After 31 years, this raffle is still sending whole families to Jerusalem for Sukkot, and the extended early bird deadline is tomorrow, July 15.
For $36, one family will spend 11 days in Jerusalem this Sukkot: 7 round-trip airfares from New York, luxurious accommodations, a car rental for the entire stay, $1,000 in spending cash, and a top-tier lulav and etrog waiting for them. Winners who prefer can take $18,000 in cash instead. If Sukkot at the Kosel has ever been on your family's list, what you read next matters.
The catch is the calendar. The early bird special was extended through July 15, and every ticket purchased by then automatically comes with free bonus tickets.
To lock in your early bird bonus tickets before tomorrow's deadline - enter here now
What the early bird actually gets you
The bonus structure rewards buying now. A single $36 ticket becomes 2 entries. Four tickets at $72 become 6 entries, and 7 tickets at $100 become 12.
At the higher tiers, the math gets stronger. $180 turns 15 tickets into 25 entries, $360 turns 40 into 60, $500 turns 70 into 100, and the $1,000 package turns 200 tickets into 240 entries. After July 15, those bonus tickets disappear.
The More Chai option: $50 for a shot at double
For an extra $50, the More Chai add-on gives the first prize winner an additional $18,000 in cash on top of the trip or cash prize, bringing the total prize value to $36,000.
Here is the number worth knowing: 60% of previous winners were More Chai winners. The families who added $50 walked away with an extra $18,000 when their name came up.
To join the 60% who chose More Chai - add it to your entry here
Real families won this. Their names are public.
This is the raffle's 31st year, and the winners are listed by name. The Mannes family of Chicago took first prize in 2025, with the Braun family of Brooklyn taking second. In 2024, first prize went to the Palacci family of Brooklyn and second to the Rand family, also of Brooklyn.
Second prize is nothing to dismiss either: 6 round-trip tickets to anywhere in the continental US, valued at $2,400.
Where the money goes
Every ticket supports Bais Yaakov High School of Chicago, which has been educating girls since 1991. The school runs a dual curriculum built to prepare students for life after high school, continuing the vision Sara Schenirer had when she founded the Bais Yaakov movement: building Bnos Yisroel with self-confidence, leadership skills, and the knowledge to succeed.
The drawing is set. The deadline is tomorrow.
The raffle drawing takes place on September 3, 2026 (כ"א אלול תשפ"ו). But the early bird bonus, the part that multiplies your entries for free, ends July 15. That is tomorrow.
To buy your ticket with early bird bonuses before the July 15 cutoff - secure your entry now