By Leyna Krow, Assistant Editor, JTNews
The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle is finalizing its plans for a 10-day community trip to Israel. The tour, called Israel Unplugged, is set to run from May 23 to June 1.
The Federation has taken groups to Israel before, but according to Anna Frankfort, women’s philanthropy director for the Federation and the organizer of the trip, this year’s is by far the most ambitious.
“This isn’t the first trip, but we are hoping it will be the largest,” Frankfort said.
The trip is designed to give Seattleites an overview of the country’s main attractions as well as an inside look at the programs and projects the Jewish Federation helps to fund in Israel. According to Frankfort, the itinerary is designed to be of interest to both first-time visitors and people who have been to Israel any number of times before.
There is space for upward of 180 people to go. So far, according to Frankfort, 80 have signed up.
It’s a big group, but Frankfort said that although everyone will travel from city to city together, participants won’t always be in the same places at the same time.
Once in Israel, participants will travel between Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and the Galilee and Golan on air-conditioned buses.
In Tel Aviv, travelers will have a chance to explore the city, attend a performance by the NaLaGaat Theater Company, and meet some of the children and new immigrants the Federation helps through its partnership with the communities of Kiryat Malachi and Hof Ashkelon. A stay in the north will include visits to Haifa, Tzfat and Beit Shean National Park, as well a security briefing in the Golan Heights. The trip wraps up in Jerusalem with time in the Old City, a tour of the Holocaust Memorial Museum at Yad Vashem, and Shabbat dinner with fellow travelers.
The trip is open to the entire Seattle Jewish community as well as friends and family of Seattleites living in other cities. So far, Frankfort said, participants from Portland, New York, Florida, Massachusetts and New Jersey will be joining the contingent from Washington State.
Frankfort, who has traveled to Israel before, said she is particularly excited for this trip.
“For me, it doesn’t even matter what we’ll be doing,” she said. “I just love watching people experience Israel for the first time.”