Bob and Barrie Blumenthal brought their children and grandchildren on a family tour of Israel and enjoyed a really memorable and meaningful multi-generational vacation.
Barrie and Bob have two married daughters and five teenage grandchildren, including 15 year-old twins. Bob wanted to bring all 11 of them to Israel for a family vacation – for many it was their first visit – and he enlisted Nathan Shapira of Shatour Israel to design the itinerary.
“We decided to see if it was possible to come to Israel over the Christmas break, although I was concerned that by October it may have been too late to get the hotel rooms that we wanted during such a busy season. But Shatour were great – they managed to secure rooms at the David Citadel for all of us.
“I had plenty of ideas for the placed I wanted us to visit – the challenge was fitting it into a 7-day trip. Nathan came up with some great suggestions that would be suitable to keep our 5 teens busy, including a camel ride, a Bedouin encounter, an archeological dig and an IDF training program. Everyone enjoyed these activities, as well as the more classical sight-seeing stops along the way.
“One of my grandsons recently turned 13 so we decided to arrange a surprise Bar Mitzvah ceremony at the Western Wall. I wanted all the kids to be involved, so Nathan organized a Rabbi and a service for us, which was truly meaningful for all the family.
“The trip was really special for Barrie and myself, because we were able to spend quality time with our children and grandchildren and create some great memories together. The driver was very friendly and helpful, and Nathan was a knowledgeable and accommodating tour guide. The kids didn’t always show up on time, but he was patient with them and they learned a great deal about the country and their people’s history.
“I would recommend Shatour Israel as much more than travel agents – they know how to organize successful multi-generational tours of Israel for family groups, which is much harder than it sounds!”