VFI CAMPUS PROGRAM FEATURES

Group experience for college students from across the US to volunteer on IDF bases together. Two-week trip, which includes 9 days of volunteering on the base, an overnight Shabbat experience off-base, eating meals alongside soldiers, and sleeping in the barracks, and educational programming, where students will learn what the army experience means to their peers in Israel. It costs each student only a $350 administrative fee. VFI provides a $1000 per student subsidy toward the airfare thanks to the generous support of the Irv and Roz Schnitzer Gratitude Missions Fund.

Click Here for info packet        Click Here for Campus Application

EXTENSION AFTER BIRTHRIGHT TRIP

• Must be an alum of an organized trip like Birthright.
• If you will already be in Israel on a Birthright trip or other Israel Experience tour, you can extend your trip and see more of Israel – from the inside – by volunteering on an IDF base.
• This adventure-filled, economical add-on to scheduled programs costs only $55.00 for the application fee.
• Sign up for a 1- 2- or 3- week program.
• When available, enjoy a FREE weekend stay at an IDF hostel near a Tel Aviv beach–after volunteering.
• Birthright extensions may start any Sunday immediately after the Birthright trip ends.

SUMMER INTERNATIONAL YOUTH PROGRAM (IYP)

If you prefer Summer travel and you’d like to join a group of volunteers about your age, sign up for one or more of three multi-week programs. You are responsible for the costs of airfare and weekend activities. See our Schedule for dates.

TRAVEL SOLO OR WITH FRIENDS

Choose any 1- 2- or 3- week program that runs Sunday morning through Thursday afternoon. Since VFI programs are available throughout the year, this is our most flexible scheduling option. You are responsible for the costs of airfare and weekend activities, but, as with all VFI programs, food, lodging and work uniforms on bases are free of charge.

Sign on for this life-changing adventure!

Our adult programs, offered year round, give an insider’s view of Israel. You will work alongside soldiers, base employees, and other volunteers on an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) base, performing non-combat civilian support duties such as packing medical supplies; repairing machinery and equipment; building fortifications; and painting and maintaining the base.

You will be housed in barracks with fellow volunteers, enjoy 3 kosher meals a day, and wear IDF work clothes. The Sunday to Thursday workweek also includes cultural/educational programs in the evening and tours when possible. Weekends are spent off the base, which gives you many options! Travel in Israel, visit with friends and relatives, or hang out with your new VFI friends. No-cost army hostel accommodations and reduced-price hotel rates may be available.

Our IDF base program is well-suited for those traveling solo! Because it is a group experience, you will meet volunteers from diverse backgrounds and locations, so you need not worry about feeling left out. You will develop life-long friendships and travel partners. Learn more by clicking the “request more info” or “apply now” buttons above.

Want to work on an IDF base AND tour Israel with a private guide WITHOUT having to take care of all of the messy logistics? Sign up for a VFI PLUS, All-Inclusive program!

VFI’s PLUS Programs take care of everything! ALL arrangements from your volunteer assignment, hotels, transportation on an air-conditioned bus, airport transfers, private tours, lectures, specialty guides, admission fees, food (except touring lunches), and tips are included. You are responsible only for your round-trip air travel to Tel Aviv. It could not be simpler: just pack your bags and show up. These programs have received rave reviews!

And you have two to pick from!

VFI PLUS ADVANCED

This 17-day program includes 9 days of volunteering on an IDF base plus 8 days of private, custom touring with a professional Israeli guide in an air-conditioned bus. Our deluxe itinerary features unusual and under-the radar experiences in addition to some hotspots you can’t miss.

To learn more, click here

VFI PLUS ARCHAEOLOGY

Awaken your inner Indiana Jones and get your hands dirty in ancient soil on an active archaeological site guided by professionals from Tel Aviv University and the IAA(Israel Antiquities Authority).

This 14-day, ALL-Inclusive program is for both first-timers and repeat volunteers. It combines 5 days of volunteer work on an IDF base, 5 days of work at a professional dig site in the City of David, next to Old City Jerusalem, and 4 days of custom touring to out-of-the-way locations. Ideal for 18-80+, you get to work alongside archaeology professionals and Israeli students.

This unique program also offers a rare and memorable experience performing various tasks that directly aid the archaeologists in their important mission. The City of David is a world-class archaeological wonderland with rich ancient connections. It is the most ancient part of the Canaanite and Israelite City of Jerusalem. The site includes findings from myriad layers of civilization.

To learn more, click here.

UPCOMING TOUR DATES

VFI Plus Archaeology

March 27 – April 9, 2022

VFI Plus Advanced

May 6 – May 22, 2022

Contact: Ilana Blumenthal at ilanab@giltravel.com for more information

ZOOM NOW. REALITY LATER.

These Tuesday and Thursday Zoom-based programs each week are designed to take your brain on a vacation from the pain and loneliness of Covid-19 and transport you to archaeological digs, historic neighborhoods and homes, ancient cultural sites, and bustling streets in the Jewish homeland – all lead by VFI PLUS official tour guide, Julia Newman.

Attendees are in for a special treat of lectures given by world-class experts in their fields such as former Mossad agents, Brigadier Generals, scientists, photographers, and famed archaeologists.

All programs are FREE and interactive, with real-time discussions. So while no one can volunteer on an IDF base right now and tour Israel, why not explore and do a deep dive into the country virtually?

CLICK HERE to watch the more than 50 already-aired episodes.

Examples include:
Tour of Megiddo/Armageddon with Julia Newman

Live Zoom Presentation: Israel, The Hi-Tech Nation with Raphael Nave – senior researcher at the Neeman Institute, Technion

The Lion is Back” with Brigadier General (res.) Shuki Ben Anat (former Chief of Reserves of the IDF and served many years on the Syrian front)

Innovations in Archaeology in Jerusalem-2 with Prof. Yuval Gadot

Email vfivolunteer@gmail.com to reserve a spot for yourself or a friend and be notified of future events, please include name, state, and email.