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With Israel turning 60 next year, the S.F.-based Jewish Community Federation wanted to send something more meaningful than flowers, greeting cards and a box of chocolates.

So the federation’s Business Leadership Council has launched the Israel@60 Mission, a nine-day sojourn that covers the country geographically, culturally and economically. Running from April 30 to May 9, the trip also spans three important Israeli holidays: Yom HaShoah, Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut.

Organizers say there hasn’t been a federation trip to Israel quite like this one.

“So often when we go to Israel, it’s about what we can donate money to,” said Bobby Lent, a prominent Silicon Valley businessman, federation activist and co-chair of Israel@60. “We wondered, what if this was about a whole different type of involvement?”

While the central focus of the mission is Israel’s economy, particularly its thriving venture capital and start-up opportunities, organizers have planned five separate tracks: history and archeology; arts and culture; high tech; biotech; and real estate.

“One has to go see what the environment is like,” said Lent, who will lead the high tech track. “When you see the kind of creative folks Israel has, and that they really want to learn, it makes it easy to say, ‘OK, I’m going to do this. Maybe a couple of times a year, I’ll go to Israel.'”

Lent’s track will meet with Israeli venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, and tour Israeli businesses, including Intel’s gleaming new Pentium chip factory in Kiryat Gat.

“Part of it is finding out what’s going on in Israel and how exciting it is,” he said. “Israel is behind only the United States in companies on the NASDAQ. It’s one of the most productive entrepreneurial countries in the world. The intellectual horsepower there is amazing.”

Israel@60 is being planned with the Consulate General of Israel, Lehrhaus Judaica, the California-Israel Chamber of Commerce, the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce and the Israel Venture Network.

The Lehrhaus Judaica connection comes into play on the history and archeology track, co-led by Lehrhaus Executive Director Jehon Grist. This marks the first time the East Bay Jewish adult school has helped plan the itinerary of a federation Israel mission.

“We develop courses that chronicle ancient and modern Israeli history,” Grist said. “But this time we wanted to connect the two, to show an unbroken continuum, that traits of ancient Israel live in modern Israel now. What we tried to do for our track is combine ancient and modern sites.”

In addition to must-see stops at Israeli museums and Jerusalem’s Old City, Grist’s track will visit Katrin. This Golan town is the site of the Talmudic-era village that produced the Jerusalem Talmud. Much of old Katrin has been restored, including the black basalt synagogue.

“The Jewish presence in Golan goes back thousands of years,” Grist said. “The modern component is Katrin has become world famous as center of some of Israel’s best wine production.”

While Grist’s track samples wines, Vavi Toran will raise the curtain on Israel’s thriving arts scene.

A native of Tel Aviv and Bay Area resident, Toran will lead the arts and culture track. A longtime senior staffer with the Israel Center, she is now a freelance local consultant on the Israeli arts scene, a scene she touts at every opportunity.

“There are unbelievable numbers of theater, literature and film festivals,” Toran said. “For the size of the country, it’s amazing. We want the participants to experience this once they get there.”

Toran’s itinerary includes leading Israeli art museums and galleries, a regional theater in Kiryat Shimona, an architectural walking tour of Tel Aviv, a photography safari in the Galilee, and a visit to the famous Bezalel school of arts and crafts in Jerusalem.

Registration for Israel@60 closes Jan. 15, 2008. The tab, including airfare, averages around $4,490 (with an additional $500 for registration after Dec. 13). The mission can take up to 120 travelers.

Lent can’t wait to show participants the vibrant Israel he knows. The trip, he says, will “create a new collection of people who will become involved with companies and opportunities in Israel. We hope to build relationships between people, the strongest kind you can have.”

For more information on Israel@60, call (415) 512-6437 or visit www.sfjcf.org.