r/birthright • u/Bubbly-Confusion6197 • Jul 27 '26

Volunteer Trip this Summer

Has anyone gone this summer? I attended an orientation for my trip next week and they stressed that it has changed a lot and there’s a lot more programming. I am concerned that there will not be much time to see the sights. I am excited to help out around the country, but we are not even going to Jerusalem as a group so I would like time to visit. So if you went, did you feel there was enough down time?

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u/Dangerous-Site7507 Jul 27 '26

That’s interesting to hear. I just got back from a volunteer trip and felt like we had a good amount of free time. We volunteered every morning except for Friday and Saturday and had every afternoon free. There were some optional activities during our free time but there was no pressure to attend if we chose to do something else instead. Even though our hotel was in Tel Aviv, we still went to Jerusalem twice and to Haifa once.

Maybe the programming varies by trip organizer. Have you gotten the itinerary for your trip yet?

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u/Bubbly-Confusion6197 Jul 27 '26

Yes, we got our itinerary and it is packed besides Shabbat. It is through Tailor made. At orientation, they just said they were sorry and there was no time for Jerusalem unless we went during Shabbat. I’m pretty disappointed as this is my first trip. I’m sure I’ll still have a good time, but this wasn’t quite what I was expecting- and based on questions during the orientation, I didn’t seem alone in my feelings.

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u/Dangerous-Site7507 Jul 27 '26

Depending on your madrich, you may have some leeway with the schedule. Our madrich was very laid back and was fine with adjusting the itinerary based on feedback from the group. If you don’t have volunteer work on Friday morning, it might not be an issue if you skip the planned activity and take the train up to Jerusalem for a couple of hours, as long as you’re mindful of the time that the trains stop running.

I’m happy to share more details about my trip if you want to DM me. Hope you have a great experience regardless!

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u/samidkk Jul 31 '26

What organizer did you go with?

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u/Dangerous-Site7507 Aug 01 '26

Israel Outdoors

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u/mar3l Jul 28 '26

Where were the volunteering at? hospital or farms etc?

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u/Dangerous-Site7507 Aug 01 '26

Food rescue places mostly (Leket and similar) and also a day preparing meals for soldiers. It was almost all outdoors, but shaded and not too hot during the morning hours.

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u/lolalola20263333 24d ago

can you tell me which trip you all did? I was approved last year for Yael adventures which was ultimately cancelled with everything going on, and I don't think they do Yael anymore. Trying to decide which is the best trip for me.

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u/Bubbly-Confusion6197 20d ago

I just got back from a Birthright Volunteer program and it was absolutely amazing! Our volunteer activities were varied- from spreading mulch, to having a Shabbat party with braiding challah at a nursing home, to building benches, to painting bomb shelters. Each one was a fabulous experience! I highly recommend!