This is way more than just a teen tour!
Join us for a four-week experience you’ll never forget.
For Rising
11th Graders
Our trip is designed specifically for rising 11th graders. Every detail is planned to ensure the perfect blend of programs, growth, downtime, fun, and exploration.
Expert Guides and Remarkable Tours
We’re proud to partner with Routes Travel to create a program that is uniquely Havaya. Our trip is truly like no other; we promise you’ll come home inspired and empowered!
Hotels, Food, and Transport
We’ll travel together in a private coach, staying in youth hostels, kibbutz guest houses, and hotels throughout the country. Plus we’ll make sure that you’ll experience all the Israeli staples including shwarma, falafel, shakshuka, and so much more.
Itinerary Overview
We pack a lot into four weeks!
Days 1 – 2 New York / Galilee
Welcome to Israel
Meet the group at the airport for an overnight flight to Tel Aviv. After you arrive, drive north and then settle in, play some games, and get a good night’s sleep before an amazing four weeks ahead!
Day 3 Golan Heights
Understanding the Region
Begin the day with a water hike at Tel Dan National Park. Then, drive to Mt. Bental which, at 1,170 meters above sea level, offers a spectacular panoramic view of Syria, Lebanon, and Northeastern Israel. After lunch, raft on the Upper Jordan River and play in the water at AquaKef.
Day 4 Haifa
Haifa — A Truly Mixed City
Visit Haifa’s most striking landmark, the splendid Baha’i Shrine and Gardens, located on the edge of the city center and emphasizing unity across cultures and religions. Together with Israeli youth, visit the vibrant and pluralistic Leo Baeck Education Center. Visit Beit Ha’Gefen Arab-Jewish Cultural Center to experience Haifa’s pride as the most multi-cultural city in Israel.
Day 5 Galilee
The Faces of Israel — Diversity in the Galilee
Take part in a special encounter program with Arab-Israeli youth. In the evening, have dinner and conversation in a Druze community in Yarka.
Days 6-7 Galilee
Shabbat in the North
Tour the mystical city of Tzfat, where you will visit a local artist and create your own souvenirs to take home. Celebrate Shabbat on the shores of the Kinneret – relaxing, enjoying the beach, and hanging out with friends before another busy week ahead!
Day 8 Jerusalem
Journey to Jerusalem
Drive to Jerusalem and get an overview of the city from the Haas Promenade. Join together with thousands of other teens at the RootOne “Big Tent Event.”
Day 9 Jerusalem
Jewish Heritage in Jerusalem
Visit the Tower of David and walk the Ramparts Path atop the Old City Walls. Tour the Jewish Quarter of the Old City.
Day 10 Jerusalem
Diverse Faces and Communities of Jerusalem
Visit the Haram El Sharif / Temple Mount. Walk through the Arab Market to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. After a hummus lunch, travel to the Educational Bookshop to meet Mahmoud Mouna – known to many as the bookseller of Jerusalem.
Day 11 Bethlehem / Gush Etzion
Voices and Perspectives on the Conflict
Meet Palestinian guide and drive to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity, walk along the graffiti barrier, and meet with Palestinian youth. In Gush Etzion, meet with Friends of Roots, a unique network of local Palestinians and Israelis who, based on a mutual recognition of each people’s connection to the land, are developing understanding and solidarity despite their ideological differences.
Day 12 Jerusalem
Holocaust Remembrance
Visit the Yad Vashem Museum and Memorial to the Holocaust, situated atop Har HaZikaron (literally, the “Hill of Memory”). While there, meet Rena Quint, a Holocaust survivor, to hear her story. In the afternoon, visit Mt. Herzl, the burial place of Israel’s founders, the country’s leaders, and the site of Jerusalem’s military cemetery. Tour Mea Shearim at night, to feel some of the excitement as Shabbat approaches.
Day 13 Jerusalem
Welcoming Shabbat
Spend the morning baking challah for Shabbat. Buy lunch in the bustling Machane Yehuda Market, before welcoming Shabbat at the Kotel.
Day 14 Jerusalem
Shabbat in Jerusalem
After a relaxing morning, take an afternoon walk to Sakker Park. Spend the evening with friends on Ben Yehuda Street.
Day 15 Negev
What Makes a Pioneer?
Meet local residents near the Gaza border to learn more about the complex history of this area and the implications to everyday life. Visit the Black Arrow Observation Point and have lunch in Sderot. On the “Salad Trail” at Talmei Yosef in the northern Negev, take part in a unique touch-and-taste farm that will turn you into an expert grower for the day.
