First Israel Tour groups arrive in Tel Aviv after 3-year break
Bnei Akiva groups the first to touch down in a summer in which 1300 teens are expected to enjoy the rite of passage
British teens were kicking off a summer of sun, sea and iced coffees this week as the first Israel tours for three years touched down in Tel Aviv.
Four groups of 16-year-olds from Bnei Akiva landed at Ben Gurion on Tuesday, the first of 36 groups from 12 youth movements comprising 1,300 teens set to take part in what has become a rite of passage under the auspices of UJIA Israel Experience.
Israel tours had to be cancelled in 2020 and 2021 amid the pandemic, with UJIA instead giving grants to projects to keep youngsters entertained over the summer.
“It’s amazing to be here. We didn’t always know it would happen but to finally be in Israel is a dream come true,” said a British participant at Ben Gurion.
Moriah Feiglin, an Israeli madricha who will be leading one of the tours, said: “It’s so exciting to bring people who have never been here, or even if they have been here before, they’ve never experienced Israel this way.”
UJIA chair Louise Jacobs said she was thrilled to see tours resume. “It is not only a trip of a lifetime for teenagers – it is the start of a journey into Jewish engagement and leadership. I am so excited that we can get back to giving young people this opportunity to connect with Israel and develop as future leaders.”
UJIA Israel Experience is also supporting immersive educational trips to Israel for older age groups, such as Birthright Israel.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.