Five Great Reasons to Go on the Miami Mega Mission

By Katy Boyask on 08/23/2011 @ 11:06 AM

Miami Mega Mission Israel 2012 will be the largest community-wide journey organized by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation in 16 years. Miami has a history of supporting the people of Israel and our goal of 800 participants reflects our ongoing commitment and solidarity. Our exciting plans for next April have already created a buzz in Miami, across the country and in Israel.

Working for the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and staffing many missions, we hear lots of feedback from participants about why missions are so worthwhile and eye-opening. We are sharing five great reasons to go on the Mega Mission — and you may think of a sixth or seventh reason yourself.

1) The power of community. Unlike anywhere else in the world, traveling to Israel with your peer group adds to the experience and makes it even more special.

2) The Greater Miami Jewish Federation has access to Israel’s best sites, guides, speakers and leaders.

3) Our El Al charter plane provides the only round-trip, non-stop flight from Miami to Tel Aviv. Land-only participants have the flexibility of extending their stay or making additional travel plans.

4) 18 buses will have custom-made itineraries and will join together for five spectacular Mega Events. This combination of intimate and large-scale gatherings will offer a personal and communal journey unlike any other.

5) Creating meaningful friendships and memories during a life-changing Jewish experience doesn’t stop after returning home to Miami. This is just the beginning!

Doing and Celebrating Mitzvahs in the Holy Land

By Karen on 08/02/2011 @ 11:06 AM

Thinking about how you can make your child’s upcoming Bar or Bat Mitzvah truly memorable? Would you like to give your entire family an experience that goes way beyond a one-night party? Think about a Family Mission to Israel, and create a life-changing experience for your B’nai Mitzvah child.

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation has been taking families from North and South Miami-Dade on B’nai Mitzvah Family Missions every summer for years, and we have seen firsthand the effect that experiencing the land, history and culture of Israel together has had on families.

A Family Mission gives parents, grandparents and children an opportunity to walk through the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem together, to experience the Jewish people’s living memorial to the Holocaust at Yad Vashem, to relive the history atop Masada, and enjoy the beautiful outdoors in the Galilee and Golan Heights, plus so much more.

But the highlight of a Family Mission for adults is seeing their children becoming B’nai Mitzvah in the Jewish homeland, at or near the Western Wall or on top of Masada. And for the B’nai Mitzvah child, it’s a spiritual experience that has no comparison.

This summer, two Miami families gave their children an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience that went beyond the ceremonial B’nai Mitzvah. With their parents’ guidance and good example, the children learned what it meant to become giving, sharing, caring adults.

Sara and David Bejar and Daphna and Ariel Bentata -- who are all active in Federation and other Jewish community organizations -- along with some of their friends from Miami, traveled to Israel one week prior to the Family Mission for what was dubbed “The Mitzvah Brigade.” In total, eight adults and seventeen children between the ages of five and eighteen years old participated.

Spending a week in the Negev, they concentrated on mitzvah projects in the Greater Miami Jewish Federation’s partnership city of Yerucham. They beautified kindergartens by painting a playground and outdoor equipment as well as small murals on a wall in each classroom with a Miami motif which were signed by the families. They also supplied and organized the year-end school party for the Yerucham Youth Futures children, who participate in a program that empowers disadvantaged Israeli youth, providing them with an equal opportunity to develop their academic and social skills.

The Miami families had held fundraising events, such as soccer tournaments, prior to their trip and were able to donate $3,500 for the Yerucham projects. Another $1,500 raised was used when they visited another Federation project in Pardes Chana-Karkur. In that city, they painted and renovated the Yeshurun Ethiopian Youth Center working along with local residents, assisted in teaching an Ethiopian dance seminar, presented dance clothes to the troupe, organized a soccer tournament and presented soccer uniforms to the local team -- all with the funds they had raised.

In addition to all this work, the Brigade also had plenty of fun, including a pool party with the local children, visiting an IDF base, sleeping in mud huts, bicycle riding in a youth village, camel rides and Bedouin feasts.

After their children had learned about sharing their good fortune by working and giving to others who had less during the Mitzvah Brigade, their extended families from Mexico and South America joined them in Israel to celebrate the B’nai Mitzvahs of the children at the Kotel during a week of ceremony, celebration and touring.

As you can see, taking your family on a B’nai Mitzvah Mission can be an experience like no other.

Please check back here for follow-up stories by guest bloggers from the participating families who will talk about their experience during the Mitzvah Brigade and Family Mission that followed.

What you probably don’t know about the Miami Mega Mission 2012

By Karen on 04/05/2011 @ 06:56 PM

By now you may already know that the Greater Miami Jewish Federation is taking 800 Miami residents to Israel on April 22, 2012.

