KI Travel: New Destinations, New Types of Journey

A Message from Rabbi Weiner & Bobbi Cohn:

KI Travel: New Destinations, New Types of Journey

            Knesset Israel’s trips to Cuba and Israel and Jordan over the last two years were very successful. Each and every participant has found the itineraries enjoyable, the company excellent and the journey meaningful. Travelers returned home moved, rejuvenated and inspired.

             We have been working on plans for future KI travel experiences, and it’s important to determine interests in various options – who might like to travel, when, and to where – so that we can focus our resources on planning trips that will appeal to prospective travelers. A quality group tour requires advance planning. Please be in touch with Rabbi Weiner – rabbiweiner@knessetisrael.org – or Bobbi Cohn – bcohn41680@aol.com if the following possibilities for guided tours might interest you. Or let us know if there’s a different sort of travel experience you think KI should offer. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

1A) A Jewish Heritage Tour of South America, Winter/Spring 2013 – Explore sites of Jewish and general interest in 2-3 South American cities: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, Montevideo, Buenos Aires and Santiago and the surrounding countryside. Opportunities to experience Judaism, including shabbat, with a Spanish accent. (When it’s snowy in the Berkshires, it’s summer in South America…) An approximately ten-day adult trip escorted by Rabbi Weiner, with accommodation in 5-star hotels.

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1B) A Jewish Heritage Tour of Central Europe, Spring 2013 – Tour cities such as Prague, Vienna and Budapest (or Bratislava, Venice, Salzburg, etc… no itinerary has yet been determined) with an eye towards prominent local sites as well as Jewish history and the contemporary experience of European Jewish communities. Opportunities to meet Jewish leaders and visit synagogues and Jewish institutions on shabbat and during the week. An approximately ten-day adult trip escorted by Rabbi Weiner, with accommodation in 5-star hotels.

2) A Multigenerational Family Mission to Israel, Summer 2014 – Children, parents and grandparents exploring the Promised Land. Activities might include meaningful Jewish experiences, opportunities for outdoor recreation, shabbat in Jerusalem, archaeological exploration, Ein Gedi/Masada/Dead Sea, service projects, Tel Aviv, hiking and/or wine tasting in the Golan Heights, free nights in various Israeli cities, ceremony for recent bar/bat mitzvah at the Southern Wall Excavations in the Old City, and an optional extension to Eilat & Petra. Counselors available from Ramah Israel Programs for programming for children and/or teens, and some separate programming based on interest & physical ability. The trip itinerary will be custom-designed to reflect the ages & interest of participants. An approximately two-week trip escorted by Rabbi Weiner; accommodation in 4-star hotels & kibbutz guesthouses.

Please let us know of your enthusiasm about joining one or more of the above tours or of suggestions for tweaking the program (cities, programming, length of trip, timing of trip, etc…) to be more interesting to you.