FAQs for the trip of a lifetime to Israel: Study, Hike, Eat, Repeat: March 1-11, 2018

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1 FAQs for the trip of a lifetime to Israel: Study, Hike, Eat, Repeat: March 1-11, 2018 WHO IS THE TOUR GUIDE? We don t just have any tour guide; we have the premier educator, par excellence. Uri Feinberg is a dear friend to many of us at Temple Israel. For three years, he lived in Boston with his family and directed our Religious School. You will find him accessible, funny, engaging, wise, and a fabulous leader and teacher! WOULD IT BE OK IF I VE NEVER BEEN TO ISRAEL BEFORE?The trip was not necessarily designed as a first time trip. We won t be going to some of the sites people frequent the first time like Masada, Ein Gedi, Galilee. Therefore, if you d be disappointed that you didn t get to see those sights, then possibly the trip is not the right one for you. On the other hand, if the study elements and exploring Jerusalem are of interest, then by all means join us. Also, there is the possibility to supplement the trip by arriving a few days early or staying a few days longer. That way you could visit some of these sites. HOW MUCH WALKING WILL THERE REALLY BE? The trip was designed, in part, to connect the Israel/Jerusalem reflected in texts (ancient or contemporary) with the living breathing urban environment of Jerusalem and Israel today. Experiencing the spontaneity of the streets (whether stumbling upon a cute crafts store, getting lost, or stopping for a refreshing fruit drink (or even cocktail)) is a critical component of this trip. Walking and/or hiking will be a component every day. Most days will be a leisurely walk through a neighborhood in town. There are two hikes quite different from each other. Neve Shalom to Latrun is a beautiful nature walk of about 4 Kilometers. It is covered with trees and is listed as easy. Sataf springs is a walk down a hill (the bus lets you off at top and picks you up at the bottom). The hills are terraced

2 and the walk is on a path that has steps. Of course, you could chose to stay on the bus and meet us at our destination if it is too far. HOW MUCH STUDY WILL THERE REALLY BE? Our time at the Hebrew Union College and in and around Jerusalem engaged in text study is the complement to walking/hiking. In terms of class sessions, the mornings are set aside for study premier HUC faculty. We will also have time to meet some of the upcoming rabbinic and cantorial students and share in some of their morning prayers/t filah. We have included fun session on Hebrew slang and colloquialisms as a window into Israeli culture. The campus is striking in its location and has a fascinating history and is one of the loveliest buildings in Jerusalem. See bios below. The trip is designed not only to engage us in study but also to engage us from the perspective of the progressive values of the Reform movement. In addition, we want to showcase the rich educational and intellectual resources within the Reform community, as well as HUC s role as a voice for liberal progressive values in Israel. All levels of Hebrew are welcomed, including none! There will be no obstacle there. WHAT DOES LUNCH OR DINNER ON YOUR OWN REALLY MEAN? We will receive suggestions of where we can eat and we will try some of them out in smaller groups. You will be responsible for paying for your meal. There are so many wonderful choices that it will be challenging to decide! While we will provide various options for lunches or dinners, rest assured that you will never be left alone (unless, of course it is your explicit choice) for a meal. Carol, Marc, and Mitchell will work towards assuring that everyone is comfortably included in small dining groups.

3 WE IMAGINE THE TRIP WILL FILL TO CAPACITY SO WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO REGISTER OR LET US KNOW OF YOUR INTEREST. This trip is designed as a group experience, and in particular, a Temple Israel experience. One of the explicit goals is that through shared experiences we will either create new relationships or enhance pre-existing ones. CHECK OUT THE ITINERARY. (There are way too many exciting experiences to detail here.) Go to ArzaWorld.com Go to the search bar and type in: Zecher Click on the name of our trip: Study, Hike, Eat...Repeat! A Unique Temple Israel trip to Israel Led by Rabbi Elaine Zecher and Chairs Marc Maxwell, Carol Michaels and Mitchell Shames MORE QUESTIONS? Rabbi Zecher s Executive Coordinator, Rachel Daniels rdaniels@tisrael.org We look forward to experiencing Israel together with you! Marc Maxwell, Carol Michael, Mitchell Shames, Rabbi Elaine Zecher

DAVID S. MENDELSSON, PH.D. dmendelsson@huc.

Anglo-Jewry David Mendelsson is Director of the Year-in-Israel Program at the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem and lectures at the Rothberg International School of the Hebrew University where he

4 DAVID S. MENDELSSON, PH.D. Phone: Director of Year-in-Israel Program Program/School: Year-In-Israel Program, Jerusalem Academic Field: Israel Studies; Jewish Education Research Interests: Israel Studies; Anglo-Jewry David Mendelsson is Director of the Year-in-Israel Program at the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem and lectures at the Rothberg International School of the Hebrew University where he teaches the history of the modern state of Israel and the changing nature of Israeli Jewish identity. His recent publication is a book on the History of Jewish Education in England from David was Schusterman visiting professor of Israel Studies at the University of Southern California and at the Hebrew Union College Los Angeles for the academic year He has been a scholar-inresidence at Brandeis University and at Michigan State University. David was born in London, England and made Israel his home in JEREMY LEIGH, M.A. nikgem@netvision.net.il Phone: Coordinator of the Richard J. Scheuer Israel Seminar

Born in the UK and living in Israel since 1992. Jeremy studied Jewish History at University College London and the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.

