Girls Israel Leadership Camp

Be Part of ISRAEL

Join the Israel Leadership Camp for Girls

And find your connection to Israel!

A fun, challenging and unforgettable experience that will prepare you to be a leader and an opinion maker.

• Become one of Israel’s next advocacy ambassadors
• Get to know the length and breadth of the country
• Encounter a variety of cultures, opinions and delicious ethnic foods!
• Meet influential Israelis
• Learn from and participate in workshops with leading experts in Israeli advocacy
• Make your own professional short film – become a Viral Advocate!

Who? Grades 10-12

The camp is open to all, including second time visitors to Israel!

When? July 1 – July 28, 2015

Special offer – refer two friends and all three of you will receive a 15% discount. This offer is valid for applications received no later than January 15th, 2015.

ITINERARY

Wednesday July 1: Arrival

• Arrive in Israel and travel directly to Jerusalem for your first visit to the Kotel.
• View the city from a scenic overlook over the city.
• General orientation.

Overnight Jerusalem

Thursday July 2: Then and Now

• Start the day by visiting the Latrun Tank Museum guided by an active-duty IDF soldier. The museum is situated where several important battles from the War of Independence and is the official memorial site of the armored corps.
• Visit Ammunition Hill and learn about the critical 1967 battle that took place here and determined the outcome of the unification of Jerusalem. Discover the heroism of those who fought there, without whom Jerusalem would not have been reunited.
• Participate in an outdoor challenge activity to develop your leadership skills and team work.
• Tour visit the offices of the Jerusalem Post newspaper and meet with editors and journalists.

Overnight Jerusalem

Friday July 3: Multi-Cultural Israel

• Visit the Voice of Israel (Kol Yisrael) radio station.
• Take a trip on the Jerusalem light rail and observe the many different cultures within this complex city.
• Stroll and shop through the unique neighborhood of Meah Shearim.
• Meet with an amazing Israeli musician from the Old City. Sing, dance and discover how his Jewish roots inspire his music.
• Return to the base to prepare for Shabbat.
• Light candles and attend Shabbat services at the world famous Belz shul.
• Enjoy the tastes and friendship of our first Shabbat dinner as a group.

Overnight Jerusalem

Shabbat July 4: Shabbat in Jerusalem

• Relax and regroup with a special Shabbat program.

Overnight Jerusalem

Sunday July 5 – Tuesday July 7: Stand with Us – Israel Advocacy Film Seminar

• Participate in a three-day intensive film seminar focusing on how to present Israel in the various arts.
• Meet with Israel activists from Stand with Us and learn about the importance of being an Advocate for Israel.
• Plan, write, film and edit short films about Israel using Jerusalem as your location backdrop.
• Celebratory screening of our movies with film maker Rafi Kaplan and Israeli author Eliaz Cohen.
• Participate in a fun and creative theatre workshop.
• Evening activity with O2TMedia, a Jerusalem based film company that is using  entertainment to spread positive messages about Am Yisrael into the world.
• Meet with Rav Shalom Sharon of the Ethiopian Council.
• Stroll, shop and nosh through the world famous Machane Yehuda Market and witness the vibrant life of Jerusalem first hand.

Overnight Jerusalem

Wednesday July 8: Exploring the Golan

• See the Kesem HaGolan 3D experience and gain an understanding of why this region is so important.
• Stand on top of Mt. Bental and look over the border into Syria. Understand the strategic significance of the area.
• Visit Kibbutz El Rom for a screening of the Oz77 movie, telling the story of the largest tank battle in modern history.
• Meet with Elaine Hotter, the mother of 17 year old Gavriel Hotter, who was murdered at the in a 2002 terrorist attack at his Yeshiva in Otniel.

Overnight Golan

Thursday July 9: Israeli innovation

• Witness where high-tech meets agriculture on the Kibbutz. See how innovations like the robotic cow-shed are changing the way farmers farm and food is produced.
• Get to try your hand at your own food production with a fun workshop at the De Karina chocolate factory.
• Enjoy a lazy afternoon kayaking down the Jordan river.
• Meet with Kibbutz members at Misgav Am on the Israel-Lebanon border. Learn about their life on the border and how they see the future of this region.

Overnight Golan

Friday July 10: Kabbalah and Mysticism

• Tour the beautiful Holy City of Tzfat.
• Meet with artist David Friedman and explore some of the secrets of the Kabbala hidden in his art.
• Head to our new base in the Golan.
• Personal time for spiritual preparation in advance of Shabbat.
• Mystical Kabbalat Shabbat and Shabbat dinner.

Overnight Golan

Shabbat July 11: Debate

• Relax and regroup with a special Shabbat program in stunning Golan Heights countryside.
• Learn the “how to” of debate with special guest JP Weisman

Overnight Golan

Sunday July 12: Desert Experience

• Head south from the Golan into the desert.
• Hike up the famous snake path at Masada in time to see the sunrise over the Dead Sea. Explore the 2000 year-old fortress and see where Jews chose death over slavery in the last days of the Great Revolt against Rome.
• Swim and hike among the waterfalls and natural pools at Nachal David at Ein Gedi, where the young David hid to protect his life from King Saul.
• Float in the unique waters of the Dead Sea, at the lowest point on planet.
• Check into the hostel and have an early night in preparation for tomorrow’s pre-dawn wake up.

