Israel Tours are now going ahead, said organisers, following the Foreign Office’s change in its travel advice.
The shift in guidance, which went from advising “against all travel” (red) to advising “against all but essential travel” (amber) to Israel, means that some 800 16-year-olds will be touring the country this summer.
Despite the change in FCDO advice, which came in just before Shabbat, areas around Gaza, the West Bank, the Golan Heights and parts of the North remain in the “red” zone.
The tours – which have become part of the traditional post-GCSE celebrations for many Jewish teenagers – were hanging in the balance following the outbreak of the Israel-Iran War.
UJIA Israel Experience and the Jewish Agency for Israel released a joint statement after the risk level was lowered, saying: “We are pleased that with the recent ceasefire, and easing of FCDO guidance, Israel Tours are now able to go ahead as planned this summer.”
They said that the change in travel advice meant that “all four of our key safety indicators, including FCDO guidance, Israeli government regulations (such as Cheder Matzav - Israeli Government Situation Room and the Home Front Command), insurance availability and commercial flight access, are now aligned and support travel”.
Looking to reassure parents and carers, organisers added: “UJIA Israel Experience, together with the Jewish Agency for Israel, participating youth movements, and ground providers in Israel, have extensive experience in operating in ever-changing scenarios on a range of Israel programming and experiences. We are now looking forward to secure and meaningful Israel Experiences for summer 2025.”
Mandie Winston, UJIA CEO, told the JC: "The UJIA Israel Experience team, in partnership with the youth movements, the Jewish Agency for Israel, and our teams on the ground, has been working tirelessly to ensure that Israel Tour will now take place in the coming weeks following the update to FCDO guidance. Something that seemed impossible just a fortnight ago will now kick off in mid-July, possible thanks to our decades of experience, the close relationships between key partners and the commitment of our young people to visit Israel.
“This is not just great news for those going, but also for the whole community. Israel Tour is often the first step on the journey to key communal leadership roles, and UJIA is proud to support our young people as they craft their Jewish identity and their relationship with Israel."
Six youth movements had planned Israel-only trips for this summer, while three had organised Israel-Europe programmes.
However, youth movement Habonim Dror told the JC that they would now be rescheduling their Israel tour for a future date as their deadline for making a decision was June 25, “and at that point, Israel Tours were not approved to go ahead”.
In the meantime, they would be offering a subsidised programme to Europe this summer, where the group would “reflect on Zionist and Jewish history” and “have a safe, fun and meaningful summer”.
Other groups not going to Israel are BBYO UK, which took the decision in the autumn to take a group to Europe, Orthodox youth movement, Sinai, who said there was no Israel trip due to a lack of demand and JLGB, which had always planned a Europe-only trip, but hope to return to Israel next summer.