Sacred Jewish Journeys

Welcome to Spiritual Adventure of Jewish travel. I am joyfully leading specialty curated tours of Jewish interest. Each itinerary is crafted to see the highlights of each country and to make connections with the local Jewish communities wherever possible. In these times, it is important to stay in touch with those in far-flung places – while learning about our history and culture.

With each of my trips you will come away with new friends, and feel the comradery of an instant community that I intentionally foster among the participants. We will sing a lot, learn a lot, and eat well …and we will do our best to be a blessing to those we visit.

Becoming a community and make long lasting connections, we see the sights, have amazing mystical experiences. This is what makes my trips different from all other basictouring companies. Traveling in my groups, we become a healing force.

See below for the places I’ve been and join me for the next adventure!

2026

Jewish Croatia, Slovenia, and Trieste (Italy) – 4-13 March 2026
Pre-tour: Jewish Sarajevo and Bosnia – 27 February-4 March 2026

Join us for an exciting exploration of the Jewish heritage of the Western Balkans. Take in the splendor of Croatia’s Adriatic pearl – Dubrovnik – including the city’s enchanting 16th century synagogue. Walk along the narrow Venetian streets in Split, tour Diocletian’s Palace, and meet members of Split’s vibrant Jewish community. Stroll through beautiful Zagreb, weaving harmoniously Mediterranean and Central European cultures. Savor the beauty of the turquoise, crystal-clear Plitvice Lakes. Stroll through historic Ljubljana, Slovenia’s charming and serene capital. Visit Lake Bled and Bled Castle, nestled in the foothills of the Julian Alps. Spend an afternoon in Italian Trieste, and have a drink in one of James Joyce’s favorite cafes.

During our pre-tour in Bosnia, celebrate Purim with Sarajevo's Jewish community. See the beautifully illuminated Sarajevo Haggadah; enjoy Sarajevo’s rich Sephardic and Ashkenazi synagogues; visit the grand 17th Jewish century cemetery; stop at the street corner where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated; revel in the beauty of Mostar’s old town and its iconic Old Bridge. Visit the legendary grave of Rabbi Moshe Danon.

Sample delicious olive oils & native wines
Savor the delectable Dalmatian cuisine
Taste handcrafted chocolates
Take in the natural beauty of the Adriatic coast
Relax at the serene Lake Bled, surrounded by the dramatic Julian Alps
Enjoy regional folklore, music, and dance
Order authentic Italian gelato and espresso in Trieste
Visit Game of Thrones filming locations in Dubrovnik
Walk through Europe’s most pristine Ottoman Bazaar in Sarajevo
Visit Sarajevo’s oldest hammam (separate hours for women and men)
Celebrate Purim with the Jewish community in Sarajevo

Click here to download the itinerary.

Greece 2025

Greece, where the land is filled with the power of ancient myths of God’s and Goddesses, where the Jews have lived through many centuries. Join me for a spiritual adventure to seek and explore, learn and taste the offerings of the land. We will cover the basic locations of the Jewish communities, as well as enter the magic of the siren’s song. I’ve heard the food is wonderful in Greece.

Here is the link to the itinerary:

CLICK HERE

Athena, goddess of wisdom and warfare, summons us to her city and Zeus’s lightening bolt wakes us out of our slumber to the call of adventure! The hero/heroines’ journey lies before us. What do you choose? And, If not now, when?

The Jewish community of Greece is ancient. The history of Jews in Greece may date back thousands of years to the Babylonian exile when some captive Judeans reportedly settled in Greece instead of returning to Israel.These are the Romaniot Jews. Many Ashkenazi Jews from Central Europe arrived in North Greece after the crusades and found refuge in the city of Thessaloniki. Greece also became a haven for persecuted Jews fleeing the Inquisition. Many strands of our history converge and there is plenty to learn about!

As well, the Greek Goddesses – and Gods - the inspiration of many legends - have much to teach us.

Hera, the goddess of women, marriage ruler of the skies and heaven, wrestled with Zeus for power
Apollo is the god music, dance, healing, light, poetry, and more. Through the Oracle of Delphi he sought answers to the mysteries.
“Can we find what we love?”, asks Aphrodite?
Will we encounter the agricultural goddess, Demeter, mother to Persephone, who was abducted by the underworld god Hades to be his bride?