Overnight Eilat

Monday July 13: Red Sea Relaxation

• Rise early to climb Mt. Tzfachot at dawn. From the top of this mountain you can see four different countries!
• Descend from the mountain straight to the sea- the Red Sea that is – and enjoy snorkeling among the beautiful fish in the Eilat waters.
• Chill out and escape the 100 degree heat in the famous Eilat ice-mall.
• Engage in competitive water sports before heading back to Jerusalem.

Overnight Eilat

Tuesday July 14: Into the Desert, Again!

• Hike in the natural beauty of Park Timna, home to King Solomon’s mines.
• Tour the dairy Kibbutz Yotvata, famous for its absolutely delicious chocolate milk!
• Enjoy a camel trek among the sand dunes of the Arava desert.
• Visit the Ilan Ramon Center/The Mitzpe Ramon Visitor Center which serves as a both a museum and memorial for Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut who died in the 2003 Columbia Space Shuttle explosion.
• Bask in the beauty of Mitzpe Ramon, Israel’s Grand Canyon.

Wednesday July 15 – Thursday July 16: Desert Experience III

• Enjoy rappelling the ancient cliffs overlooking the Ramon Crater.
• Prepare camp for a night of sleeping under the stars.
• Dinner, camp fire, stories and songs in the beautiful Negev desert.
• Camel trek and lunch

Overnight Desert Camping

Friday July 17: Erev Shabbat

• Return to Jerusalem and prepare for your free Shabbat.

Shabbat July 17: FREE SHABBAT

Sunday July 19: Beneath the Surface

• Explore the excavations of the ancient City of David, the origins of Jerusalem. Stand in the spot where King Solomon was crowned and splash your way through the 2,700 year old underground water system built by King Hezakiah.
• Tour the Kotel tunnels and walk the length of the Western Wall beneath the ground of  Jerusalem’s Old City.

Overnight Jerusalem

Monday July 20: Growth from the Ashes

• Spend the morning at Israel’s national Holocaust museum – Yad Vashem. Explore the impact of the Holocaust on our people and honor the victims in a moving memorial ceremony.
• Experience the life of a blind person at “Dialogue in the Dark.”
• Step into the shoes of a deaf person at “Invitation to Silence.”
• Open discussion about these experiences.

Overnight Jerusalem

Tuesday July 21: Tel Aviv – A New Old City

• Enjoy a special tour at Google Israel,  home to some of Israel’s most creative innovation pioneers.
• Inspiration abounds as we are taught about the founding of the State at the Palmach Museum.
• The history of Israel is laid out to us at the Yitzhak Rabin Museum.
• Stroll and shop at the fantastically funky Jaffa flea market.
• Meet the staff at Tatzpit, a news service dedicated to helping international journalists produce accurate and balanced coverage of Israeli events and sharing the real story from the field.

Overnight Jerusalem

Wednesday July 22: Tour with the Tenach

• Travel the beautiful Jordan Valley passing the ancient city of Jericho.
• Stop at Har Gilboa overlooking Emek Yizra’el, where King Saul and his son Jonathan met their deaths.
• Take a dip in the natural springs that this area of the country is famous for at Nachal HaKibbutzim.
• As night falls we will head to Beit Shean and enjoy the light show that brings these ancient ruins to life.

Overnight Galilee

Thursday July 23: Israel Encounters

• Meet with the activists of HaShomer HaChadash. Styled on the Zionist pioneers known as The Guardsmen who protected Jewish land 100 years ago, this group is dedicated to protecting Israeli farmers and land from theft and damage.
• Hike to the Keshet cave – one of the most beautiful natural wonders in the land of Israel.
• End the day hanging on the beach having a kumzits with Israeli teens.

Overnight Galilee

Friday July 24: Northern Exposure

• Spend the day exploring the Western Galilee.
• Take the cable car down and explore the beautiful grottoes at Rosh HaNikra, on Israel’s border with Lebanon.
• Explore the town of Nahariya, Israel’s northern most coastal city.
• Head to Acco and visit the amazing Crusader castles and crypts and the site of the infamous British prison where the Etzel staged a daring prison break in 1947.

Overnight Galilee

Shabbat July 25: Chazon

• In a special Shabbat program examine the concept of Chazon/vision for Jewish leadership.
• As Shabbat ends, Tisha B’Av begins.
• Experience an unforgettable Tish B’Av with a meaningful and moving reading of Megilat Eicha.

Overnight Galilee

Sunday July 26: Tisha B’Av

• Special Tisha B’Av program commemorating the destruction of Jerusalem from the rebuilt city.

Overnight Jerusalem

Monday July 27: Government and Politics

• Tour the Begin Center at historic Yemin Moshe and learn about the man who changed the face of Israeli politics.
• Visit the Israeli Supreme Court.
• Tour the Knesset and meet with a Knesset member.  We will then attend a meeting with an Israeli Government official at the Foreign Ministry and have an opportunity to ask all your questions!

Overnight Jerusalem

Tuesday July 28: Closing the Circle

• On our final day we will summarize and evaluate our experiences together. What have we learned, what comes next and how do we keep this passion alive?
• Celebrate with an amazing farewell party!

* Please note that this program is subject to changed.

Next year in Jerusalem