Birthright – for your mom?

Transform and grow trips to Israel

PROVIDENCE – With its notorious parties and “count-off,” Birthright is a rite of passage for many young Jews. It would also probably be the last place you’d expect to find your Jewish mother. But this June, a group of ten Rhode Island women will be doing just that. In conjunction with the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project (JWRP), these Jewish moms will spend nine days trekking across Israel learning about Israeli history, Israeli culture and Jewish life on Transform and Grow (TAG) Trips to Israel.

To date, JWRP has brought over 3,000 non-observant Jewish women on TAG’s highly subsidized trips to Israel. Women travel as a group, grow as a group and continue their journey back to their communities as sisters, having shared an incredible experience together. The mothers share a common vision of self-growth and personal development to reach their potential as Jewish women, wives and mothers. Lisa Kuba, a participant from the May 2013 trip reflects, “You learn about Judaism, you learn about yourself … the trip teaches you how to be a better you.”

This is the first year that a delegation from Rhode Island will join more than 200 other women on TAG 2014 for the nine-day, jam-packed schedule. The women land in Israel on Monday morning and hit the ground running, starting in Tiberias with a cruise on the Sea of Galilee and a tour of the ancient city of Safed, then it’s off to Jerusalem for a visit to the Western Wall – including a tour of the acclaimed “Western Wall Tunnels,” a visit to Yad Vashem, and a local non-profit organization.

The trip also includes a visit to an army base where the women can meet with Israeli soldiers and learn about the Israeli army and the challenges it faces. Of course, no trip to Israel would be complete without a visit to Masada, a dip in the salty waters of the Dead Sea, a camel ride and gourmet meal hosted in a desert tent, looking out over the Judean Hills at sunset.

In addition to touring, trip participants are treated to stimulating and inspirational lectures and discussions about the Sabbath, tzedakah (charity), the Holocaust, the founding of the Jewish state and much more. The women are engaged intellectually, physically, emotionally and spiritually. The life-transforming trip ends with a visit to the Tomb of Rachel, where they bid shalom to the matriarch, Rachel, and enjoy a sumptuous farewell banquet.

TAG trips are unique, though, in their ability to continue the experience even after participants have returned home to their families. In Rhode Island, the participants will have regular reunions, holiday get-togethers, and more, to perpetuate the community they’ve created and the experience they shared.

TAG trips are for women who want to connect with their heritage and with Israel. It is an opportunity for busy mothers to reinvigorate, refresh and reconnect with themselves. It can be even more special, when friends and family sign up to experience it together. As one woman described, it was not only a gift for her-self, but also for her family, as she came back with new perspective and passion.

For more information about the July 2014 trip (there will be an informational meeting at 8:00 p.m. on January 26) contact Elissa Felder (elissafelder@aol.com) at 421-4111, ext. 134 or go to the JWRP website, JWRP.org.