REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! TST Israel Mission and First-Timer Experience, March 2026

 Having been to Israel four times since the war began, including two missions with the Central Conference of American Rabbis along with visiting family. I look forward to being in Israel with you on the Temple Shaaray Tefila “Journey of Hope and Resilience” organized by J2 Adventures in March, 2026. Registration is now open. Please email me at RabbiRoss@TempleST.org for more information, the itinerary, pricing, and the link. 

I’ve traveled to Israel with J2 several times and with our phenomenal guide and tour educator Uri Feinberg, and I felt safe, comfortable, and well-cared-for throughout. We will visit the important sites, meet with Israelis and learn how they live with this new reality, and, most importantly, we will also have time to enjoy ourselves.

It certainly sounds odd to say that we will “enjoy ourselves” in Israel during a war, but that is precisely what Israelis want to do. Our bus will pull up to the hotel and Israelis passing by will say to themselves, “Thank God, the tourists are back. The country is finally returning to normal.” As we leave a restaurant after a great dinner, the staff will thank us wholeheartedly because our being there means they still have jobs. Or, as we pay for our purchases at a crafts store, we’ll get the owner talking about running a business in Israel today, on top of heaps of appreciation for our purchase.

These experiences are spiritually empowering for all of us. If you want to make a difference to Israel and to the people living there, come with us next March. And, on a more personal level, our son Adam lives in Jerusalem with his wife and our three grandkids. You should have heard the lift in his voice when I told him we are planning to come. This is a morale boost all around!

The Mission runs from March 7 to March 13, 2026, with an optional first-timer pre-trip leaving March 5.

With hope for “Next year in Jerusalem” with you!