While most of the members remained clothed, or largely so, Representative Kevin Yoder of Kansas decided to disrobe entirely, as reported first by Politico on Sunday. This sent most of the members fleeing for the shore, said a participant, and prompted a harsh rebuke the next day from Representative Eric Cantor, the House majority leader, who was on the trip but did not swim in the sea.

More than 80 members of the House went on the trip, which was arranged by Mr. Cantor, as guests of the American Israel Education Foundation, a charity affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group. It was believed to be the largest number of members of Congress to make the trip during a single recess, according to the organizers at the time. Mr. Cantor’s comments were made to the entire traveling group, said one person there, saying that members should not detract from the trip’s mission.

While swimming in that sea is inoffensive to Israelis — indeed, there is an annual race in that body of water — Mr. Yoder’s nudity, as well as possible over-imbibing by some members that evening at the restaurant near the beach where they swam, angered Mr. Cantor, who believed it distracted from their foreign policy mission.

“Twelve months ago,” said Douglas Heye, a spokesman for Mr. Cantor, “the congressman dealt with this immediately and effectively to ensure such activities would not take place in the future.”

House Speaker John A. Boehner, who has struggled for two years to keep some House freshmen in line, appeared to concur. Kevin Smith, a spokesman for Mr. Boehner, said, “The majority leader handled the situation swiftly and appropriately.”