Meet your #Bus165 Staff!
Get ready for an amazing adventure! #Birthright #Shorashim
*All pictures are either from your staff’s first trip to Israel, in general or as a staff person, or one of their favorite places*
Yossi Nameri
How long have you been a tour educator?
37 years.
How long have you been working with Shorashim?
36 years.
Why is it important to you to have Israelis on the trip for all 10 days?
The Israelis bring with them the spirit of Israel, now days by their non-political behavoir, their music, food, jokes, army service, and thoughts about this country. A few years ago, David Cohen the grandson of our IDF Chief of staff, Dado Elazar, was one of the Israelis. His story about his grandfather made the trip so real!
What's a fun fact about yourself?
I love Israeli folk dancing and my age does not make me old.
What's your favorite site to go to take participants to and why is it your favorite?
Mount Arbel because of the beautiful panorama and the challenge to hike there.
What's the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you?
Never stop guiding.
What's your favorite Shorashim memory?
Meeting and working with Ann Lansky.
What do you love most about Shorashim?
That we have Israelis in our programs who make the visit is israel home for the participants.
What's your favorite city in Israel and why?
Haifa - city of co-exitence amoung many religons and the beautiful view of mountain and sea.
What's your favorite Israeli food and where is your favorite place in Israel to get this dish?
Figs in the Galilee.
What's your favorite thing about Israel?
The history, geography and most of the people, that make the impossible, possible.
What's your favorite place that you have ever travelled to and why?
Mount Shlomo near Eilat because it is unforgettable.
What are your words of wisdom for your future participants?
Come with open mind and open heart, so you will get the best of your visit in Israel!
Rotem Ben-Lulu
Where are you from originally and where do you live now?
Originally from Metulla,Israel. Currently living in Cincinnati, OH.
What do you do for a living?
I'm the Israel fellow at Cincinnati Hillel!
When did you go to Israel for the first time?
I lived in Israel for my whole life!
What's your favorite place to visit in Israel?
Tel-Aviv, the best city in the world! City life, night life, food, beach and the history. I just love Tel Aviv!
What's a fun fact about yourself?
I bungee jumped when I traveled in Thailand.
What's your favorite place that you've ever travelled to and why?
NYC, it's almost as good as Tel Aviv.
What's your favorite Israeli food and where is your favorite place in Israel to get this dish?
I love the traditional Yemeni food the my grandma is making for me, and my favorite place in Israel to get this dish is her house, of course, in Ashkelon.
If there was one aspect of Israel that you could bring back to America with you, what would it be?
My family and friends, that will make America perfect.
What's the #1 reason that you recommend that your friends and family should go on Birthright Israel with Shorashim?
My American friend should definitely go to Israel with Shorashim because it's the best way you have the true Israel experience, 10 whole days with Israelis - it doesn't get better than that!
What /who is your spirit animal and why?
Phoenix- it's strong, elegant, and it can fly.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
Keep calm and carry on.
What are your words of wisdom for your future participants?
Step out from your safe zone and let it all sync in- the language, the smells, the flavors, the people, the music, the views... embrace all of it.
Hila Katz
Where are you from originally and where do you live now?
Originally from Petah-Tikva in Israel and now I'm living in Cincinnati, Ohio.
What do you do for a living?
I was a student until last summer when I graduated from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem with a B.A. majoring in Political Science and Sociology-Anthropology. Currently working as an Israel Fellow in the Hillel in Miami University in OH.
When did you go to Israel for the first time?
I was born and raised in Israel, in a town called Petah-Tikva.
What's your favorite place to visit in Israel?
Over the last three years, I lived in Jerusalem and I fell in love with it. The fact that it wasn't what I expected it to be and the surprises it held was a good mystery to me. My favorite place and time in Jerusalem is at Machane-Yehuda market at night when all of the stores shut down and the restaurants open. Everyone is going out, the music and musicians are starting to play and everything comes to life with a very social and cultural feeling.
What's a fun fact about yourself?
My life dream was to be an archaeologist and find unique finding in archaeological excavations.
What's your favorite place that you've ever travelled to and why?
I guess that every place that the culture is very different than mine is a place I like and find it interesting to be in. If I have to pick, it would be the Caribbean, where I went with family and a friend a few years ago. I really loved being with a different culture and learning more about them. And of course spending time on the beautiful white sand beach and the blue waters.
What's your favorite Israeli food and where is your favorite place in Israel to get this dish?
My favorite Israeli dish is 'Sofrito', in the Sephardi Jewish cuisine of the eastern Mediterranean, It's basically Meat sautéed with garlic, turmeric, and cardamom. I usually get it in a restaurant called Azura in Machane-Yehuda market in Jerusalem.
If there was one aspect of Israel that you could bring back to America with you, what would it be?
Directness. I feel that in Israel, people are so different. Everyone has different and unique stories and we are very direct to one another as a way of living. We say exactly what is in our minds even with strangers. There were so many times that I sat in a public space in the street, waiting for something or just spending time outside, and someone started talking with me and after 10 minutes we knew each other's story.
What's the #1 reason that you recommend that your friends and family should go on Birthright Israel with Shorashim?
I think Shorashim provides an amazing opportunity to experience the trip with Israelis along the way. this is very important for the American participants as well as to the Israeli one's. This is a chance to every side to share their experiences, to hear what is different and similar in their lives. Even though we are all Jewish on the trip, we all experience it or have a different connection with it. To have the chance to share privately personal stories is so powerful and makes you connect to different people.
What /who is your spirit animal and why?
Butterfly, because for me they symbolize journey and growth. They are going through transformation and I feel all of us experience it somehow in our lives as well as they can fly everywhere they want. I connect to that because I love to travel.
What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given?
A wise woman once told me to not miss opportunities. Always try to do something that will hep you achieve your goals and if it's also helping others then you've got it right!
What are your words of wisdom for your future participants?
Seize this amazing opportunity to explore Israel for ten days, take this experience in and live in the moment and place. Find answers to some of your questions about Israeli society and create even more questions that interest you.