Where will you find the hidden? These are the questions we will ask as we traverse where the presence of the Divine feminine is etched upon the land.

Past Tours

2024 - Adventure in India!

In 1983-84, I spent the year studying in Jerusalem. At the end of that year, I had decided to travel through Asia to return to my home in Toronto. Facing me was a hard decision. Should I stay in Israel for Passover or leave before? If I skipped Passover, I could go to India, Nepal, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, etc...... but if I skipped India, I could stay in Israel for Passover....

I made the decision to stay in Israel and picked up the trip in Kathmandu. In my naïveté, I thought for sure I would get back to India sooner. Yet life, - marriage, children, rabbinical school, and covid - had other plans for me. Since then I have always longed to go to mysterious, exotic India. Since I already have a daily yoga practice.... India has called to me:)

The time is finally now and I have put together this amazing trip to in India that will cover a lot of territory.

Those of you:

who want to learn about the Jews of India, meet the local community and share a synagogue with them, this is a trip for you;
who have read the Jew and the Lotus, that featured Reb Zalman and have always wanted to go to Dharmsala, this is for you;
who want an introduction to India,- seeing some of the major highlights -this is a trip for you;
who want to taste the flavors of many different regions of the country, this is a trip for you,
who want a good group experience, traveling with a seasoned spiritual tour guide -this is a trip for you
who seek group and fellowship of companionship and community as we travel, this is a trip for you.
who have India on your bucket list, this is the trip for you!
who have always wanted to see the Taj Mahal and the Ganges River this is a trip for you!!!

If you want a deep emersion in chanting for hours at at Ashram, this is not for you, but I can guarantee spiritual adventures anyway:) and you can always stay longer!

I have paired with Rahel Musleh, the expert on Jewish India travel. She and Joshua Shapukar and I have put together this dynamic diverse trip. It is priced a little higher than my other previous trips, but we are going for longer time. It takes longer to get there, why not stay two extra days? We cover a lot of ground and will be flying to cover a lot of territory..its a big country!

I couldn’t squeeze everything into the trip, so there is a post trip for those that want to see a little bit more of the country. I can promise this: there will be sights to see, adventures to be had and friends to make.

Here is the Link to the itinerary

For more information, email me at

2023 - Adventure in Morocco!

Ready to Travel?? let's go

Join me for an amazing adventure, a once in a lifetime tour of the exotic country of Morrocco! Morrocco is filled with a rich history of Jewish expression, culture and history. From the ancient Jewish community to the Haman/Hot Baths dripping with Argan oil; the desert complete with camel rides and the bustling markets, the couscous and the baklava, we will immerse ourselves in this exotic civilization.

Moises Hassan-Amselem, who lead our Spain tripwas born in Morocco and will be our guide. We have put together a fantastic itinerary through Jewish Morocco, historical hot spots, exotic terrain of desert and beaches and mystical experiences, It's a once in a life time trip.

find the itinerary here: click to open itinerary
and watch this page for updates

If you have questions, email me:
rrayzel@shechinah.com
or Moises:
moroccojewishtour@gmail.com

You can download the registration form here: Registration Form

The price of the trip is on the registration form itself

For more information, email me at

2019 - Eat, Pray, Heal: Journey Through Jewish Spain in November

Mosaic floor in Jewish Spain Come join a Jewish adventure in Spain. The history of the Jewish community in Spain is complex: rich, creative and tragic. In its day, the Sephardic cultural era was a 500 year explosion of creativity and interfaith relations. Today there is a resurgence of Jewish life, and a return to Spanish roots by many families who fled the Inquisition. The spiritual summons to Spain compels us to heal this chapter of our history.

Join Rabbi Rayzel Raphael as she guides you on an enriching odyssey of Spanish Jewish culture. With experienced tour guide and also a lecturer at University, Moises Hassan-Amselem, resident of Seville, Spain, you will visit the major cities where Spanish Jewish heritage flourished: Barcelona, Gerona, Toledo, Segovia, Cordoba, Granada and Seville. We will visit major sighteeing locations, old city walls, palaces, eat Spanish delicacies; and broaden our sense of the Golden Age of Spanish Jewry. Spending Shabbat with the local Jewish community – we will also pray at places where our people were shattered and scattered. Come for the tour, leave with a sense you have been on a holy mission.

