Monday, August 4
4:59 PM
YOM NCSY UPDATE: As we prepare for Tisha B’Av, the fast day of the 9th of Av which begins at sunset this evening, we are reflecting on the sadness of the upcoming day. Nonetheless, we also are very proud of our world-class staff, and the great lengths to which they have gone to put together programming for the next 24-hours that we expect your teens will find meaningful, thought-provoking, and inspirational. We take stock of our eight programs currently in Israel, and are so proud of what they have accomplished under challenging circumstances and amid difficult decisions throughout the summer.
Our leadership recently addressed one such difficult decision as it relates to Yom NCSY, the NCSY-wide evening of celebration planned for this coming Thursday. Sadly, under the circumstances, we have made the decision to cancel the Yom NCSY event for this summer. There are many factors that went into this decision, with the most serious among them related to safety. As you know, we are committed to maintaining the highest quality programming for your teens in the safest way possible, and we expect that we will find alternative ways to make sure that each program closes as strongly and impactfully as possible.
As we prepare now for Tisha B’Av, we are ever mindful of our Sages’ teaching: “All who mourn properly for the destruction of our Temple in Jerusalem, will also merit to rejoice in its rebuilding.” With that in mind, it is our fervent prayer that we merit to celebrate the rebuilding of the Temple speedily in our times.
With wishes for an easy and meaningful fast, and with prayers for peace in Israel and for Jews everywhere.
11:47 AM
This afternoon, there were two incidents in different Yerushalayim neighborhoods that tragically resulted in injuries and one fatality. No NCSY groups were in the affected areas at the time of those episodes. We remain in frequent and regular contact with the Cheder Matzav, and they are monitoring activity as it relates to all of the NCSY programs, including those in the Jerusalem area. We spoke with them again in the past hour, and they have approved the current itineraries for each of the NCSY programs, including those presently in Jerusalem.
We will notify if you immediately if there is any change to our program plans as circumstances warrant.
Friday, August 1
10:00 AM
JOLT UPDATE: We hope this finds you well, and we are pleased that JOLT has had such an incredible and impactful experience thus far during their time in Poland and Austria.
As you know, we have seven NCSY programs currently in Israel, and JOLT is scheduled to be the next program to join them, when your teens depart this Sunday night. We continue to monitor the situation in Israel extraordinarily closely, and have been evaluating on a program-by-program basis to determine that we can safely and appropriately run each individual program in question.
Based on our conversations with the Cheder Matzav (Situation Room), the Israeli government-run security agency that guides our movements in Israel, our determination is that JOLT has the green light to proceed to Israel on Sunday night. We have arranged the itinerary of the program such that the entirety of the program’s stay in Israel will be in Jerusalem and in the Golan section of the country, which are the areas most recommended by the Cheder Matzav. Those are also the areas in which our seven current programs are located as well.
Wednesday, July 23
1:07 AM
EURO ICE UPDATE: Given the uncertainty related to travel into and out of Israel at this time, we feel it prudent to arrange for the Euro ICE participants to spend at least the next several days – from now until Monday, July 28 – in Europe, rather than moving on to Israel. We will make an assessment by this Friday, July 25, as to the itinerary beyond that point. Possibilities include moving onto the Israel portion of the trip or extending the group’s stay in Europe until approximately August 7th.
Your teens are scheduled to head from Athens to Rome tomorrow evening, and they will make that trip as planned. However, rather than heading on to Israel, they will spend the next several days in Italy. They will begin with a couple of days in Florence, followed by Shabbat and the subsequent two days in Venice. Our tour provider has extensive experience with logistics in Europe, and as was the case during our time in Greece, armed security will accompany our group throughout their time in Italy. The teens will learn about the rich Jewish history of the communities in Italy as Rabbi Lashak has extensiveexperience running Euro ICE in numerous European countries, including Italy.
We look forward to an incredible next step for the teens of Euro ICE as they embark on this next step of their journey. As soon as we have further information regarding itinerary for the group beyond Monday, we will communicate that to you immediately.
We recognize this is a substantial itinerary change and we appreciate your understanding.
Tuesday, July 22
2:03 PM
Updating our last notice: The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has suspended flights by US carriers into and out of Ben Gurion as a precautionary measure for a period of up to 24 hours. This does not directly affect foreign carriers, such as El Al, Lot, or Alitalia, which are the airlines our participants are scheduled to fly. Each of those carriers makes their own determinations.
We continue to monitor the situation closely and will update you immediately should the circumstances change or if our plans change.
