Meet Your Staff: Will, Anna, and Michal
Will Cubbison
Where are you from originally and where do you live now? Raleigh, NC and now I live in Washington, DC.
What do you for a living? PhD student.
When did you go to Israel for the first time? With Birthright, in December 2011.
What's your favorite Israeli food to eat and favorite place to eat it at? Azura - Iraqi food in the market in Jerusalem
What's a fun fact about you? I'm very skilled at taking pictures in museums I'm not supposed to be taking pictures in.
What's one thing about Israel that you wish you could bring back to America with you? The Israeli attitude. Direct, aggressive, incredibly welcoming, all rolled into one.
What's your favorite place to visit in Israel? Almost anywhere in the North, but probably the Banias Trail or Machane Yehuda in Jerusalem.
What's the #1 reason that you recommend that your friends and family should go on Taglit-Birthright Israel with Shorashim? It is an amazing opportunity to see, feel, smell and actually start to understand a wonderful country.
Anna Gorbikoff
Where are you from originally and where do you live now? Ukraine; Chicago.
What do you do for a living? Develop and run programs about Israel for kids and teens :)
When did you go to Israel for the first time? When I was nine, we made Aliyah.
What's your favorite place to visit in Israel? Rosh Hanikra.
What's a fun fact about yourself? I graduated from the Air Force Academy, Beer Sheva.
What's your favorite Israeli food/favorite place in Israel to eat it? Shoko- It's a cold flavored milk and Israeli cheesecakes. Favorite place to eat in is "Shipudei Hapina" Netivot.
Where is your favorite place to take groups? Tzfat.
If there was one aspect of Israel that you could bring back to America with you, what would it be? The laid-back approach to life: meaning enjoy every moment of it and don't postpone your happiness for the future.
What's the #1 reason that you recommend that your friends and family should go on Taglit-Birthright Israel with Shorashim? Well planed trips, high quality programs, educated and outgoing staff, and of course, the mifgash!!!
What's your spirit animal and why? Lion cause I look like one when my hair is brushed :) and probably cause I act like one too :)
Anything else you want to share? Can't wait to go on Taglit :)
Michal Liberman
How long have you been a guide? Eight years.
What's your favorite Shorashim memory? It's hard to choose one favorite moment. every time there are new moments to be excited about, new moments to laugh from and new people to love.
What's a fun fact about yourself? I can't touch ice. It gives me goosebumps.
What do you love most about Shorashim? That it is a home.
What's your favorite site to go to take participants to on Taglit? The Dead Sea- everybody acts so silly.
What's your favorite city in Israel and why? Tel aviv becouse its fun, sunny, colorful, and all of my friend and family are there.
If you could say one thing to future participants, what would it be? Come with your heart and mind open!
Why is it important to you to have Israelis on the trip for all 10 days? I think that the Israelis coming for ten days rather the Israelis coming just for five days, makes the expierience and the group dynamic completly different . From the tour educator point of view, I can say that the Israelis makes everything much more authentic. They all come with their thoughts and feelings about the issues we talk about and they give together a bigger picture of Israel. Discussions and activities gets much more interesting when there are seven loacal people. Also, the Israelis who chooses to come on shorashim and Shorashim chooses them to come on the program are really awesome and it can never ever get boring! From a participent point of view ( I was a participent on Shorashim before I became a guide), I can say that coming for ten days and not only for five was amazing because I was part of my group from the moment they landed in the airport (even a while before) til the moment the american had to fly back home, whenever it was. This way I could learn so much from the Americans and from the other Israelis and win the experience as a whole. HAVING THE ISRAELIS FOR THEN DAYS IT'S A WIN-WIN SITUATION FOR BOTH AMERICANS AND ISRAELIS!!
