Gil Travel Group

Last month Gil Travel hosted a program called "Kosherati – A Kosher Spin on Gulf Food" with Dr. Elli Kriel, who started the first kosher kitchen in the UAE and the Gulf region. Before she ‘got down and dirty’ on teaching the virtual group on how to make her unique challah based on an emirate bread recipe including saffron, cardamom and, of course, dates, Elli talked about her experience of being a Jewish woman, and a Jewish mother, in Dubai. Her business venture, Elli’s Kosher Kitchen, was a result of her own kosher lifestyle that she and her family maintain, even in Dubai. Elli described Dubai as an International community – even the Jewish community is made up of ex-patriates from all over the world. There isn’t an indigenous Emirate Jewish community. Up until the Abraham Accords, with the normalization of relations with Israel, the members of the Jewish community were not necessarily comfortable about displaying their Jewish identity –   they weren’t always sure how open they could be with their peers or colleagues or what response they would receive from their emirate acquaintances once their identity was made public. What I learned from Elli – is that today post Abraham Accords – in addition to 28 direct flights to Israel weekly, visa entry to Israeli’s and Americans upon entry into the UAE, to Kosher kitchens being created in many of the luxury hotels, to integrative business prospects, potential collaborative ventures in medicine, agronomy, water and perhaps even defense - being Jewish in the UAE 2020 is an altogether different experience. One of openness, opportunity and freedom in one’s Jewish Identity; allowing the Jewish community to ‘come out’ and begin to assess its needs, develop goals and create strategy and planning to develop a strong future in this part of the world.

You COULD just write a check. You COULD just attend an IDF-themed gala. OR you could pack your bags, fly to Israel, and work arm-in-arm with Israeli soldiers. Sweat with them, laugh with them, support their work with yours, tell them why you are there, and show them that you are also all-in in supporting the State of Israel. And when they look at you and ask, “You paid to be here? You paid to come and help?” you can smile and say “yes.”

JDC On Wheels to Hungary and Romania, June 2019

The Druze are a minority group in Israel with a rich culture, history and culinary repertoire .  We’ll tell you more about the history, culture, villages, and amazing food so that we can meet these people and get to know their story through this written ‘journey’ across Israel.

Delight your members with a Women’s mission to Amsterdam

For numerous Christian pilgrims across the globe, there is no better place on the entire planet to observe Easter than Israel. Thousands of believers walk the footsteps of Jesus, relive his last days, and join together to remember his resurrection in this country, particularly in one of its most special cities – Jerusalem. What’s more, at the same time Christians celebrate Holy Week, Jews celebrate Passover, so this is a very exciting and special time for countless people who live and who come here. 

How wonderful would it be to spend one of the most memorable moments in a young Jewish person’s life in the country of Jewish history and tradition? How amazing would it be to have a bat or bar mitzvah tour in the land where so many have gone through this important ceremony, and in some of the most special places for Jews all around the world? Israel has such massive significance for generations upon generations of youth who’ve had their Bar/Bat Mitzvah here, surrounded by the people they love, together creating the most special of memories.

Herod the Great is a king known for many things, good and bad, but he had a great gift for architecture. 

Here’s a tour option for those who want to ‘taste’ the culture! All across Israel, you’ll find a myriad of cuisines, each with a great number of tasty dishes that speak of the country’s culture and history. It’s really easy finding popular spots with hearty meals that you simply must try, as they’re on every turn in every city, town, and village in Israel, but here are some of our recommendations for culinary hotspots to visit.