Experiencing Israel together

MICHELLE DODEK

On what did the two rabbis and a Jewish travel agent all agree? This may sound like the beginning of a Jewish joke but it’s not. Rabbi Philip Bregman of Temple Sholom, Rabbi Jonathan Infeld of Beth Israel and Israel travel specialist Neal Chark all agree that traveling to Israel builds community and a connection with the land and the people of Israel, especially synagogue-organized tours.

“Kids see the rabbi or cantor in a new light and the clergy can spend time to really get to know congregants in a relaxed, informal environment,” said Chark of the Israel trips that he has organized in his 22 years as a travel agent.

Infeld, who is leading a tour for Beth Israel congregants in the fall, explained his primary reasons for encouraging congregants to travel to Israel with the synagogue: “Jewish identity, connections with Israel and relationships between people develop on a trip like this.”

For his part, Bregman takes the Temple Sholom Israel trip on as a personal mission. “The real purpose of these trips is to fulfil one of my goals as a Jewish communal leader, which is to establish a connection between the people of Israel, the land of Israel and Jewish people,” he explained. Bregman and his wife, Cathy, have led a Temple Sholom family trip to Israel every second year for so many years that, he said, he has lost count.

This summer, from July 3-19, the Bregmans will take another group of congregants to Israel. According to Bregman, each time Temple Sholom organizes a group tour with Chark, the itinerary changes, but the trips are always designed to be an introduction to Israel. “Fifty to 60 percent of the people we attract have never been to Israel before. Others may have been 25 years ago, so it’s like they’re experiencing Israel for the first time again,” Bregman explained.

Temple Sholom values its family trips because of their intergenerational nature, and b’nai mitzvah celebrations are a popular and meaningful feature. “It’s all inclusive. We have singles, adults with no kids and, of course, adults with kids. It’s fascinating and wonderful to take families,” Bregman noted. On their last trip, for example, a grandfather from Montreal joined the rest of his family on the trip and they celebrated the grandson’s bar mitzvah at Masada.

Beth Israel also has featured b’nai mitzvah celebrations on their family-oriented trips, including one in 2008, and the synagogue is planning another family trip for the summer of 2012.

As an independent agent working in association with Uniglobe Vision, the largest tour agent/operator in Western Canada to Israel, Chark has planned tours for several local synagogues and community organizations, including Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver and the local branch of Jewish National Fund. Chark has planned trips for several First Nations groups as well, including three different tours for residents of Nunavut. And, more than 20 years in the Israel travel business hasn’t dampened Chark’s enthusiasm for organizing such visits.

Chark said he believes that Israel is the perfect place for family bonding and a quality bar or bat mitzvah experience, for example. “I encourage people to celebrate in Israel. There are so many options – Masada, the Western Wall or Southern Wall, up north. It’s an unbeatable and more meaningful experience to [celebrate a bar or bat mitzvah] in Israel. It’s also less stress for kids and parents. A party is over in one night and, for the same money, families can take a trip together.”

The trips he plans are focused on creating meaning in the context of the synagogue, which also serves to connect those on the tour, who may form close and long-lasting bonds.

It was a trip to Israel and his work as a director of United Synagogue Youth in Vancouver that further inspired Chark’s love for Israel and his desire to share it with others. “What drew me into travel is that I wanted to find a way to help people find a way to get to Israel, and develop that same love of Israel…. I really love doing that. It was kind of a natural progression, doing tours with synagogues, a couple of churches [and] individual families,” he said.

Trips can be geared towards families or, as in the case of this year’s Beth Israel trip in November, specifically towards adults. “BI already does a lot for families and young children ... and we want to program for all elements of the congregation,” said Infeld of the adult-oriented tour. And November turns out to be a great month to visit Israel – along with the lower expenses that are associated with off-peak travel times, November in Israel provides excellent weather. The BI trip will capitalize on the latter by featuring travel in southern Israel, including a Shabbat in Eilat, an excursion over the Jordan border to Petra and a couple of days touring the Negev. This trip will also include a visit to the often-besieged town of Sderot. Sderot is an important and meaningful stop, explained Infeld. “It’s an important Jewish duty in 2011 to visit and support the residents of Sderot. Visiting is a statement that we care.”

Temple Sholom also has a number of novel ways by which they plan to foster congregants’ deep connections with Israel. As an example, Bregman noted that participants in the upcoming trip will “donate blood at a mobile blood donor clinic. Donating blood says, ‘We want to help you and we love you.’” Bregman feels that hands-on experiences deepen both the relationship between Israel and between the travelers. “The experience is more than in and out. It’s the ‘wow moments’ we’re after,” he said. Other features will include Dinner in the Dark, which will be served by blind Israelis, and a visit to the Museum of Silence while learning Hebrew Sign Language. As well, since this trip is specifically geared towards families, Temple Sholom will provide a wide variety of interactive and meaningful programming for all ages.

Both Infeld and Bregman lead strongly Zionist congregations and making the physical link to Israel is a priority. “It’s one thing to be a ‘bleacher Zionist’ and another thing to be on the playing field,” said Bregman.

Infeld agreed. “Being the religious, culture and spiritual centre of the Jewish world, it is vital for every Jew to experience modern, vibrant Israel. It acts to strengthen Jewish identity.”

On the practical side of things, Chark said that tourism to Israel has been on the rise. “Canadian travel to Israel over the past three years has gone up 10 to 15 percent each year,” he noted. He said that there seems to be increasing community support for groups trips, as they provide a good foundation for those who might then plan other visits to Israel. Feedback from past participants makes that connection clear. Many of those who went to Israel for the first time on a synagogue tour are now “making their third trip, their fourth trip, their fifth trip,” said Chark. “They’re really comfortable with going back.”

Michelle Dodek is a Vancouver freelance writer.

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