Taglit-Birthright Israel will mark a decade of activity with the El Israel event – a special journey taking place in over 18 cities and central sites in Israel, on the 10th, 11th and 12th of May 2010.

Approximately 3,000 Jewish youth, from 10 countries around the world, will be partaking in the event in which they will meet thousands of Israelis as well as be introduced to Israel’s modern face. They will be meeting with public figures, representatives of academic and research institutions, students, soldiers, representatives of commercial organizations, representatives of youth movements and more. This will be an exceptional opportunity for large sections of Israeli society to meet with participants of the project, to see its impact up-close and to understand the importance of Taglit-Birthright Israel to the State of Israel.

El Israel participants will be hosted by various cities and a series of special tours and meetings will take place, including:

• A trip from the “Roaring Lion” in Tel-Hai to Kiryat Shmona, in which the participants will meet with students from Tel-Hai Academic College, soldiers from the unit protecting the Northern border of Israel as well as residents of Kiryat Shmona.
• A trip to the city of Safed, where the participants will meet with soldiers, students from Safed College as well as high school students. The main event will be a Jewish music event with the School for Jewish Music in the city.
• A trip to the city of Haifa, where the participants will meet with students from the Technion, soldiers, youth movements and with employees and management of local Hi-Tech companies.
• A bicycle trip from Ramat Ha Hayal to the Tel Aviv Harbor. Various bike-riding associations will be joining the ride, in addition to Etgarim, a non-profit organization.
• A trip to Sderot which will begin on the hill overlooking Gaza and from there continue to Sapir College. The participants will also tour the city, meet with Sapir College students, soldiers and residents of Sderot.

The El Israel trip will arrive in Jerusalem on May 12th (Jerusalem Day). The participants will participate in a Mega event which will conclude the walk and share the different experiences the participants had with each other.