AFHU Western Region Mission to Paris and Israel

From the City of Lights to the Old City, American friends enjoyed a busy, enjoyable adventure as part of the AFHU Western Region Mission to Paris and Israel, held from November 5 – 14, 2022. 

A special moment of the Paris visit included a visit to the Shoah Memorial, including the privilege of meeting one of the last witnesses of the Rafle Vel d’Hiv., the notorious round-up by French police of thousands of Jewish men, women, and children in the preparation of their deportation to death camps. Highlights included a visit to the Nissim de Camondo Museum, home to a private collection of 18th-century art; a tour of Fondation Louis Vuitton, which displays contemporary arts within a historical perspective; a visit with the Israeli ambassador to France; a tour of the Grande Synagogue de la Victoire, France’s largest; a meeting with Brigitte Macron, wife of the President of France; and a meeting with former French president Francis Hollande. Throughout the mission, participants had the opportunity to meet prominent members of the French Jewish Community. 

While several participants had to leave the mission due to a COVID-19 outbreak, participants in the Israeli leg of the mission enjoyed tours of Haifa, the beautiful Baha’i Gardens, and the historic city of Acre (Akko); a trip to IDF posts in Israel’s northern border; wine-tasting at a Galilee vineyard; tours of the Old City of Jerusalem; a meeting with the President of the State of Israel Isaac Herzog; and visits to the Israeli Supreme Court and Knesset.