"Shaping Israel’s Future" Mission to Israel

(l to r) Stuart Rutchik, Carol Epstein and Professor Raphi Rom, Technion Vice President for Resource Development & External Relations.

Stuart Rutchik of Gaithersburg, MD and Carol Epstein of Chevy Chase, MD, were among the 63 ATS members who participated in the annual Mission to Israel and the Technion. The 2010 Mission, June 1 to 11, provided an opportunity to experience Israel through the unique perspective of the Technion. The Mission also served as Mr. Rutchik’s graduation from the ATS 21st Century Leadership Development Program. This dynamic, two-year leadership development program is designed to enhance the professionalism and talents of those who are the Jewish community’s future. Joanie Miller Levine and Janet Shatz Snyder also completed the leadership program but were unable to attend the Mission. Mr. Rutchik is the current President of the Washington, D.C. Capitol Region.

Throughout Israel, Mission participants visited both historic sites and new areas of interest such as Israel’s “green” success at the Ariel Sharon National Park (Ayalon Park), which Technion researchers helped transform from a landfill to a thriving park. In addition, the Mission offered ATS members exclusive access to influential Israeli officials, leaders and opinion shapers.

At the Technion, participants saw how the university has helped Israel evolve from a tiny country to a developer and exporter of cutting-edge science, technology and medicine. The group toured laboratories, discussed research with the university’s talented faculty and took “Day in the Life Tours” with Technion students. Technion faculty and students also joined Mission-goers in moving dedication ceremonies for the vital projects they have made possible.

Click here to view more photos from the Mission.

Upcoming Missions

All ATS Missions have a robust reputation for a unique combination of in-depth learning, exceptional sightseeing and comfortable luxury. Upcoming Missions, described below, offer all this and more. We hope you will consider traveling with us. 

Save the Date: The Discovery Mission to Israel, November 6-12, 2010

Chairs: Gill Fishman and Barbara Tyrell Fishman

We invite you to join us for a special Mission to Israel designed to give those with limited time for travel a taste of Israel — and a lifetime of memories — in just five days. Participants will meet brilliant Technion students and faculty involved in cutting-edge research in fields ranging from energy and nanotechnology to stem cell research. After their immersion in the Technion at its expansive Haifa campus, participants will spend a day and night in Jerusalem, touring the city highlights, including the Yad Vashem complex and the Western Wall. Experts from the worlds of politics, business and high tech will share their expertise throughout this journey, allowing participants to discover the Israel of today and tomorrow. For more information visit www.ats.org/Discovery2010 or contact Irv Elenberg at 301-654-4773 or irv@ats.org.

Illumination and Innovation: Mission to Paris and Israel, May 29-June 10, 2011

Chairs: Scott and Susie Leemaster

Enjoy the City of Lights on our Spring 2011 Mission, during which we will offer ATS members exclusive panoramic tours, including visits to seminal sights that define France’s 2,000-year-old Jewish history. Visit the Jewish quarter, Le Marais, and the new Holocaust museum, and engage in discussions with the country’s distinguished leaders. Be a guest at the Synagogue de la Victoire, an artistic and architectural masterpiece, and also of the French Technion Society, whose most prominent members will round out our Paris tour.

And finally, join us in Israel for tours of major cities and meetings with the country’s influential leaders and experts. See Israel’s bright future being forged at the Technion, where you will meet with students and faculty in laboratories, classrooms and at dedications of ATS projects. You will be inspired by their stories of both personal and scientific triumphs and challenges. For more information visit www.ats.org/Paris or contact Irv Elenberg at 301-654-4773 or irv@ats.org.