The following are the basic components of our approach to security:

• Each group is accompanied in Israel at all time by one or two medics / security escorts. 
• Each group's itinerary is approved two weeks before the trip and re-approved each morning of the trip by a special "Situation Room" that is operated in partnership with the Israeli security services on behalf of Taglit-Birthright Israel.
• Each group carries a GPS communication and tracking device to ensure that the group is always in contact with the "Situation Room".
• Most accommodations are located outside of the major cities, either in small towns, agricultural communities, or in the wilderness.
• The program itinerary does not include travel anywhere near the Gaza Strip, and we do not travel through any Palestinian controlled areas of the West Bank.
• While the program does make visits to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, our travel within the major cities is generally confined to closed areas with special protection (e.g. the Western Wall, Yad VaShem, etc.). We never travel in crowded public areas, and we always travel on our own private busses.
• While we make every effort to give participants space and time to explore on their own, there is only one free night on the program; otherwise, there is no leaving the group without approved supervision.
• All Israel Outdoors itineraries are posted online behind a secure password protected section of our web site.

Finally, it is important to remember that over the past four years, over 200,000 people have visited Israel on a Taglit-birthright israel gift without a single security-related incident. Behind this statistic is a truly iron clad commitment to providing a secure environment on all of our programs.

If you, your family, or a friend would like to discuss our security approach in greater detail, we encourage you to contact us directly by email or by phone at 202-537-0006. Please feel free as well to contact one of our alumni for an additional perspective on this important question.