More about this Trip

Itinerary for this Trip

How to Pay for this Trip
Please email me at

for instructions on how to send the information so it is secure.
Travel to Jewish Seville is a Must with Moises

Spain's Most Famous Jewish Quarters

Google Map of Places on this Trip

2018 - Israel Transformation Tour

My goal is to take you on an adventure. Travel opens us up to many new ideas and cultures and my idea of travel is not to just to tour but to experience, interact and taste what the world has to offer. Each day’s itinerary is crafted to be a journey of transformation. My intention is to explore the ancient roots of Jewish spirituality. We visit archeology sites and follow the path of growth and blossoming from these roots. We visit change makers, secular and religious. Weaving between layers of history, we find the thread of connection, through herstory. My hope is that each participant also finds their own place on the path as we travel - adding their voice to this ongoing tradition. And of course we eat well, tasting what each place has to offer.

For more information, email me at

or call 215-237-2955

Israel

In the meantime, I started redesigning an itinerary for Israel. It includes Tel- Aviv to Jerusalem - through the Southern route of the desert, including ancient ruins, birdwatching, nature, various exotic cultures, spa and of course, cuisines! However, in Israel we have to allow the first day in the country to stay in a hotel to make sure we test negative for Covid. I am interested in hearing from those that want to travel whether this trip is for you this spring!!!!

find the itinerary here: click to open itinerary
and watch this page for updates

For more information, email me at

Hi all,

Here is a piece I just wrote about my adventures in Crete, ..it's worth a look because it's got a mitzvah opportunity at the end!!!!!

In February/ March 2025, I led a trip to Greece, including the paradise of Crete. We experienced the land, the herbs, the spices, the olive oil and a very special synagogue in Chania. Eitz Hayyim Synagogue is a testament to the rich Cretan Jewish heritage lasting over 2000 years - throughout the periods of Roman, Byzantine, Andalusian Arab, Venetian and Ottoman control of the island. Jewish life continued until June 1944 when the remaining 340 Jews were rounded up by the Nazis and put on a boat headed to Auschwitz. Tragically, it was torpedoed by the British mistaking it for an enemy ship. That ended the long chapter of Jewish life in Crete.

We arrived at Eitz Hayyim for our tour and were greeted by Anya, an East German woman. Although she was not born Jewish, she has dedicated her life to holding the memory of the Jewish people in that synagogue, and is the visionary creating a Jewish community center and house of worship in Eitz Hayyim. She gave us a tour of the former Jewish quarter and introduced us to the synagogue.

Originally a Venetian Catholic church, the building dates to the 14th-15th centuries. After WW2, the synagogue sat in disrepair for many years. Chania resident, Nikos Stavroulakis (himself an artist, writer, academic and founding director of the Jewish Museums of Athens and Thessaloniki) surveyed the extensive earthquake damage caused to the building in 1995. He was determined to rebuild and revive the synagogue and got a grant to do so. It houses a one room shul, the remains of a mikveh which will be restored once the source of water is determined, and the final resting place of its former chief rabbis. Today Eitz Hayyim is run by a collection of staff and volunteers- most who are not Jewish. Their team consists of Anya, and one Israeli plus 6 interns in their twenties from the European Union – from Croatia, England, East Germany, Israel, etc. They consider themselves an “international Chavurah”!

At the end of our touring, it became clear that Anya’s work was helping to foster Jewish life and hold space for the locals and the many visitors who come to Crete during tourist season. A humble presence, I felt she really deserved recognition for this. I offered her a Hebrew name as a Ger Toshav, an ally of the Jewish people. This is a practice I use in my interfaith work with families where one partner is not Jewish but they are agreeing to support Jewish life.* She is clearly an ally to the Jewish people. We gave her the name of Hannah, meaning “whom God answered”, the same meaning of Anya. The group then honored her with a blessing song.

***
That evening was Purim - we went home to gather our costumes and get ready. First, we gathered at the synagogue for a mouthwatering cooking demonstration of spanakopita. I had volunteered to lead a Purim activity. Rabbi Susan Schein and I planned several versions of the evening to try and figure out how to pitch it to this diverse group. We had no expectations that they would bring costumes, and I certainly didn’t know how my group would integrate with the community to celebrate. It was a very varied community of people who gathered that night. Some live in Crete or are on vacation just stopping in, or are ex-pats retiring from the US. A few had one Jewish parent, some weren’t Jewish and a variety of other different configurations.

