I keep looking at the programs people are asked to go on and they look rather meaningless. A few days of sightseeing and walking tours and bringing packages of toothbrushes and toothpaste to soldiers. Somehow I think we could do better. Here are my suggestions based on a mission from my local synagogue that is going there next month for the extended Presidents Day weekend:
Arrival Wednesday with prayers at the Western Wall and rest of the day at leisure.
Thursday Morning “Share the Wealth and Do a Mitzvah (Good Deed)”…Go center city Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. Spend money in stores and buy gift certificates. In the afternoon, go to distribute them from a menu of choices (ie: hospitals, rehab centers, orphanages, IDF welfare agencies, immigrant absorption centers, food shelters). Thursday night “Pick Your Argument” dinner with people from various movements in the country seeded at various tables (ie: Yesha, New Israel Fund, Jewish Agency, Political Parties). Thursday late night party hosting IDF soldiers or volunteer workers at a local café.
Friday morning visit to Ariel and lunch hosted by the mayor. Friday night dinner with local personality (ie: Ehud Olmert) and Oneg/lecture by scholar in residence. Saturday afternoon walk to local orphanage for end-of-sabbath meal and celebration with the children. Saturday night host party for a mixed American-Israel Hesder Yeshiva and other invited guests at the hotel ballroom.
Sunday site visits to two Israeli companies – one a public company and the other a start-up. See investment opportunities in the country’s economy. Choose from a menu of companies. Group meets up at the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange for a presentation and reception. Dinner and entertainment at Shaul’s Inn and/or a Jaffa nightclub. Sunday night at a Tel Aviv hotel.
Monday morning charter flight from Sde Dov to the Golan for a reception with IDF officers who will explain the ramifications of a withdrawal from the Golan Heights and the state of the country’s early warning systems. Continue to Kiryat Shmona or elsewhere in the Galilee for a reception by the city’s chamber of commerce and presentation on opportunities in this region of the country. Return flight to Sde Dov; dinner at Yotveta in the Azrieli Tower and shopping. Exit country.
