Interfaith couples invited to journey to Israel

By Deborah Moon

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Interfaith couples are invited to deepen their understanding of each other’s religious heritage through a shared journey to Israel next March.

Couples can learn about the Invitation to Israel trip during an informational meeting at 7 p.m., July 22, in the home of the trip’s chair Marisa Brown. Tentatively scheduled for March 8-16, 2009, the trip will visit a broader range of sites than traditional Jewish Federation of Greater Portland Israel missions.

“The idea is to give interfaith couples a taste of what Israel has to offer people of many faiths,” said Brown, who came up with the idea for the trip while on a young women’s mission to Israel in 2007.

“While I was there, I wanted my husband to be there with me,” she said. “Ron’s not Jewish, but I thought how great it would be if we could see it together and that it would deepen and strengthen our relationship in a number of ways. He could see the importance of Israel from a Jewish perspective and there’s so much he would be interested in. Israel is Biblically old.”

Brown said the trip is open to all couples who identify themselves as interfaith and as a couple—they do not have to be married.

Ideas for potential stops on the trip include churches, Crusader castles, an Israeli Defense Forces base, the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem, a Druze village, a Bedouin camp and Neve Shalom (the village and school founded by Israeli Arabs and Jews to promote peaceful coexistence). Other likely sights include the Dead Sea, Yad Vashem, Ayalon Institute, wineries in northern Israel, Tel Aviv beaches and the Chagall windows. The trip might include visits with immigrants from Ethiopia and elsewhere as well as programs receiving federation funds.

“This is not a mission,” said Brown. “I want us to see exciting things and do fun stuff. It’s a little vacation and a little education.”

“We plan to have several informational meetings to learn what couples are interested in,” she said. “We plan to shape the itinerary so we all get to see things we want to see. We’ll have scheduled as well as unscheduled time.”

Brown said the cost will depend partially on the itinerary the group comes up with, but she is hoping to keep it to about $3,000 per person.

“I don’t want to spend an exorbitant amount of money to get a mediocre trip; I want to spend a modest amount to get a fabulous trip,” she said.

To get directions to the July 22 informational meeting, e-mail Marisa@paleybrown.com or call the JFGP at 503-245-6219 and speak to Keara.