Big Kids – Middle East
EXPERIENCE THEIR STORIES
PROGRAM DATES: MAR 17 – MAR 30
PROGRAM FEE: $3,249
Join Operation Groundswell on a two week exploration of Israel and the West Bank/Palestine. Walk the winding, ancient streets of Jerusalem. Take a tour of the ancient city of Hebron with ex-IDF soldiers. Navigate the booming metropolises of Ramallah and Tel Aviv, and take a trip through the serene Negev Desert. Float around in the Dead Sea, get lost in the lush olive groves of Palestine, and take in the vast mountains of the north.
TRIP HIGHLIGHTS
- Meet real people with real stories from all walks of life: soldiers, Palestinians in refugee camps, settlers, peace Activists, young people from all different backgrounds, politicians, and everyday people.
- Work with Rabbis for Human Rights, an Israeli NGO that fights for justice on both sides of the green line and get a clear picture of what life in conflict truly feels like.
- Take side trips into the southern desert and northern hills with experienced guides.
- An in-depth examination of the ancient history of the land, including visits to holy sites, archeological digs, and geological wonders (Machtesh Ramon).
Click here for trip itinerary
THE MIDDLE EAST… THE WAY WE SEE IT
ISRAEL
The Israel you see on TV isn’t Israel.
Israel is a country of layers. On the surface today, we see bustling metropolises, busy farmland, the absurdly rich and the overly destitute. We see everything you might see in any snapshot of Canada or the US. But then you peel back a layer.
Wedged in among the newly constructed buildings, we see remnants of a different time. We see ancient tombs, caverns and craters beside shopping malls, restaurants and theatres. Smells of rich spices and freshly baked bread waft out of the shuk (marketplace) and into high-rise condos. Our feet tread on ancient cobblestone paths as taxis and cars zoom past. We are in a land of walking contradictions.
I don’t want to say much about the history of Israel. It’s long, complex and disputed at every turn. What I will say is that history looms over this country heavily and for the people of Israel, whether you are Jewish, Palestinian, Bedouin or Christian – the future of the state is always in question.
PALESTINE
You just don’t see Palestine on TV.
And when you do, they’re calling it Gaza or the West Bank. I’ve personally never been to Gaza (which is drastically different than the West Bank) but its reputation as a war-torn strip of land precedes it. The Palestine that I know is rich with culture and hospitality, yet tinged with sadness and despair. From the outside, it might seem like more of the latter two. But then you peel back a layer.
Palestine has its own set of contradictions – the fight between radical and moderate, religious and secular, old and new. Villages surrounded by olive groves bustle around marketplaces where donkeys and cars vie for a piece of the street. Store owners will try and upsell their merchandise to you, but after five minutes of chit-chat they are offering to take you to meet their family over dinner.
The cities are a different beast, and the refugee camps another. While daily life sees most people struggling to get by, there is a perpetual feeling of displacement mixed with a little helplessness.
ACCOMMODATION
The home base for this trip will be in Jerusalem, where the group will be staying in a small, quaint hotel. There will be a few nights of the program where the group can expect to sleep in kibbutz hotels closer to certain activities. Lodging in kibbutz hotels will also be in private rooms.
HEALTH & SAFETY
Health, safety, and security are of the utmost importance to Operation Groundswell. We take every possible step to keep our groups safe and secure throughout the program. You can feel safe traveling in private rented vehicles in Israel and the West Bank. With that in mind, it is important to remember that every OG trip prides itself on taking participants directly into the experience of living in that region. OG and its Middle Eastern partners are familiar with these realities and their risks. Trip Leaders are trained in wilderness first-aid, have a basic grasp of the local language, and have undertaken the trips before group arrivals to ensure that all of the people and places to be visited are safe and secure. OG also maintains near constant communication with its headquarters, its partners, local contacts, and in-country officials.
BIG KIDS MIDDLE EAST DRAFT ITINERARY
*This itinerary is based on our previous experience with the region. Programs change every year based on the needs of our partners. This should give you a sense of what our program may look like.
