Marty and Alicia just returned to the United States from a Summer Shlichim training seminar in Israel. Here are some of the trip’s highlights!

Top 10 Things from Alicia and Marty’s Trip to Israel:

10. Extra legroom is great when a flight lasts more than 10 hours.

9. Mitzpe Ramon is a beautiful part of Israel located in the Negev – the jeep tour was cool and the views were spectacular. If you are in the area, it is definitely a must see!

8. Our favorite coffee spot is “Aroma.” We highly recommend the “café kar” (cold coffee on ice which is different than “ice coffee” which is more Frappuccino-like).

7. Participating in the Summer Shlichim training seminar was meaningful and fun. The guys and girls that will be joining us at Airy and Louise have great stories to tell.

6. We visited Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Herzliya, Shefayim, and Ashkelon, in addition to Mitzpe Ramon. Thank goodness driving in Israel is on the same side of the road as the US.

5. The Shlichim have a wide array of skills – they are musicians and dancers, nature experts and soccer players, paintball marksmen and even kick boxers. That being said, no one volunteered to deal with skunks at camp!

4. We made a new friend in Israel – his name is Greg. As in Greg the restaurant – we ate there twice. Alicia enjoyed the coffee drinks, while Marty opted for his good ‘ole staple of pizza.

3. Our long days felt like camp days – up early, active and busy all day, and back to bed late each night. Our Fitbits were back in the single digits by bedtime because we were still up and moving after midnight. We each logged over 100,000 steps on the trip.

2. Camp swag is appreciated and beloved in all languages. There was Airy & Louise swag, Shlichim swag, swag from the Association of Independent Jewish Camps, and even a Shimon Smith CD!

1. So many old friends took time to find us in Israel, showing that the connections made at camp span oceans and continents.

Finishing up the Seminar and coming back to the States means that camp is truly just around the corner. See you back at Airy and Louise SO soon!

~ Alicia and Marty