Ambassadors to the UK Update #5 Dear Friends and Family, Hi! Tuesday we had a fun day of playing sports and engaging in other activities with our teams and spending time with everyone on camp. Then yesterday we had a very meaningful program about the Holocaust. The week is moving along with afternoon color war [...]

Ambassadors to the UK Update #4 Dear Friends and Family, The past few days have been very exciting for us here at camp! Yesterday we spent a lot of time with our groups learning and participating in various activities. We ended our day with a fun Israel-themed carnival where we learned how to make hummus, [...]

Ambassadors to the UK Update #3 Dear Friends and Family, Camp has been great; all of the teens are mixing in well with the UK teens and are making new friends and great memories here in Northern England! On Friday we engaged in lots of new and exciting activities and then celebrated our first of [...]

Ambassadors to the UK Update #2 Dear Friends and Family, Yesterday started with a visit to the Shakespeare Globe Theatre, where we visited a museum, watched play rehearsal and enjoyed a guided tour of the theatre. After working up an appetite, we filled our bellies at Borough Market, one of London’s most eclectic food markets. [...]

Ambassadors to the UK Update #1 Dear Friends and Family, Hi! We have had an exciting first two days here in London! Monday we explored the Windsor Castles, saw Harry Potter’s Platform 9 3/4, and had dinner at a local buffet-style restaurant. Then Tuesday we went to Westminster and saw Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Trafalgar [...]

Ambassadors to Bulgaria 2017 Update # 4 July 4 Dear Friends and Family, On Monday we traveled to tour Bulgaria’s second largest city, Plovdiv – a city upon layers of cities. Today you can find the remains of an ancient amphitheater, stadium and much more. Plovdiv is also known for is six hills that dot [...]

Ambassadors to Bulgaria 2017 Update # 3 Hello Friends and Family, We had a fun filled weekend, which started with a visit to the open-air museum, Etara. This small village showcases the traditional crafts of Bulgaria, including a bakery, confectionary, blacksmiths, woodcarvers and more! After we made our way to the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. [...]

Ambassadors to Bulgaria 2017 Update # 2 June 30 Hello Friends and Family, We have continued our journey to the small town of Sliven, where a small but active Jewish Community still calls home. We fulfilled an important need by cleaning and restoring the Jewish section of their local cemetery. Later, we met with the [...]

Ambassadors to Bulgaria 2017 Update 1 – June 27 Ambassadors to Bulgaria began when 30 North Americans met 18 new European friends at the Sofia Airport.  The Americans were met with cheering and signs of welcome, before we boarded the bus and started our drive to the beautiful Sea Side of Bulgaria.  We concluded our [...]

As you welcome your teen home, please enjoy this final update together! Dear Friends and Families, L’hitraot Thailand! It has been an incredible two weeks in Thailand with amazing experiences such as visiting the elephant sanctuary, zip lining through the forests of northern Thailand, volunteering in the Kareni hill tribe village, celebrating Shabbat on the [...]

Stand UP Thailand Update #6 Dear Friends and Families, Greetings from Bangkok!  Stand UP Thailand just spent an amazing final Shabbat together at the beach on the gorgeous island of Koh Larn.  We enjoyed some much needed down time for rest, relaxation, and water sports on the beach.  After Havdallah, explored the town on the [...]

Stand UP Thailand Update #5 Dear Friends and Families, Our volunteering in the Kareni village has sadly come to an end. We had an amazing experience working with the kids in the village and getting to know the villagers. It was great to see all of our hard work on the mushroom hut come to [...]

Stand UP Thailand Update #4 July 10, 2017 Today was our first full day in Mae Hong Son.  We took trucks to the Longneck village of the Kareni tribe.  Several people got “smacked” by leaves on the way there but it was low-key funny!  The kids in the village greeted us with a song, so [...]

Welcome to Mae Hong Son! Stand UP Thailand has arrived in Mae Hong Son, a rural northern Thai community where we will be volunteering with the Kareni Hill Tribe.  Starting tomorrow, we will be working to build a mushroom farm to help bring money into the community as well as working in the community’s small [...]

Elephants, Scavenger Hunt, and a Show! July 6, 2017 By: Olivia Galel Stand Up Thailand participant Today we woke up really early, 6:00am, so that we could get to the elephant sanctuary where we would have the trip of a lifetime. Once we arrived at the elephant sanctuary, we overlooked mountains, adorable elephants, and a [...]

Stand UP Thailand Update #1 Welcome to Thailand! After a minor setback with flight delays, we have officially made it to Chiang Mai!  After breakfast at our hotel, we went to visit the Doi Suthep Temple and learned a bit about Buddhism and Northern Thai culture. Our next stop was lunch at the Vegan Heaven [...]

Western Europe Discovery 2 Update #4 Dear Friends and Family, Wednesday we left the Youth Hostel for a four hour bus ride to Edinburgh. We had pizur lunch and time for shopping. Afterwards, we toured The Edinburgh Castle. We concluded our day by walking down the Royal Mile and it downpoured! We freshened up for [...]

Western Europe Discovery 2 Update #3 Dear Friends and Family, The time is flying and we are having a great time! Monday began in Glasgow. We visited an old synagogue and heard from a local Jewish woman. We enjoyed a tour of the sanctuary and learned the history of the shul and Jewish life in [...]