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2007
Trip Info
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(Formerly
known as the East Bay Summer Youth Experience in Israel and the BJE Summer
in Israel Youth Program)
Donate
to the Israel Crisis Campaign.
Leslie Hamerling, Chair, Let's Go: Israel 2006
Committee
Riva Gambert, Director, Jewish Community Federation
of the Greater East Bay, Israel Center
June 27- July 27, 2007
SAFETY: OUR #1 PRIORITY
Safety and security are our #1 priority. International travel on El Al, the safest airline in the world. All land travel on private chartered buses. Accommodations in beautiful, rural youth villages, field schools, hotels, and kibbutzim. Extensive supervision by a large, experienced staff of youth educators -- both Israeli and American.
The cost is yet to be determined but will be in the vicinity of last year's cost of $5,835, which includes round-trip airfare from the Bay Area, all lodging, meals, tour costs, and fees. We will fly from Oakland to New York, where we will board an El Al flight to Tel-Aviv. All meals are kosher; vegetarians are accommodated.
Also included are several pre-trip meetings and one weekend retreat for everyone to get to know each other before the trip leaves. Meals at the retreat are vegetarian.
With the exception of your $100 registration fee, deposits and fees are fully refundable with no penalties anytime up until May 15th. Thereafter, a $200 fee will be charged to cover costs.
Registration deadline: April 12, 2007
IS FINANCIAL AID AVAILABLE?
Yes. Financial Aid is available and the permanent address of the participant indicates which organization you should apply to for financial assistance:
If you live in the East Bay, that is, in Alameda or Contra Costa counties, please contact Marilyn Kinch at the Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay, either by email at marilyn@jfed.org or by calling 510-839-2900 ext. 256; or you can download the East Bay financial aid form here.
If you live in the West Bay, that is, in San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma counties, please contact Janet Rothman at the San Francisco Bureau of Jewish Education, either by email at jrothman@bjesf.org or by calling 415-751-6983 ext. 107; or you can or you can download the West Bay financial aid from the Bureau’s website.
If you live outside of these areas:
Silicon Valley: Elisa Gerston,
408.357.7512 or elisa@jvalley.org
Sacramento: Michal Kohane, 916.486.0906 ext.307 or mkohane@jewishsac.org
WHERE WE GO AND WHAT WE DO
Northern Israel
After a Shehechianu welcoming ceremony on the shores of the Kineret (Sea
of Galilee), we will visit the ancient Roman-Jewish city of Zipori, kayak
down the Jordan River, and play water sports in the lush, green Galilee.
We will explore the roots of Judaism's spirituality while visiting the
inspiring ancient city of Tzfat (Safed). Join us as we learn about life
in the Golan Heights from its residents. We'll taste Israel's cultural
diversity in Haifa through Druze hospitality and during visits to the
Bahai temple, a Carmelite monastery, and an Achmedi church.
Mifgashim (Building Relationships): Meet Israelis your own age
in our sister-city regions of Kiryat Malachi/Hof Ashkelon and the Upper
Galilee. Teens from these areas will join parts of our trip and open their
homes to us. During our amazing Sea-to-Sea hike from the Sea of Galilee
to the Mediterranean, we'll hike, navigate, rappel, cook and camp.
Learning about Israel—Contemporary Society and History:
We will attend seminars on Israeli-Arab coexistence and the peace process.
Our day trip to Tel-Aviv will allow us to explore Old Jaffa and Rabin
Square as well as visit the site where Israel's independence was proclaimed.
Southern Israel
See a new side of Israeli life while living the real kibbutz life on Kibbutz
Ketura. We'll visit Eilat, Israel's southernmost city, and hike, swim,
snorkel, and explore one of the world's most enchanted seas. Shop and
hang out on the promenade, and dance the night away on a floating disco
boat in the Red Sea.
Choose one of these four-day options:
1. Gadna – Experience army life while in an authentic Israel
Defense Forces uniform. Take the chance to learn how and why Israeli teens
serve in the army. A trip favorite!
2. Social Action/Community Service – Work with olim (immigrants)
from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia in one of Israel's many absorption
centers. Give back to the community!
In the Judean Desert, we'll hike, ride a camel and, at sunrise, climb
Masada, the site of one of Jewish history's most poignant 2,000-year-old
dramas. Float in the Dead Sea, the lowest elevation point on Earth, and
enjoy Bedouin hospitality and culture.
Jerusalem*
Tour and explore the Jewish quarter, visiting the Kotel (Western Wall,)
where we will conduct our spiritual “Brit Olam” ceremony, and
its other historic, archaeological and culturally significant sites, including
the Southern Wall excavations. We will tour the Israel museum and see
the ancient Dead Sea scrolls; visit Yad Vashem and participate in a Holocaust
seminar; walk through the Knesset and the Supreme Court. Just outside
Jerusalem, we'll take part in an archaeological dig and go caving.
Before leaving Israel, we’ll enjoy a HUGE goodbye party!
*security conditions permitting
For teens in the East Bay, Sacramento and the Silicon Valley,
please contact:
Tali Lipschitz, Israel Trips Director
Israel Center Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay
510.839.2900 ext. 255
tali@jfed.org
www.jfed.org
For teens in San Francisco, Marin, the Peninsula and Sonoma counties,
please contact:
Erica Hymen, West Bay Coordinator
Let's Go: Israel!
Bureau of Jewish Education of San Francisco, Marin, the Peninsula and
Sonoma Counties
415.751.6983 ext. 120
ehymen@bjesf.org
www.bjesf.org
* A beneficiary of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma counties.