Atlanta’s 2023 Community Journey to Israel: A.J. Robinson & Nicole Ellerine
A.J. Robinson & Nicole Ellerine share their recollections of the Federation's 2023 Community Journey to Israel.
What was your favorite place visited?
The hike in the Aminadav Forest near Jerusalem where the Kennedy Memorial resides. Great combination of history and nature.
What was your favorite restaurant or menu item while in Israel?
Nobody does hummus like Israel.
What made this trip special from others?
Beginning with a first trip in 1967, every trip to Israel has been special. On this one, like most, we covered a lot of ground and had many highlights. Perhaps being there on Yom HaShoah and participating in the one minute of silence observed by the entire country ranks up there as our highlight among many others.
Just being in Israel with 200 or so other Atlantans was meaningful for us. And in retrospect, visiting between two different rocket wars with Gaza and in the midst of the judicial crisis was quite extraordinary. We were struck once again how many obstacles Israelis face every day and yet, carry on with their lives with some semblance of normalcy and acceptance. Thanks to great planning by the Federation and their travel consultants, we were able to curate our visit with individual options for touring, and yet be part of larger group activities. This way to see and experience Israel was unique and very rewarding,
We had a chance to revisit our favorite places and restaurants, see old friends, and, at the same time, experienced many new and exciting parts of the country that were on our list, places like the ANU Museum, the Peres Center, Sheba Hospital, and the Gaza border.
A.J. Robinson is President of Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District. Nicole Ellerine is a pediatrician in private practice with Peachtree Park Pediatrics.
comments