Day 1 – Departure for Israel The group will gather at a domestic airport for an initial orientation, and fly together to Israel.

Day 2 – Arrival into Israel Upon landing, you will be welcomed by your program staff with a brief snack and refreshments, and then board a bus to make your way north. Once there, you’ll get to know each other and your staff, and build the community that will support you through your journey.

Day 3 – Israeli Land & Borders The group will begin their first full day in Israel by exploring their physical environment, getting to know the land itself as context for upcoming meetings with the various people who inhabit it. They’ll start with the Jilaboon water hike, which ends with a beautiful waterfall and natural pools to swim in. After lunch, they’ll travel to Mount Bental in the Golan Heights, which overlooks Israel’s borders with both Syria and Lebanon. It’s a striking contrast to be in such a peaceful place, yet to visualize just how small the country is, and the real implications that these close borders have had on Israel’s history. From there, they’ll return to a Kibbutz to prepare for their first Shabbat in Israel.

Day 4 – Shabbat on a Kibbutz After a late wake up and breakfast, the group will spend Shabbat in true Israeli kibbutz style, by relaxing at the pool, meeting and engaging with their Israeli peers, and getting a feel for real communal living!

Day 5 – Broadening Coexistence The term “coexistence” in the context of Israel has come to imply peace between cultural groups; this morning, the group will explore how the term also applies to creating inclusive space for all people in the natural environment. They’ll spend time working with LOTEM, an organization that adjusts existing hiking trails to make them accessible to people with various physical impairments, as well as runs programs for at-risk youth, and women and children who have experienced abuse, to use nature as therapy. The group will then enjoy the hospitality of the minority Druze community as they welcome us to a delicious, authentic lunch. We will have a chance to learn about their faith, customs, and space in Israeli society.

Day 6 – Jewish Identity in Israel In the morning, the group will head to Tzfat, where they’ll learn about the roots of Jewish mysticism and enjoy the renowned galleries and shopping that the city offers. Travel to this mystical city, learning about the birth of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, and the incredible customs, traditions, and artwork that lives here. The group will then meet members from Ma’alot, a unique community in the north of Israel. We will learn about their Jewish journeys, and take a deeper look at our own Jewish identity. The group will also have a chance to volunteer in their community garden, and take part in a community art project.

Day 7 – Young Refugees In the morning, the group will work with Yemin Orde Youth Village, a community of at-risk refugee and immigrant youth from around the world, providing them with therapeutic care and academic support. In the afternoon, they’ll continue the coexistence theme by visiting the beautiful Bahai Gardens, and touring Wadi Nisnas, an Arab community that uses art as the foundation for partnership with their Jewish neighbors.

Day 8 – Welcoming the Stranger Today the group will visit the Western Galilee Hospital, which treats Syrian refugees, and begin to build an understanding of the stories of the different groups that make up Israeli society, and the political complexities of the ways that each are welcomed and treated. We will then travel volunteer at a preschool teaching English to the Arab students. To close out the day, we make our journey to Jerusalem for an opening ceremony. This quick mentality shift, going from Tzfat to a hospital to a preschool, is typical of the Israeli life, to find and appreciate beauty and peace, and simultaneously be seeking support for those in such close proximity that are suffering.

Day 9 – The Reform Movement in Israel The group begins the day at Hebrew Union College meeting with rabbis from the Reform movement in Israel, and taking a tour of the beautiful building as we explore together the idea of a progressive, pluralistic Jewish society. We will then spend time at the Israeli Religious Action Center (IRAC), the social justice arm of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) before meeting with organization leaders of Women of the Wall, a  powerful and famous organization that has been at the forefront of gender equality, and the rights of women at the Kotel. They will finish the day taking a tour of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem to learn about the incredible and complicated history of the city. Together we visit the Western Wall, with the chance to write down a personal prayer, and then head to Ezrat Yisrael, the egalitarian prayer section of the Wall for a discussion about liberal Judaism in Israel.

Day 10 – Why Israel? Today, the group with explore the real history behind the creation of the State of Israel, beginning with a powerful visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum, and then spending time in the Knesset, the Israeli government building. From there, they’ll visit Har Herzl, the military cemetery, and discuss the impact of mandatory military service both on the national culture, veteran’s affairs, and memorializing those who sacrifice for Israel, especially in comparison to military and veteran culture in the United States. They will then head to the hotel to prepare for Shabbat.

Day 11 – Shabbat in Jerusalem The group will mark Shabbat this morning by spending time with Israel’s Channel 10 educational correspondent, Omri Maniv, for a discussion around the contemporary challenges and unique achievements in Israel’s educational system and everything you need or want to know about Jerusalem. The group will close out Shabbat together in downtown Jerusalem on Ben Yehuda Street, where we’ll watch Israel come to life as the sun sets.

Day 12 – Exploration of Bedouin Culture In the morning, the group will visit a creative workshop with the opportunity to design a t-shirt design that supports a social cause you feel passionately about. We then travel to the Negev visiting alocal Bedouin community to learn about their tradition, ability to live in the harsh climate, and their culture. We will also get to meet a Bedouin woman who started a nonprofit to empower other Bedouin women in her community, and work alongside them to make some traditional Bedouin jewelry. Finish off the day with a camel ride, the traditional mode of transportation for nomadic people.