With the Jewish New Year soon to arrive, EL AL is preparing for this holiday season by offering traditional desserts which symbolize a sweet new year.  More than 550 pounds of honey cake is served to passengers travelling on EL AL from the USA in all classes of service as well as to premium class passengers in the King David Lounges.  Also offered in the lounges is another symbolic holiday snack, apples and honey. Over 330 pounds of sliced apples and 170 pounds of honey will be consumed!

In celebration of the Rosh Hashana holiday Chef Steven Weintraub, Executive Chef of Borenstein Caterers, provided a special recipe for signature holiday sweets.

HOLIDAY HONEY CAKE RECIPE:

1 cup of honey

½ cup of sugar

4 whole eggs

1 cup of coffee, black and room temperature

¾ cup of vegetable oil

1 fresh orange, grated fine (include juice pulp and skin)

4 – 4 ½ cups of flour (adjust flour amount to ensure mixture is moderately loose)

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1 teaspoon of baking soda

A pinch of salt (1/8 tsp)

1 cup of raisins

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix honey, sugar, eggs, coffee, oil and orange thoroughly.  In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Slowly add dry mixture into liquid mixture.  Blend well.  Fold in raisins.  Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 greased baking pan or into a 36 muffin tin.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1 hour.  After 45 minutes of cooking, check periodically.  Let cool on a wire rack.

Tune in next week for another great High Holiday recipe!

-E.C.

Today’s guest blogger is Michael Miller, Executive Vice President and CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York.

Well, it’s Thursday, and on Saturday night I’ll be boarding EL AL #008 for a trip to Israel. But this is not just any trip. As the long time Executive VP & CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (www.jcrcny.org), I have been fortunate to have had many opportunities to travel to Israel. Among the most exciting voyages have been as the leader on JCRC-NY’s terrific Missions to Israel, which only fly EL AL.

Over the past two decades, in close collaboration with the UJA-Federation of New York, JCRC-NY has brought to Israel well over 600 elected and appointed public officials, ethnic, business and religious leaders, human services agency professionals, union representatives and journalists. Last summer we had the pleasure of having former NY Knick All Star Allan Houston and his wife travel with us. Allan got about as much attention as a rock star!

In just a few days, getting on the EL AL plane as part of the JCRC-NY delegation will be Congresswoman Yvette Clarke from Brooklyn and New York City Comptroller John Liu, as well as a dozen other New York influentials. Among our participants will be the executive of a non-profit organization serving the Haitian population in New York, the Senior Vice President for Diversity of News Corporation, the Associate Pastor of Canaan Baptist Church in Harlem, the President of the Association of Hispanic Mental Health Professionals, the President of the Korean American Association of Greater New York, and the President of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, among others.

During the course of their one week stay, our objective is to have Mission participants experience Israel first hand.  The delegation will be meeting with such governmental and NGO officials as Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, Sderot Mayor David Buskila, Efrat Mayor Oded Ravivi, Gush Etzion Mayor Shaul Goldstein, and Jewish Agency for Israel Chairman Natan Sharansky.

The group will visit an IDF base on the Gaza border, climb Mt. Bental on the Golan Heights overlooking Syria and Lebanon, drive down to the Dead Sea and ascend Massada, take a test drive in an electric vehicle at Better Place, meet at Shaarei Zedek Medical Center with the IDF team sent to Haiti after the earthquake, attend an iftar in Jaffa, a kosher lunch in a Druze village, visit Christian holy sites, and experience Shabbat services at the Kotel (Western Wall), as well as much, much more.

By the time our delegation gets on EL AL #001 for a smooth flight back to JFK International Airport, we anticipate that they, like preceding Mission participants, will bring back to their constituents, colleagues, family and friends a message of solidarity with the people of Israel as they seek peace, security and a brighter future.

Tourism to Israel is HOT!  Take a look at the data provided by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics here.  Visitor traffic is up over 21% in 2010 over the previous period last year. In the first half of 2010 about 1.6 million tourists visited Israel, a new record, according to the Israel Ministry of Tourism.

Here is an article that underscores the growing popularity of Israel. As is pointed out the popularity is widespread – from Russia to Brazil.  Interestingly, the new EL AL route to Sao Paulo, Brazil is mentioned as a key component for the growth in Brazilian visitors.

-E.C.

Congratulations JILLIAN FINKELSTEIN! With the funniest joke on our exclusive-to-Facebook contest, Jillian won herself 2 free tickets to Israel on EL AL. Here is her joke:

NASA had sent many shuttles into space and made an attempt to include passengers of all races and creeds. They realized that they had excluded the clergy, so they invited a priest, a rabbi and a minister to orbit the earth.

Upon their return, crowds formed to hear their impressions. First the priest emerged, beaming and full of joy. He said, “It was amazing, I saw the sun rise and set, I saw the seas. It was beautiful.” Then the minister came out, also happy and seemingly at peace. He said, “I saw the magnificent earth and the majestic sun. I’m truly in awe.”