1:08 PM
There have been two public announcements in the past 24 hours that we have noted and discussed specifically and directly with Israel’s Cheder Matzav (Situation Room). The first announcement was the U.S. State Department’s advisory late last night that U.S. citizens consider the deferral of non-essential travel to Israel. The second was the announcement by two US airlines (Delta and US Airways) temporarily suspending flights in and out of Ben Gurion Airport.
The Cheder Matzav has confirmed that the State Dept. announcement does not change the Cheder Matzav recommendations. Our tour provider has spoken with them several times already today, and they continue to advise us that our itineraries remain safe for all programs. Furthermore, we have reached out to several other youth organizations regarding their programs currently in Israel, and all are maintaining their existing itineraries as guided by the Cheder Matzav.
The Government of Israel has announced that Ben Gurion Airport remains safe for all takeoffs and landings. The Minister of Transportation of Israel, Yisrael Katz, has called on the two airlines to resume their normal travel schedules, and no changes have been made to the travel schedules for the airlines your teens are scheduled to fly (El Al, Lot, and Alitalia). An earlier news report indicating that the FAA had suspended flights was untrue.
We continue to monitor the situation from every perspective and will advise you immediately should circumstances dictate a change to our plans.
Sunday, July 20
1:20 AM
Dear NCSY TJJ 2014 parents,
We know how challenging the past couple of weeks have been for all of you, as we have followed the events in Israel and worked to determine whether or not TJJ 2014 would take place as planned.
With great recognition for the magnitude of our responsibility here, we have decided this evening that we will be unable to have TJJ run as planned for this summer. The most significant factors in this decision were: 1) our inability to ensure space for the entirety of the TJJ group in the North of Israel; and 2) the great uncertainty as to whether or when the rest of Israel would be available to the group in order to resume their itinerary as originally planned.
We planned for the better part of the past year for TJJ, and we share your disappointment that the trip will not be running this summer. That said, as you have likely observed over the past weeks, our staff is incredible, and they are very excited to run an alternative trip for your teens:
1) We are finalizing details now for a West Coast trip in lieu of TJJ, and we will announce details for that option in the next 24-48 hours. What we know today is that it will be a two-week trip, will cost you less than TJJ cost (in part because we will be subsidizing the trip cost to some extent), and that it will take place either July 29-August 12 or July 30-August 13. And it will be AWESOME.
2) For those not interested in the alternative, we will process full refunds to all of you of the amounts you paid for TJJ. Scholarships that you received from Federations or other sources will be returned to those sources.
3) Priority in registration for TJJ 2015 will be granted to all of those we registered to go this summer. For those of you who will have graduated high school by 2015, priority registration will be granted on Israel Free Spirit Birthright trips, 10-day Israel trips run by our partners at Israel Free Spirit.
We look forward to sharing further information with you about the West Coast alternative very soon. In the meantime, we thank you again for your patience and your confidence in us. We recognize that both are a privilege.
Friday, July 18
2:20 PM
TJJ Update:
We continue to monitor the situation in Israel extraordinarily closely, while simultaneously planning for the intended start to TJJ 2014 next week. As we mentioned in our previous email, we have confirmed flights for Tuesday, July 22, and Wednesday, July 23.
As you know, we will be making a final decision regarding whether TJJ 2014 will be running this summer on Saturday night, July 19, and will be communicated to you before midnight ET. In the event that we decide to run the trip, we will send out your flight information with that email.
If our determination on Saturday night is that TJJ is running as planned, you will still have the option to opt out for your child before 9 am ET Sunday morning. In that circumstance, you will receive a refund of the cost of your El Al ticket, plus a portion of the remaining cost TBD.
If our determination on Saturday night is that TJJ will not be running as planned, you will receive a full refund of the entire amount that you paid for the trip. Any scholarships you received (from Federations or from other sources) will be refunded to those sources.
In the event that we determine we are unable to run TJJ, we are currently working feverishly on a strong alternative trip, which we hope to be able to offer on a subsidized basis. We will have details for you about that option on Saturday night, and we hope that as many teens as possible consider joining us for that option in the event that TJJ is not able to depart as planned.
We thank you very much for your patience and understanding throughout this very challenging decision-making process. We appreciate your confidence in us and look forward to providing a life-changing and uplifting experience for your teen.
10:21 AM
TJJ AP Update:
TJJ AP is off to a terrific and highly impactful start.
