Local rabbi preparing to take group on two-week tour of Israel
By Avi Rutschman avi@theacorn.com

Rabbi Michele Paskow of Temple B'nai Emet in Simi Valley is looking for a few good travelers interested in trekking to the Holy Land.

For the past year-and-a-half, the rabbi has been planning a two-week trip that will take people across Israel.

Rabbi Paskow, who has been with the Simi-Moorpark temple since 1992, is no stranger to the Middle Eastern nation. She's traveled to Israel on numerous occasions and lived in the country for two years.

"I lived in Israel for a year of high school at an orthodox boarding school and also for a year of graduate school," Paskow said. "It was an incredible, eyeopening experience, and it made me fluent in Hebrew."

Paskow completed her undergraduate studies at UCLA and was ordained as a rabbi at Hebrew Union College in New York in 1991.

"I love every aspect of being a rabbi, but I'm especially fond of the learning and the teaching," Paskow said.

The twoweek excursion departs July 22 and features a tour of both northern and southern Israel. Included are a dip in the Dead Sea, a boat tour of the Sea of Galilee and visits to Tel Aviv, Jaffa, Kibutz Yad Mordechai, Rechovot, Jerusalem, Masada, Tiberias, Safed, Acre and Rosh HaNikra.

The group will also be invited to plant a tree, view the Dead Sea Scrolls, explore the Western Wall, see the Chagall windows, tour the Knesset (the Israeli parliament), visit the Yad Vashem Memorial of the Holocaust and take in sites holy to Jews, Christians and Muslims.

The cost of the trip is $4,700 per person and includes air fare, travel taxes, food and accommodations in fivestar deluxe hotels.

"The price includes everything but the gifts and other incidentals. It is sure to be a wonderful trip," Paskow said.

For more information on the tour, call (805) 581-3723.