You may already be aware of the fact that many of our community synagogues and Jewish agencies are partnering with us to help make this a complete community experience.

But what you probably don’t know is that even though you will be together in Israel with 800 of your friends, neighbors and community members, you will not feel crowded. You will travel alone with your bus while each of the other buses goes on a different track. Then you will come together with the rest of your community at mega events. A personal journey and a community experience at the same time!

You might already know that the first 400 people to sign up to travel with the group both ways will fly non-stop from Miami to Israel on an El Al charter flight.

It’s likely that you’ve already heard that the Greater Miami Jewish Federation is subsidizing this mission in order to give the Miami Jewish community an incredibly affordable opportunity to participate in this amazing mission to Israel.

You probably already know that we, as a community, will mourn on Yom Hazikaron (Israel’s Memorial Day) and celebrate on Yom Ha’atzmaout (Israel’s Independence Day) alongside our Israeli brethren.

What you are likely unaware of is what it feels like to dance the Hora in front of the Western Wall with hundred of people; to stand atop Masada as the sun sets and walk down in the dark with torches lighting the way to an amazing party in the middle of the desert; to have dinner with young IDF soldiers who are alone in Israel without family and hear them speak about why they serve; to learn, first-hand, the amazing story of the Ethiopian immigration to Israel from the people who are learning a new way of life; to watch fireworks light the skies of Jerusalem as the country moves from mourning to celebrating on erev Yom Ha’atzmaut; and to sit among the ruins of ancient history while listening to a celebrated singer perform for you.

You may even know that we are offering a pre-mission to Poland where participants will march, along with over ten-thousand Jews from around the world including survivors, from Auschwitz to Birkenau, to demonstrate to the world that we are still here.

What you might not realize is that marching through the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem with 800 Miami Jews makes a statement to the people of Israel that we are there with them, showing our support, unlike any other action we can take.

Register at www.MIamiMegaMission2012.org.

Be there.

Be in the know.

Safe & Happy Travels!
Karen

The Definition of a Mission

By Katy Boyask on 02/20/2011 @ 05:56 PM

Out of the 18 definitions on dictionary.com to describe the word “mission,” the last three resonate with me the most:

16. an assigned or self-imposed duty or task; calling; vocation
17. a sending or being sent for some duty or purpose
18. those sent

For me, Definition 16 became stronger when I began my new role as Mega Mission Manager for the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. While working for Federation, a clear path was emerging. Whenever asked, “What do you love about your job?” I have always responded, “Taking people to Israel.” A recent Peace Corps advertisement that questioned, “What’s your calling?” moved me, as I knew I had found mine in the Jewish community. The Mega Mission – Israel 2012 is a collective calling for us all. This is our time to reconnect, be inspired and explore what it means to be Jewish today.

Definition 17 is an area that the Federation continually invests in. Sending people to Israel is part of our duty and serves a purpose. Federation missions provide access to people, places and events. Visits to our partnership cities — Or Akiva, Pardes Channa-Karkur, Yerucham — and other programs we fund are unforgettable and remind us why, even during the hardest economic times, the Miami Jewish community has stood by Israel with philanthropy and advocacy. On the Mega Mission, our representation of 800 participants will be a statement of leadership and compassion that will not go unnoticed.

Each of our 18 buses will take their own special path, create their own stories and then join together like a “flash mob” for five spectacular Mega Events. This brings me to Definition 18. “Those sent” have a strengthened connection to Jewish community in Israel and in Miami, to the Federation and to our partnership synagogues and agencies. Many of our participants can’t wait to return and take their friends, neighbors and congregations with them.

A mission touches your soul in a series of meaningful moments, a mixture of the holy and the high-tech. Past participants have thanked us afterwards for convincing them to go. Friends for life, marriages, babies, and people falling in love in Israel and with Israel are common occurrences from a mission experience. In fact, we just had an engagement announcement from a Miami couple who met on a mission this past summer.

I would like to suggest a 19^th definition. A mission is “a toast to life”, l’chaim!

Shalom,
Katy

Ten Days in a Steamer Trunk or a Carry On?

By Karen on 01/26/2011 @ 05:56 PM

Probably the single most asked about subject, when talking to participants who have signed up for a Greater Miami Jewish Federation Mission to Israel, is “What should I pack?” The thought of preparing for a trip overseas can be daunting. The good news is that packing for a trip to Israel is not like packing for a cruise and it really should not create panic.

The best advice I can give you is to pack light! Israel is a very casual country. No matter what time of year you go, it is laid back and casual. Remember, even though you aren’t really schlepping your own luggage on a Mission since all porterage is included, you may still feel weighed down with a large, heavy suitcase, or even worse, two suitcases.

