Women off the Beaten Path
WRJ Goes to Israel!
WRJ is thrilled to announce a meaningful, spiritual, and educational trip to Israel this spring! Join our co-chairs Karen Goldberg and Ellen Miller, along with WRJ President Sara Charney and WRJ Executive Director Rabbi Marla J. Feldman, on a week-long journey spanning Jerusalem, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Masada, and more. Participants will immerse themselves in ancient Jewish history and modern-day Arab/Jewish coexistence. Each day is packed with special tours, unique places to eat, and a chance to deepen your connection to WRJ!
This trip will be facilitated by our travel coordinator J2 and led by tour educator Shari Robins.
Tour dates: May 7-15, 2023.
Price: $5,350* per person for double occupancy.
*Price includes a room with double occupancy, additional charges will apply for a single room.
Questions? Contact WRJ at info@wrj.org.
Trip Highlights
Visit Leo Baeck Education Center in Haifa (a WRJ YES Fund grantee), which provides innovative educational opportunities and community center services for Haifa’s mixed Jewish and Arab population.
Visit Yad Vashem, the national memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, and participate in a moving memorial service.
Check out Sindyanna of Galilee and sample some of their award-winning olive oil and learn how this nonprofit organization is producing fair-trade products and creating economic opportunities for Arab women.
Attend a special program at Neve Shalom (Oasis of Peace), a mixed Arab-Jewish community outside of Jerusalem.
Join Women of the Wall for a conversation about the struggle for religious freedom in Israel.
Visit the home of an Israeli Arab family (GalilEat) to hear about their lives and enjoy a mini workshop on the culinary traditions of the Galilee.
Experience Lag B'Omer in Jerusalem and Kabbalat Shabbat at Kehilat Shoham.
See Paradise Springs at the Tel Dan Nature Reserve.
Drive along the coast and back in time to Caesarea, one of Israel’s most important cities during the Roman empire.
Options for first-timers, as well as those who have visited Israel before, will be available. For a full itinerary, please email info@wrj.org.
Meet Our Tour Educator: Shari Robins
Our tour educator, Shari Robins, will regale us with humorous anecdotes about her family and journey from Cleveland to Israel. Shari has led many WRJ missions, and we are thrilled she was able to be with us once more. Shari grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and visited Israel for the first time at age 17. After that summer trip, she returned to Cleveland and declared she would one day live in Israel and be a tour guide! Her passion for showing people Israel is still evident. She made aliyah in 1984 after completing a BA in Jewish History and an MA in education from Ohio State. Shari lives in Jerusalem with her family. She has set a goal for herself to hike the 950-kilometer Israel Trail from Dan to Eilat each month doing a portion. At this point, she has 250 km left!
Israel Trip FAQs
- Accommodations in a room with double occupancy for 8 nights and a late check-out on departure day. For an individual room, an additional fee of $1,725 will apply.
- Touring for 9 days with a tour educator (guide) in a luxury, air-conditioned bus with water provided.
- 1 departure transfer and VIP assistance at the airport.
- Meals include a daily breakfast, 2 lunches & 7 dinners
- Porterage at all hotels
- All site entrance fees & program fees
- A personal tour operator who handles the logistics and works with you to ensure a successful and seamless travel experience.
- An individual room: For an individual room, an additional fee of $1,725 will apply.
- Arrival transfer(s)
- Flights to and from Israel.
- COVID-related expenses, including tests. (See information below under insurance and COVID protocols).
- Evening transportation when dinner is not included.
- Meals that are designated as "on your own" in the itinerary.
- Amendments to the program. If any sites, programs, meals, etc., are added to the program, an additional fee may be required.
- Personal extras: Items of a personal nature such as laundry, wines, mineral water, beverages, coffee, tea, food other than the fixed price menu, passport and visa fees, insurance, and foreign port taxes, unless otherwise specified.
- US and foreign airport taxes, Q fuel surcharge, and border taxes when applicable.
- Value Added Tax (VAT) Is currently not applicable to tourists visiting Israel. Should the law change, you will be notified, and VAT will be added to your final invoice.
- Gratuities: It is recommended to tip $12pp/day for the tour educator and $6pp/day for the drivers. Tipping is optional and can be in USD or Shekels. Many travelers put this amount (in dollars) in an envelope before they depart so that they aren’t searching for money at the end of the trip. WRJ staff will take care of collecting and bundling tips at the end of the program. For meals on your own, the usual restaurant tip is 12% cash left on the table. For hotels, a daily tip of $2-5 USD, or 6-15 shekels is typical.
- Credit card fees
Israel requires medical expense coverage while in destination, but there is not a set amount that is required. J2 recommends the provider Travel Insured International, and the two plans below, but you may book through your own provider. Many providers require you to purchase insurance within a time limit of booking your trip, so please look into this sooner rather than later.
The Medical Only plan, called Worldwide Trip Protector plan provides up to $100,000 in medical expenses, among other benefits, such as trip delay, trip interruption, luggage delay, and much more. This plan does not include a trip cancellation benefit prior to departure.
See the link below for the list of benefits. To price this plan, through the purchase link, you need to enter 0.0 in the section where it asks for the trip cost.
The other recommended plan is also called the Worldwide Trip Protector Plan including Trip Cancellation. This plan offers similar benefits while in destination as the above-mentioned Medical Only plan, including the $100,000 medical expense coverage. The difference is the additional coverage for trip cancellation prior to departure. If someone needs to cancel their trip prior to departure for unforeseen medical reasons, including COVID-19 illness, or other covered reasons, as listed on the link, they can claim 100% of their nonrefundable trip cost, pending insurance approval.
To price this plan, through the purchase link below, in the section where it asks for the trip cost, you will need to enter the per person trip amount that you are paying for the trip (tour & airfare amount).
These two plans can be accessed and purchased using this link.
All cancellations need to be made in writing to WRJ and J². If your cancellation is made more than 30 days prior to departure, all of your monies will be fully refunded.
If your cancellation is made less than 30 days prior to departure, you will be provided with a nontransferable travel credit, valid for 18 months for travel on a J² travel program.
If your J² travel program is canceled at any time, you will receive a full refund.
All attendees must agree to and sign WRJ's Covenant of Care, which will be sent to registrants before departure. We will share this document as we get closer to the start date. We are also continuously monitoring safety protocols, which are subject to change closer to the journey's start date.