FAQs

To open your registration for the trip, visit freeisraeltrip.org/harvard.  More information about the registration process can be found here.  The registration deadline for our upcoming summer trip is March 1st, 2022.

Participation in the Birthright & Beyond program is conditional on Birthright’s eligibility criteria, which can be complicated.  More information about eligibility can be found here, and you can also take this quiz.  Sometimes the only way to find out for sure is to apply (though there have been cases where applicants have been turned away one year and accepted the next).

You must submit a $250 refundable deposit through the Birthright application portal before receiving a formal offer to join the trip.  This deposit is surrendered in the case that you formally accept your trip assignment (see Step 4 in the registration process) and pull out within 45 days of departure.  (If you have extenuating circumstances, e.g. an unforeseen medical condition, then it is usually possible to appeal.)  Before you accept your trip assignment, you can request the return of your deposit at any time.  The deposit is also surrendered in the case that you are dismissed from the trip prematurely for breaking rules (though this is not something we have encountered in our years of running Birthright trips).  After the trip, you will receive an email inviting you to either receive a refund or donate your deposit to the Birthright organization.  (It is entirely normal and socially acceptable to take the refund.)

Aside from the $250 refundable deposit, which you can get back after the trip, there a couple of other costs to be aware of. 

One is the extension fee of $90 paid to the airline to change your return flight, in order to enable participation in our extension program, Beyond.  It is expected that all Harvard students on the trip will participate in both elements of the program: Birthright and Beyond.

Another is a customary $100 cash tip for the Birthright tour guide and bus driver, collected at the airport upon departure to Israel.

Additionally, participants should expect to pay for one meal (either lunch or dinner) each day of the trip (for both elements of the program).  These mealtimes will be assigned as free time in an area with multiple dining options.

Finally, if participants choose to meet the group in Israel rather than travel on the group flight, they will be responsible for the cost of their airfare in both directions.

All food provided by the program will be certified kosher, including the meal on the flight, though participants are of course able to independently purchase non-kosher snacks and meals.

Information about dietary restrictions will be collected on your application form and we will work with you to ensure that your nutritional needs are met.  Israel is full of delicious meat-free cuisine.

Birthright has a detailed alcohol policy that can be found here.  In general, consumption of alcohol is restricted to designated free evenings and forbidden during programming and in hotel rooms.  The Beyond program also adheres to this policy.

It is not uncommon for participants to register for Birthright expecting to feel like an outsider, only to discover that there are several other participants with similar backgrounds.  Our trips are welcoming of participants with diverse religious practices (or none), prior knowledge of Israel (or none), and political opinions (or none).  Many participants have a non-Jewish parent and grew up with exposure to another faith tradition.  Many self-identify as culturally, rather than religiously, Jewish.  Some are Israeli citizens although they haven’t lived in Israel for many years.

The best way to guarantee that you won’t feel like an outsider on the trip is to bring a friend!

 

Yes!  Each trip is limited to 30 participants and we do give first preference to Harvard students, but after the initial registration deadline we will open up any remaining spots on our trip to non-Harvard participants.  Typically, these are students at other Boston-area colleges, or Boston locals who study elsewhere, but we will prioritize those who have a connection to a Harvard student on the trip.  The age range for our trip is 18-22, but exceptions to the upper limit can be made in exceptional circumstances.  Applicants who are not Harvard students can register using the same link: freeisraeltrip.org/harvard

Safety and security is our first priority at all times throughout the trip, and no effort or expense is spared to provide for the safety and security of participants.  Our staffing team is in constant contact with our tour operators, who receive real-time updates from the Israeli government and make itinerary adjustments when necessary.  Birthright uses the same measures and procedures used for Israeli school and student groups.  Participants are not permitted to leave the group except during designated free time periods with clear boundaries.

We take additional security measures for the portion of the Beyond program in which the group visits built-up Palestinian areas over the Green Line, including hiring a Palestinian vehicle, bus driver, tour guide, and security guard, all of whom are vetted by our tour operator.

Requirements regarding Covid-19 testing and vaccination are subject to change.  Our expectations for the summer 2022 trip is that participants (and everybody else in the tour group) will be required to prove that they are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.  A negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of departure will be required for air travel in both directions.  Participants are expected to uphold program rules and Israeli laws regarding social distancing, with the entire tour group treated as a single household.  A participant testing positive for Covid-19 during the trip would enter quarantine immediately and return to the United States at the first opportunity.

The expectation is that participants will travel to Israel with the group.  Occasionally it is advantageous for a participant to travel independently and meet the group in Israel, in which case it is possible to cancel the free flight and undertake responsibility for the cost of airfare in both directions.  It is not possible to make changes to the outgoing leg of the free flight.

Since it is expected that participants will extend their return flight in order to participate in the Beyond program, it is likely that not all participants will be on the same return flight.

Yes!  When submitting the extension request, you can request a return flight on any day upto three months after your date of arrival in Israel.  Many participants take this opportunity to travel independently, visit friends or family, participate in other programs in Israel, or intern at an Israeli organization.  We encourage all participants to consider extending their stay in Israel beyond the end of the program.

On the final day of the program, transportation will be organized for participants to Ben Gurion International Airport, at which point they can say goodbye and either board a flight, train, or taxi, accordingly.

There are no average days on Birthright & Beyond!

On any given day on Birthright, programming might include: walking tours, hiking and other outdoor activities, visits to national heritage sites and museums, and free time by the sea or in a city center.  The Beyond itinerary includes all of these elements, but has a greater concentration of guest speakers and panels.  Each day on Beyond begins with a framing session and concludes with a small group processing session.  On Shabbat during both programs, we take a break from traveling and enjoy staff-led programming and some extra rest!

The precise itinerary varies from trip to trip.  An example itinerary can be found here.

Birthright & Beyond is a physically and socially intensive program, so it is important to sleep well at night.  Participants are expected to participate fully in the trip, and should not expect to balance the demands of the trip with an internship or school work.

Participants who are accustomed to regular exercise will find some physical outlets in hikes and other group activities, and will sometimes have access to gym rooms at hotels, but may find it hard to maintain their typical routines.  Since participants are not permitted to leave the group outside of designated free time periods, running early in the morning is not usually permitted.