Organizations running educational trips to Israel have faced a number of setbacks in recent years — first from the COVID-19 pandemic, then from the wars with Hamas and Iran (and Iran again) and now from the strengthening of the shekel against the dollar.

 

A new study by the Israel Educational Travel Alliance is bringing the financial strain on the educational travel sector into sharper view, revealing that organizations running educational trips to Israel have absorbed cumulative cost increases averaging around 75% since 2019. That figure combines a roughly 55% rise in program operating costs since the pre-war, pre-COVID period, with an additional 20% or more in recent months as the U.S. dollar has weakened against the shekel. 

 

...In a statement to eJP, IETA’s executive director, Anna Langer, who is also vice president at Jewish Federations of North America, said no single intervention will reverse the cost increases, and described a range of ongoing efforts: conversations with government partners about El Al pricing, exploration of fixed-price arrangements with ground operators and outreach to funders. 

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