Our location at Kibbutz Tzuba
Kibbutz Tzuba has provided a safe and secure living and learning environment for NFTY-EIE students.  At Kibbutz Tzuba we are able to provide our students with a full and meaningful semester experience.

Nestled in the beautiful Judean Hills, 15 minutes from the center of Jerusalem, Kibbutz Tzuba provides a picturesque environment for our program. The Kibbutz offers ideal classroom space for our academic programming. For dormitory space, our participants reside in the Kibbutz guest suites with four students per room with a private bathroom. The guest house facilities include lounges for relaxation, a snack bar, a Kibbutz store and full recreational facilities (swimming pool, basketball court, soccer field, and tennis court). Our students eat in Kibbutz Tzuba’s kosher dining room and for snacking; each bedroom has a refrigerator, hotpot and microwave. There is an infirmary with an on duty nurse and resident doctor. The Kibbutz is surrounded by a security fence and guards.

The EIE students have become part of a dynamic Israeli community. The kibbutz has 100 families including 50 teens. This presents a wonderful opportunity for meaningful personal relationships and the active use of the Hebrew language in daily conversation. Kibbutz Tzuba is excited to work with us to establish programs of interaction and friendship between their students and ours.

Staff Supervision
The EIE participants are supervised and cared for by our experienced NFTY supervisory staff. EIE has put together an exceptional staff team in order to respond to all student needs.  The staff includes program administrators, faculty and counselors.  EIE has many program administrators including the Principal, Assistant Principal, Director of Counselors and Co-Curricular Activities and an Office Manager.  The EIE faculty is made up of many individuals including subject specific coordinators.  EIE employs madrichim, or counslors who live and work directly with the students.  There are 12 students to each counselor.  Our counselors are made up of individuals who either have obtained a college degree or have finished army service in Israel.  The Jerusalem staff works in tandem with the NFTY staff in the US and the directors of the URJ Youth Division.

Travel
Itineraries and travel routes are reviewed on a daily basis in order to make every effort to avoid areas of tension. The NFTY Jerusalem staff consults with the security office of the Jerusalem Agency for Israel to review each day’s travel itinerary. NFTY staff closely monitors the general conditions in Israel and is prepared to make adjustments to the program as needed. There may be periods of time when EIE students are restricted to the kibbutz. Parents will be informed as to any major changes in the schedule.

EIE participants will travel only in Israel on proper on private coaches and will not travel in or near the Gaza Strip or West Bank territories. Participants will travel to the Kotel (Western Wall) and the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem only under the direct supervision of NFTY faculty and staff. Participants will not travel on public buses at any time.

NFTY-EIE participants will travel to and from Israel on airlines that provide appropriate safety and security.
NFTY has an understanding with the government of Israel to ensure that our students have priority on flights from Israel if required. Contingency plans are in place (as they have been for many years) to either relocate the group in Israel or to bring them home if the need should arise.

Upon arrival in Israel, students will be given a very thorough orientation regarding security precautions in general and details as to where they may or may not go.

At the program directors’ discretion, participants may visit with their own family members if given permission by their parents and if they are picked up and returned to Kibbutz Tzuba by the family. Participants will be allowed to visit non-family members overnight only if a parental consent form has been signed before each visit.

Responsibilities
Every participant, together with a parent(s) will sign the NFTY EIE Code of Conduct. These guidelines for behavior establish clear expectations of participants. The NFTY-EIE High School in Israel has spent much time and effort evolving what we believe to be the most appropriate policies to insure the safety and security of each participant. The behavior code (which includes the security precautions) will be strictly enforced. Although it is a rare happening, individuals have been expelled from the program. Such expulsion is at the sole discretion of the NFTY-EIE High School in Israel Principal.

Disciplinary action is not arbitrary and an attempt is made to be progressive in our approach. However, specific activities such as, but not limited to: security infractions, the possession or use of drugs, nicotine or alcohol, unexcused absence from the program, violation of curfew, acts threatening to other participants, possession of a knife or any other item that can be construed as a weapon, destruction of property and theft are considered dangerous enough to warrant expulsion. Security infractions on the part of the participants will not be tolerated and can lead to expulsion.

Students are encouraged to keep their personal items with them at all times. Unaccompanied items in Israel are considered “suspicious objects” and are dealt with accordingly. Students are also encouraged to be alert and to pay attention to what is happening around them. Participants should not divulge information about who they are and their itineraries to strangers regardless of how attractive they may be. Visitors are not permitted to stay overnight in the kibbutz dorm rooms with our students. Visiting family members may reserve guest rooms at the kibbutz guesthouse. Please take the time to discuss general safety precautions with your child before departure.

Responsibility for Property
In order to ensure the safety of personal valuable items, there is a safe provided in each dorm room. Students are encouraged to use it. NFTY and the URJ assume no responsibility for cash and other valuables left in dorm rooms, hotel rooms, on buses, or any overnight facility or in transit in Israel or going to and from Israel. Students are encouraged to keep their doors and windows locked when no one is in their dorm room.

• NFTY has always been very cautious and conservative.
• Itineraries are reviewed on a daily basis to determine if the route and destination provide the highest level of safety. We are always prepared to make changes in our itinerary if need be.
• With appropriate safety protocols in place, NFTY is able to provide a comprehensive touring and learning program in Ancient and Modern Israel.
• NFTY’s Directors in Israel consult daily with the Security Department of the Jewish Agency for Israel who are in constant contact with the government, police and military authorities.
• NFTY groups do not travel in the territories, in or near the Gaza Strip or East Jerusalem.
• Public transportation is never used. We use only our own NFTY chartered buses. An Israeli security guard travels with each group on a daily basis.
• Parents can reach the NFTY staff in Israel 24 hours a day during the program in case of an emergency.
• NFTY has contingency plans to, if need be, move groups to safety or bring groups home if necessary.
• NFTY participants and parents sign the NFTY Code of Conduct – expressing their willingness to abide by all rules, regulations and safety guidelines.
• NFTY staff members and participants receive a thorough orientation regarding expectations for appropriate behavior and safety and security procedures and protocols.