A few Temple Hillel Birthright members
display the Israeli flag on Masada.

Temple University
students participate in a
winter Birthright trip.

About 140 students will participate in the
MEOR Poland trip in January. Photos provided
Trip Opportunities For C
JON MARKS | JE FEATURE
J ust as cellphones, com-
puters, answering ma-
chines and microwaves
were mere figments
of the imagination for the baby
boom-generation growing up, so
was the concept of college students
using winter break for anything
more than a reprieve from school.

Maybe there would be a family vacation to Florida or a tropical
island. But those were usually costly and probably not all that ex-
citing for teenagers who’d rather be anywhere than with mom, dad
and their little brother and/or sister.

Going someplace meaningful, learning a bit of history while
simultaneously gaining a deeper understanding of your heritage
— that seldom happened.

It does now — and has for a while.

Programs like Birthright and Meor send thousands to Israel
and other lands at either a fraction of the cost or none at all, so
Jewish college students across the country are afforded the oppor-
tunity of their young lifetimes.

While summer is traditionally the busier time for these and
other organizations, which are primarily donor-supported, there
are plenty of winter trips, too.

Much has changed since Pamela Fertel Weinstein’s parents al-
lowed her to go where she’d always wanted — Israel — on one of
the first Birthright trips in 2000.

“I had no idea what to expect, but it was finally fulfilling a
dream of mine to go,” said Fertel Weinstein, now Birthright Israel’s
vice president of marketing and communications.

“It was still then very much word of mouth, and maybe 9,000
went that year. Now we’re sending 48,000, and it’s grown exponen-
tially. It’s becoming, in some circles, a rite of passage — something
for Jewish kids to do when they get to college.”
A Birthright participant
enjoys a camel ride.

Temple Hillel gathers at the Wall.

20 NOVEMBER 23, 2017
WINTER HOLIDAY MAGAZINE
Birthright camel riders visit
the desert.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



Temple Hillel Birthright members
enjoy some sun at the Dead Sea.

Meor Israel trips include
study periods.

Break
Students Multiply
And it’s hardly the only option.

While, unlike Birthright, it might not be free, Meor off ers nu-
merous trips to Jewish students who have an educational frame
of mind. Not only do they get to experience a diff erent place (and
usually a diff erent country), they learn in the classroom.

“Meor means to illuminate,” said Rabbi Josef Lynn, who runs
Meor from his home in Israel. “Basically, students come together
from all the 22 Meor campuses in the U.S.

“Th e fi rst week in January, 140 of them will be traveling to
Poland, starting in Warsaw and going to many of the death
camps. ... I’ve been involved from the beginning. My brother
[Shmuel] got me involved, and I took over the Meor Poland trip
three years ago. Th ey visit a diff erent town every night and are
busy every day between touring the camps and having class and
discussion groups.

“It’s a trip about life and inspiring people to connect to their
Jewish roots. It’s not supposed to be about sadness. It’s much more
about the future and continuity of the Jewish people than remem-
bering the past.”
If going to Auschwitz, Treblinka and seeing the Warsaw Ghet-
to isn’t for you, Meor probably has something else that might be.

For starters, there are two winter trips to Israel — Meor Israel and
Meor Vision.

Meor Israel combines an introduction to the Holy Land with
Jewish study. Meor Vision, which is open only to those who’ve
completed Meor Israel, Birthright or something equivalent,
goes deeper into Talmudic study and offers classes and other
outdoor activities.

And then there’s Olami, the annual international Jewish Sum-
mit. Some 1,200 delegates representing 100 organizations and 20
countries are expected to participate in the week-long event that
will begin in Spain and end in London. A handful of those dele-
gates will be coming from the Philadelphia area.

“It’s hard to get in,” said Shoshana Kay, executive director
for Meor at both Temple and Drexel universities. “You have
to be a student leader and be Jewish. The Poland trip is more
heavily subsidized.”
But there’s even something for those who don’t want to leave
the country. Meor’s Heritage Retreat in Sedona, Ariz., is a 10-day
Meor Israel travelers
explore rocky terrain.

JEWISHEXPONENT.COM WINTER HOLIDAY MAGAZINE
See OPPORTUNITIES, page 22
A few Temple Hillel members hit the beach.

NOVEMBER 23, 2017
21