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Dr. Oz and Rabbi Shmuley Heading To Israel

Adelsons sending America’s Doctor and America’s Rabbi to the Holy Land

by
Stephanie Butnick
July 10, 2013
Dr. Mehmet Oz and his wife Lisa attend the Time 100 Gala celebrating the Time 100 issue of the Most Influential People In The World at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 24, 2012 in New York.(TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)
Dr. Mehmet Oz and his wife Lisa attend the Time 100 Gala celebrating the Time 100 issue of the Most Influential People In The World at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 24, 2012 in New York.(TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images)

In what sounds like a reality show I’d actually watch, Dr. Mehmet Oz, cardiothoracic surgeon and daytime television staple, is joining Rabbi Shmuley Boteach on a 10-day tour of Israel. The camera-ready pair, along with their families, head to the Holy Land on July 25 on a trip sponsored by Sheldon and Miriam Adelson.

On the itinerary so far are visits to the Western Wall, Masada, the Dead Sea, the Dome of the Rock, and the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Oz, who was invited to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on July 29 (where they may or may not talk about bowel movements), expressed his excitement for the trip in a statement:

“I am delighted to travel to Israel, especially being accompanied by my wife Lisa and my four children and my son-in-law. Being of Turkish and of the Muslim faith, I have always appreciated the deep ties and friendship between the Turkish people and the Israeli people. Being an American I appreciate Israel’s friendship with the American people and my own close friendship with the American Jewish community. I am grateful to my dear friend Rabbi Shmuley for organizing this trip and equally grateful to Miriam and Sheldon Adelson for their unparalleled generosity in helping to facilitate this trip and making it possible.”

Oz and Boteach have known each other since their Oprah and Friends days—here they are talking about making Friday night ‘Family Night.’

I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to see Dr. Oz’s Instagram at the Dead Sea.

Stephanie Butnick is chief strategy officer of Tablet Magazine, co-founder of Tablet Studios, and a host of the Unorthodox podcast.