After a 14-month hiatus, Taglit - Birthright Israel will be resuming its free trips from North America to Israel next month.
Birthright Israel suspended its group trips to the Jewish state after the return of the last group on March 13th, 2020, after the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
On Tuesday morning, Birthright Israel announced that its free trips to Israel will resume in May, with dozens of trips expected in May and June, and more than 400 tour groups are planned for July, August and October.
The announcement comes after the Israeli government green lighted the entry of tourists to Israel, starting May 17th. Under the new policy, only fully vaccinated tourists entering the country in guided tour groups are permitted to enter, though individual tourists are expected to be permitted in this summer.
“Birthright Israel will resume providing the gift of educational trips to Israel for eligible individuals aged 18-to-32 from the United States who are vaccinated or recovered,” the organization said in a statement Tuesday.
“In order to attend a Birthright Israel trip, all fully vaccinated or recovered participants will be required to provide a negative PCR test before boarding a flight to Israel as well as take an antibody test upon their arrival at Israel’s Ben-Gurion Airport.”
“Additional regulations, including the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks or adherence to social distancing policies, will be based on government guidelines. Additionally, Birthright Israel will work to secure the proper testing required by the CDC for re-entry into the United States. Each tour group this season will be made up of approximately 20 participants, compared to the pre-pandemic number of 40.”