Tracy Altman

Where are you from originally and where do you live now? Overland Park, Kansas / Chicago, IL.

When did you go to Israel for the first time? I first went to Israel in 1999 for a six week summer program during high school through USY. 

What's your favorite Israeli food to eat and favorite place to eat it at? I can't just name one thing. I keep kosher, so the abundance of meat and gummy worms is always exciting! I also love shakshuka! 

What's a fun fact about you? I'm a huge sports fan! 

What's one thing about Israel that you wish you could bring back to America with you? 

What's your favorite place to visit in Israel? Old City! It's a walled city! It's a concept that's mind-blowing to me. I love exploring it, visiting the Kotel, going to my favorite restaurant and sitting in the Jewish quarter with friends. It is such a special place and where I spent a significant amount of time when I lived at Hebrew University in Jerusalem during my junior year of college. 

What is your favorite place to take participants to on Taglit? Machane Yehuda in Jerusalem. It's a huge food market! There's so much to look at from the fresh fruits and vegetables to the spices and challot baked fresh for Shabbat. It tests all your senses!

What's the #1 reason that you recommend that your friends and family should go on Taglit-Birthright Israel with Shorashim? Shorashim provides the unique opportunity to have Israelis on the bus with the Americans the entire time. It's great to see the friendships grow between the Americans and Israelis. There's so much to learn from each other. 

Natalie Epelman

Where are you from originally and where do you live now? Argentina, Israel, Canada, Philadelphia, PA; Washington, DC.

What do you do for a living? I am the Program Associate for AIPAC's International Affairs Department. 

When did you go to Israel for the first time? I was born in Israel and grew up in Haifa until my family and I left when I was 11 years old. My first time back in Israel was on an organized trip at 18 years old.

What's your favorite place to visit in Israel? My favorite places to visit in Israel are the old train stations in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The stations used to be the rail line between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem until they were abandonded. In recent years, both train stations have been reopered with stores and restaurants bringing back life to the old stations. Both are great spots to walk around and hang out!

What's a fun fact about yourself? My family is originally from Argentina, I was born in Israel, and we moved around North America, including Toronto, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia before I finally settled in Washington, DC. As a result, I have been fortunate to be fluent in Spanish, Hebrew, and English. My college admissions essay was about what language I dream!

What's your favorite Israeli food/favorite place in Israel to eat it? I love to eat classic Israeli foods like salatim and hummus with pita by the beach on the Tel Aviv Port! The food is incredible and the scenery is the cherry on top of the experience!

If there was one aspect of Israel that you could bring back to America with you, what would it be? I would love to bring Israeli food back to America! The food culture in Israel is one of my favorite aspects, and I would love to have it around me all the time!

What's the #1 reason that you recommend that your friends and family should go on Taglit-Birthright Israel with Shorashim? Shorashim deeply cares about every participant and staff member to make sure each one is having the best possible experience. I recommend going on a Taglit-Birthright Israel trip with Shorashim to have a uniquely designed and educational experience to truly introduce you to Israel. 

Ido Yulzary

How long have you been a tour educator? Three years.

What's a fun fact about yourself? I can touch my nose with my foot.

What's your favorite part about Israel? The israelis

What's your favorite Israeli food? Where's your favorite place in Israel to eat it?  My favorite is hummus and the best one is hummus Ben-Sira in Jerusalem.

What's your favorite site to go to take participants to on Taglit? Independance Hall.

What's your favorite city in Israel and why? My favorite city is Jerusalem because the crazy atmosphere of the city and the combination of secular/religious/jews/arabs/cristian/academics/shuk pepole/good food/good music. It's the perfect city for me!

If you could say one thing to future participants, what would it be? Ask questions about everything in Israel and go back home with more questions!

Why is it important to you to have Israelis on the trip for all 10 days? I want the participants to have a large amount of time with Israelis their own age, so that they can get to know Israel through the eyes of Israelis.