Colel Chabad Packing Tikun Olam into Israel Tourisim
“Tikkun Olam Tourism” introduced at Jerusalem International Tourism Summit with hands-on debut of Colel Chabad’s Pantry Packers
The 800 travel professionals, purveyors and politicians who attended Israel’s second Jerusalem International Tourism Summit came to listen, learn, teach and trade. After all this is what the Summit was all about. And why it attracted such travel industry VIP’s as Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, Korean Tourism President Charm Lee, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, of course, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barakat.
As one would expect at such an event, there was no shortage of display booths promoting various and sundry tourism-related products and services. But one of these booths stood out from all the rest. Indeed had there been an award for most innovative idea, this booth would have won first prize – namely a booth announcing “We pack Tikun Olam, into Tourism”. This unique booth belonged to Pantry Packers, a division of Colel Chabad which offers visitors to Israel an unforgettable 90 minute opportunity to help provide food for the thousands of needy families that Colel Chabad sustains throughout Israel.
The booth itself was a condensed version of the Pantry Packers facility in Jerusalem, and allowed delegates to the Summit to experience for themselves the thrill of packing basic foods such as rice, beans and other dried cooking staples which are then added to food baskets that fill the pantries of Israel’s neediest.
According to Pantry Packers’ director Rabbi Menachem Traxler, “The interest level in our operation was intense and we succeeded in grabbing the attention of hundreds of delegates who were mesmerized by the whole idea of ‘Tikkun Olam Tourism’. That’s because visiting Israel is meant to be an elevating experience, and few things elevate a visitor more than the chance to do something truly good and that can be shared by the entire family.”
Among the notables who came by to get acquainted and fill bags of rice were Korean Tourism President Charm Lee, Elhanan Dvir of Kenes Tours – one of the leading Israeli tour operators, Simi Mor and Yaakov Halprin of the Jerusalem City Council, Israel Tourism Minister Dr. Uzi Landau.
“The proof of the pudding is in the eating”, says Traxler. “For us the real measure of our success is whether it yields any increase in traffic at the Pantry Packers plant in Jerusalem. Thank G-d, the answer is a resounding ‘yes’, as new reservations keep coming in as a result of our presence at the Summit.”
Tour leaders and packagers as well as families visiting Israel are invited to contact Pantry Packers to find to how they can pack Tikkun Olam into their next trip to Israel. All they have to do is call 02-626-0035 or write to info@pantrypackers.org.