As you know, we have six NCSY programs currently in Israel (including our TJJ Ambassadors trip), and TJJ AP is scheduled to be the next program to join them, when your teens depart this Sunday night from Warsaw to Tel Aviv. We continue to monitor the situation in Israel extraordinarily closely, and are evaluating on a program-by-program basis to determine that we can safely and appropriately run each individual program in question.
Based on our conversations with the Cheder Matzav (Situation Room), the Israeli government-run security agency that guides our movements in Israel, our determination is that TJJ AP has the green light to proceed to Israel on Sunday night. We will be modifying the itinerary of the program such that the first week or so of the program’s stay in Israel will be in the Golan section of the country, which is the area most recommended by the Cheder Matzav. That is also the area in which our six current programs are located as well.
Thursday, July 17
5:28 PM
11:00 AM
TJJ UPDATE:
We are pleased to confirm that flights have been secured on EL AL leaving Tuesday, July 22, and Wednesday, July 23, for the entire group. We have arranged flights from California, Toronto and New York. Later today, you will receive specific flight information and instructions for your TJJ bus.
Over the next few days, we will continue to monitor the situation in Israel and work with both the Cheder Matzav (Israeli Security Room) and our tour provider to ensure that we can provide a safe and robust TJJ program for all your children. We will make a final decision on whether the trips will depart as planned on Saturday night, July 19, at midnight. You will then have until 9:00AM ET on Sunday, July 20, to either confirm you will be attending or cancel and receive a refund for your flight. Unfortunately, if you cancel after that time you will no longer be eligible for a refund from EL AL.
In order to better assist you in answering many of the questions you have, we have compiled a list of questions and answers, which you can find here.
10:45 AM
Michlelet: Raft building, having a BBQ lunch, going to Kfar Kedem – Biblical Times and donkey riding, and shopping. Tommorow, Friday, Nachal Kibutzim and preparing for Shabbat
Wednesday, July 16
9:58 AM
Due to current changes in situation please note the following:
TJJ AMB: Tomorrow, Thursday instead of the Jilabun Hike will be going to Paintball and Ein Tina
Friday they will check out, go to chocolate factory as planned, for now they will not be going to pkiin, but will be spending Shabbat in Tzfat at instead of their original plans. Sunday stays the same for now.
GIVE: Will be checking out of the Golan on Friday and also going to Tzfat for Shabbat. We will evaluate on Sunday whether they head down south or not.
BILT: No change, going to Lavi for Shabbat.
Michlelet: Staying at Chispin at least until Sunday.
Kollel: Will not be going to Tzfat, staying at Chispin until Monday
Tuesday, July 15
10:18 PM
In order to avoid any confusion about where the trips that are currently in Israel are travelling, we will only be displaying the itineraries for the next few days. The itineraries are being revised every few days in order to give your children a meaningful, fun and safe time while they are up North.
2:10 PM
We are in the process or rescheduling the TJJ trip departure to sometime next week between Monday, July 21 and Wednesday, July 23. Including staff, we had well over 450 flights scheduled for tomorrow. We are working with our travel agents to accommodate all those who intend to go on the program even with its revised departure date, but we do not have guaranteed flights yet. We are going to work to keep buses intact and have these groups fly together. In addition, we are investigating other airline possibilities besides EL AL to try and get everyone to Israel in as timely a fashion as possible.
At this point, we ask you all to take five minutes and fill out this short online form and tell us whether or not you plan on continuing with the trip next week if we are able to go.
If you have already communicated your plans to us, we ask that you fill out this form so we have everyone’s information in one place. Click here to fill out the form.
Please note that if you ordered a cell phone through our provider, it will automatically be changed per your instructions on the form.
Additionally, we’ve set up a page with frequently asked questions in order to better serve you with the information you need. We will continue to update it throughout the week. Click here to view the TJJ FAQ.
1:50 PM
After considering all the options outlined yesterday, we have decided to postpone the TJJ trip until next week.
As you know, we currently have more than 600 NCSY participants up North, where our security advisors maintain that it is safe and where we are able to meet their needs programmatically as well. Nonetheless, given the size of the TJJ program and its robust travel schedule, we now have reached the point where it’s not realistic to bring another 400 teens to that particular area. For that reason, we have decided to wait approximately a week. We will, however, end the program as scheduled, depending on the flights we are able to get for the way home, give or take a day.
Please note – If you booked your add-on through Ariel Tours, you do not need to do anything aside from NOT GOING TO THE AIRPORT. Ariel Tours will cancel your flight. If you booked your own add-on, please make sure to cancel your flights accordingly.
