Travelers can show off their pride at the Gay Pride Parade in Tel Aviv on June 13, 2014 with their JCC friends when they register for the first continental LGBTQ Boarding Pass trip to Israel. Sponsored by JCC Association, the continental leadership network for the JCC Movement, in collaboration with the JCC of Austin, this trip is open to the general public and payment plans are available.
Tel Aviv is known as the gay capital of the Middle East, and as well as visiting classic tourist sites such as Jerusalem, Masada and the Dead Sea, and the Galilee, the LGBTQ group will meet with founders of a religious gay group in Jerusalem and dine with the people who established Cafe Albi, a self-declared home for the LGBTQ community of Tel Aviv. They will cook an Israeli meal with a professional chef, welcome Shabbat with music and song at the Port of Tel Aviv, and take a graffiti walking tour. There will be plenty of time to enjoy Tel Aviv’s world-class restaurants, shopping, and nightlife too. American Airlines named Tel Aviv Best Gay City of 2011, and the city has been described by GayCities.com as the “gay capital of the Middle East, exotic and welcoming, with a Mediterranean c’est la vie attitude.”
Aliza Orent, director, Jewish Life and Learning & the Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning at the Jewish Community Center of Austin, says, “This trip is timed to overlap with the multitude of gay-themed events occurring in Israel in June, in particular the Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade, and the International LGBT Film Festival. The JCC Association Boarding Pass trip has been designed to highlight all that is incredible about Israel and provides a fabulous and inclusive itinerary that features exclusively designed opportunities.”
JCC Boarding Pass, JCC Association’s travel program, designs specialized trips for JCC members, based on their interests. Travelers can spend days exploring Israel’s vibrant art scene, or eat their way through the variety of cuisines that contribute to Israel’s new foodie culture. Israel has one of the most diverse environments in the world and is a leader in green technology. Boarding Pass trips help travelers learn what’s really behind the sound bites they hear on cable news.
Registration opened September 1, 2013 for the 12-day trip, which leaves on June 8, 2014. For more information and the full itinerary, go to www.jccassociation.org/lgbtqisrael.
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