About JTreks
JTreks is focused on helping Jewish people from all over the world have fantastic wilderness adventures. Many organizations and guides offer outdoor trips, but too often the group trips are not kosher or Shabbos observant. To work through the logistics to make these trips kosher and Shabbos observant is tedious and time consuming; and so wilderness experiences are often not available to frum Jewish men and women.
Torah Observance
All JTreks trips are fully Torah observant (see our founder Ari Gunzburg davening by the James river). Trips for men are all male, generally including guides (overnight trips are all male guides). Trips for women are all female, including all guides. Additionally, all foreseeable potential halachic sheilos, as well as halachic procedures, are discussed in detail before the trip with the Rov HaMachshir. Our Rov HaMachshir is a leading Rabbi in the Cleveland, Ohio frum community.
While we don’t necessarily follow every food chumra on every trip (like Cholov Yisroel, Pas Yisroel, Yoshon, etc), we want you to come on our trip; so we would follow your chumra on the trip that you attend (98% certainty – call with questions).
If you have any questions about any procedures, or about any accommodations needed for any food chumras that you follow, please contact us so we can discuss it.
Kashrus
All food, pots and pans are 100% kosher. We purchase foods and at times prepare them before the trip following all kosher dietary laws, using mainstream hechsherim. Please let us know of your food chumras; we will do everything we can to accommodate your needs. If food preparation is communal, all food on the trip will adhere to the strictest chumras present on the trip.
Shabbos
We keep Shabbos and maintain all observances typical for a frum jew. Some trips may spend Shabbos out in the backcountry. Some trips have a Shabbos away from home in a different community, to be close to the wilderness program either right after Shabbos, or to finish the program on Friday. Please refer to the course description for specific details about Shabbos.
JTreks Founder
Ari Gunzburg started JTreks in 2018 to help frum jewish men (and eventually women) have access to educational wilderness expeditions. When Ari was in his teens, he experienced a life-changing sailing and rock climbing trip in Maine. Now Ari desires to make this type of educational experience available to others.
Wilderness First Responder (WFR)
Ari Gunzburg received his Wilderness First Responder certification in January of 2019. This certification is focused on giving people the tools to assess and treat medical issues in the wilderness. Sometimes the best treatment is immediate and urgent evacuation. When out in the wilderness, having a WFR on the trip is an additional safeguard to help everyone on the trip stay as safe as possible.
Educational Experience
Every JTreks trip is an educational experience. This type of education is called experiential education; the very fact of being a part of the experience is a large part of the learning process. However, specific additional skills are also facilitated, to help every team member on our trips gain something tremendous from the experience.
Educational Experience
Most adult trips are focused on leadership skills, team building skills, as well as self awareness skills and relaxation skills. These adult trips also teach additional skills that are a good asset to bring back to the office or to the boardroom upon your return. Please refer to the specific course for a more detailed description of the skills involved.
Teenage Wilderness Trips
Most youth trips are mainly focused on self awareness skills, as well as self confidence, leadership and team building skills. Many teenagers and young adults nowadays do not know what it means to be detached from technology, social media, cell phones and more. With so many distractions, it is hard to understand yourself and what you are all about. These trips aim to help bridge this gap.