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In the current economy, it can be difficult for institutions to make financial decisions and to know what investments are the correct ones. In light of that, many synagogues are tightening their belts or making sure their investments are proverbially tried and true.

Such a trend highlights why Congregation Neve Shalom in Metuchen is all that much more unusual in its latest expenditure — it is heavily subsidizing a trip to Israel for more than 40 congregants who have never been there before.

The trip, led by Rabbi Gerald Zelizer leaves Aug. 20 and uses funds from its endowment from a merger with Congregation Adath Israel of Woodbridge earmarked for educational ventures, to pay $3,000 per person toward the cost of the trip. Each traveler contributes another $1,000.

"It's investing in our congregation," said Jonathan Hersch, who is on the committee charged with deciding how to spend the endowment. "In addition to the bonding people experience on the trip, people come back and become more involved in the congregation."

Hersch said he first floated the idea to the committee as a way to provide older Jews with a program similar to the Birthright program that sends college students to Israel. The program pays for the trip for college students who have never been to Israel as a way to connect marginally affiliated Jews to the larger Jewish community.

"It's so they can look at the trip and say, 'I can afford to go to Israel'," Hersch said. He talked about other returns on the congregation's investment. "We spend money on the congregant, but the money goes to a place where we want to spend money. Also people tend to come back and encourage others to visit.... There is a feeling that we are all one big family."

Sidney Krane of Colonia is one of the travelers. Years ago he signed up for another trip, but as a widower he only had one person for a two-person room. The single surplus charge made the trip cost-prohibitive. Now he'll be sharing a room with another congregant.

Years before that, Krane had talked to his wife about going to Israel but she had been afraid to make the trip. Now he's retired and said the trip would have been much more affordable while he was working. "I wouldn't have gone on my own," Krane said. "I wouldn't enjoy myself alone. Everyone who's going is really excited."

The 10-day trip returns Aug. 30 and will visit Jerusalem and other typical points of archeological and Jewish interest. The congregation also will visit a village in northern Israel and a Masorti synagogue there. The Masorti organization is the Israeli arm of the Conservative movement. Zelizer and the travelers also will present the synagogue with a sefer Torah. Through its mergers with Adath Israel and Congregation Ohev Shalom of Colonia, the synagogue came into ownership of more Torahs than it needs and is donating one to the Israeli congregation.

The temple selected the travelers from a lottery of everyone who applied to go, and had never been to Israel before, Zelizer said. The goal was to fill one tour bus.

"We had an over-supply of people who had never been to Israel," Zelizer said. "Now we have a waiting list. It sends a strong statement. Every Jew, in his lifetime, should try to visit Israel at least once. The opportunity and time to take such a trip is a window in a person's life. The windows open and close very quickly. We wanted to give people the opportunity to fly through that window."

Zelizer had personally taken two previous synagogue missions to Israel.

"One of my favorite activities is to show people the spiritual side of Israel," Zelizer said. "This trip is geared toward that."