CBINT Congregational Trip to Israel: A Planning Survey

Rabbi Alter, Beata Abraham, and a committee of volunteers are planning a CBINT congregational trip to Israel. We are considering traveling in the second half of 2024 or in 2025. We have identified a trip provider but need specific guidance from our community so that we can plan an appropriate trip. It won’t do to plan a trip that few can or wish to join!

Please complete the following survey. We need your name so that we can follow up substantively regarding your wants and needs. Of course, you may contact Rabbi Alter or Beata directly if there is something you wish to share in confidence.

Please complete this survey by August 21 in order to meaningfully help us in our planning.

Name *

First

Last

If you already know what family members might join you on this trip, please indicate their names and ages below. Listing a name here indicates no commitment whatsoever.

Age *

• 5-11
• 12-17
• 18-24
• 25-39
• 40-54
• 55-74
• 75+

First Timer? *

Have you been to Israel before?
If so, when and - briefly - in what context?

Vision
On a congregational trip to Israel, many of us will want to HAVE IT ALL and SEE IT ALL!! On a ten-day trip with a real-world budget, choices must be made. Please choose up to three selections from the following fantasy wish list to help us understand what you most want from a trip to Israel with CBINT.  Please select no more than three from the following:

I want the CBINT trip to Israel to... *

• bring me to as many must-see sites as we can manage (e.g., the Kotel (Western Wall), Yad Vashem, Mt. Herzl, Mahane Yehuda Market, The Kineret, Masada/The Dead Sea), and help me understand them.
• help me experience Israel from an Israeli perspective and spend time with Israelis
• teach me the history of modern Israel
• teach me the history of the Jewish people through the lens of Israel
• help me understand the security situation in Israel (e.g., the conflicts with the Palestinians and the Arab states, and the improving relations with some former adversaries)
• introduce me to some of the many segments of Israeli society from cultures, to socio-economic classes, to religious communities
• help me understand harmonies and tensions in Israeli society
• shape for our group a religious-spiritual Jewish experience in Israel
• help me gain a deeper understanding of Torah
• introduce me to the Israeli innovations and unique successes that I’ve always heard about, e.g., Start-Up-Nation, agricultural innovations, immigrant society, democracy in the Middle East, military powerhouse…
• design a walking itinerary so we can see Israel’s physical diversity: cities and towns, the desert, sea coast, forests, and hills
• introduce me to Masorti (Israeli Conservative) communities in Israel
• introduce me to Arab Israeli and Palestinian communities
• create opportunities for our group to do community service, or to otherwise support Israeli institutions serving marginal or struggling populations
• provide a tour of the places we read about in the Torah so I can deepen my Jewish connection to the land and the Torah
• Good food! Whatever else we do, I want to enjoy fine Israeli cuisine!
• Other

If you selected Other, please describe

A trip to Israel with CBINT?

Is there anything you want to add about why, specifically, you'd consider traveling to Israel with CBINT?

Accomodations

What level of accommodation do you need for this trip?

Note: It's a given that all hotels will be vetted and vouched for by our trip provider; rooms will be safe, clean, and have appropriate amenities such as comfortable vacation-level bedding and bathrooms. Expansive buffet breakfasts (a common feature at better Israeli hotels) will be available on certain days of our itinerary. With that, would you expect a three-star or four-star hotel? The cost difference might be about $100 per room per night.

When can you travel? *

• I can travel to Israel in June of 2024
• I can travel to Israel in November of 2024
• I can travel to Israel over winter break 2024-25
• I can travel to Israel over spring break 2025
• I can travel to Israel in June of 2025
• I can travel to Israel over winter break 2025-26

Consider that both weather and cost vary dramatically at different times of the year.
Please check as many time blocks as are viable for you.

With whom do you hope to travel on this trip? *

• I will only travel with adults
• I prefer to travel with adults only
• I am comfortable traveling with both adults and children
• I prefer to travel with adults and children
• I will only travel with adults and children

We can imagine planning a multi-generational trip with simultaneous, separate tracks for adults and adults with children, as needed. That is, kids and adults would separate at several points along the itinerary so all may enjoy age-appropriate activities. A family member would have to supervise their children in most cases when activities are separated. Please select the option that best describes your preference for joining a congregational trip to Israel.

Physical / Medical Considerations

If you have trip-relevant physical or medical limitations, please specify. (e.g, walking, stairs, amount of time on a bus, use of a walker or cane)

Anything Else?

Is there anything else you want to tell or ask us about your interest or needs regarding a CBINT trip to Israel?

A note on the cost of a congregational trip:
A congregational Israel trip will be expensive. The actual cost per participant will depend on the time of year we travel, how flight and hotel costs develop, how many of us participate, our itinerary, and many other factors. We are confident that some financial aid will be available for congregants who need it in order to participate. Still, at this early stage in our planning, it is too early for us to estimate costs. We know that we need to control costs in order for an Israel trip to be viable for the CBINT community. Please fill out the survey to help us understand what trip you might be interested in. We'll advise you about costs as soon as we have something to say!

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