On Wednesday, December 23, 19 temple members left for an exciting 12-day trip to Israel. The group included 4 teenagers and 15 adults, about half of whom had never been to Israel before, or who had not been there in the last ten years. Rabbi Vogel, who traveled with the group, conducted two pre-trip sessions to explore the history of Israel and provide a preview of the places the group visited. After landing in Tel Aviv and traveling to Haifa, they headed south to explore the desert south of Beersheva. The remaining time was based in Jerusalem, exploring the Dead Sea and Masada from there. The group returned safely to Boston on January 3. 

One goal of the trip was to discover the Old and the New that combine to make modern Israel so wondrous. The trip also had a focus on social justice in Israel, with special attention to Israeli-Palestinian peace and cooperation issues, and also to the unique Boston-Haifa cooperation projects.