Sep 18, 2016 | Miscellaneous
By Katie Rice-Guter This trip has been spent exploring many facets of Jewish life and life in Israel, and I found that celebrating Shabbat in Jerusalem had a special resonance for me. We woke up on Saturday and had a leisurely breakfast in the hotel before splitting...
Sep 17, 2016 | Miscellaneous
By Lauren Gelber It’s Friday morning. The lack of sleep on top of travel, with a side dish of busy schedules, equals the first morning some of us needed mom to wake us up. Traveling on our incredibly fancy bus (USB ports, lean back seats, and even party lights)...
Sep 16, 2016 | Miscellaneous
By Jodi Glassman The theme of Thursday was tzedaka, giving back, and connection with St. Louis’ partnership region, Yokneam-Meggido, in the fertile heartland area of northern Israel. We saw several service organizations that the St. Louis Jewish Federation funds...
Sep 14, 2016 | Miscellaneous
By Matt Berman The day started early after checking out the incredible Tel Aviv nightlife. A few of us made it back to the hotel at 5 AM. Several others made it to sunrise rooftop yoga. There was no overlap. Our first stop of the day was at a startup, Wibbitz, that...
Sep 14, 2016 | Miscellaneous
By Steve Myers Our last day in Tel Aviv concludes the first chapter of our trip. I feel so much pride and inspiration for what the people of Israel have accomplished in such a short amount of time with one hand tied behind their backs. Today, we visited Independence...
Sep 12, 2016 | Miscellaneous
By Sharon Remis As the pilot descends the plane we all look out with anticipation. The topography is amazing and we can see the coast line as we fly in. Many thoughts… are we going to bond as a group, is this place going to be as special as everyone as said?...
Sep 12, 2016 | Miscellaneous
By Lisa Greening The door of the plane just shut, and our phones are in airplane mode. We are leaving Newark on our way to Tel Aviv. On the 15th anniversary of 9/11, we (the amazing Rubinites of 2016) are headed to Israel. We all thank Pam and Ron for this...
Sep 1, 2016 | Miscellaneous
Post Written by Katie Rice-Guter Last night the 2016 cohort of Rubinites celebrated our send-off, and Tracy Berg (a 2014 Rubinite) generously welcomed us all to her home. She and a dozen other Rubinites spent the evening with us, sharing their...
Jun 20, 2016 | Miscellaneous
Jewish Federation of St. Louis, together with our partners at the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), helped to bring a torah from a congregation in Pine Bluff, Arkansas to a good home in our Megiddo Reform Community in Israel. The first part took place during...
May 10, 2016 | Miscellaneous
Here is some commentary from Jerry Silverman, president & CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America, on Yom Ha’Atzmaut, which is May 12, 2016. Israel’s Yom Ha’atzmaut — Independence Day — is particularly meaningful for my family. My uncle brought his family...