When my group arrived that evening, we were 20 women from ages 57 to 83 - some with purple hair already ready for Purim After many years of being a pulpit rabbi, I actually pulled an old trick out of my tool kit: paper bag dramatics. I handed out chapters of the megillah to small groups- making sure the interns, my group members, and the locals were integrated. They picked up various props and had to act out their chapter - presenting it to us using these wild and crazy props. It was a night of absolute hilarity because we had to work across the language barrier, across the age differences, and across the religious divides…. but somehow a good time was had by all! Then we feasted it on the spanikopeta, homemade bread with crushed tomatoes, and, of course olive oil.

***
The next night, Friday, we also went to the synagogue for Shabbat. It was less clear who would be leading. A French gentleman leads every week based on the directives of the chief orthodox rabbi of Athens. The chief religion of Greece is Eastern Orthodoxy, and as we know, the Jews adopt the vibe of the surrounding culture- and orthodoxy is not malleable. Therefore, the normative position of the Jews also reflects this, for example we were 20 women, would they count us in a minyon? It was a rather mishmash of a service where I would be invited to lead something. I would lead something and then he would repeat it in traditional Hebrew. There was a bit of back and forth as to what was acceptable as Jewish worship in this traditional-ish setting. Let’s just say we eventually sat back and were good guests.
Since Chania is a walled city, and the end of the Megillah states that the walled cities took longer to conquer. Purim is held a day longer in cities like Jerusalem – and Chania. We also felt the urge to celebrate Shushan Purim the second day. My colleague, Rabbi Susan Schein, who was traveling with me, offered more Purim songs, as well as juggling to celebrate this occasion after services.

***
Although the community doesn’t usually meet on Saturday morning, we booked the synagogue for a Shabbat service. We wanted to hear our voices in harmony fill this synagogue and leave a vibrational impact in her walls. The first person to let us in was Constantine, again an East German who was not born Jewish. He is also dedicated to preserving and fostering Jewish life in Chania, Crete. I asked him also if I could give him a Hebrew name, thinking that I would find something relative to Constantine. He immediately answered, “I have always liked the name “Lior”, my light.” I said, “It’s yours”.!
Eighty years after the holocaust, we were honoring an East German for keeping a synagogue going. The irony of this was not lost on us. This reinforced my belief that the impact and imprint of the Jewish people lasts longer than any particular generation. Were these non-Jewish allies reincarnated souls from a previous Jewish gilgul(lifetime)? Or were they called to help us because of their own European holocaust history? Or educational and ethical calling to make right the wrongs of their countries? As, we sang and blessed Lior, for his work, there was something karmic - and very holy- about that moment. Shechinah works in mysterious ways.

Through more song and chant, we chanted Jewish music to permeate the room. A young woman from Montreal, Hali, a violinist, had joined us the night before. We invited her back for Shabbos morning and her haunting accompaniment supported our efforts. It was enchanting. We filled the hall with our old and new tunes, and then we read from the Torah- a spiritually fulfilling morning.

As our trip ended, I was reflecting on our experiences. Although the overt mission was to see and learn about Greece, its seems that Shechinah’s covert mission for us was to bear witness to what is happening at Eitz Hayyim synagogue, and to honor it and bless it. When Crete is filled with tourists during the summer, this small group of staff and interns host many tours, educational sessions, interfaith memorial services keeping the Jewish community story alive, and of course, Shabbat services. They are in the midst of a fundraising campaign to save their library in the building next door. Although they have rented it for 15 years, the owner wants to turn it in to an Airbnb. They are trying desperately to raise the funds to buy the building. So, if you feel moved by this amazing story, consider doing a part to keep this one small community, so representative of many of the dwindling Jewish havens in the world, very much alive.

Here are the links about the synagogue and fundraising campaign.

https://linktr.ee/etz_hayyim_hania

https://www.etz-hayyim-hania.org

Blessings,

Rabbi Geela Rayzel Raphael
w/help from Rabbi Susan Schein and Betsy Fogelman Tighe

*( For more information on this see my website: https://www.shechinah.com/ger-toshav.html)

** https://www.oysongs.com/products/sheetmusic.cfm?sheetmusic_id=14569&artist_id=271&#scorch
*****