The Negev: In the Beginning

In the Negev desert, we explore creation in nature, creation by humankind, and the origins of the Jewish people.

  • Live at Har HaNegev Field School at the edge of the Ramon Crater, the largest natural crater in the world
  • Hike and sleep out in the crater
  • Explore the desert with religious and secular guides and artists
  • Visit Ben Gurion’s grave at Sde Boker
  • Celebrate Shabbat overlooking the crater, with synagogue options in nearby Mitzpe Ramon
  • Choose a two-day workshop in visual arts, digital media, drama, music, creative writing, or movement

The Galilee: Communities in Search of Shared Purpose

In the Galilee, we compare two revolutionary Jewish communities – the Rabbis and the Pioneers – who lived in this region and whose responses to crisis and change continue to influence Jewish life.

  • Encounter mystics and artists in the city of Tzfat, birthplace of the Kabbalah
  • Explore Tzipori, an archaeological site where Rabbis and Romans lived together
  • Investigate the first Zionist settlements
  • Meet with young people from old and new “pioneer” communities
  • Work in teams for four days with children in the Israeli foster care system
  • Swim at sunset on the eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee
  • Creatively read and explore a play about radical 20th century pioneers
  • Hike through northern streams in the Golan
  • Celebrate Shabbat at a field school in the Golan Heights
  • Participate in 2-day arts workshops

Jerusalem and Tel Aviv: Renewal Today in Judaism and Israel

In the center of modern Israel, we explore Jewish cultural change and renewal, and experience the diversity and vitality in Jewish and Israeli life today.

  • Tour Jerusalem neighborhoods, the restored Jewish Quarter of the Old City, Temple Excavations, and the Western Wall.
  • Encounter diverse views on the Mideast conflict through a full-day seminar with representatives from the left and right of the political spectrum
  • Visit the Yad VaShem Holocaust Memorial Museum and Har Herzl, Israel’s national cemetery
  • Explore Tel Aviv, including visits to museums, the beach, and the first “Hebrew neighborhood” in Israel
  • Learn about social activism in Israel through encounters with local activists
  • Celebrate Shabbat in the diverse neighborhoods of Jerusalem

The Judean Desert: Taking the Journey Home

During the last week of the Nesiya Experience, participants develop a “personal project” with the support and guidance of counselors and arts educators, exploring a personal question or idea.

  • Live at the Ein Gedi field school overlooking the Dead Sea and Ein Gedi oasis
  • Sunrise hike up Masada and swim in the Dead Sea
  • Participate in workshops to develop personal and/or group projects in diverse media
  • Hike and swim in the waterfalls of the Ein Gedi nature reserve
  • Share personal projects
  • Celebrate the final Shabbat of the Nesiya Experience in Ein Gedi
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