Several months ago, I heard about an all-women volunteer trip to Israel through OU Birthright with a group from Baltimore. I immediately joined; I didn’t think about how my husband would handle eight days alone with the kids, putting it in the “future” category of problems. And before before I knew it, five months later, I was in line to board an El Al flight, surrounded by the women in my group. It was very hard for many of us to leave our families, but we comforted, consoled, and supported each other. This was my first experience with how wonderful this group of ladies was.

Day One

Our group of 29 women came mostly from Baltimore, but we also had members from New York, Memphis, New Jersey, Silver Spring, and even Australia! After arriving at 6:00 a.m., we headed to our hotel in Jerusalem. We had the day free until check-in at 3 p.m., so, I did what any normal person just arriving to Israel on a Thursday does: I headed to the shuk! Our hotel was in a great location, right next to the bus station and the light rail, so it made for easy travel and walking to popular destinations.

At our opening meeting, we got to know our wonderful madricha, Shoshana, and each other. We shared where we were from, some of our current life story, and the reason we wanted to go on the trip. Many women expressed how, after October 7^th, they felt powerless from afar and wanted to find a way to give to Israel. And give is what we did.

Chol Hamoed Sukkos is a special time in Baltimore: cooler weather (sometimes), beautiful colors, time to relax and have fun with family and friends. Baltimore is full of fun options, some near, some far, and there is something for every age!

Gaver Farm is one of the most popular Chol Hamoed activities in the Baltimore area. They run a super fun fall festival with slides, games, animals, swings, hayrides, pumpkin picking, corn mazes, and so much more. Gaver also sells delicious apple cider. You can buy it by the gallon or by the cup at their food stand. You’re guaranteed to feel like you’re in Pikesville with all the people from the community who go there. It’s about a 45-minute drive from Pikesville, in Mt. Airy.

Other fall farm fun can be found at Summers Farm in Middletown, MD, and Cherry Crest Adventure Farm in Lancaster, PA.

Turkey Hill Experience, in Columbia, PA, is about an hour away. While the unlimited ice cream (not chalav Yisrael) and juices (parve) are the big draw, there are lots of other activities to make it worthwhile. You can create your own ice cream on a computer, design a label for it, and then make a commercial for it! Learn about different types of tea before trying some right there! A playhouse and slide are fun for the littles. There are many more activities – and to make it even sweeter, CertifiKID has a deal for 30% off! See www.certifikid.com to purchase.

Local playgrounds make for a fun outing. I recommend Blandair Park, in Columbia, about 30 minutes away. There are different areas, which will please many ages, and there are paths for bikes and scooters. Restrooms and water fountains are available. There is plenty of seating and a shaded eating area. Some other recommended playgrounds are Annie’s Playground in Fallston, Angel Park in Perry Hall (next to a library for even more fun!), and playgrounds in the four areas of Centennial Park in Ellicott City.

If you are looking for a fun summer trip for your entire family, American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, NJ, might make a perfect choice. Located in northern New Jersey, close to New York City, this sprawling mall is full of kosher food, including some chain stores that have a kosher location! So, not only can you be entertained all day long with loads of activities but you don’t have to pack food! They have meal food and snack food, great for a variety of needs.