6 months to go! 2010 Family Mission E-Newsletter

Dear Family Mission Participants,

We are so thrilled that you and your family are joining us on the 2010 ASSOCIATED Family Mission to Israel! We are looking forward to sharing what is sure to be an incredible experience with all of you.

Each month leading up to the mission, we will send out an e-newsletter like this one. It's a great way to begin to "meet" some of our mission participants through our video interviews, to learn a bit about Israel and to prepare for our journey. Please also hold the dates for our pre-mission programs, which will be held this fall. These special events will allow us to get to know each other and to prepare for our trip.

We'd love to include all your family members in these communications. If you think we are missing their email addresses, please send them to Rebecca Prodoehl.

Enjoy the e-newsletter and we’ll be in touch soon!

Are you Tech Savvy?

We will all surely take many pictures to capture our great mission memories. We are searching for a tech-savvy mission participant to put our pictures together and turn them into an unforgettable video! If you’d like to volunteer for this project, please contact Erica Hobby at ehobby@associated.org or 410.843.7507.

Important Dates

Pre-Mission Programs:
We invite and encourage all mission participants to come together for three programs prior to our mission departure. Programming is for the entire family and there will be separate components for children and teens. Please save these dates. Details to come:

Sunday, October 17 from 4:30-7:00pm
Evening at Kayam Farm
Join mission participants at Kaayam Farm at the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center for a hands-on volunteer project. Get to know each other and enjoy a delicious, organic dinner.

Thursday, November 11 from 7:00-8:30pm
Israel's History & Politics
In preparation for our experience, learn about Israel, her rich history and pressing current events, wtih Dr. Art Abramson, Executive Director of the Baltimore Jewish Council. Includes dessert reception. At the home of Debs and Joe Weinberg.

Tuesday, December 7 at 7:00-8:30pm
Orientation
As our mission nears, join us for the official orientation program. Hear important information to prepare for the trip and get any last-minute questions answered. Includes dessert reception. At the home of Laurie and Kevin Luskin.

Israel IQ

Meet your Guide:
Jared Goldfarb originally hails from the woods of New Hampshire where there were many more cows than Jews. He later found himself studying at Brandeis University where, ironically enough, there were plenty of Jews, but no cows. Read more.

Hava & Adam:
Hava & Adam is an eight-acre prototype ecological farm established in 2003 near the city of Modi’in in central Israel (about 10 minutes from the airport on the way to Jerusalem). Read more.

Israel: A Historical Snapshot
CLICK HERE for a timeline of
Israeli history

Israel: Current Events
Experts to discuss 'hasbara' at TA conference