Rachel Barton

Where are you from originally and where do you live now? San Diego; Washington DC.

What do you for a living? I work for The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington as a Young Leadership Associate and NEXT DC Coordinator. I coordinate our DC Community Trips with Shorashim and connect people to the community when they come back from Israel!

When did you go to Israel for the first time? I was twelve when I visited Israel for the first time with my family. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't let five years go by without coming back--and I've been back nine more times since then!

What's your favorite Israeli food to eat and favorite place to eat it at? There's a little hummus bar in Jerusalem on Ben Sira street that has the BEST hummus, and you get fresh hot falafel with every order :)

What's a fun fact about you? The Shorashim trip I'm staffing this summer will be my 10th visit to Israel!

What's one thing about Israel that you wish you could bring back to America with you? The food! Everything tastes so fresh and flavorful there, I wish I could cook with their fresh produce every day!

What's your favorite place to visit in Israel? Machane Yehuda in Jerusalem.

Where are you most looking forward to taking your participants to on Taglit? As hard as it is emotionally, visiting Mt. Herzl is always one of the most moving experiences on a trip, and tells the story of Israel's struggles and strengths in a way that's hard to describe.

Who is your spirit animal? Corey the Camel is my spirit animal.

What's the #1 reason that you recommend that your friends and family should go on Taglit-Birthright Israel with Shorashim? Spending the full ten days with Israelis! You can see the sights of Israel on any trip but there aren't many where you come away with a new bicontinental family! 

Jaclyn Gurwitz

Where are you from originally and where do you live now? Born and raised in the greater Washington DC area and now live in DC.

What do you do for a living? I'm an event planner for The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. I get to help coordinate events ranging from small board meetings to hosting Mike Greenberg of ESPN's Mike&Mike.

What's a fun fact about yourself? My hair is full of secrets

What's your favorite Israeli food/favorite place in Israel to eat it? Aroma - duh!! 

What's the #1 reason that you recommend that your friends and family should go on Taglit-Birthright Israel with Shorashim? Working at The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, I get to see every DC Community Bus come back to the States and talk about their entire bus. The Israelis are equal participants that they are closely bonded with and that is great. 

Yonatan Penn

How long have you been a tour educator? Six years.

What's your favorite Shorashim memory? The general feeling that I have at the end of a trip. I look at a group of 47 people and feel closeness and intimacy and don't believe it was created in just ten days.

What's a fun fact about yourself? I have fell of horses more than twenty times and came out without a scratch.

What's your favorite part about Israel? Openness and directness of the people. You cannot live otherwise.

What's your favorite Israeli food? Where's your favorite place in Israel to eat it? There are many delicious things I think about, but I choose a fresh salad from the simplest vegetables in the market.

What do you love most about Shorashim? The people I meet!

What's your favorite site to go to take participants to on Taglit? Out in to the Negev, the Israeli desert. It is more powerful than any cultural barrier.

If you could say one thing to future participants, what would it be? Taglit-Birthright Israel is the kind of opportunity we do not get much in life and to miss it is a crime against yourself!

Why is it important to you to have Israelis on the trip for all 10 days? Our Israeli participants turn the trip from a successful tourist experience to a great Israeli experience.