoff at Authentic Israel. 5185 Macarthur Blvd, NW #640 • Washington, DC 20016 Tel: 1-800-600-5194 • Fax: 1-202-315-3269 • info@authenticisrael.com.

For detailed information and other form, please click here.