If you think Israel is simply archeological ruins and spiritual legacy, think again. J2 adventures (which stands for Jewish Journeys) is the latest, hippest tour operator to rethink how its clients experience Jewish culture around the world. At the core of J2 adventures is an out-of-the-box approach to Jewish cultural travel that invites participants to engage with questions of identity, diversity, and pluralism.
J2 adventures is designed to meet the needs of families and groups by integrating thematic, custom designed excursions around specialized topics and interest areas. Want a culinary foodie tasting experience on your Jewish Journey? Check. Excited about the local Israeli art scene? Check. Have teenage adventure outdoor junkies in your family? No problem. J2 adventures has it all. Through their diverse collection of personalized mini adventures, this tour company makes the point that Jewish travel is not just one thing, and it is never boring.
“No tour, no itinerary, and no group is cookie-cutter with J2 adventures. Rather, each group and itinerary and experience is carved and catered to individual needs and situations,” said Rabbi David Seth Kirshner, Senior Rabbi, Temple Emanu-El, Closter, New Jersey. “Beyond Israel, our community has partnered with J2 adventures on missions to explore the Jewish Communities of Morocco, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Argentina and more. They have been our partner on three continents and around the globe!”
Guests of J2 adventures can meet up with a diverse hip hop musical group in Tel Aviv-Yafo and explore Jaffa through the eyes of System Ali, a local hip hop musical group comprised of Jewish and Arab artists that tackle issues of minority identity and community rights in Tel Aviv; or experience a spectacularly colourful women’s glassblowing workshop in the ancient city of Safed led by a local visual artist. Adventurous travellers can go whitewater rafting on the Jordan River or hop on an ATV and blast through the Desert – an off-the-beaten path experience. In Rabat, Morocco, travellers get to experience Association Mimouna, an organization of Muslim students who honor the country’s Jewish traditions and promote Jewish-Muslim friendship. These tours are fresh, different, and an authentic look into the lives of locals in their featured destinations.
J2 adventures co-founders Kathy Eid & Guy Millo share a love and passion for what they do, and the two principals have spent a collective 30 years in the Jewish travel business and crafted a fresh new company, which launched after the Pandemic. With a strong focus on the educational nature of their tours, Kathy & Guy partnered together with a group of educators, experienced destination guides and travel professionals, and J² adventures came into being with a strong ethos around impact/mission driven trips.
“These last few years gave us the opportunity to re-evaluate how we share Jewish culture with our travellers,” said J2 adventures co-founder Guy Millo. “We have thought deeply about the lens through which we present a destination and the messages embedded in our experiences. Jewish Journeys is not a travel company. Travel is used as a vehicle to search for identity. Identity can be unearthed in many different touchpoints and powerful moments.”
Much of the 4,000-year-old Jewish experience has been on the road. J2 adventures journeys to places all around the world – from Israel to Europe to Morocco to Egypt and to the Far East – all follow the path and tell the stories of the Jewish people in motion.
