This summer, Kosher Travelers is hosting its first-ever Jewish spiritual retreat tour, combining meditation, mindfulness, and spiritual well-being, seamlessly blended with daily tours of the stunning Pacific Northwest, renowned for its national parks and iconic landmarks.
Singles, couples, and families are welcome to unwind and learn techniques to curb anxiety and leave struggle and fear behind. The retreat tour is open to people of all ages who are open to becoming more mindful Jews.
With its rich Jewish history, Lake Washington is the perfect place to take your inner spiritual journey, led by world-renowned Rabbi Dr. Laibl Wolf, author and lecturer from Australia, who will engage participants while they enjoy three healthy and fresh kosher meals a day.
“Our motto at Kosher Travelers is ‘Discover, Connect and Enrich. Guests on all our tours get to discover the culture of the destination, make family and friendly connections, and leave entirely enriched by the experience. We seek to deliver these components on every project we undertake,” said Ariel Walles, who heads international business development. “But when we take them on a spiritual retreat, guests have an opportunity to further connect with God.” All Kosher Travelers trips are enhanced by visits to Jewish heritage sites, beautiful Shabbat programs, and prominent guest speakers.
The itinerary is a blend of daily interactive lectures and touring. Beginning on Sunday, July 30, the first evening will launch the trip with a welcome dinner and a visit to the Seattle Space Needle. Monday will begin with “Jewish Mindfulness Practice” and then a scenic boat ride of the city’s seafront and local market.
On Tuesday, after “Positivity Training,” guests will take a scenic journey to breathtaking Mount Rainier and the Narada Waterfall. On Wednesday, “The Art of Jewish Meditation” lecture will teach how meditation can help participants acquire wisdom, insight and inner balance, and then guests will enjoy an afternoon at the Snoqualmie waterfall and a scenic vintage train ride at the Northwest Railway Museum.
On Thursday, participants will find themselves in Washington’s Olympic National Park, where they will hike to a beautiful waterfall and visit the Hoh Rain Forest. Friday starts with a lecture about “True-North Values—Clarification for Life Success.” In the afternoon, guests will visit either the Chihuly museum and gardens or take a seaplane flight on a six-seater plane exploring the Pacific Northwest. On Friday night, guests will enjoy a beautiful Shabbat dinner, and after Shabbat lunch, participants will enjoy the final lecture of the retreat: “Solving Inter-Generational Family Conflicts to Experience Nachas.”
Kosher Travelers creates international touring adventures throughout the year. They operate African safaris, tours to Scotland for whisky lovers, trips to Morocco, India, Havana, Iceland, Japan, and synagogue missions to the UAE as well as ocean cruises to the Mediterranean, Norway, British Isles, Australia/New Zealand and Canary Islands. and river cruises on the Rhine and Danube. Additionally, they specialize in Pesach and Sukkot hotel programs in Israel and the Greek Isles. Kosher Travelers offers freshly prepared kosher meals, luxury hotels, excellent guides and stimulating guest speakers on every journey.
Melbourne power couple David and Chana Walles and their family made aliyah in 2008 and purchased Eddie’s Travel & Tourism (established in London in 1980). Rebranded by the Walles family as Kosher Travelers, the business expanded rapidly to cater to English-speaking Jewish travelers from around the world.
Recently, Chana—guest relations and marketing manager—and Ariel hosted a group of 20 guests in Cuba. They drove in vintage cars, visited cigar and rum manufacturers, and learned about Cuban culture as well as the glorious history of the Cuban Jewish community that arrived soon after the Spanish Inquisition. When visiting the Jewish cemetery, they completed a minyan with local Cuban Jews who have been there for generations.
General Manager and CEO David said: “Our clients come from the U.S., Canada, Britain, Europe, South Africa, and, of course, Australia, and there are no religious criteria for joining our tours, cruises or hotel programs; we don’t ask any questions about your religious observance. The common denominator of our guests is that they enjoy high-level kosher cuisine and sublime Shabbat programs.
“We design tours to destinations that are hard to navigate on your own. We bring our own team of chefs to prepare kosher meals wherever we go and visit Jewish heritage sites where relevant. Last year we took more than 70 guests to Hawaii and 100 guests to Iceland, which has become one of the world’s hottest travel destinations, and the feedback was excellent.” A quick look at the testimonials on the Kosher Travelers website (koshertravelers.com) affirms this.
For more information and to receive the free Kosher Travelers newsletter, visit koshertravelers.com or email [email protected].
By Aviva Zacks
