Trips to Israel

Two upcoming Milwaukee Jewish Federation mission trips to Israel are not about seeing the Jewish homeland; they’re about experiencing it.

“If you want to understand Israel, not just see the sites, this is for you,” said Rabbi Hannah Greenstein, Milwaukee Jewish Federation vice president of outreach for Israel and overseas.

Greenstein is coordinating the spring 2016 Wisconsin Loves Israel Community Mission.

With an eye toward understanding Israel, the mission will include both traditional tours and intimate, exclusive meetings. Over the course of a week, attendees will visit Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Safed, Degania Bet Galilee, Mount Arbel and Haifa.

The exact itinerary is still being finalized, but it’s likely to include tours of Old City Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. There will also likely be a program on the changing map of the Middle East and visits with Palestinian students, Women of the Wall, a Palestinian journalist, the U.S. ambassador to Israel and a linguist with expertise in Israeli graffiti, according to Greenstein and the current draft itinerary. An Israeli historian, author and journalist is also part of the plan.

“This trip really examines different layers of Israeli society through leaders, street graffiti, change-making social centers and interacting with local communities,” Greenstein said. “They are things you couldn’t see on your own.”

The winter 2016 Heart to Heart Women’s Mission to Israel will have a similar mix of tourist-style and exclusive events, said Amy Blumenthal, Milwaukee Jewish Federation director of Women’s Philanthropy.

“You definitely see the highlights of Israel, but you also see places behind the scenes that you wouldn’t normally see,” she said.

A “P2G@20” four day add-on event is also available with this mission, where attendees will join hundreds of people interested in celebrating 20 years of the Partnership2Gether program. The program connects Jewish communities around the world with specific regions in Israel.

The Heart to Heart mission has women spend two nights in Tel Aviv and two nights in Jerusalem. The jam-packed itinerary includes visiting the homes of female Israeli philanthropists, having lunch at the residence of the U.S. ambassador to Israel, meeting artists, visiting technology businesses run by women, and taking a geopolitical tour, according to Blumenthal and the itinerary.

“This provides incredible, unique access to (Israeli) women who are leading in their fields,” Blumenthal said. “It’s about making connections with women leaders in Israel and that is very special.”

The Heart to Heart mission will also visit social service agencies to see how donations from the Milwaukee Jewish Federation’s campaign are helping, Blumenthal said.

“We get to experience and witness the impact of our dollars,” she said.

The women’s mission takes place annually, but the 2016 mission is extra special for Milwaukee. One of the national organizing co-chairs is Milwaukee’s Andrea Schneider, a former Women’s Philanthropy president and former general campaign chair for the Milwaukee Jewish Federation. As mission co-chair, she works to plan the trip and recruit attendees, Blumenthal said.

“It means at the national level she’s very respected, such that she can drive recruitment across the country for a once a year, high-level women’s mission,” Blumenthal said. “We’re thrilled and trying to trumpet that in getting people to register so we can have a really strong Milwaukee showing for her.”

Registration is currently open for the women’s mission and for the Wisconsin Loves Israel Community Mission.

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Mission details

Heart to Heart Women’s Mission to Israel

TARGET AUDIENCE: Women

DATES: Feb. 7-11, 2016

COST: $3,299 single occupancy or $2,699 double occupancy, plus airfare

ITINERARY: Available at https://fedweb-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/fed-42/152/H2H7Mission_Highlights%25281%2529.pdf

REGISTRATION: Open now

MORE INFO: Contact Amy Blumenthal, Milwaukee Jewish Federation director of Women’s Philanthropy, at 414-390-5713 or amyb@milwaukeejewish.org.

Wisconsin Loves Israel Community Mission

TARGET AUDIENCE: Adults

DATES: March 27 to April 4, 2016

COST: Starting at approximately $2,500, with final cost dependent upon flight and add-on trip options. $1,000 subsidies are available to the first 30 people who register.

ITINERARY: Available at http://www.milwaukeejewish.org/communitymission2016/community-mission-itinerary

REGISTRATION: Open now
MORE INFO: Contact Rabbi Hannah Greenstein, Milwaukee Jewish Federation vice president of outreach, Israel and overseas, at 414-390-5764 orhannahg@milwaukeejewish.org.