By Toby Ehrlich
For many Jews, visiting Israel is a lifelong dream: the golden stones of Jerusalem, the sparkling Sea of Galilee, and the dust of Masada. But travel can be tough on the body, expensive on the wallet, and logistically complicated on the mind, and many older adults may feel that the dream of seeing Israel is already out of their reach. Luckily, the Wilf Campus has created a special trip to Israel that will bring twelve Campus residents to the Holy Land.
The “Fulfilling the Promise Tour” , which leaves from the Campus in early November, will take a group of residents in their 80’s and 90’s to Israel on a trip specially designed to meet their physical needs. Staff attending the trip will include a physician, a registered nurse, a certified home health aide, a rabbi, and a social worker, along with several additional staff members, all of whom are specially trained to look out for the unique needs of older adults. The trip will be led in Israel by a tour company expressly equipped for seniors. The tour company will provide a handicap-accessible vehicle, wheel chairs, and walkers, as well as special permits that allow the older adults to get closer to some of Israel’s most famous sites and make the distance they would need to walk or wheel very short.
It would be impossible to express in words how much this trip will mean to some of the residents of The Martin and Edith Stein Assisted Living Residence and The Lena and David T. Wilentz Residence who will be participating. For instance, Jacob Weinglas, who will be 92 in November. Mr. Weinglas is a Holocaust survivor who immigrated to Israel in 1957 and lived there until 1961, when he moved to America. This will be his first trip back to Israel since he left, 51 years ago. The return will be even sweeter for Mr. Weinglas because his grandson, whom he has not seen in two years, now lives in Israel and is father to a brand new great-grandson that Mr. Weinglas will meet for the first time on this trip.
Mr. Weinglas will not be the only Holocaust survivor among our travelers. Inge Markowitz, age 83, will also be participating. Ms. Markowitz was on the last boat out of Germany to Cuba, where she lived until she was able to immigrate to the United States. This will be her first trip to the Holy Land. Other participating residents include Bobbie Rosenstraus, age 95, who has not been to Israel in about 25 years, as well as Lee Cohen, who was issued her first passport at the age of 97 especially for this trip.
For these twelve participating seniors, age is just a number. Many have dreamed of visiting Israel for many years; indeed, some have dreamed of it all their lives and they are all thrilled that their dream will soon become a reality. You can follow their stories as they go though this joyous and life-changing experience by visiting the Wilf Campus Facebook page, www.facebook.com/wilfcampus, where we will be posting photos and video from the trip on close to a daily basis. Follow the faces of our resident and experience the joy and awe in their faces as they stand at the Western Wall or swim in the Dead Sea.
The Wilf Campus Foundation originally became involved with the trip when Wilf Campus CEO Susan Harris brought it to their attention. Filled with delight at the chance to support such a meaningful project, the Foundation agreed to contribute 75% of the trip cost for each resident participating. Residents and their families are so grateful for this opportunity to get to Israel, and to fulfill what has been a lifelong dream for so many.
The trip will be a moving experience for our staff as well. Whether or not staff members have visited Israel before, this trip will provide a new lens through which to see the country; that of a generation of Jews who still remember what it was like to be without a homeland and many who are Holocaust Survivors. The seniors embarking on this trip witnessed Israel’s birth, along with all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into building and protecting it. And many over their lifetimes have supported Israel out of their own pockets. How amazing it will be for Wilf Campus staff members to experience the country through these eyes! A trip of a lifetime, a campus’ mission realized in a way that nothing else can come close to. At Yom Kippur we just said, “Next year in Jerusalem”. For this group of Wilf Campus residents, it is “This year in Jerusalem”. We wish them all a safe journey and an experience they will all never forget.
To find out more about The Oscar and Ella Wilf Campus for Senior Living visit us at www.wilfcampus.org or call us at 732-568-1155.

