Following a yearlong lobbying effort on behalf of the battered Israel education travel sector, the Israeli government passed a resolution on Sunday aimed at providing critical support for the field during times of crisis.

The move, which came at Sunday’s Cabinet meeting as part of this week’s national Diaspora Week, clears the way for the government to fund the sector, which has been hammered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Gaza in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and the June 2025 war with Iran, as well as the current conflicts with the Islamic Republic and Hezbollah. And it comes as travel providers struggle with operational costs that have soared 70-80% since 2019 as a result of the rising costs of travel, spiking gas prices and the sudden surge of the shekel against the dollar.

Speaking with eJP Monday morning, Anna Langer, IETA’s executive director, praised the passing of this resolution as “an extraordinary act of Jewish Peoplehood.”

The resolution, which does not include financial support for the field, establishes an interministerial team that will provide assistance to Israel tour operators “during emergency situations, recognizing the importance of providing a coordinated response to participants in the educational programs during such periods.”

In the resolution’s explanatory notes, it highlights the case of participants on Israel trips last summer who were unable to easily leave the country due to the June war with Iran.

“The protocol would establish mechanisms for coordinated governmental action during periods of crisis and guide the groups’ work in such circumstances. Such coordinated action is expected, among other things, to help alleviate concerns about traveling to Israel,” according to the resolution. 

Founded in 2020 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, IETA originated from a grassroots WhatsApp group where senior Israel education leaders collaborated to solve urgent operational challenges. Since then, IETA has evolved into a professional network comprising over 150 organizations and 700 industry professionals.

Langer, who also serves as vice president of North American Israel Strategy at the Jewish Federations of North America, said that her organization has been pushing for this kind of framework for a year, seeing it as critical for the field going forward. 

“This is something we have been requesting from the government since last June during the [first] Iran war, and what it signifies for us is a real recognition of Israel educational travel, which remains one of [Israel’s] strongest tourism sectors, if not the strongest,” Langer said.

In addressing the fact that a government resolution does not include any financial support during times of crisis, Langer said that IETA sees this resolution as the “preliminary steps to then determining the operational pathways and funding.” She also noted that the IETA is currently in discussions with the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism to define funding needs for on-the-ground logistics, as well as long-term emergency preparedness training for the mostly U.S.-based nonprofit staff working in the travel space. 

Langer referred to this resolution as the essential “precursor” to ensuring the field’s long-term sustainability in the face of massive macro challenges.

During the Sunday Cabinet meeting, the Israeli government also approved resolutions renewing programs to strengthen Israel-Diaspora relations, as well as a NIS 5 million ($1.8 million) initiative to provide training and professional development for Jewish teachers from the Diaspora.