By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — As vaccination rates increase and the coronavirus pandemic seemingly is being brought under control, group trips to Israel from San Diego are again being organized. One of the first to be publicized is a joint trip planned for May 15-29, 2022 and sponsored by the San Diego Outreach Synagogue and the Desert Outreach Synagogue, to be led respectively by Rabbi/ Cantor Cheri Weiss and Rabbi Jules King.
Rabbi Weiss said the trip will include such “must see” venues in Jerusalem at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Kotel, and the Knesset, as well as sites of Tel Aviv and Jaffa, and the grottoes of Rosh HaNikra, located on Israel’s Mediterranean border with Lebanon.
Beyond that, she said, there will be such events as “volunteering at Pantry Packers, packing food for those in need;”and visiting the Na LaGa’at arts and cultural center serving individuals who are deaf, blind, or both, where those on the trip will experience meals in the dark “so you have the opportunity to experience what it is like for the sight-impaired.”
The two outreach congregations plan to conduct a musical Friday night Erev Shabbat service during the trip. Shabbat in Israel is always a highlight.
Exact itineraries over the two-week excursion still are being finalized, with Rabbi Weiss available at (858) 829-8178 to discuss specific trip details and prices.
Before long, it is likely that other synagogues, as well as a variety of Jewish organizations, will be sponsoring their own trips to Israel, each incorporating some traditional places to visit along with specialized venues in line with the organizations’ and synagogues’ particular interests.
I have had the pleasure of visiting Israel nine times, on some occasions on organized tours, such as one that was sponsored by the Jewish Federation of San Diego County (then called the United Jewish Federation); and on other occasions on private visits or on cruise ship stops. Whenever I go to Israel, there is something interesting to see and irresistibly story-worthy. If you have never gone to Israel before, I suggest you take an organized tour on your first visit; and then on your subsequent trips explore on your own or in the company of Israeli friends or relatives.
Nancy and I have ranged from Israel’s northern borders with Lebanon and Syria, to its southern border wedged between Jordan and Eilat. We have traveled from the Mediterranean coast to Israel’s easternmost geography within sight of the nation of Jordan. When we read news stories from Israel, we can squint our eyes and practically see the places we visited all over again.
One of the advantages of the organized tours is that they are conducted by a licensed Israeli guide, who must pass some very tough tests in order to learn his or her accreditation from Israel’s Ministry of Tourism. Guides not only know the geography; they have studied the history of each place you will visit on the trip; are familiar with Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Baha’i religious traditions, and are current on world events and those affecting the Middle East. Wherever you go with them, they have fascinating tales to tell. Typically, bus tours of the country are accompanied by security officers.
Being privately hosted in Israel by friends or relatives permits you to see the country from their point of view. While sitting in their living rooms, joining them at the dinner table, and walking in their neighborhoods, you get a sense of how the rhythms of the United States and Israel are in some ways similar, and in other ways quite different.
Whatever way you choose to go to Israel, the trip is sure to leave an impression upon you. No matter where else in the world I travel, there is no other place outside of the United States with which I connect on so many levels. I’m sure that will be true for you as well.
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com