Day 16 Negev
Dreaming in the Negev
Hike at Ein Ovdat National Park, a spectacular narrow canyon in the Negev where water of numerous springs descends into a series of waterfalls and a breathtaking desert view. In Sde Boker, visit the grave of Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion. “Surf” the sand dunes and have dinner in the desert.
Day 17 Negev
Exploring the Desert
Visit the Ramon Crater Center. At Kibbutz Keturah, take part in an advanced environmental workshop on topics such as earth building, geodesic dome construction, and efficiency building. Have a BBQ dinner at the kibbutz guesthouse.
Day 18 Eilat
The Red Sea Bay
Start the day with a sunrise hike. Cool of swimming and snorkeling in the Red Sea at Coral Beach. Spend the afternoon on the boardwalk in Eilat.
Day 19 Negev
Communities of the Negev
Visit MOP Arava, where they develop agricultural crops that can thrive in the desert. Have lunch with the Culinary Queens of Yeruham. At Huria Palace in the Bedouin community of Laqiya, meet Amal Abu Karen and hear her amazing personal life story about her struggle for higher education. Ride camels in the Judean Desert before eating dinner, gazing at the stars, and spending the night in a Bedouin tent.
Day 20 Dead Sea
Experiencing the Dead Sea
Early in the morning, ascend the Roman Ramp to visit Masada National Park. Float in the Dead Sea – the lowest point on earth – before driving north to Tel Aviv. Join Beit Tefilah Israeli for Kabbalat Shabbat services at the Tel Aviv Port.
Day 21 Tel Aviv
Shabbat in Tel Aviv
Celebrate shabbat with students from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. After a relaxing afternoon, explore Rothschild Boulevard for dinner.
Day 22 Tel Aviv
The City That Never Sleeps
Try your hand at sheep herding at Neot Kedumim. Have lunch in the Carmel Market, where you can buy Israeli and Middle Eastern delicacies … as well as foods from across Asia, South America, Russia, and Africa. Walk the Independence Trail, linking ten historical landmarks from the period between the founding of Tel Aviv and the establishment of the State of Israel. Have dinner and a discussion with a member of the Ethiopian community in Israel.
Day 23 Tel Aviv
Renewal
Tour Anu Museum of the Jewish People, the largest Jewish museum in the world, highlighting the creative works and cultural riches of a variety of communities in different periods of history. Participate in a workshop with Bina, the Jewish Movement for Social Change. Spend the evening with local family – or hanging out with your Havaya friends.
Day 24 Tel Aviv
Exploring Tel Aviv
Ride a bicycle on the Tel Aviv boardwalk. Explore LGBTQ+ Tel Aviv. Visit Save a Child’s Heart, an Israeli non-profit working to improve access to life-saving cardiac care for children around the world.
Day 25 Jaffa
Jaffa and Innovation
Take a walking tour of Jaffa – a beautiful city rich with historical and cultural significance, a wonderful artists colony, and a great Flea Market, where you’ll have lunch. Visit the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation. Spend the late afternoon relaxing at the beach, before having dinner at Dr. Shakshuka.
Day 26 Tel Aviv
Taking Our Experience Home
Learn about a different side of Tel Aviv by exploring its graffiti. Before saying goodbye to your Israeli friends, spend the morning having fun they planned just for you! Enjoy a closing dinner with the group, before driving to the airport for an overnight flight.
Days 27-29 Camp Havaya
Shabbat at Camp Havaya
After the overnight flight from Tel Aviv to New York, travel together to the Poconos to spend Shabbat at Camp Havaya. On Sunday, head home after a life-changing four weeks.
Climb, swim,
sing, hike, learn, and laugh
your way through Israel!
Over the course of four weeks, you’ll encounter varied experiences and viewpoints that help you build personal connections and make up your own mind. You’ll explore all areas of Israel—seeing tourist sites and more out-of-the-way places, eating ice cream and climbing mountains, surfing in Tel Aviv and celebrating Shabbat in Jerusalem. You’ll learn about creating a shared society with Jews and Arabs, you’ll visit Bethlehem and Gush Etzion to hear from local residents on both sides of the security barrier, and you’ll meet Israelis from a myriad of backgrounds who help you gain a better understanding for what life is really like in this complicated and amazing place.
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From the blog
Córdoba, Personal Connections, the Spa, and More!
Hello Parents, Friends, Camp Havaya Staff, and other people related to members of the Havaya Sportugbraltar trip, It’s Sylvia (yes, I wrote all the recaps so far) back for the third time telling you everything about the trip. This one got kind of long, so feel free to scroll to the section you want to read the most, skip to the TLDR at the end, or read it all (thanks, Dad)! We start out with a quick intro, then talk about the history of… Continue Reading
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