Ramah Israel Seminar, Summer 2009
Security Guidelines
as of August 2008

Back to Seminar's Home Page

Ramah Programs in Israel and the National Ramah Commission appreciate that questions of security are of great concern to parents of potential participants in Seminar 2009. As we plan for a meaningful and exciting Seminar, we recognize that security issues in Israel may have implications for the summer program. We feel confident that we can offer a safe, fun, and educational Seminar program, as we have done for 46 consecutive summers. The continued overwhelming feedback from parents and campers of Seminar is that they felt safe in Israel under Ramah's care and that security restrictions did not take away from the high quality of the program.

We hope that the information provided below will help you to understand Ramah's ongoing security policies as well as special precautions which will be implemented for Seminar '09 (these are subject to change depending on the circumstances).

What is Ramah's approach to security and safety?
Ramah Programs in Israel (RPI) has earned the reputation of maintaining the highest level of safety and security. We take no chances, and when decisions have to be made, our policy is always to err on the side of caution. We react swiftly and responsibly to any changes in circumstances in the field. We operate with total commitment to both participants' well-being and parents' peace of mind. Following are some of Ramah Programs in Israel's standard operating procedures:

1. Ramah strictly adheres to the security policies established by Israel's Ministry of Education governing all field trips and activities for public school children and visiting youth.

2. All field trips are cleared in advance, and again just prior to each day's program, with the appropriate authorities (including Israeli police and army). They know our whereabouts at all times, and when they deem it necessary or advisable, armed guards and trained first-aid personnel, equipped with first aid kits, accompany our groups.

3. Transportation to all programmed activities is handled by chartered buses, which are equipped with cellular phones for immediate communication.

4. Ramah does not travel over the "Green Line" (i.e. into the area referred to as the "West Bank") except in very specific areas determined safe by Israel's security services, and even then only in consultation with the authorities. This applies to the Old City of Jerusalem as well.

5. All program participants are given a complete security/safety briefing immediately upon arrival, and reviewed periodically, so that each person knows how to behave responsibly throughout his or her stay. In addition, every participant is provided with a convenient card listing the telephone numbers of all lodgings, the Ramah office, and home and emergency numbers of Ramah personnel who can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week. (Parents are provided with the same numbers.)

What special precautions have been put into place during the past eight years?
Since 2001, RPI has incorporated the following security precautions as standard practice for our spring and summer groups:

a) There will be no travel on roads or to areas which are deemed unsafe by the Ramah staff, in consultation with the aforementioned agencies. Until further notice, these include the tunnel road to Gush Etzion and the Jericho bypass route.

b) There is no unsupervised free time off the program base. There is unstructured time in the Seminar schedule (eg. for shopping), but only in defined areas, and under staff supervision.

c) Participants will not be allowed to travel on public buses. Taxis may be used by participants, following guidance from the staff.

d) On the Friday and Sunday of the Host Shabbat, participants may be picked up by hosts at our Jerusalem base. Each participant must be signed out by his/her host. For those travelling out of Jerusalem, we will offer chartered busses to a central Tel Aviv drop off point.

e) For the Host Shabbat, participants may be permitted to visit hosts who live in areas which are over the Green Line, including Efrat, only with special parental permission, and approval of the Seminar staff.

Have you made substantive changes to the Seminar itinerary as a result of security concerns in Israel?
The carefully planned schedule of the last several years has necessitated our making only minor changes in the itinerary. The following are examples:

• We have modified our program which involves dialogue with Israeli Arabs by not including a visit to their village; however, we will have the opportunity to interact with Israeli Arabs in a Jewish settlement in the Galil.
• We have taken the visit to Gush Etzion out of our program; however we hope to meet with representatives of that region, as well as others representing the spectrum of Israeli society.
• If there are sites which are declared off-limits during the summer (by Ramah staff, in consultation sites or supplement the programming with cultural opportunities (such as concerts, plays or athletic events). Since our bases in Jerusalem and the north offer a camp-like environment (with swimming and sports facilities available), we will also be prepared to implement additional in-house Ramah programming.

Will Seminar still have a positive impact on my child, even with these restrictions?
Yes! Visiting Israel without unlimited freedom does not necessarily diminish the impact of the "Israel experience". Participants may miss one site or another, and free time and independence may be less than in previous years. We know from past experience, that participants returned home safely, with a more profound understanding of the fabric of Israeli society, its place in the Jewish world, and the meaning of being Jewish, along with all the other enrichment that is expected from an Israel program.
In the words of a Seminar parent, "We felt assured that Ramah would take all precautions to keep our children safe but could not have imagined all that these Seminar participants would have experienced in Israel".

What about U.S. State Department warnings?
While the U.S. State Department has issued advisories (but not travel bans) to U.S. citizens regarding travel to Israel, we feel that our security precautions responsibly account for the issues they raise. To begin with, much of their focus is on the West Bank and Gaza, and Ramah groups do not and will not travel to these areas. Next, all of the general precautions in the advisory are already incorporated into our security guidelines.

How will we keep in touch during the summer?
Both prior to and during the summer, our staff is available to you, both in NY and in Jerusalem. Our staff is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week during the Seminar season. We are also pleased to provide regular e-mail updates to parents during the summer, as well as photo updates on this website. Parents from previous summers let us know that they were very comforted and reassured to receive our frequent updates throughout the summer. In addition, Ramah allows participants to rent and use cellular phones on a limited basis. (Information about the availability of cell-phones will be provided online.)

Other questions? Concerns?
Please feel free to be in touch with us with any questions or concerns. You can maintain contact with our NY office at ramahisrael@jtsa.edu or (212) 678-8883. You may also write directly to the Seminar director, Rabbi Ed Snitkoff, in our Jerusalem office, at Ed@ramah.co.il

We are looking forward to an incredible summer on Ramah Israel Seminar. Sign up today and join us for the experience of a lifetime!

Rabbi Ed Snitkoff, Director, Ramah Israel Seminar
Dr. Joe Freedman, Director, Ramah Programs in Israel
Rabbi Mitchell Cohen, National Ramah Director

Contact us at: Ramah Israel Seminar
3080 Broadway
NY, NY 10027
(212) 678-8883
fax: (212) 749-8251
ramahisrael@jtsa.edu