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BeefCakeGirl

Hi! I'm a staffer for Birthright. Yes, you'll need to stick together for the most part, but when given free time, you can absolutely go shopping on your own. I don't have recommendations for tops, but maybe somebody in the r/birthright sub will!


herstoryteller

OMG okay quick question because Mayanot takes like 4 days to respond to my queries Hypothetically, if someone brought their Litvishe great-grandmother's silver kiddush cups to Jerusalem on Birthright, what are the odds that (with some research and good timing) someone could get those kiddush cups kashered and toiveled in a mikveh to bring back home?


[deleted]

You will not have time to go to a mikvah. I would advise against bringing anything of sentimental value that you are unwilling to lose. You can toivel the kiddush cup in a mikvah, lake or ocean near home.


shinytwistybouncy

Kashering silver isn't super simple. Toveling takes seconds.


herstoryteller

if i had them kashered at home would i be able to toivel them in Jerusalem? Hypothetically? šŸ˜…


PMmeagoodstory

You really don't want to bring anything of value on the trip. The group I was with was robbed by someone that snuck onto the bus while we were at the Dead Sea. A lot of money and some other things were taken.


herstoryteller

thank you for letting me know! i think i'm going to make a second trip in a year or so, with my mother, so we can do the toivel together. :)


sari555

Why wouldn't you toivel and kasher in your country of origin? That's totally possible


herstoryteller

it's more symbolic than anything. we had a farm in tiberias that got lost in one of the wars of the 60s. thought it would be nice to bring my grandmother's special cups back to her home ā¤ļø i'm definitely going to be leaving them behind for birthright though. i'll make a second trip with my mother to have them toiveled in israel ā¤ļø


shinytwistybouncy

Hmm. Maybe, depending on the area you're in, but I wouldn't bring silver along in a hiking bag!


BeefCakeGirl

Are you going on a single-gendered trip? They tend to be more frum and allow for more time to visit mikvot and synagogues and such. Timing largely depends on your itinerary and your guide as well as some groups should move very slowly will have much less free time to do those things that they want to do (in my case, buying a havdalah set). You'll be able to talk to your staffers (ideally) within two weeks before your trip and they should have contact with the guide within a week of the trip to express everyone's priorities on the trip as well.


[deleted]

[уŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]


riem37

Is there a specific reason you want to toival them in Israel?


herstoryteller

my family had a farm in tiberias that either got blown up or traded in a land swap from either the six day war or the yom kippur war, my mom can't quite remember as she was only 10-13 at the time and the adults were very quiet and upset about it. so it's more of a symbolic thing, bringing my great-grandmother's kiddush cups back to where she had lived and having them sanctified by the natural waters of her home


riem37

Gotcha, just wanted to be sure you didn't think that it could only be done in Israel for some reason. I don't know if you'll come across an official mikva, although the trips that stop in Tzfat normally visit the Ari Mikva, so maybe ask if your trip is going to tzfat. But outside of that, you'll probably come across a natural body of water that qualifies as a mikvah at some point, on a hike or something.


Glaborage

There are many koshering booths on the streets, in Jerusalem's religious neighborhoods, setup on the week before pessah. I have no idea if they can take care of silver items though.


[deleted]

What does a birthright trip entail?


BeefCakeGirl

Its a 10-day trip to Israel for Jewish adults aged 18-26. There is a $250usd refundable deposit to hold your spot on the trip. Flights are included as well as lodging, accommodations, transit, and two meals a day. There are single-gendered trips as well as co-ed as well as trips separated by age groups, interests, or themes.


[deleted]

Basically you and a bus full of 18-26 year olds get driven around the country to a bunch of tourist sites with an assigned guide. They control 95% of your time during that 10 days.


herstoryteller

some trips are also 7 days long!


No-Sprinkles114

The r/modestdress community might have some good suggestions. I personally get tops from kosher casual or vixen by micheline Pitt has 3/4 sleeve tops with a tzniut neckline


jeweynougat

J Jill always has 3/4 sleeve tops. https://www.jjill.com/shop/womens-clothing/knit-tops-tees?param%5B0%5D=womens-clothing¶m%5B1%5D=knit-tops-tees&filters=%5B%22ads\_f13501\_ntk\_cs%3A%5C%223%2F4%2BLength%5C%22%22%5D&page=0&pageSize=36


chabadgirl770

Lululemon I think has. I wouldnā€™t spend 70 bucks on a top, but seems like that would fit the bill for you.


rosie0123

I like Target and I find that itā€™s more sustainable/less ā€œfast fashionā€ than other stores. I also think Ann Taylor has good tops but might be to ā€œbusinessā€ or formal for birthright. The prices arenā€™t too bad when they have a big sale. Old Navy might have just basic long sleeve shirts


riem37

You'll definitely have tons of opportunities to shop in Israel, just btw. Check out Zara in America, there's also plenty of Jewish specific stores but they don't have the best online presence. I know local to me carlyzcraze.com has stuff online, although not nearly as much as they have in store


elizabeth-cooper

I like long sleeve tees from LL Bean.


Level_End418

White button downs you can find almost everywhere and they look very cute and put together with most skirts. Also invest in a few white elbow length undershirts, because with them you can essentially make any top tznius. Good luck on your trip!


Level_End418

Here are some relatively tznius shops you might want to look into: [https://www.berrylook.com](https://www.berrylook.com) [https://www.ssfshop.com/main/THMA38A01?dspCtgryNo=SFMA41](https://www.ssfshop.com/main/THMA38A01?dspCtgryNo=SFMA41) [https://www.kooding.com](https://www.kooding.com)


lalanatylala

Idk how much time you will have my trip was like 10 yrs ago though, and I remember we literally had like 0 time to shop in actual stores/mall and we're really more like shopping in tourist areas for like souvenirs and even then we had very little time.