The dressiest item you may want to bring is a wrinkle-free skirt and top for Shabbat. Everything else, including evening cultural events or dinner at the nicest restaurant, is casual. And, believe me; nobody is going to notice or care if you wear something twice. One pair of jeans is enough!

One tip that I would give is to make use of the items that the hotels supply as much as possible. Unless you simply cannot live without your personal blow dryer, remember that every hotel in Israel has one. Even the kibbutzim that you will stay at have blow dryers. And by using theirs, you don’t have to worry about bringing an electrical converter. Also, why bother carrying shampoo and lotions when the hotel will supply as much as you need? However, while you won’t need a converter if you don’t bring a blow dryer, you will still need to bring an electrical adapter for your digital camera, laptop, iPod and domestic cell phone.

Click here to download a copy of the general suggested packing list.

Watch the slide show “10 Days in a Carry On” where you can get a flight attendant’s advice on really light packing at 10 Days in a Carry-On - Slide Show - NYTimes.com

Some interesting web site links that I really like with great ideas, tips and resources are listed below:

Create your own personalized packing list and set reminders that will be emailed directly to you at Don't Forget Your Toothbrush

Learn the art and science of traveling light including what to pack, how to pack it and what to pack it in. Check out their advice on “bundle packing” at One Bag

Check out many tips for packing light at Go Green, Travel Green

Check out the Kiva Key Chain Pack, Duffel or Sling sold on Amazon. It’s easy to carry along and can really come in handy. Another tip: take a few plastic zip loc bags in different sizes. They will always come in handy for something.

Ultimately, you have to find the style of packing that works best for you. I know it’s not as easy as it sounds. Each time I go on a Mission I promise myself to pack lighter than the last time and I have managed to reduce my load from 2 bags to 1 very heavy one. I’m still not satisfied though and next time I am definitely taking a much smaller and lighter suitcase. I may even try the “bundling method!”

Safe & Happy Travels!
Karen

Missions: Meaningful, Memorable, Magical!

By Karen on 12/07/2010 @ 05:56 PM

Welcome to my blog about missions to Israel and other parts of the world where there are active Jewish communities.

I hope that the stories, information, links, photos and message board dialogues will answer your questions about and give you a better understand of missions, travel, Israel and other destinations.

In this blog, I plan to talk about what a mission is, how to prepare to go on one and what you can expect when you participate on a mission. There will be entries about upcoming, current and past missions that will include information about places on the itinerary and speakers and guests who have met with our groups. I will include links to useful and interesting information and answer direct questions that are sent in from readers.

I encourage you to contact me at any time with a question about anything having to do with missions and travel to Israel. If I do not answer the question in my blog, I will reply to your email with a personal answer. Please also feel free to request to be a guest blogger on the subject of Jewish travel. You can reach me at Missions@JewishMiami.org. When the feature is available, I will post information on how you can comment directly on the blog. Your feedback will always be greatly appreciated. I look forward to talking about missions to Israel with you!

Always,
Karen

Miami on a Mission

By Karen on 12/07/2010 @ 05:56 PM

“Why should I go on a mission to Israel?”
“What makes it different from any other tour?”

This is a good question and one that I get all the time. Well, I’ve done it both ways and I can tell you that there’s a big difference and it’s all about the experience itself.

There are many good tour operators offering trips to Israel and you would most likely have a good overall time traveling around the country and visiting the usual and customary sites with any of them. However, experiencing Israel on a mission with the Greater Miami Jewish Federation is a unique and life-changing experience that you simply cannot get on the usual tour.

When you go on a Federation mission, you are traveling with your friends, family, colleagues and neighbors from your own community and together, the bonding experience of interacting with the Jewish community of Israel and connecting to your Jewish roots and identity almost guarantees new life-long relationships.

A mission allows you a front-row seat at special meetings with top analysts, spiritual leaders, scientists, politicians and military figures that you would not experience anywhere else. You get access to places and people that the ordinary traveler never could. You’ll also enjoy amazing festive meals and gala events that are exclusive to a Federation mission. Have you ever dined on gourmet food and wine outside in the middle of the desert before beating a tune in a drum circle or dancing to the beat of Israeli rock music between the mountains surrounding Masada as they are lit up with flames and colored lights? If you haven’t been on a Mission, I doubt it.

Plus, on a mission you get to see the impact that the Jewish people have had on the world, you can personally witness where we’ve been and where we’re going and be inspired by the role that every Jew can play in supporting the continuation of the Jewish people all over the world. You will feel an overwhelming sense of purpose and pride just witnessing what we, as Jews, have accomplished.

“How can I be part of an amazing journey like this,” you ask? Just stay tuned and I promise that soon you will have the opportunity of a lifetime!