Commonly Asked Questions

What will we find in my room?

Each of our residence rooms has two bunk beds, seating, closets and an attached bathroom. While roomy, it is designed mainly for rest and storage, while social gatherings will take place in our club room. You will share your room with one or two other participants, based on yours and others’ needs and requests.

What should I bring with me to the program?

Bring what you would need for a week and a half worth of living – You mainly need to bring a week’s worth of appropriate clothing (a recommended list will be provided). Depending on the time of year, the list will include clothing for the corresponding Israeli season. Bring comfortable hiking shoes with good heal support. Additionally, you will need toiletries.
We will provide you with linens, towels,  laundry service, and replacement toiletries for sale. We will also provide the needed hiking gear for the program (backpack, sleeping bag, etc.). Participants will have opportunities to shop on touring days, for cloths and other Israeli souvenirs.

What about medications? What should we do?

Coordinating drug administration and monitoring is done on a person-to-person basis. Due to questions of availability and possible differences in medications in Israel, we generally recommend sending the appropriate amount of prescription drugs to our staff for proper administration. Advance communication is crucial in order to secure needed medications in Israel.

Can you accommodate my food or other allergies?

Our program is focused on individual needs and we will work with you to make sure your needs are answered in a safe manner. During the course of our program, our ultimate goal is that you learn self-regulation, while appropriate and careful monitoring of health issues in conjunction with our program staff and expert consultants is provided.

Is your program safe?

Yes… it is safe in many ways, though the nature of wilderness therapy and experiential education is such that some injuries may occur, as in many other physical and sports-like activities. Is Israel safe? Ask almost 40,000 youth who come to Israel on “Birthright” yearly, as well as many other families and individuals who visit. People are surprised how safe Israel feels – walking and driving around, shopping at the markets, and touring the sites. Beyond that, our home base in Kibbutz Hazorea is a community within a closed community. It makes it extra safe and super protective – for the community in general and for your child specifically. It is easy to find places to go and chill, but very difficult to disappear from supervision. Our staff is trained in the art of providing personal space and freedom while maintaining appropriate supervision.

Will my insurance pay for any of this?

It is best to ask your insurance provider. Most insurances will not cover a non US based healthcare provider. To pursue this further you will, most likely, need a referral from an in-network healthcare professional (we are more than willing to communicate with them). Unfortunately we cannot guarantee any coverage.

What about communication and phones?

This is a tough question. We believe that in most cases phones are a powerful distraction from connecting to our present environment. It enables us to run away from dealing with many issues. We recommend not bringing or setting up your phone to work in Israel. We will provide you with ways of communicating with your family and friends back home when it is not interfering with other activities. We believe that your contact with home is important – to you and to your success.