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08 May 2018
Des and Ari met in 2010. Because of their diverse backgrounds, the couple has always sought a deeper, shared religious understanding from one another’s individual experiences. In 2017, they traveled to Israel with 19 other couples as part of Honeymoon Israel (HMI), an immersive, nine-day travel program for locally-based cohorts of couples that have at least one Jewish partner.
Read Ari’s reflection about her meaningful experience with Honeymoon Israel:
“As we said in our HMI application, a key aspect of our relationship has been exploring Judaism together. For me, [Honeymoon Israel] has been an opportunity to rediscover my religion as an adult and see it anew through my wife’s eyes. For both of us, learning and building a Jewish community together has strengthened our bond, allowing us to learn more about ourselves and each other and build connections with our community.
Through Honeymoon Israel (HMI), we’ve built a strong Jewish community of peers in the DC area to learn from and with, celebrate holidays with and navigate all sorts of life transitions. While we had access to a Jewish community before the trip, it was primarily made up of my parents’ and their friends. HMI was really the first community of peers that we’ve built together. What is particularly special about HMI is that all of the couples in our group have wrestled with what it means to be a Jewish family—either because they are interfaith or because they were brought up with different Jewish traditions. It’s amazing to go from feeling like you have to navigate that road alone, to all of a sudden have 38 other people in the car with you.”
Honeymoon Israel is made possible for couples in Greater Washington in partnership with The Jewish Federation and Sixth & I. Registration for Honeymoon Israel’s 2019 trips opens Tuesday, May 15.