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Jewish National Fund-USA Sunshine Tour Participants ‘Treated Like Royalty’ in Israel

This is a Paid Post from the Jewish National Fund-USA , which ensures a strong, secure, and prosperous future for the land and people of Israel, and Jewish people everywhere.

They say that to travel is to live, and for 25 participants , attending one of Jewish National Fund-USA’s missions to Israel felt like “sunshine” during their first international trip since the start of the pandemic. 

According to Dianne Ruderman, a JNF-USA partner (donor) and Sunshine Tour participant, the group of active adults ages 55+ were “treated like royalty,” during the 10-day luxury “bucket list” vacation and got to experience “the Israel [they’d] never heard about.” Although Ruderman had been to Israel before, this was her first time visiting the country on a JNF-USA mission . 

Dianne Ruderman floats in the Dead Sea. (JNF-USA)

Participants were immediately immersed in Israeli culture from the moment they arrived at Ben Gurion airport. Their bespoke itinerary took the travelers from Jerusalem’s historic Old City to Tel Aviv, the modern metropolis and most cosmopolitan city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They explored Israel’s verdant north, the city of Be’er Sheva – the “capital of the Negev,” and the Dead Sea. The story of Israel was told through visits to the Caesarea and its Roman-era aqueducts, as well as the Atlit Detention Center, where thousands of Jewish immigrants were held during the British Mandate. 

The group enjoyed authentic cuisine, fine dining, and luxurious accommodations throughout Israel while seeing firsthand how Jewish National Fund-USA is supporting population growth in Israel’s north and south by investing in agriculture, tourism, and technology development, while also creating affordable housing for residents with access to good schools, quality healthcare, jobs, and community life.

Shopkeepers and small business owners from the Artists’ Quarter in Jaffa and the Machane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem were thrilled to see tourists again. “Thank you for coming!” Ruderman said they heard over and over. The happy shoppers certainly did their part to aid the Israeli economy.

Steve Lefland, a Sunshine Tour participant and the trip’s unofficial photographer, found the visit to Atlit where they sat in an old C46 airplane that brought over Holocaust survivors very moving and impactful.  

The Villages (FL) resident, Steven Lefland, proudly poses in front of an Israeli fire truck donated by Jewish National Fund-USA. (JNF-USA)

One stop on the group’s itinerary that gave them pause to reflect was a visit to Halutza, a community built in a remote section of the Negev, near the Egyptian and Gaza borders. The group saw bomb shelters (many of which were donated by JNF-USA supporters) and learned how residents must get to a shelter within 20 seconds of a siren going off. Despite this environment, the inhabitants of Halutza said they are committed to living in this area of the Negev, and with the help of Jewish National Fund-USA, have created a beautiful community that’s expanding every day. 

Featured in national travel publications including  National Geographic , JNF-USA’s Travels & Tours offers Zionists, travel aficionados, and global explorers incredible vacations to Israel. Prior to the pandemic, JNF-USA introduced more than 3,000 people annually to its life-changing and vital work in Israel through a variety of missions, customized day trips, and student travel — providing firsthand opportunities to witness the impact of the organization’s crucial environmental and nation-building activities like never before.

Sunshine Tour participants visited JNF-USA and KKL-JNF’s 9/11 Memorial in Jerusalem — the only commemorative site of its type outside of the U.S. that lists all the names of those who perished on September 11, 2001. (JNF-USA)

Join the next JNF-USA Sunshine Tour for active adults ages 55+ planned for June 12-21, 2022, and December 11-20, 2022. The December trip will offer an optional pre-mission trip to Dubai on December 5-9 and will include Shabbat in Tel Aviv. Learn more about these missions by visiting jnf.org/sunshinejune and jnf.org/travel . 

SUNSHINE TOUR: FOR ACTIVE ADULTS 55+ - Jewish National Fund

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JNF-USA Sunshine Tour Participants "Treated Like Royalty" During Mission to Israel

By Anita Silvert

They say that to travel is to live, and for 25 participants , attending one of Jewish National Fund-USA’s missions to Israel felt like “sunshine” during their first international trip since the start of the pandemic.

JNF-USA Sunshine Tour participants pose in front of the Western Wall in Jerusalem

According to Dianne Ruderman, a JNF-USA partner (donor) and Sunshine Tour participant who lives in Arizona, the group of active adults ages 55+ were “treated like royalty,” during the 10-day luxury “bucket list” vacation and got to experience “the Israel [they’d] never heard about.” Although Ruderman had been to Israel before, this was her first time visiting the country on a JNF-USA mission .

Dianne Ruderman floats in the Dead Sea

Participants were immediately immersed in Israeli culture from the moment they arrived at Ben Gurion airport. Their bespoke itinerary took the travelers from Jerusalem’s historic Old City to Tel Aviv, the modern metropolis and most cosmopolitan city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. They explored Israel’s verdant north, the city of Be'er Sheva – the “capital of the Negev,” and the Dead Sea. The story of Israel was told through visits to the Caesarea and its Roman-era aqueducts, as well as the Atlit Detention Center, where thousands of Jewish immigrants were held during the British Mandate.

