This isn’t just a trip; it’s a moment that changes how teens see themselves and their connection to Jewish life.
Travel Vouchers
After selecting a RootOne-supported trip, teens apply for a travel voucher through RootOne. Each participant receives access to a personalized online portal with resources related to their specific trip and broader topics connected to the experience.
To receive the voucher, teens complete activities in the portal that earn “nekudot,” or points — such as connecting with Israeli peers, watching videos, and engaging with interactive content.
Once all requirements are completed, a $3,000 travel voucher is automatically applied to the cost of the trip through the program provider.
Diverse Trip Options
RootOne partners with various youth-serving organizations to offer a range of trip experiences, including: NFTY (URJ) in Israel, JSU GO, BBYO, NCSY Summer, JNF- Muss program, Ramah Israel Seminar, CTeen, USY Summer Experience, and a lot more.
Each trip offers unique opportunities to explore different topics related to Israel, Israeli society, and Judaism. But no matter which trip you choose, you’ll have the chance to make new friends, dive deeper into your own identity, and enjoy a one-of-a-kind summer experience.
RootOne Teen Israel Grant
Are you a teen passionate about Israel? You can apply for a mini-grant to host an Israel-related event for 10-15 friends in your home.
Before the Trip
Before traveling, teens participate in guided preparation designed to help them get the most out of their experience in Israel. Through curated learning, reflection, and orientation, participants explore key themes, set expectations, and begin building connections that prepare them for the journey ahead.
During the Trip
During the trip, teens experience Israel through immersive, hands-on exploration designed to bring learning, culture, and connection to life. RootOne partners offer a wide range of Israel trips — from travel-based journeys that move across the country to programs based in one central location, with daily excursions to different regions.
Trip lengths vary, starting at three weeks, and some programs include additional international experiences, such as a visit to Poland. Many trips also offer thematic focuses — including sports, innovation, or entrepreneurship — allowing teens to choose an experience that aligns with their interests.
Throughout the journey, participants are joined by Israeli teens their age and supported by both American and Israeli staff, creating opportunities for shared learning, friendship, and cultural exchange. No matter the program, teens return with new independence, meaningful relationships, unforgettable memories — and plenty of fun along the way.
After the Trip
After returning home, teens can continue their RootOne journey through a range of alumni programs designed to extend learning and connection. Opportunities include workshops and courses that deepen understanding, offer pathways to volunteer hours, and, in some cases, qualify for college credit.
In Atlanta, alumni can also participate in in-person meetups and events, reconnecting with friends from their trip and building relationships with teens from other RootOne Israel experiences.
Through these ongoing opportunities, RootOne supports teens as they continue exploring their interests, strengthening their sense of identity, and maintaining meaningful connections to Israel and Israeli society. The journey doesn’t end when the trip is over — it’s just the beginning.
Shira
My Israel trip was truly life– changing. I got so much closer to my friends and met so many awesome new people on the trip! My most memorable experience was from our last Shabbat. We walked to the Western Wall from our hotel, and it was kind of far so we were able to just spend so much time talking together for one more night. When we got there, there was another trip of teenagers and we all had services together and ended up dancing and it was probably like 80 people.
After going to Israel my view of it definitely changed as when I was there it felt like a second home. I think because of the trip I’ve advocated so much more for Israel’s right to exist than if I hadn’t been.
I think every teen should go to Israel because there is nothing like it. It was so freeing and I was surrounded by people who got “it” and there was always something new to see and experience!
Shira Pries, Atlanta
Liv
I’m Liv Fishman and I’m a senior at Alpharetta High School. I personally was fortunate enough to receive a RootOne voucher that allowed me to visit Israel for a month with my camp through Yallah! Israel (a NFTY Israel trip) in the summer of 2023.
While I grew up learning about Israel and the Jewish connection to the country and land from a religious and historical perspective, my trip – which included traveling around the country, exploring archeological sites, visiting the Western Wall, hiking and camping in the desert, shopping in the cities, meeting such diverse people as Arab Israelis, Bedouins, Druze, Orthodox and secular Israelis, and Jewish teens from around the world. Being with a group of Israeli teenagers for five day was incredibleand even getting stuck for hours on Ayalon Highway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in the middle of a protest against the judicial overhaul occurring at the time – made Israel a real place for me.
In Judaism, the land of Israel as well as the modern-day country have always held elevated spiritual dimensions and symbolism, but the State of Israel is also a very real country, which means that it is not perfect, as much as we’d all like it to be. Because I have had the opportunity to visit Israel, meet many Israelis from different walks of life, and learn about Judaism and Jewish history in depth, I can truly love Israel – not a glorified vision of it that glosses over its imperfections, but the real Israel, and because of that love, I will always support Israel and work to push it towards an improved future. In this day and age, with the proliferation of anti-Israel sentiment and misinformation circulating along with real criticisms, it can be easy for people to become disillusioned when Israel seems not to live up to the mythical and utopian image that they may have of it.
As a result, it is more important than ever for young people to visit Israel, to learn about it and see it for themselves so that they can appreciate it for what it is – a real country, a beautiful country, a multicultural country, an imperfect country filled with imperfect people, a spectacular achievement and homecoming after national tragedy and disaster, after exile and pogroms and gas chambers. The Jewish national home. I would like to thank RootOne for the opportunities it has provided me and many others and encourage every teen who is eligible to take advantage of its generous offerings and visit Israel as soon as they can.
Liv Fishman, Atlanta
Hannah
Two years ago, I visited Poland and Israel with my lifelong friends from summer camp.
I am grateful that I traveled with a group of people who understand what it is like to be Jewish. Never again will I feel ashamed of my culture or where I come from. Never again will I be able to let an insensitive comment about Jews or the Holocaust go by without addressing it.
I would not be who I am today without my Judaism. I would not have the lifelong friends I have been so fortunate to make and I would not have this supportive community.
I ventured through Israel for a month with my closest friends and I never took a single second for granted.
Hannah Silver, Atlanta
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