What are you going to read on the trip?

Here are some paperback suggestions for books that you might enjoy bringing on the trip...

The Source, by James Michener
Seven Days to the Sea by Rebecca Kohn
Nice Jewish Girls: Growing up in America
Lost Tribe: jewish fiction from the edge
Sao Tome: Portugal's Stolen Jewish Children
Seven Blessings by Ruchama King
The Ladies' Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis
Mystics, Mavericks and Merrymakers: An Intimate Portrait of Hasidic Girls
Queenmaker: A Novel of King David by India Edghill
Three Cups of Tea: Promoting Peace One School at a Time

What are you reading???

It Snowed in Jerusalem!

Check out these great pics!

A maybe once a year event, if that.

Pretty!

Have People Given You Cash?

When people hear that you're going to Israel, do they hand you a dollar (or more)? Wonder why they are doing this?

Jewish tradition teaches that giving tzedakah before a trip (both by the traveler
himself and also the well-wishers) will help to insure safe passage. In addition, our tradition also teaches that travelers to Israel should not travel empty handed, but should take with them tzedakah to dispense once in Eretz Yisrael, so it is customary to hand travelers to Israel small bills to carry with them. Not only is this a mitzvah, but it is also said to insure safe passage, because Judaism teaches that one traveling to give tzedakah is on a mission for God, and therefore will be protected along the way.

Packing List...as promised

Carry with you on the plane:
- passport**
- driver's license
- credit cards
- traveler's checks (if you're using them)
- cash (American & Israeli)
**Make a copy of the main page of your passport. Leave a copy at home with someone. Bring a copy with you. I recommend making copies of all your important things like credit cards and drivers' license and leaving them at home with a trusted soul.
- Medications
- Nosh/Gum/Hard candy (of course, snacks available in the airport and you'll be fed on the plane)
- One change of clothing
- Reading material
- Bottle for water (you'll have to fill it after security)
- Toothbrush/Toothpaste
- Eye-wear products (contact case, solution, glasses, etc)
***Don't forget the toiletry restrictions -- 3-1-1...

Basic Travel Wardrobe
- Jeans/khakis (maybe one pair shorts for Masada)
- T-Shirts, Long Sleeve shirts
- Skirt/Dress for Shabbat (pants are perfectly acceptable but bring one skirt just in case you want to go to a different synagogue in the morning)
- Jacket - preferably waterproof
- Sweater/Sweat shirt
- Swimsuit
- Pajamas
- Undergarments
- Socks
- Comfortable walking shoes/Sneakers
- Jewelry (bring very little)
Note: Layered clothing is recommended for comfort.

Toiletries
- Tissues (small pack will be useful)
- Sunscreen
- Deodorant
- Brush/Comb
- Shampoo/Conditioner
- Pre-moistened towelettes (great for face washing on the plane and while travelling)
- Makeup/Moisturizer
- Talcum Powder
- Toothbrush/Toothpaste/Dental floss
- Q-tips

- Electrical Converter (as needed)
- Camera/batteries/charger (film? anyone?)
- Folding bag/Nylon duffle bag (for stuff to bring back)
- Umbrella/Rain poncho
- Sewing kit
- Safety pins

You know yourself...bring what you need most...
bandaids, aspirin/tylenol, prescription drugs, tampons, anti-diarrhea meds, laxatives, eye drops, pepto bismol, motion sickness meds, decongestants....all things are available in Israel but you might not be able to get "your" brand, or we might not be right there. We'll have a first aid kit on the bus for minor scrapes.

Update - Hand Luggage Allowance - YAY!

Hooray! As of January 7th, passengers flying in and out of Heathrow are now allowed TWO pieces of hand baggage. Yippee!

Click this link for details.

Kippah tip to Julie Hart. Thanks!

Exchange Rate & Reminder

Check this out...an exchange rate "cheat sheet"!

See what the exchange rate is today...or anyday.

Kippah tip to Sari!

Don't forget to visit my other blog for Tu B'Shevat fun all week long plus giveaways!

Plus, packing list coming soon...

Israel Loves Trees!

Visit my other blog for a whole week of Tu B'Shevat fun.

Tu B'shevat is the Jewish holiday celebrating the "new year (or birthday) of the trees." The name comes from the calendar date on which it falls: Tu is the Hebrew equivalent of 15 and Shevat is the Hebrew month in which we are in right now. Tu B'shevat was originally a day when the fruits that grew from that day on were counted for the following year in regard to tithes.

In modern times, it is celebrated as a Jewish "Earth Day" -- celebrating trees, planting trees, and reflecting on environmental and ecological issues. This year, Tu B'Shevat falls on Tuesday, January 22nd, next week.

Over the next week leading up to Tu B'Shevat, I'm celebrating green at Ima on and off the Bima with a Birthday Party for the Trees!

No party is complete without party favors, so visit all week for giveaways and winners -- giveaways will be posted today, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday so come back each day this week!

Go there now for an awesome giveaway from Eco-Libris:

A new organization, Eco-Libris, is trying to balance out our books -- planting a tree for every book. They've generously offered to plant 10 trees for one lucky reader, with accompanying stickers to put into your own books to proudly show your "tree offset" and your commitment to the environment.

Want some understanding of Israel's Political State?

Here's a great site to check daily, a comic called Dry Bones.

A political cartoon that has been published since the 1970s. Three days a week, he posts new toons and on Tuesdays and Thursdays what he calls "golden oldies." He also includes the "stories behind the cartoons" which are very interesting and helpful.

Here's today's entry....

Tzedakah Opportunity #2: Sderot Bakery Ordering

Lynne posted in the comments of the previous post, and also in an email -- but I wanted to post it here as well, an idea for bringing hostess gifts of tzedakah to our Shabbat dinner:

Lynne writes:
as you know, sderot is truly a city under siege. its 24,000 residents are under constant DAILY bombardment...from THOUSANDS of rocket attacks. we can help by ordering hostess gift boxes of cookies from the sderot bakery. they cost 20 shekels each --about $5---and they will be delivered to our hotel before shabbos on february 15. then we will have great gifts to bring to our host families and we will be helping a sderot business as well.

Here's a link to the organization setting this up (is this what you found, Lynne?)
Here's a link to another post describing this mitzvah project.

It sounds like everyone wants to do this one, so let's see how far in advance we have to order (I bet we can wait til our February 4th meeting)...

Tzedakah Opportunity

We will make decisions regarding Tzedakah opportunities in Israel at our next meeting. Between now and then, I'll be posting some ideas/options for everyone to consider. Please feel free to send me your suggestions and I'll be happy to post them here for everyone to read.

From Sari:

People Traveling to Israel

A donation of 1,000 pairs of alpaca socks has been made to Israeli soldiers. But we need people traveling to Israel to take them.
If any of your congregants are going to Israel and would like to take socks - from a dozen to a duffle bag - it would be a real mitzvah.
The socks will be picked up in Israel by a volunteer from the Packages From Home program that provides essentials for Israeli soldiers.

For information and to arrange a delivery, call Morene at 312-641-8568.

I'm not sure if these socks have already been picked up but perhaps we could arrange for another donation of socks through some local merchants.

Keep the ideas coming! Feel free to make comments (click below on "comments") to start a discussion here about this project or others.

Counting Down...

I just spent a half hour on the phone with the Israel-end of our trip, a woman named Tali, and Rachel, our travel agent. We went through the itinerary and discussed other information about the trip. I will be posting more in the next few days so stay tuned!!!