Source: Haaretz
Inspired by Taglit-Birthright’s free trips to Israel for college students, a brand new program will bring Jewish newlyweds from North America on heavily subsidized honeymoons to the Holy Land. The program, Honeymoon Israel, has just obtained initial funding to finance two pilot trips this spring, each of which will bring 20 couples on nine-day tours of the country. The first trip will target couples from Los Angeles and Phoenix, and the second one, couples from Los Angeles and Atlanta.
The program is seeking participants in the 25-to-40-year-old age bracket, who have been married no more than three to five years. Both straight and gay couples will be welcome, as will both Jewish-Jewish and interfaith couples. In order to be eligible, at least one spouse in the couple must not have been actively engaged in Jewish life beforehand or have been on an organized trip to Israel. Couples will not need to be legally married, as long as they can demonstrate that they are in a committed life partnership.
Each couple will be asked to contribute $1,500 toward the trip, the full cost of which is $9,500.
Following the pilot period, each trip will bring to Israel a group of 20 couples from one specific community, rather than from all around North America in order to keep emerging Jewish families connected to Jewish life after the trip.
Honeymoon Israel plans to launch its official website on November 15, 2014.
Read more at Haaretz.