Israel Study & Travel

Why Israel?

At the Bureau of Jewish Education, we believe that study of and travel to Israel are central to a vibrant and fulfilling Jewish education and it is part of our mission to ensure that any student, in particular, has the opportunity to travel to Israel as part of their ongoing Jewish education and identity development.

There are so many reasons why people are attracted to Israel. For some, it's the sun-drenched climate. For others, it's the rich variety of historical, archeological, religious sites, or just the beauty of the country. For still others, it's the fascinating contrast between the ancient and the modern. But for absolutely everyone, Israel has a special, hard-to-define something—an extra dimension that turns every visit into a truly memorable experience.

When you visit Israel for the first time, you invariably experience an instant feeling of familiarity. So many of the names that appear on the road signs—Jerusalem, Sea of Galilee, Nazaret—will have been familiar since childhood. You will also experience the special thrill of walking in the footsteps of history as you retrace the steps of Abraham 4,000 years ago, King David 3,000 years ago, Jesus 2,000 years ago and the Crusaders 1,000 years ago--and to begin to understand the timeline of history.

Another key reason to visit Israel is to meet her people to connect with them, in all their diversity, to see who they are, what they think, feel, and to know that they are our family.

Studies of former Israel Experience participants have demonstrated that this population has become among the most actively involved group of Jewish adults in their Jewish and civic communities, supportive of Israel, strongly Jewishly identified, committed to tikkun olam (making this world a better place), and they cite their Israel experiences as integral to the choices they made and actions they took as a result of their times in Israel.

Whatever your reasons for wanting to visit Israel, we can help find a program that’s right for you.

Beth Brier if our Israel Desk Coordinator and can be reached at 401.331.0956 x223 or via email at bbrier@bjeri.org.

For more information on Israel trips, please click here: Israel Trips.


Bureau of Jewish Education of Rhode Island | 130 Sessions St. | Providence, RI 02906 | 401-331-0956 | bjeri@bjeri.org