Day 1 – Orientation
Fly from Toronto and get picked up by your program coordinators in Ben Gurion Airport for an OG style Orientation in Jerusalem. Get acclimatized to the sights, sounds, smells and smiles of the region while getting a crash course in Israeli and Arab culture. Meet with a representative from Rabbis for Human Rights to for a discussion. Sleep over at a hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 2 – Volunteer Project with Rabbis for Human Rights
Time to get your hands dirty! On day 2 you will start your volunteer project with RHR. Since all of our projects are community-requested, it is difficult for us to let you know in advance what the specific project will be. In the afternoon, the group will cross into the West Bank and into Ramallah. Here we will take a tour of the city and learn about life in the capital of Palestine. We will return at night to our hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and reflections.
Day 3 – Tent City, Tel Aviv
After our morning with RHR, we will travel to Tel Aviv for the day. Here, we will have an opportunity to meet young activists involved with the Tent City protests from this past year. We will have time to hear about their experiences and ask any questions we might have. From there we will spend the rest of the day and dinner on the beautiful Tel Aviv beaches. We will be heading back to Jerusalem to sleep.
Day 4 – Breaking the Silence
We wake up early and take a bus from Jerusalem to Hebron for a tour of the city with Breaking the Silence, an NGO comprised of ex-IDF soldiers who tell their stories of dehumanization during their service time in occupied Hebron. From there we will visit a Jewish settlement in the West Bank where we will hear the diverse perspectives within the settler community. From there we will return to our homebase in Jerusalem for a debrief and discussion of the day. Packing for our Negev trip the next day should happen as well!
Day 5 – The Journey South
We will start off the day by continuing our volunteer project with RHR before we head off to the northern Negev Desert where we will sleep for the night, near the Machtesh Ramon.
Day 6 – Machtesh Ramon, Eilat and the Arava
Hike Machtesh Ramon and take in one of the world’s natural wonders. In the afternoon we will continue our drive south where we will tour some of the desert kibbutzim along the way. We will spend the night in a Kibbutz hotel in the Arava.
Day 7 – Building Back Sderot
In the morning we will drive back north to Sderot for a tour of the city. We will also meet members of Kibbutz Migvan, an urban kibbutz responsible for much of the rebuilding of Sderot. From there we will head back for dinner in East Jerusalem and a free night for participants.
Day 8,9 – Nablus, Ramallah and Little More Volunteering
These next two days will be focused on our volunteer project with RHR. We will also make the trip to the ancient city of Nablus and take a tour of the city with Project Hope. We will finish off with some dinner in Ramallah and then back to Jerusalem to sleep.
Day 10,11 – Haifa, the North and Givat Haviva
These two days will be devoted to northern Israel. Arriving in Haifa in the morning, we will take a tour of the different neighbourhoods through a class perspective. From there, the group will head over to Tzfat, the longest living Jewish settlement established hundreds of year before the state of Israel. We will spend the night in the Givat Haviva. Founded in 1949, Givat Haviva Institute in Israel has been educating for peace, democracy, coexistence and social solidarity for over half a century.
Day 12 – Barta’a
Spending most of the day in the Wadi Ara region, participants will take a tour of Givat Haviva with Lydia, a longtime worker and activist working with GH. Lydia will also take us for a tour of Barta’a, a village that is split right in the middle by the green line. After our tour of Barta’a, we will return to Jerusalem for some dinner and rest.
Day 13 – Disorientation
Our last day in the country, the group will debrief the events of the past two weeks and say our sad goodbyes before our flight home.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Too many vacation dealers will show you an unbeatable price for a program, but will load you up with hidden costs once you get on the ground. Luckily for you, Operation Groundswell is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing affordable and holistic programs for all of our participants. See for yourself what you’ll get with OG:
- All breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks
- All lodging and accommodations throughout the program
- All tours, entrance fees and activities
- Two experienced and passionate trip leaders on call for you 24 hours a day
International flights and personal expenses are not included.
