Your Wheels experience includes airport pick-up and drop-off, bus transportation, accommodations, kosher meals and snacks, programming and entry fees, plus laundry services.
*please note- Disneyland tickets are only provided for teens attending the ROUND TRIP option
USY on Wheels bus typically has about 35-45 participants.
USY on Wheels Classic buses are supervised by 5 staff members. All staff members are qualified university student leaders, advisors, youth directors, teachers, and/or rabbinical students.
Each bus is in daily contact with the Director of Immersive Experiences who is on call 24 hours a day. All USY Summer Experience staff participate in an intensive training seminar prior to the trips, including becoming certified in CPR/First Aid and Youth Mental Health First Aid.
Teens stay in major hotel brands across the country. Some have pools and recreational facilities while others do not. The number of teens per room varies from three to four, depending on the facility.
Social action and community service projects are an important component of USY on Wheels. During the course of the summer, teens participate in at least six hours of volunteer work. Past projects have included:
We believe every teen deserves the opportunity to participate in USY summer travel regardless of financial restrictions. Please visit our Ways to Save page to learn about various venues for scholarship, including through USY.
If your child will be participating in USY on Wheels as their first-ever immersive Jewish overnight summer experience, they may be eligible to receive up to a $1,000 One Happy Camper grant. Refer to the program website for more information regarding eligibility requirements and grant availability.
During trips, conferences, long-term programs, and other events in which USY participants may be roomed with one another, rooming assignments will be based on gender identity and not gender assigned at birth.
For more information or assistance discussing this topic with youth, please contact the Director of Child and Youth Protection.
Your Wheels experience includes airport pick-up and drop-off, bus transportation, accommodations, kosher meals and snacks, programming and entry fees, plus laundry services.
We would be happy to answer any and all of your questions! Please send us an email at [email protected] and we will get back to you shortly.
Our group flight will leave out of and return to JFK Airport in New York City. Participants are responsible for arranging travel to and from JFK to their home cities.
Departure to DR– 7/26- If flying, teens should arrive into JFK airport no later than 11:30 PM ET.
If local, drop off at JFK airport should be at 12:00 PM ET.
Returning Home: If flying, flights should be booked after 4:00 PM ET on Thursday, 8/6.
Local Pick up at JFK at 2:00 PM ET
The group is accompanied by a team of madrichim (counselors). In the past, staff on IMPACT DR have been year-round USY staff members, and/or Jewish youth professionals. Information on our staff members will be sent to participants a few weeks prior to departure. Our partnered company also provides 2 permanent staff members which includes a director and a first aid.
During the group’s time in the Dominican Republic, they travel by bus with the same bus driver for the entire duration of the program.
The group stays in the same hotel throughout the entirety of the program. The hotels have air-conditioning, Wi-Fi, a pool, and hot water. All of the hotels we have stayed at in the past have been eco-hotels – hotels that have made improvements to their structure in order to minimize their impact on the environment.
USY is partnering with Cambio Trips this summer while in the Dominican Republic. Our groups will work on various projects with local community members, including working at a camp teaching children English, leading art projects, and facilitating sports games in local villages. Past projects have included building a swing set, repainting a school, planting a vegetable garden and trees for shade, and building a volleyball court. Participants have also cleaned and repainted tombstones at the Jewish Cemetery in Sosua. USYers will leave the DR having completed 20-40 service hours.
Yuval Yisrael provides full room and board throughout the trip and three kosher meals a day. Participants will stay in either quad or double rooms. Throughout the program, participants will stay in a variety of accommodations including hotels, kibbutzim, host homes, and the Agron Guest House.
Laundry services will be available once in the middle of the program. Participants should pack clothes for 10-11 days.
We cannot guarantee that there will always be Wifi available throughout the program. If you plan to bring a smart device, we recommend that you either purchase a cell phone plan or SIM card. If you do not intend to purchase a local plan, please review procedures to prevent data roaming in Israel as it can lead to very high costs.
Yuval Yisrael will make every effort to provide options to those who require special diets. Vegetarian/vegan and gluten-free options are provided at every meal for participants who sign up for them. Please provide this information in your medical forms.
Yuval Yisrael is not a nut-free environment, however, we request that participants refrain from eating any food with nuts in closed areas including on the buses, in the dormitories, and in the moadonim (common rooms).
We believe every teen deserves the opportunity to participate in USY summer travel regardless of financial restrictions. Please visit our Ways to Save page to learn about various venues for scholarship, including through USY.
As in years past, USY is once again applying for funding from RootOne LLC., an organization aimed at helping teens travel to and experience Israel. RootOne may help offset costs for eligible trip participants only. USY is actively applying for our RootOne grant, and we encourage you to take part today! Learn more at RootOne.org and be in touch with us directly with any questions. (Note, Vouchers are subject to participant eligibility and are not guaranteed. USY’s prior RootOne funding is no guarantee of future funding.) * Not available for graduating seniors or students of orthodox day schools.
Check out Plant Your Way – an innovative program that will help you save money for a trip to Israel and, at the same time, raise money for the greening of Israel.
All passports must be valid for six months following your return flight. Obtaining a new passport can take weeks, or sometimes months. Please check your passports now and apply for a new one if necessary to ensure your ability to participate in Yuval Yisrael.
Yuval Yisrael is a Ramah and USY program. The Ramah Camping Movement is the camping arm of the Conservative movement and USY is the youth movement for United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. We offer an egalitarian, Shabbat observant, joyful and spirited Jewish community. This program is for Jewish teens looking for a program with an egalitarian Jewish framework that is Shabbat observant.
All participants are fully covered for medical care, including doctors’ visits, medications, x-rays, and hospitalization. This coverage extends from the time of arrival in Israel until the end of the program, but does not cover diseases, illnesses, or medical problems resulting from pre-existing conditions, pregnancy, or self-inflicted injuries. In addition, we will be purchasing a Coronavirus add-on that covers COVID-19 testing (provided pending approval of the Ministry of Health) and all medical treatments, doctors’ visits, medications and hospitalizations as a result of COVID-19 infection. Yuval Yisrael staff will ensure that all students receive the medical treatment recommended or prescribed by our health care professionals. Our Mirpa’ah (infirmary) is open 24/7 and is staffed by a paramedic and support staff. A doctor comes to our base for visits, as needed. Counselors accompany students to all medical appointments or tests.
The medical coverage does not include dental, orthodontic, optical, or psychological care. However, Yuval Yisrael staff will facilitate such appointments, if needed, at the participant’s expense. We recommend a complete dental check-up before departure for Israel.
The mental health of our participants is extremely important to us. All of our participants will have access to a camper care professional throughout the entirety of the program as needed. This professional will work with each participant and their family before Yuval Yisrael to ensure that their mental health needs will be cared for and met on the program. All applications will be screened by the Yuval Yisrael staff.
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