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Safety and Security
Understandably, in light of the events of the past few months both in the Middle East and much closer to home, some of you may be feeling a little apprehensive about accepting the Taglit-Birthright Israel gift of a free trip to Israel. While the decision is ultimately yours to make, we do feel that it's important that you - as well as anyone else who may advise you on the matter - have all of the facts in hand.
Here are a few important points you should consider:
Your safety and security is Taglit-Birthright Israel's #1 priority as well as ours. The situation in the Middle East is being monitored on a constant basis and the programs would be postponed or cancelled if we felt that we could not properly ensure your safety and well-being. Just so you know, this has never happened to date.
The majority of violent incidents that have taken place over the past few years have occurred in two specific areas: the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. As a matter of policy, we absolutely do not visit these areas or go through areas not given prior consent by the “consortium” of security agencies in Israel.
Our itineraries are submitted for review and authorization to a special committee made up of representatives from Taglit-Birthright Israel, the Israel Police, the Israeli Ministry of Education and the Israel Defense Forces. Daily programs are also re-verified with the police authorities the day before as a precaution - itineraries may be modified accordingly.
Safety is enhanced by the fact that we are in a structured environment. We use our own tour buses, not public transportation. Itineraries are carefully planned out (see above). Group leaders and guides carry cell phones and can be reached at all times by our head office. In accordance with the Israeli Ministry of Education guidelines - which were originally put in place for Israeli youth and student groups decades ago - a fully-trained Israeli armed guard/medic is with the group at all times. Also, as required by Taglit-Birthright Israel rules and regulations, there is strictly no unsupervised free time in public areas.
The extensive security measures taken have unquestionably proven themselves on the ground. Since its inception in 1999, the Taglit-Birthright Israel initiative has sent over 250,000 young adults to Israel and in spite of intermittent violence in the area over the past few years, not a single participant was even remotely involved in a security-related incident.
Not a single one.
In the recent conflict, which took place during late-December and early-January 2008-09, hundreds of participants still chose to join us here in Israel, and put their trust in us. We believe that trust was well placed, or as one parent of a participant states:
"My sons were on the trip at the beginning of January and despite my fears, they were safe and had a wonderful time, made terrific new friends and developed a newfound feeling regarding their Judaism. For all of this, I thank you..."
The above measures don't turn a dangerous trip into a safe one; they take an already safe experience and make it even safer. Hundreds of thousands of tourists travel safely to Israel each year without all of Taglit-Birthright Israel's extensive security measures. Also, in spite of the media's focus on violence, over six and a half million Israelis go on with their daily lives normally: going to school, to work, to the beach, eating out, going to shopping malls, traveling the roads and so on.
If you are still concerned, feel free to contact us in order to discuss this further. If you'd like, we can even put you in touch with one of our past participants so that you can hear about some of what they felt prior to their first trip to Israel (see the articles below by IsraelExperts past participants). They will also confirm that the security measures take nothing away from the experience itself. Try to find someone else who has visited or lived in Israel recently - tell them about the security measures we take, and ask them what they would do. While the advice of colleagues, friends and family who have never been to Israel may be well-intentioned, they can hardly be considered well-informed sources of information on this important matter.
Remember that you lose nothing by registering. Your deposit is completely refundable if you cancel your participation before the cancellation deadline (ask us about exact dates) and will be returned to you in any case when you return from the program in Israel.
Ask any IsraelExperts past participant (contact us for names and email addresses) and you will hear the same thing: Every one of them felt perfectly secure during their 10-day experience, and the extensive (and often imperceptible) security measures did nothing to take away from their enjoyment or their ability to see the country. IsraelExperts has built itself a solid reputation for being one of the most professional trip organizers running Taglit-Birthright Israel trips. As we've stated previous, since our involvement with the Taglit-Birthright Israel initiative, nothing is more important to applicants than accurate and honest information, and we pride ourselves on trying our best to provide it at all times. A free trip to Israel is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and whatever decision you make, we feel that it should be, first and foremost, a well-informed one.