ARZA World people.
Steering the way.
It’s all about our people. Our team not only has years of experience crafting trips for Reform individuals and groups but identify with the values of the Reform movement.
ARZA World People
The faces of ARZA World. We love what we do.
The heart of our company. The people.
Our team is made up of highly trained experts, educators, and professional staff who all share a love for telling the Jewish story through trips to Israel and worldwide. In addition to being experts in their fields, our staff are deeply passionate about knowledge in general and all have one goal in mind: to ensure that each journey is both profound and pleasurable.
Ya'acov Fried
President
From the beginning. Our story.
Ya’acov Fried had a clear agenda when he founded Da’at in 1991 – to create a pluralistic educational travel company that provides journeys to the Jewish world. The underlying belief was that Judaism is about nurturing peoplehood rather than religion, and the goal was to offer open-minded Jewish travel experiences designed for the Reform and Conservative world in the US.
The idea of ARZA World was conceived when Barry Shrage, long-time Boston Federation president, and Uri Regev, then-executive director of (IRAC), the political arm of the Reform movement in Israel, approached us to facilitate ARZA (American Reform Zionist Association) in their mission to foster Israel engagement within the Reform community. ARZA recognized and appreciated our expertise in the travel industry combined with our shared values, and so a partnership was born between Da’at and ARZA which led to the creation of ARZA World, the travel arm of the Reform movement.
ARZA World went from bringing 450 Reform leading rabbis to Israel in the first year to creating programs over the years for thousands of trips for Reform congregations, families, and individuals. We have since expanded our mission – rooted in the same values – to share the Jewish story wherever it takes place. We now provide Jewish journeys to 24 – and counting – countries all over the world. Wherever there are Jews, there is a story.
ARZA World people.
Rabbinic liaison.
Win win.
What made us create the position of a rabbinic liaison? Two reasons. We wanted an in-house Reform rabbi on staff with experience leading congregational trips, who could guide us as we craft programs for Reform travelers. It was also important to us that our rabbinic liaison would be there to advise and support our Reform rabbis and families as they work together to articulate – and implement – their vision for the trip.
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Our experts. On the ground.
Our expert tour educators, who are knowledgeable, engaging, and fun, are out on the road at every opportunity so their insights and expertise are always up-to-date and eye-opening. They will bring the place to life through their personal stories and life experiences so you can get a raw and authentic feel of the country you are visiting.
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Our scholars. Experts in their fields.
Your trip will be enriched and transformed by having a scholar join you on your journey. Not only will you have access to areas that are ordinarily off-limits to independent travelers, but you will enjoy your scholar’s unique perspective and expertise in their field that will give you a completely different view of the place you’re visiting.
Start planning. Let’s connect.
Whether you have a journey in mind, want to join a featured trip, or simply want to explore, drop us a note or give us a call.
We look forward to connecting.