The group enjoyed authentic cuisine, fine dining, and luxurious accommodations throughout Israel while seeing firsthand how Jewish National Fund-USA is supporting population growth in Israel’s north and south by investing in agriculture, tourism, and technology development, while also creating affordable housing for residents with access to good schools, quality healthcare, jobs, and community life.

Sunshine Tour participants visited JNF-USA and KKL-JNF’s 9/11 Memorial in Jerusalem — the only commemorative site of its type outside of the U.S. that lists all the names of those who perished on September 11, 2001

Shopkeepers and small business owners from the Artists' Quarter in Jaffa and the Machane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem were thrilled to see tourists again. “Thank you for coming!” Ruderman said they heard over and over. The happy shoppers certainly did their part to aid the Israeli economy.

Steve Lefland, a Sunshine Tour participant and the trip’s unofficial photographer from The Villages, Florida, found the visit to Atlit where they sat in an old C46 airplane that brought over Holocaust survivors very moving and impactful.  

The Villages resident, Steven Lefland, proudly poses in front of an Israeli fire truck donated by Jewish National Fund-USA

One stop on the group’s itinerary that gave them pause to reflect was a visit to Halutza, a community built in a remote section of the Negev, near the Egyptian and Gaza borders. The group saw bomb shelters (many of which were donated by JNF-USA supporters) and learned how residents must get to a shelter within 20 seconds of a siren going off. Despite this environment, the inhabitants of Halutza said they are committed to living in this area of the Negev, and with the help of Jewish National Fund-USA, have created a beautiful community that’s expanding every day.

Featured in national travel publications including  National Geographic , JNF-USA’s Travels & Tours offers Zionists, travel aficionados, and global explorers incredible vacations to Israel. Prior to the pandemic, JNF-USA introduced more than 3,000 people annually to its life-changing and vital work in Israel through a variety of missions, customized day trips, and student travel — providing firsthand opportunities to witness the impact of the organization’s crucial environmental and nation-building activities like never before.

Join the next JNF-USA Sunshine Tour for active adults ages 55+ planned for June 12-21, 2022, and December 11-20, 2022. The December trip will offer an optional pre-mission trip to Dubai on December 5-9 and will include Shabbat in Tel Aviv. Learn more about these missions by visiting jnf.org/sunshinejune and jnf.org/travel .

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• Moscow Travel and City Excursions

Our 20 Best Moscow Day Tours of 2022

See all that Moscow has to offer by choosing one or more of our incredible Moscow day tours. Visit Red Square , St. Basil’s , the Kremlin or perhaps a vodka museum and the fantastic Moscow metro system , we have it all. Our expert, informative and fun guides will help you get to know Europe’s largest city. Please click on the day tour details to learn more or contact us for more information about our Moscow tours using the form at the side of the page.  You can also schedule a call with one of our Russian travel specialists to learn more.

Head to the heart of Moscow with a professional guide on a 4-hour private walk through the city center. See Tverskaya and Old Arbat streets, Theatre Square with the world-famous Bolshoi Theatre, and the former KGB headquarters...

• Schedule Daily 09:00 - 20:00
• Languages English-speaking guide is guaranteed. Other languages are on request.
• Walking tours Transportation is not included
• PRIVATE TOUR This is a private tour, there won't be other people in your group

Panoramic City Tour. This Moscow tour is a great start to your trip and the best way to get acquainted with many of the city’s major highlights. Our professional guide will escort you on a route that includes Vorobyevi...

• Schedule Daily 09:00 - 18:00
• Tours by car Transportation by private car/minivan is included

This tour offers a detailed look into the history and present-day life of the Jewish community of Moscow. On the tour, you will visit sites connected with the cultural and religious life of different Jewish families, as well...

• Schedule Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday 11:00 - 20:00 Friday 10:00 - 14:00 Saturday not available

The tour begins with a drive or walk down Tverskaya Street – a Soviet masterpiece. In the years of Soviet power, Tverskaya began to undergo a transformation: it was widened to two and a half times its original size,...

This is a very interesting and insightful tour. You will visit places connected with Stalin’s terror - a time of great repression and fear. You will be shown monuments to the victims of the repression. You will then...

You will be told of the street’s interesting history and view the street’s artisan culture. You will also have the opportunity to view and purchase souvenirs from the street’s many craftsmen....

The Kremlin is truly a fascinating structure, at the same time it is an ancient tower, the city’s former military fortification, a palace, an armory, the sovereign treasury and the workplace of the Russian President....

• Schedule Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10:00 - 17:00 Thursday not available

This world-famous gallery contains masterpieces of Russian art beginning in the 10th century up until today. You will view exquisite Russian icons and paintings from the 18th and 19th century including works by Rublyov, Karavak,...

