The Israel Encounter is an exciting opportunity for interfaith couples to strengthen their ability and commitment to raising their children in a Jewish lifestyle. The Israel trip is guided by professional Jewish educators with extensive background working with people who are new to Judaism. Preparatory sessions before the trip furnish the participants with the knowledge and contacts to solidify their connections with the Jewish community, and to continue their development as families raising Jewish children. These sessions include orientation meetings, educational programs, speakers, resource materials and discussions.
The Israel Encounter is a non-profit organization affiliated with Pathways, The Interfaith Family Network of Greater Atlanta and the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta. This will be our third group trip to Israel.
Fees: Thanks to a generous Marcus Foundation grant, your cost per couple will be $2,500 which includes: round-trip airfare from Atlanta; all guided tours; double occupancy for hotels; two meals per day; transportation while in Israel; plus books and other materials before the trip.
The Israel Encounter Team:
Steven Chervin, Ed. D., Director, is an experienced adult educator who has taught Introduction to Judaism at the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA) for six years. He has taught more than 1,000 students in various classes of the MJCCA’s Florence Melton Adult Mini-School, including the Parent Education Program (PEP). He also directs the Goodman Institute, the adult education arm of Ahavath Achim Synagogue in Atlanta, and regularly teaches Jewish studies at Emory University. He has led three tour groups to Israel previously, and spent a year living in Jerusalem and studying at The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In all he has been to Israel eight times. Steve coaches individuals and groups on applying Jewish values to their everyday lives, and he is an active leader in Jewish/Christian/Muslim relations in Atlanta.
Mitch Cohen, MA Judaic Studies, Assistant Director and Trip Leader, began his work in Jewish Outreach in 1996, when he facilitated the Bridge to Home year-long program for interfaith families raising Jewish children. He has taught Introduction to Judaism at the MJCCA for seven years and is certified as an Outreach Fellow by the Union of Reform Judaism (URJ) to facilitate support groups for Jews by choice after conversion. Mitch is also certified as a para-rabbinic fellow by the URJ and he lay leads Congregation Shalom B’Harim in Dahlonega, GA.
Suzette Cohen has been a kindergarten teacher at Temple Kol Emeth for fifteen years and the lead teacher of the primary grades for eleven of those years. She has also spent many years in the classroom teaching Hebrew and tutoring Bar and Bat Mitzvah students. Much of her professional work today involves outreach to interfaith couples and families, and currently serves as the Director of Programming for Pathways: The Interfaith Family Network of Greater Atlanta and facilitator for The Mothers Circle, a national program that offers education and support to women of other religious backgrounds raising Jewish children. Suzette concurrently is involved in the field of mental health and serves as the Director of Community Outreach for Atlanta Area Psychological Associates, P.C. Suzette has a BS degree with honors in Urban Affairs and an MA degree with excellence in Judaic Studies/Jewish Education. She is married to Mitch, (also a Jewish educator), and is the proud mother of three sons. Zach is a third year medical school student, Jordan is a senior in the honors program at UGA and Eric is a freshman year at UGA.