MSBA Delegation to Israel

After hosting an overwhelmingly successful study trip to Cuba last October, the Minnesota State Bar Association is organizing a delegation to visit Israel, with an optional extension to Jordan at no cost to our Association.  The primary purpose of this trip is learning about the Israeli legal system and visiting the ruins of the ancient city of Petra.  As President of the MSBA, I am honored to lead this delegation and invite you to join me in this unique opportunity.
 
Our delegation will leave for Israel on April 14 and return to the United States on April 22.  Those interested in crossing into Jordan to see Petra will return to the United States on April 25.
 
The tentative itinerary is ambitious and promises to be an once-in-a-lifetime adventure.  The trip includes meetings with the Israeli Bar Association, the law faculty of Bar Ilan University for a discussion of Family Law and the role of religious courts, the law faculty of Haifa University to discuss judicial responsibility for cultural and ethnic minorities, discussions on Democracy and the Establishment of a Jewish State:  The Role of Basic Laws; Freedom of Expression and the Social Right to Rally; visiting the Israeli Supreme Court for a discussion on the role of the Supreme Court in Israel, a tour of the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) for discussions with representatives of the Israeli Constitution, Law & Justice Committee on Legal Issues facing the State of Israel, and separate meetings with Israeli lawyers in various specialties of interest to the trip participants. 
  
In addition, the trip will include the following locations and experiences:


·         Beit Jamal Monastery (see day-to-day life in the Monastery)
·         Tavlin Herbal Farm
·         City of Jaffa
·         Independence Hall
·         City of Tel Aviv
·         Yitzchak Rabin Square
·         City of Haifa
·         Caesarea (the seat of the Roman Procurator of Judea)
·         Druze Village, Mount Carmel (meal in a family home)
·         Beit Shearim (2nd-4th centuries town)
·         Nazareth
·         Boat ride on the Sea of Galilee
·         Mount Beatitudes (octagonal domed church representing the eight Beatitudes)
·         Tabgha
·         Capernaum
·         Caves of Qumran (where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found)
·         Yad VaShem (the Holocaust Museum)
·         Arab Market
·         Chagall Windows at Hadassah Hospital
·         Mount of Olives
·         Garden of Gethsemane
·         Western Wall
·         Walk the Via Dolorosa and Church of the Holy Sepulcher
·         Jewish Quarter
·         King David’s Tomb

The Jordan Extension will begin with a flight to Eilat, followed by a jeep ride in the Wadi Rum dessert to the 1,800 year old Nabatean city of Petra, recognized as one of the Ten Wonders of the World.  It was described as "a rose-red city half as old as time."  UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage."  Petra was chosen by the BBC as one of "the 40 places you have to see before you die."

The estimated cost per delegation member is $4,895 (double occupancy) for the Israel portion of the trip.  This all-inclusive cost (excluding airfare to Tel Aviv) includes group transportation, meetings, accommodations in double-occupancy rooms, most meals, and essentially all other costs associated with participation, as outlined in the final schedule of activities.  The Extension to Jordan and Petra will be approximately $1,495 per person (double occupancy).
 
For U.S. citizens, expenses associated with this program may be tax deductible as an ordinary and necessary business expense.  We recommend that you consult with a tax advisor to determine if tax deductibility is applicable to you. 
 
Travel arrangements and logistics will be provided by Washington, DC based, Professionals Abroad, a division of Academic Travel Abroad (ATA).  ATA is a 60-year-old organization that handles the logistical arrangements for prestigious organizations, such as National Geographic, The Smithsonian, The American Museum of Natural History and many top universities.  ATA coordinated the travel of the MSBA’s 2011 Cuba delegation.
 
Due to the extensive planning and communication involved in coordinating a program of this nature, please respond with your intentions regarding this invitation by February 29.  RSVP to Professionals Abroad at 1-877-298-9677 or via the web at www.professionalsabroad.org.   A $500 deposit is required to secure your place on the team.  
 
If you have questions regarding the delegation, contact Whitney Kulesz, our Program Representative at Professionals Abroad (877-298-9677). For additional program details or to recommend a colleague to be invited please visit www.professionalsabroad.org.
 
I am pleased to be involved in this exciting opportunity and hope that you will strongly consider participating in the delegation to Israel.
 
Sincerely,
Brent E. Routman
MSBA President