5 Born in the UK and living in Israel since Jeremy studied Jewish History at University College London and the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He is currently the director of the Israel studies program for the HUC Year in Israel program having taught extensively in various academic programs in Jerusalem (Yad Vashem, Hebrew University, Machon l Madrichim etc.). For the last 25 years he has worked extensively in the field of Jewish travel and written numerous books for guides in Europe, Poland and Canada. In2006 he published Jewish Journeys (Haus, London 2006), a cultural and personal reflection on the idea of the Jewish travel. NAAMAH KELMAN, RABBI, M.A., M.A.H.L. nkelman@huc.edu Dean of Administration Department: Campus Administration Rabbi Naamah Kelman is a descendent of 10 generations of rabbis, becoming the first woman to be ordained by the Hebrew Union College in Jerusalem in 1992, where she is currently the Dean. Born and raised in New York, she has lived in Israel since 1976; where she has worked in community organizing, Jewish education, and the promotion and establishment of Progressive and Pluralistic Judaism for Israelis. Naamah Kelman has been intensely involved in the emerging education system of the Israeli Movement for Progressive (Reform) Judaism. Among the founders of the first Progressive Day school, she has overseen the development of curricular materials, teacher training programs, and family education. She has been involved in teacher training and enrichment, the professional development of the Israeli Rabbinic students, and the establishment of Mazorim Spiritual Care/Israeli Chaplaincy. She was the Director of the Year in Israel Program for HUC s North American students. She is a board member of Rabbis for Human Rights, MELITZ, and the Tali Education Fund. Naamah Kelman is deeply engaged in inter-faith dialogue and feminist causes. She is married to Dr. Elan Ezrachi and they have three children.

MICHAEL MARMUR, RABBI, PH.D. mmarmur@huc.edu Phone: (02) 6203-305 or 304 Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Provost Academic Field: Philosophy/Theology Dr.

6 MICHAEL MARMUR, RABBI, PH.D. Phone: (02) or 304 Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Provost Academic Field: Philosophy/Theology Dr. Michael Marmur is the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Provost at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Previously, he served as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem. In recent years he has taught courses in Theology, Homiletics, and Pluralistic Jewish Education.Born and raised in England, Rabbi Marmur completed a BA Degree in Modern History at the University of Oxford before moving to Israel in While studying for an MA in Ancient Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, he completed his studies in the Israel Rabbinic Program of HUC-Jerusalem, becoming ordained in For some six years following his ordination he served as congregational rabbi, high school teacher and member of the executive at the Leo Baeck Education Center in Haifa. Michael Marmur's Ph.D Dissertation at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem was entitled "Heschel's Rhetoric of Citation: The Use of Sources in God In Search of Man".Rabbi Marmur has lectured and taught extensively in North America and Israel, and also in many parts of Western and Central Europe. He is married to Sarah Bernstein, and father to three children - Miriam, Nadav and Gaby. Topics of Lectures/Workshops/Tours: Reform Judaism in Israel Abraham Joshua Heschel Pluralism

DALIA MARX, RABBI, PH.D. Associate Professor of Liturgy and Midrash Program/School: Israel Rabbinical Program, Jerusalem; Year-In-Israel Program, Jerusalem Academic Field: Rabbinics and Liturgy Rabbi

7 DALIA MARX, RABBI, PH.D. Associate Professor of Liturgy and Midrash Program/School: Israel Rabbinical Program, Jerusalem; Year-In-Israel Program, Jerusalem Academic Field: Rabbinics and Liturgy Rabbi Dalia Marx (PhD) is an Associate professor of liturgy and midrash at the Jerusalem campus of Hebrew Union College-JIR, and teaches in various academic institutions in Israel and Europe. Marx, tenth generation in Jerusalem, earned her doctorate at the Hebrew University and her rabbinic ordination at HUC-JIR in Jerusalem and Cincinnati. She is involved in various research projects and is active in promoting liberal Judaism in Israel. Marx writes for academic and popular journals and publications. She is the author of When I Sleep and When I Wake: On Prayers between Dusk and Dawn (Yediot Sfarim 2010, in Hebrew), A Feminist Commentary of the Babylonian Talmud (Mohr Siebeck, 2013, in English) and the co-editor of a few books. Marx lives in Jerusalem with her husband Rabbi Roly Zylbersztein (PhD) and their three children

Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion tel. 213/ University Avenue fax: 213/ Los Angeles, CA

LEAH HOCHMAN CURRICULUM VITA Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion tel. 213/765-2114 3077 University Avenue fax: 213/747-6128 Los Angeles, CA 90007 lhochman@huc.edu Education 1990-2000 BOSTON