9:48 AM
GIVE’s itinerary has been updated through Friday. BILT’s itinerary has been updated through Thursday.
Monday, July 14
5:33 PM
TJJ – In addition to seeking availability for flights approximately a week from now, we now know that the Israeli Security Cabinet is meeting tomorrow morning regarding Egypt’s ceasefire proposal. As such, we will make a final determination tomorrow regarding the following three options:
1. Proceed with TJJ as planned and depart on Wednesday
2. Postpone TJJ till early next week
3. Cancel TJJ (if we are unable to secure seats on flights next week)
We thank you for your patience while we continue to evaluate the best option for your children that will ensure a safe and meaningful summer. We will be in touch as soon as possible.
4:42 PM
NCSY Kollel will be based in Chispin through Wednesday. More updates to their itinerary will be posted when they become available.
4:15 PM
2:28 PM
As you may have heard by now, there were some sirens in the Golan today and reports of rockets in the area.
We have discussed with the Cheder Matzav and want to make you aware that this activity did not take place near any of our groups in the region. They continue to advise us that our programs are free to continue their regular scheduled activities in the region.
1:25 PM
ICE Israel has landed safely in Israel and is on its way up North.
TJJ AP and JOLT have landed in Poland.
Sunday, July 13
7:47 PM
Our five programs already in Israel (BILT, GIVE, Kollel, Michlelet, and TJJA) had productive, enjoyable and safe days today, with no sirens or safety concerns. We continue to monitor the situation closely and are in constant touch with the Israeli government run security office, the Cheder Matzav (Situation Room). All the NCSY programs currently in Israel are based out of the Golan Heights and spending some time in the Galil. The ICE Israel program just left NYC and is en route to Israel, where they will head straight to the Galil. The entire Golan/Galil area has been deemed safe by the Cheder Matzav.
11:50 AM
Michlelet’s itinerary for today – chaburahs, activities, lunch in Chispin, pita baking in par katzrin, speaker, night activity
Tonight, GIVE will be moving to Alonai HaBashan in the Golan Heights to sleep there and be based out of there for a few days. Tomorrow, they will spend time hiking the Jilabon, going to Mitzpeh Gadol (overlook), and experiencing team building exercises like raft building. On Tuesday, the group will spend time in the Golan Heights, both off-campus and on-campus, including an on-campus meeting with a unique guest speaker who lives in Alonai HaBashan.
Tonight TJJA will be moving to Ein Zivan in the beautiful Golan Heights to sleep there and be based out of there for the next couple of days. As was updated last week on the website (http://tjja.ncsy.org/
10:04 AM
BILT:
Today – Zevitan hike, shwarma lunch, Har Ben Tal, ancient katzrin
Tomorrow – tzfat, speech by Avraham levinthal, otzer hastam, water sports
TJJ Ambassadors: Mitzpeh Gadot, Jilaboon Riverbed, Katzrin, Ein Zivan chocolate factory
Friday, July 11
3:54 PM
As we head into Shabbat in North America, we want to let you know about our communication procedures over Shabbat.
All program directors are carrying phones in case of emergency and will have access to an emergency number in the U.S. as well. In the event that there is an individual emergency, the person’s parents will be contacted – as is always the case. There will be no group communication until after Shabbat.
We hope you have a peaceful and restful Shabbat!
8:20 AM
NCSY Kollel has checked in and is unpacking in Chispin.
Michlelet’s itinerary for today: Chispin, Katzrin, Salukiya Mei Eden Springs, Prepare for Shabbos
Thursday, July 10
5:50 PM
Tomorrow morning, July 11th, Kollel will be traveling to the north of the country for Shabbos and beyond. We will be staying at the Yeshiva in Chispin.
- We will stay in Chispin for as long as necessary. We plan to incorporate all of the critical elements of our program there, including learning, tiyulim, and sports.
- We are providing the NCSYers with detailed instructions of how to pack and prepare for this trip.
- We are still providing around the clock supervision and support for the NCSYers
1:30PM
Updated itineraries through Monday have been posted for BILT, TJJ Ambassadors, Michlelet and GIVE. They will all be up North.
12:55PM
There will be a conference call for TJJ parents tonight to review security procedures and address any concerns.
Time: 6:15 pm Eastern (5:15 pm Central, 4:15 pm MT, 3:15 pm PT)
Phone number: 1-530-881-1300, #565180
You can email questions to questions@ncsy.org