Then the rabbi appeared. He was completely disheveled, his beard tangled flowing in every direction, his kippah was frayed, his tallit was wrinkled. They asked, “Rabbi, did you enjoy the flight?” He threw his hands up in the air and replied, “ENJOY??? What was to enjoy?? Every five minutes the sun was rising and setting! On with the tefillin, off with tefillin, shachris, mincha, ma’ariv, shacris, mincha, ma’ariv!… GEVALT!!!!”

Mazal tov Jillian!

-E.C.

A brand new interline agreement between EL AL and JetBlue Airways will offer numerous benefits for passengers traveling to Israel. EL AL CEO/President Elyezer Shkedy met in Israel last week with CEO/President of JetBlue, David Barger, to sign the first-ever agreement between the two airlines.

Beginning October 1st, EL AL passengers can buy tickets for departures from all JetBlue destinations throughout the USA, Latin America and the Caribbean to connect to an EL AL nonstop flight to Israel (via New York’s JFK International Airport). Customers who take advantage of this new agreement can enjoy the convenience of purchasing a single e-ticket as well as save money.

Plus, when checking in on the day of travel, passengers receive one boarding pass for smooth connections throughout their travel, and can check their luggage through to their final destination. EL AL passengers are entitled to check-in two bags per person when traveling in the economy class, and three bags for person when traveling in our business and first classes. The same luggage is allowed on the connecting JetBlue flights for no extra charge.

Combined EL AL/JetBlue tickets to Israel can be easily purchased on the EL AL website.

-E.C.

Eilat’s warm nights and Red Sea landscape offer an ideal backdrop for the 24th annual Red Sea Jazz Festival taking place August 23-26. The festival’s 43 concerts draw tens of thousands of visitors for four days of music and culture at the Port of Eilat. See jazz greats from Israel and around the world, including Rickie Lee Jones, Gary Burton, Stefon Harris, Danilo Perez, Berry Sacharov and many more.

The festival introduces to the public the broadest possible musical spectrum, from New Orleans jazz to contemporary jazz, as well as Latin and World music. The festival is also active in jazz education throughout Israel, promoting original jazz compositions and youth jazz bands.

It is extremely easy to get to Eilat with EL AL’s new 17 weekly roundtrip flights from Ben Gurion Airport. And you can get a special $40 roundtrip fare when flying from the USA to Israel. Travel to Eilat this month for the Red Sea Jazz Festival and while you’re there, why not enjoy its deep-blue waters, tropical reefs and endless attractions? This summer destination is awaiting you.

-E.C.

MK Tzipi Livni, the current Israeli Opposition Leader as well as leader of Kadima, gave the welcoming speech at the Nefesh B’Nefesh arrival ceremony for new Olim in Israel. EL AL chartered flights throughout the summer for those making Aliyah to Israel through Nefesh B’Nefesh.

An astounding 3,000 people made Aliyah this summer!

-E.C.

EL AL has a rich history of providing humanitarian assistance during times of need – and this month is no exception. Sounlove Zamour is a double amputee victim of the horrific earthquake that took place in Haiti this past January. EL AL recently hosted 19 year old student Sounlove on a flight from New York to Israel to continue with the next stage of her recovery process.

Sounlove is being treated at the premiere high-tech rehabilitation center of the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer Hospital.  The plan is to fit Sounlove with prosthetics and have her walk again, which has been done with many previous patients.  Her sister Baranatha (pictured standing) is with Sounlove in Israel for the four month long stay.

After the earthquake in Haiti, two EL AL aircraft carried more than 80 tons of supplies, dozens of medical personnel, search and rescue teams as well as a canine rescue squad from Israel to assist with the countrywide relief efforts.

-E.C.

With an historical and heartwarming father/son connection, we launched our newest EL AL route between Tel Aviv and the popular beach resort of Eilat this week, located on the Red Sea in southern Israel. General Avraham Adan, who was made famous in the 1949 photograph when the Israeli flag was raised in Umm Rashrash (now known as Eilat) was invited to join the maiden flight as his son, Omer is now an EL AL pilot who will be flying between these two cities.

EL AL President and CEO Elyezer Shkedy personally invited General Adan to join him on this inaugural flight.

Shkedy also hosted the Minister of Transportation, Israel Katz, as well as several other guests of honor from the Israeli tourism, aviation and transportation industries.

You can get a special roundtrip fare of $40 from Ben Gurion Airport to Eilat when you buy a roundtrip EL AL flight from the USA to Israel. We’re operating 3 daily roundtrip flights between Eilat and Tel Aviv every Sunday through Thursday, plus one on Friday morning and one on Saturday night after Shabbat.

-E.C.

After flying on EL AL from Los Angeles to Tel Aviv last week, NBA New York Knicks player Amar’e Stoudemire spent several days traveling throughout Israel after discovering his Jewish roots. While in Jerusalem, he tweeted “ze ha’halom sheli,” or in English “this is my dream.” In an interview that was held by the Israeli Sports Channel during his visit, Stoudemire talks about the cities he traveled to, the history he learned about first-hand, and experiencing the Israeli culture.

-E.C.