Masa'ot ("journeys")
Immersive travel experiences with our Summit consortium that expand our teens’ horizons in many ways — socially, in creating interpersonal bonds through experiential learning; and in humanity, through our site-specific social justice-themed trips.
Gr 8-10: TIVNU (Portland, OR)
February 12-16, 2026
Open to all Temple Sinai and Ohr Shalom Members in 8th-10th Grade
This year's tikkun olam trip for 8th-10th Grade students focuses on housing and food insecurity. In partnership with TIVNU, an Oregon-based non-profit organization, students will spend three days working together to help build tiny homes and contribute to urban farming for marginalized populations of Portland. This experience is packed with learning connected to Jewish ethics, social responsibility, and tikkun olam, while also making time for fun experiences unique to the Portland area!
To learn more about the TIVNU Portland experience, click here.
Please note: The winter ANAFIM trimester for 8th-9th grade will be focused on content related to the trip, so we highly encourage signing up for both!
Gr 11-12: Jewish Philadelphia
Dec 12-14, 2025
This year's weekend trip for 11th- and 12th-graders will be in Philadelphia, where we will explore Jewish life in the city past and present, enjoy delicious food and cultural offerings, and experience Shabbat at a local university. It will be a relaxed and fun weekend (with no school missed)!
Past travel offerings:
Gr 8-9 Civil Rights Journey (Alabama & Georgia)
Feb 14-17, 2025; Nov 3-6, 2022
On this trip, teens spend four days learning about the American Civil Rights Movement — and why it is important to us as Jews — meeting individuals who witnessed pivotal events, and visiting historical sites and museums. They will meet with leaders and activists who worked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as well as individuals who participated in the march from Selma to Montgomery. These are primary sources. Through this immersive experience, the teens are empowered and inspired to get involved by learning about their power to make a difference. We will learn about Jewish involvement in the Movement and how our tradition compels us to engage with civil rights. Sites our teens will visit include the Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration, and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, in order to understand that civil rights is not an issue that only affected a specific group of people in the 1950s and 60s, but is an ongoing issue today.
Gr 10 L'Taken Seminar (Washington, D.C.)
2023, 2024, 2025
Temple Sinai’s 10th graders will join hundreds of teens from Reform synagogues around the country for a social justice seminar in Washington, DC. In partnership with the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (“the RAC”), our teens will have the opportunity to learn about social justice issues from a Reform Jewish perspective and then advocate for these issues on Capitol Hill. The program is designed to both expose them to a variety of public policy issues and explore the Jewish values that inform the Reform Movement’s advocacy around these issues. We will also visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, www.ushmm.org, the Smithsonian National Mall and celebrate Havdalah at the Jefferson Memorial.
See a video of the L'Taken weekend here
Learn more about the RAC and L’Taken here
and see a sample itinerary for the trip here.
Gr 8-9 Tzedek America Immigration Justice trip (Arizona)
February 16-19, 2024
Immigration Justice Trip to the Arizona-Mexico Border
Open to all Temple Sinai, Ohr Shalom, and Beth Hatikvah Members in 8th and 9th Grade
This year’s 8th- and 9th-grade students are invited to travel with us to Arizona, where they will learn about immigration justice firsthand. Run by the team at Tzedek America, experts at Social Justice-themed trips, students will talk to and learn from individuals who have experienced all aspects of the immigration process, from DACA recipients to a retired ICE officer. They also visit the town of Nogales, and go on a hike in that region to leave water for refugees who are crossing the border. Over the course of the weekend, students will celebrate Shabbat, observe Havdalah, and have plenty of time to have fun and decompress with social activities such as an arcade visit and laser tag.
Learn more about Tzedek America's Immigration Justice trip here.
For a list of Frequently Asked Questions, click here.