When is an Israel tour not just a tour? When every step along the way opens new vistas on Israel, Judaism, and ourselves. Here are some examples of how we do this at ISI:

• Visiting the magnificent archaeological remains of Second Temple Jerusalem becomes an opportunity to better understand a festival we all know and love - Hanukah - and a basis for a discussion about how we can positively integrate our Jewish and secular cultural identities.
• Wheeling through the Golan Heights becomes a bike-a-thon to support Alyn Pediatric Hospital and Rehabilitation Center for Physically Handicapped Children, where participants later meet the kids and have a chance to admire their amazing personal courage.
• Interpreting the mosaic floor of the synagogue in Beit Alfa as the basis of Sacred Space, an ISI creative arts program that enables participants to visualize what Jewish community means to them.
• Listening at sunset to the stirring tale of how Jonathan fought and fell beside his father King Saul in their last battle on Mt. Gilboa, leading into a discussion of what parents and children should expect from each other - and what they shouldn't - both in modern perspective and in Jewish tradition.
• Our Bamidbar desert experience program in the primeval landscapes of the Negev enables participants to look within themselves to discover sources of personal strength and spirituality.
• Together with their new-found Israeli friends in a Mifgash program, visitors walk through the night in the Judean Hills along the route of the liberators of Jerusalem, and sit around a campfire to discuss for what things in their lives it is worth making a supreme effort.
• In a courtyard in the Old City of Zefat, students welcome the Shabbat with a service of story, song, and prayer of their own design.

These are just a few examples of the kind of enriching experiences that form ISI's special Israel programs.

For every site visited, ISI has an educational guiding plan that enables the guides and counselors to help visitors get the most out of the tour. ISI has also created scores of informal educational program units used as breakout activities during tours, evening programs and Shabbat modules, with interactive learning that enriches the trip and provides opportunities for participants to process and internalize their experiences. We make a special point of including activities that relate to Jewish festivals that occur during a trip, using the opportunity to enrich participants' future celebrations of those holidays. ISI educators have also written over a hundred Text and Texture study units that give participants hands-on experience with classic and modern Jewish sources.