• Schedule Monday not available Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday 10:00 - 17:00 Thursday, Friday, Saturday 10:00 - 20:00

Tour of the Novodevichy Monastery. Founded in 1524 by Grand Prince VasiliIoanovich, the original convent was enclosed by fortified walls and contained 12 towers. The structure served as a convent for women of noble birth...

• Schedule Daily 09:00 - 17:00

The Moscow Metro is one of the largest and most grandly built metro systems in the world. It was meant to be a showcase of the Soviet Union’s achievements for both the Russians themselves and for visitors from abroad....

• Schedule Daily 10:00 - 17:00

The history of Kolomenskoye stretches back for centuries. In 1380, Dmitri Donskoi’s army passed through Kolomenskoye on their way to the Kulikovo battlefield, and it was here that Donskoi celebrated his victory over...

• Schedule Monday not available Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday 10:00 - 17:00 Saturday 11:00 - 18:00

Considered by some to be the Russian Vatican, Sergiev Posad is the temporary residence of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church. The Trinity St. Sergius Monastery (Lavra) was built in the first half of the 1340s by...

The Tsaritsyno Estate is located in the southern part of Moscow. The estate was constructed for Catherine the Great by the Russian architects Bazhenov and Kazakov in a romantic gothic style. The complex includes a landscape...

• Schedule Monday not available Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 11:00 - 17:00 Saturday 11:00 - 19:00 Sunday 11:00 - 18:00

The Kuskovo Estate often called the Moscow Versailles due to its perfectly preserved French park, is an example of an 18th century, luxurious Moscow summer residence. Its history dates back to 1715, when the village of Kuskovo...

• Schedule Monday, Tuesday not available Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10:00 - 18:00

Vodka is an important component of Russian life, an element of national identity and everyday culture. We invite you to visit the Vodka Museum and feel the atmosphere of long-gone centuries. You will get to know the story...

• Schedule Daily 10:00 - 19:00

Take this opportunity to learn more about the Russian writer Lev Tolstoy. During the visit to the museum you will see part of a vast collection of exhibits connected to Tolstoy and his family including books and personal...

• Schedule Monday not available Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10:00 - 17:00 Thursday 12:00 - 19:00

This apartment museum located close to Patriarch Ponds became the prototype of the "bad apartment" described in the novel "The Master and Margarita." Currently the museum's collection includes more than three thousand...

• Schedule Monday not available Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 12:00 - 19:00 Thursday 14:00 - 21:00

Express to Russia specializes in Moscow city excursions, an essential part of your Moscow travel itinerary. We offer a large variety of day excursions throughout Moscow and its suburbs. From  Red Square  and the  Kremlin  to a city tour of Moscow’s  Old Arbat Street  or the  Moscow metro , an excursion specializing in Stalin and the KGB and much more. No travel to Moscow is complete without taking a few of our day tours that most meet your interest in Russia.

Moscow City Tours

Our Moscow day excursions can be organized on foot or with transport. All of our excursions are led by an experienced guide, specializing in the subject matter of the tour. Excursions are privately run and can be booked for 1 traveler all the way up to large groups of travelers. We run our Moscow city tours in every season. This is because travel to Moscow is excellent in any season. In the summer take a stroll through  Gorky Park  or take a riverboat tour along the Moskva River. In the winter, see Moscow’s winter wonderland of ice and snow and then settle in for a cozy lunch or dinner with a hot bowl of borsht. In winter, spring and fall, you can beat the crowds at all of Moscow’s main attractions and museums. Regardless of when you come, Express to Russia will make sure that your trip is one of your best vacations ever.

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Best things to see and do in Moscow

Moscow is the capital of Russia and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia. It’s rich and complex history is a constant reminder of its strategic position between Europe and Asia and makes it one of the cities you should visit once in your life. In terms of the many iconic landmarks, the delicious cuisine, and the characteristic, colorful architecture it has, Moscow is full of surprises for first-timers and seasoned travelers. Apart from the main attractions, it has like the Kremlin or Red Square, Moscow has many hidden gems for you to discover on your free walking tour with your local guide. 

On any of the free guided tours we offer in Moscow , you will be able to find a selection of many tours which are available in different languages and at different times of day, like the morning, afternoon, and evening. Since Moscow is such a large metropolis, getting your bearings by doing a guruwalk with a local guide who will show you all Moscow’s hidden gems is a great idea. This way you get to learn as much as possible about the local culture and way of life. A trip to Moscow wouldn't be complete without visiting iconic places like St Basil’s Cathedral, Lenin’s Mausoleum, the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, or the State Historical Museum, before getting some fresh air at Gorky Park, the medieval church of Kolomenskoye, or shopping at Izmailovsky Market. Don’t miss visiting the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Bolshoi Theater, or checking out the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve. 

Many travelers have left their r eviews and opinions about the local guides , gurus, and the routes they walked. If you have any questions about the routes or what is included in the tour, check out their opinions. 

Free walking tour near Moscow

Others cities to visit after moscow, where are you traveling to.