Dec 26, 2012 | Miscellaneous
I know I speak for the group when I say this opportunity has been one of the most intense emotional experiences of my life. After a long day at Yad Vashem, I wasn’t expecting to get a whole lot out of our trip to the Western Wall- and honestly, I didn’t...
Dec 24, 2012 | Miscellaneous
Our first day in the Negev began in the city of Arad at 4:30 a.m. After a quick breakfast of Israeli instant coffee and cakes, forty-nine bleary-eyed travelers rounded some dangerous curves to reach the base of Masada, the ancient Roman fortress ruins built atop a...
Dec 22, 2012 | Miscellaneous
Yad Vashem and Har Herzl is never easy. Every time I go there, it’s something different that gets me choked up. When I led the STL community trip in May, it was the personal stories that our Israeli soldiers shared about their friends an family that had lost...
Dec 21, 2012 | Miscellaneous
Waking up this morning at Kibbutz Manera we were greeted with a gorgeous view of mountains and houses. We had a delicious breakfast – I love the tahini, fresh veggies and most importantly, I have finally mastered instant coffee! We climbed on the bus, for the...
Dec 19, 2012 | Miscellaneous
Though it is early in the trip, Israel Outdoors is living up to the “outdoors” adventure and so much more. Let me first say that the Israeli landscape is much different than I had pictured in my mind. Quite candidly, I was expecting lots of sand and maybe...
Dec 18, 2012 | Miscellaneous
There is no feeling like stepping out of Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv and seeing the bus that has your group number on a sign in the front window. To me, that is when it starts to hit me that I am actually in Eretz Yisrael, the holy land. I literally...
Dec 17, 2012 | Miscellaneous
Hi all! Thanks for visiting our blog. My name is Joel Frankel and I’m the Israel Engagement Professional at Jewish Federation of St. Louis. From December 16-26 I’m leading the Winter 2012 STL Community Taglit-Birthright Israel Trip. This trip gives a group of 40...
Dec 12, 2012 | Miscellaneous
Alan and Donna Rosenberg were revising their estate plans as Traditional Congregation’s Create a Jewish Legacy program reached a crescendo. Learning about the program solidified their desire to make plans for a significant charitable gift to the Jewish community –...
Nov 16, 2012 | Miscellaneous
Dear Friends, The situation emerging in Israel is very fluid, and I want to bring the community up to date as quickly as possible. An earlier statement has been issued by our partner agency JCRC. After four days of rocket attacks by Hamas in southern Israel, the IDF...
