Dear Friends,
In the year 1999 I was privileged to staff the first ever set of Birthright Israel trips. Throughout my twenties and thirties, I was fortunate to accompany six different trips. Back then, the rules for eligibility were much stricter. Participants needed to have never been to Israel on a peer trip before. For so many of them, it was their first time ever in the country, and I was able to experience Israel for the first time repeatedly through other people’s eyes.
The first Birthright trip was the most memorable. Since we were literally among the first set of busses, camera crews followed us everywhere we went. I remember one night we told our participants that we would offer any of the young adults who had never had a Bar or Bat Mitzvah the option to be called to the Torah the next morning, during our tefillah service on top of Masada.
Many of you know that I grew up in a very different era in Toronto. Back in the eighties it was not taken for granted that girls would be called to the Torah, chant Torah and haftarah and lead davening. As a result, I did not have a Bat Mitzvah at age 12 or 13.
During that first Birthright trip, I distinctly remember calling my parents long distance, from a hotel near the Dead Sea to Toronto, and telling my mother that the next morning the group would be climbing Masada and that I would be having my Bat Mitzvah. Did she want to hop on a flight and make it in time? I still remember shaking as I pushed the buttons on the massive brick-like cell phone that I rented for the trip. I was excited and nervous and there were so many more emotions causing havoc all over my body as my anticipation grew.
The next morning, I joined the group and had my first ever aliyah. The Torah reading came from Parashat Bo. Just like this week. By the following year I was in rabbinical school and the first verses of Torah that I ever learned to chant were also from Parashat Bo. Let’s just say that this parashah is very special to me.
And so, it strikes me as beshert that we share with you the details of our adult Birthright Israel trip on the week where we once again read Parashat Bo.
We are delighted to partner with Birthright Israel and the UJA Federation of Greater Toronto to travel to Israel in May to volunteer, fill gaps and provide support. This first trip of what we hope will be many, is open to members of our community, ages 25-70. The schedule is still in draft form, but following the requirements of Birthright Israel, we will be spending some time in the North, a day in Jerusalem and a day in the Gaza Envelope. The rest of the time will be spent in the greater Tel Aviv area.
This trip is highly subsidized. It includes air travel on a group flight, lodging in Israeli four-star hotels, local medical insurance, staff escorts, airport transfers, educational and social activities, daily breakfast, all Shabbat meals and some additional group meals. The cost for all of this is $1409 USD for double occupancy. If you are looking for a single room, add $125 USD per night. Please note that the price goes up substantially after February 15th. To register is free, but space is limited. And registration does not ensure participation.
We intend to offer more trips over the next few years, and these future trips will be cohort based. But for now, we are piloting this highly subsidized memorable trip for anyone in our community, ages 25-70. Yacov Fruchter will be overseeing this exciting new Beth Tzedec endeavour.
And, yes, both Cantor Chaim and I will be staffing this trip together.
If you are interested in volunteering in Israel this May, I recommend you register soon, as spaces are limited to 28 participants. To register, click here>>
https://israeloutdoors.com/bethtzedec/ to learn more. As you register, please note that this platform is used for all Birthright trips, and some of the questions are geared for younger people.
To learn more, join us on Thursday, January 29th for an information session on Zoom. Yacov, Cantor Chaim and I and others will be there to answer questions. To register, click here>>
In Parashat Bo, Bnai Israel (the Israelites) are given the mitzvah of Rosh Chodesh, the freedom to be in command of their own calendar. May your calendar enable you to join members of this community in Israel, from May 3-12.
Shabbat shalom,
This year in Jerusalem,
Rabbi Fryer Bodzin