ISI Israel programs for schools are specially crafted to maximize your students' Israel experience by integrating it with your school's curriculum. We design the entire itinerary to match your school's educational goals, selecting from among the many tours and activities we offer those that are most topical. You may choose to have your students gain an appreciation of the study of Mishnah through visits to Tzippori, the city of R. Yehudah HaNasi and his catacombs at Beit Shearim; learn the biblical stories of the desert wanderings of the Children of Israel while on a trek in the Negev; discuss the dynamics of social contacts between Jews and non-Jews, then and now, in the underground chambers of Maresha, a pagan enclave in the holy land during the times of the Hashmona'im; visit a scribe who will demonstrate the skills and meditations of writing tefillin and Torah scrolls; integrate the study of the levels of Tzedakah with doing Hesed projects for the indigent; and many other creative learning options.

We also integrate text- and discussion-based study units to enrich the learning experience. These cover a wide range of Jewish ideas, and may include texts drawn from Tanach, Talmud, Midrash, Halacha, Jewish philosophy and ethics, Jewish historical and biographical sources, modern Jewish national ideas and Zionism, and Holocaust history and theology - for every group on its grade level and background. Hebrew language study, through mini-ulpan or focused ongoing vocabulary acquisition, may be included as well.

ISI also provides schools with educational units to be used as preparatory activities before the trip and follow-up tools when students return.

Teachers and school staff who accompany groups are integrated into the educational work in Israel, serving not only as chaperones but as active contributors to the program in ways of their choosing.

ISI offers school programs from several days to several months in duration. We have also arranged cooperative programs in which students from abroad have been integrated into the life of a residential or community Israeli school, sharing educational, religious, and social activities with Israeli students on an ongoing basis.

ISI offers programs for middle school classes including bar/bat mitzvah-focus trips, and high school classes. High school groups may choose to learn more about Israel's political, military and cultural challenges - including issues of ethnicity, religious dissonance, and the national ethos. These topics integrate naturally into students' general education in history and various AP studies as well as their Jewish learning.

In addition to standard touring and outdoor experiences, an ISI high school trip includes opportunities for encounters with Israeli teens (mifgashim), volunteering with disadvantaged children, providing meals for the needy, painting and repairing low income housing, and other meaningful activities that enable the student to feel that he or she is making a contribution to Israel. ISI brings older students into contact with exciting speakers who help them examine their views on Jewish identity, politics, religion/state issues, and current events.

Tours in Israel may be complemented by one of ISI's European options - England and Scotland, Italy, or Heritage Seminars in Eastern Europe.