Rev. Thomas D. Weise, Pastor | Phoenix City, Alabama.
The trip was well planned and we were met at the airports by our representative in Greece and Egypt. Upon our arrival at the border, we were met by our guide and driver. The guide was excellent and so was the driver.
It was a pleasure to meet the persons to whom I had talked with for months. Thanks for your time and special efforts which helped make our tour so special.
Rev. James E. Laymond, Sr | Mt. Moriah Missionary Baptist Church.
Mark N. Goldman, Rabbi | Cincinnati, OH.
I particularly would like to single out Mr. Silvio Blau - our tour guide in Israel. In all my travels I have never encountered a better guide. He was knowledgeable, patient, tactful, polite, respectful...and all these in the superlative. He was superb!
Reverend Monsignor Octavio Cisneros | Douglaston, NY.
David Dinour,
President aviatours
54a Guy Lombardo Ave.
Freeport NY 11520 USA
March 3, 2006
I can hardly believe that it is two months since returning from our congregational trip to Israel. This letter of thanks is far overdue, yet I have thought about the trip nearly every day since our return.
All of the logistics handled through aviatours worked wonderfully. If you remember, when we first began planning the trip I had very specific ideas of how I wanted this trip to be different from the “typical” tourist trip. I had several social justice organizations in Israel that I wanted my congregants and fellow travelers to experience in order to gain a wider understanding of real, non-political issues in modern Israeli life. I asked you to design a different type of trip with me, and each moment of our ten days simply got better and better.
Our trip was budget-conscious yet you wouldn’t have known it from the hotels, meals, and experiences we had. With travelers ranging from families with children to retirees we needed a flexible schedule that allowed people to go to sleep at a reasonable hour and not wake up too early. I can hardly believe how much we did with these constraints, and how powerful the trip was for our participants.
During the trip I found that our guide, Ronit Nachman, responded to all of our varied needs and interests with both professional efficiency and personal attention. Our driver, Yaron, was perhaps one of the kindest, most considerate people I have ever met. And he was an excellent driver with whom we all felt safe and confident.
Most of our travelers were experienced international tourists. I heard many comments from my congregants about how impressed they were with the fact that our trip went off without a hitch. Like any trip, we had a few small inconveniences, and when we did, Ronit was our advocate and leader in making sure that everything was handled quickly and smoothly. I suppose it is easy to take for granted that kind of attention and success. When things go smoothly it is sometimes too simple to forget how miserable it can be when there are problems. But we had none of that – all of the technical logistics worked out beautifully so that the rest of the trip could fall smoothly in line.
In short, thank you and your aviatours team for your assistance in making our congregational trip to Israel a memorable, moving, and uplifting pilgrimage.
With warm regards,
Rabbi Vered L. Harris | Temple Beth Torah, Kansas.
Hi David!
I heard wonderful things back from a few folks who were on the trip. As soon as I hear more, I will gather the comments, good and bad (so far no bad!) and send them to you so you can have some feedback on your end. Of course I have suggestions. Ha ha!
But just a note, as expected, I heard great things about the guide Renuit. (spelling?) People love her! And apparently her family as well. : -) She is a treasure. If I go to Israel, I want her to be my guide!
Christy
Jewish War Veterans
1811 R Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009