Friday, March 29, 2024 -
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IST is back on

JEWISHcolorado this week announced that its previously cancelled Joyce Zeff Israel Study Tour is back on for this summer with not just one, but two trips for Colorado students.

Just 12 days after announcing that the Israeli Ministry of Tourism would not grant enough visas for this year’s American Jewish trips to Israel, IST is able to deliver good news that 86 students will travel to Israel this summer.

JEWISHcolorado will run two trips this June, one trip comprised of students who were scheduled for the 2020 trip that was cancelled because of the pandemic, and one for students signed up for the 2021 trip.

All students traveling must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and must participate in testing prior to the trip and upon entry to Israel.

Students will follow similar itineraries to those in years past, including hiking and camping in the Negev, climbing Masada, visiting the Dead Sea, snorkeling in Eilat, visiting the Western Wall, and going to Yad Vashem.

The Israel portion of the trip remains unchanged, but the Poland portion of the trip was cancelled due to COVID-19.

The change in plans came about through the partnership with RootOne and the Jewish Agency working with Israel’s Ministry of Health to identify an alternative path for student trips.

JEWISHcolorado’s IST is one of the few remaining community trips offered to teenagers, according to JEWISHcolorado’s Julie Lieber, chief Jewish life and engagement officer. Most other teen trips are under the auspices of national organizations. ColoradoIST is also the longest continuously-run community-wide trip in the US.

RootOne is an initiative by the Jewish Education Project to help bring thousands of Jewish teens from the US to Israel on immersive summer trips.

“This has been a rollercoaster ride for teens in general and that made it harder to cancel when we did because teens have dealt with so much uncertainty through the pandemic,” Lieber said.

“It is especially meaningful that we can now provide this experience. Among this summer’s IST’ers are the children and even grandchildren of those who have participated in this trip in decades past.

“This is part of a legacy in their families and in our community,” she said.

Despite the uncertainty, JEWISHcolorado staff, including Jillian Feiger, staff lead for IST and director of Jewish Student Connection, and Michelle Schwartz, director of the teen emissary program have been meeting monthly with students.

JEWISHcolorado Shaliach Itai Davinsky has been working directly with the tour provider to create a meaningful itinerary and powerful experience for the students.

Jco’s CEO Rabbi Jay Strear, said, “We’ve been so appreciative of the support from the community as well as the patience and understanding on the part of families.

“We know Joyce Zeff IST is a long-standing and beloved tradition, and it has created a web of connectivity — including lasting friendships and even marriages — that binds each successive class together in a way that is both special and irreplaceable.”




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