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The Top 3 Benefits Of A Bar Mitzvah Tour Of Israel For Your Son

Published on October 09, 2013 by IBMT

Is your son approaching his Bar Mitzvah? You probably have fond memories of your own ceremony and are keen to give your son the same. It’s an enormous step being thrust into the world of adulthood and responsibility and you are probably mulling over how you might help your son get the most out of it. Today we’re going to be looking at Bar Mitzvah tours of Israel – these have exploded in popularity over the past decade and many tour and travel companies offer them. Here are three unique benefits of going on a tour that will make your experience greater than the sum of its parts.

What Are Bar Mitzvah Tours Of Israel?

There are so many tour companies and travel agents offering these tours and packages they are hard to generalize but every tour offers the same basic elements. Join a tour and your whole 12 or 15-day trip will be fully catered from the moment you step off the plane to the moment you leave. Tours include many different families with members of all ages and you will be fully looked after by a dedicated guide for the duration of your tour. You will visit areas of religious and historical significance in Israel as well as special meals and ceremonies for the Bar Mitzvah itself. Here are three key benefits of tours that you may by unaware of.

#1: Tour Guides Are Walking Encyclopedias

The one thing that bowls most people over is the quality of the tour guide who takes care of them. The quality of the guide can make or break a tour so it pays to take some time choosing the right tour firm to book with. A good guide will be able to connect with people from all walks of life and of all ages from kids to grandparents. Good guides will explain every historical intricacy of sites you visit as well as symbolism and religious facts about the places you go and the things you experience.

#2: Make Lifelong Friends

A Bar Mitzvah tour is an excellent way for you, your son and your family to make lifelong friends. Most tours begin with exploring Jerusalem for several days. By the time you leave Jerusalem, you will have bonded with the other families on your tour in a way that you never thought possible. The beauty and significance of the city and the places makes the friendships you strike up all the more meaningful. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself planning to meet up again in Israel in the future!

#3: The Perfect Combination Of Education And Adventure

Almost all tours combine religion with history and people expect this from their tour guides. What most families don’t bank on is how wonderfully the itinerary blends education with adventure. Tours can combine anything from rowing across rivers to crawling through the secret tunnels at Beit Guvrin to riding camels through the desert plus much, much more. You’ll enjoy it every bit as much as your son will and really get a kick out of the combination of learning and excitement.

TestimonialsTestimonials

We just returned from Israel on an IBMT Bar Mitzvah Tour for our three grandsons.  We had enough family members to warrant our own bus.  After checking out many tour companies we went with IBMT and all of us were glad we did.  The hotels were fabulous and the rooms allotted even more so.  From the INBAL in Jerusalem, KFAR BLUM in the Galilee, the SHERATON in Tel Aviv, to the ROYAL BEACH in Eilat we couldn’t have asked for more.  Our meals were equally excellent.  Beginning with a welcome reception at the INBAL to the closing dinner at the CANAAN restaurant in Tel Aviv one and all loved them.

It was a busy tour made even more so by my husband who was determined the grandchildren see “everything”.  Fortunately for us, we had the best guide when Ornan (from IBMT) gave us GADI.  All of the groups loved their guides but Gadi was  special.  He was able to reach the kids (ages 7-13) as well as the adults.  His knowledge, willingness to adjust the schedule, and good nature gave him a soft spot in all of our hearts.  He filled in at Yad Vashem when the guide droned on a bit too much for some of us.  He searched out a cemetery where a father, grandfather and great grandfather was buried and proceeded to enlighten us on the rituals and customs of a military cemetery.  He adjusted our times to include those little extras.  When weather precluded the camels, we visited Qumran.  After the Bar Mitzvahs, some wanted to walk down Masada - again, no problem. 

We loved everything.  Friday night dinner with an Israeli family (coincidentally the husband was from Toronto), meeting the soldiers on the kibbutz, the Druze lunch, sampling different foods at the shuk, the bullet factory and on and on.  Although the weather was precarious in December, it didn’t stop us and we were able to celebrate Chanukah in Israel...menorahs  everywhere, sufganiyot of every kind, celebrations in the street galore.

Would we recommend this tour...without a moments hesitation.  We had a family trip of a lifetime.  Thank you also to our bus driver Louie, whom we all loved and who got us around safely. 

“Gadi” - what else can we say ... g double o - d, j-o-b. Good job, good job.  V-e-r-y-n-i-c-e, very nice, very nice.💕

 

Dear Ornan,

Our IBMT Bar Mitzvah tour was truly wonderful!  All three generations had a great time as the tour had a great mix of religious connection, historical significance, and fun adventures.  Natalie, our tour guide, was excellent and kept the tour running smoothly along with our bus driver Moody.We now understand that all the superlatives in the testimonials we read before the trip are true. We will highly recommend your tour, thank you for the “trip of a lifetime”.

Ornan and Ada

We got home yesterday, and I just want to thank you both for all of your help and support along the way and for creating what was truly the most magical experience. It surpassed every expectation. Yair is a true professional and his love and pride of Israel is contagious. I am happy to provide a glowing reference for any family thinking of joining IBMT in the future. Happy 2018!!!

Best,

Gayle Schreiber
Ridgefield CT

Dear Ornan,

As my family settles back into “reality” after our 2 week exploration in our “homeland”, I reflect on the awesome opportunity my mother provided for my sister’s family as well as mine and echo the sentiments sent earlier by my sister and others. To be able to explore Israel’s past while seeing the history I learned quite a few years back in Hebrew day school will indelibly etched in my mind. My son and daughter will be able to tell their children they had their Bar & Bat Mitzvah on the top of Masada, swam in the Med, the Red and the Dead, went on an archaeological dig and saw the birthplace of Kabalah among other things. With the right blend of fun, learning and reflection, our tour guide, Natalie, expertly opened our eyes to the wonder that is Israel from tip to tip and sea to sea. Let me not forget our driver extraordinaire, Moody. I am only sorry we could not have the dynamic duo for the entire trip as Moody had to start a “Birthright” tour so he was not able join us in Eilat where we were able to see 4 countries while motoring in the Red Sea. In the words of Siskel and Ebert, 2 thumbs up!
Everything was “S’baba”.

Sincerely,

Hi Ornan and Ada,

This note is a bit delayed, but I want to thank you for the help and support you provided to help make our Israel Bar Mitzvah trip such a memorable experience.
We had an incredible time in Israel! What a great itinerary and having Yair and Natalie as our guides truly made it outstanding. 

Shalom,

Petra
Toronto, Canada

 

Ornan,

We have had an incredible experience in Israel. I will be in touch with you when we return with further details but this is just a quick note to tell you that our guide, Ofer Zemach, is "one of a kind". He is a talented guide and more importantly a special person. IBMT is fortunate to have him as a member of its organization and I can fully endorse him for future work and an even broader role with IBMT going forward.

I am looking forward to connecting with you by phone next week with further details.

Kind regards,
5/5

Israel Bar Mitzvah Tours

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