We’re still adjusting to being back from Israel, but I wanted to thank you for running such an incredible tour. The agenda was well thought out, incredibly well organized and the operations were flawless and all the accommodations were excellent. We really enjoyed our time at all the hotels in different ways. We cannot say enough positive things about our guide. He was highly knowledgeable, with an amazing depth of facts, timelines, and experience to share. But most importantly, he related extremely well to the adults and the kids. He truly was beloved by the kids. We can’t say enough positive things about all of our interactions with him and his skill as a tour guide. He loves this job and it shows. Lastly, I can’t thank you and the team enough the bat mitzvahs- this experience truly made our already incredible week that much more special. Our time on Masada will forever be etched into our hearts. Watching them was one of life’s rare “everything is perfect” moments that we will treasure forever. Many thanks again for an amazing and unparalleled experience.
Andrew & Laura Y – Plainview, NY
Our family recently visited Israel on Israel Discovery Tours Family Bar Mitzvah tour in December. From the moment we landed, we were greeted warmly and professionally. Absolutely everything was handled from our luggage to our transportation to our accommodations. Everything was smoothly executed upon our landing and we felt very much at ease after a long journey and many miles traveled. Upon our arrival and throughout the course of 12 days, we were taken to so many incredible highlights of Israel that were carefully strung together in a narrative that created a story and made a connection to this beautiful and historical country. Our tour guide was informative and knowledgeable. Our bus driver was skilled and handled all of our luggage so that we could be comfortable as we traveled the countryside. The highlight was our twins’ B’nai Mitzvah atop Masada. The rabbi was warm and welcoming and embraced all of the Bar Mitzvah kids in such a way that made them feel at home even though we were thousands of miles away from our own affiliated synagogues. This instantly felt like we were at the synagogue where we belonged. Israel now felt like home. There were so many special, memorable moments, too many to count. Being in Israel during Hanukkah was especially festive and an experience like no other.I would highly recommend Israel Discovery Tours to anyone considering having a bar about mitzvah in Israel. We are very grateful to have found this company.
Lori and Joey L – San Diego, CA
We just returned from what can only be described as a “trip of a lifetime” to celebrate our daughter’s bat mitzvah in Israel. Israel Discovery Tours took care of everything, from meeting us at the airport upon our arrival, to getting us checked into amazing hotels, planning wonderful meals throughout the trip and ceremonies leading up to and including the bat mitzvah on Masada, to filling our days with educational and fun activities for our whole family. Our guide was fantastic. His enthusiasm, patience with our questions and love for Israel never waned. Our family feels so fortunate that we were able to have this experience in Israel, one that I know none of us will ever forget.
Sara & Stephen N – Potomac, MD
For me, seeing my grandchildren Bar/Bat Mitzvah was a definite highlight in my life. I would like to thank you and your team for making our Israel trip everything we hoped it would be and more. Israel Discovery is in a class by itself and maintains the level of efficiency and integrity I so respect. Being in the travel business for more than 30 years, I have seen many changes in the level of service provided to clients and it is refreshing to work with a company run as excellently as yours is. I have and will be proud to recommend Israel Discovery to any family wishing to celebrate their son or daughter’s bar or bat mitzvah in Israel. For us it was the best choice.
Marilyn L – Hollywood, FL
We had the most wonderful trip to Israel with IDT!!!! Thank you for organizing such an amazing trip. We LOVED our guide & driver!! They were outstanding. The hotels were wonderful and the trip had the perfect ratio of history and adventure!! The families were so nice and our kids had the best time. The Bar Mitzvah on top of Masada was magical. Thank you for everything!!!!! We loved every minute of it!
Sara and Dan W – Deerfield, IL
This tour was superb from start to finish. It was perfectly organized and everything worked perfectly without a hitch. The hotels and the meals were excellent. Your tour representative was at every hotel to greet us and to make sure those rooms were properly assigned and that the participants were happy. The itinerary was superb and we got to see Israel from tip to toe.What made this trip the success that it was however, was our tour guide. His passion for and intricate knowledge of Israel, his 28 years of experience in the military and his ability to communicate so easily with adults and particularly children was so impressive I can honestly say that I’ve never met anyone like him before. We strongly recommend IDT to anyone contemplating an Israeli experience such as we had. You delivered on everything you said you would. In a world where customer service and satisfaction is being watered down at every level, it was a pleasure to see a business trying to the maximum to please their clients particularly for such a memorable and unforgettable event in their lives. Keep up the good work .
Harvey & Nancy W – Fort Lauderdale, FL
If you are considering a trip to Israel and especially a Bar/Bat Mitzvah trip I strongly recommend you think about using IDT. I had known for a very long time that I wanted to take my son to Israel for this occasion, and after we did extensive research we felt that IDT had the best itinerary, hotels, tour guides and more. It was truly a great experience and we felt they had every detail covered. This allowed us to be immersed in learning from our guide who was exceptional and very experienced. Being able to travel the country from the most northern point to southern point and get so many locations into a 12 day trip was very rewarding. The overall experience was so great that we would consider coming back with IDT for my younger son’s Bar Mitzvah in a few years.
Mitchell & Stephanie B – Gaithersburg, MD
The trip was a dream come true and everything was done to perfection. The hotels were spectacular, the buffets were overwhelming,. The bus driver and the guide we had were most gracious and accommodating to the grandmother, me.
Donna L – Somers, NY
Your Company was highly recommended by a number of friends, so we expected our ten days in Israel to be informative, exiting and meaningful. It turned out to be so much more. Your meticulous planning insured well balanced days of activities, learning and relaxation. Our guide (possibly the best in all of Israel) was knowledgeable, humorous, wise and kept our group mesmerized. The hotels we stayed in were the best in each location, the meals sumptuous, the service excellent. We came home enriched by our memorable experiences.
Kati S– Chicago, IL
We had an absolutely amazing trip to Israel this summer with Israel Discovery Tours. Our guide was wonderful- informative, interesting engaged, funny and terrific with the kids. The trip was incredibly well organized; everywhere we went we were expected and went right in. We saw an incredible amount in such a short period of time and also enjoyed the down time in Eilat. The Bar Mitzvah service was perfect – just beautiful at dawn. This was a trip of a lifetime.
Cindy & Roy D – New York, NY
Words cannot describe how fabulous our trip was. We have traveled a lot over the years and this is by far the best trip we have ever taken. Our tour guide was amazing. He was so knowledgeable and was able to answer so many of our questions. He was truly a walking Israel encyclopedia. The selection of hotels, restaurants, sightseeing spots were above our expectations. First class from the moment you land and every detail has been thought of. From the first night of the tour, the kids immediately bonded as well as the adults. It was such a joy to hear them have a great time. They will forever be friends after this trip.
This was an experience of a lifetime. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah on top of Masada was so beautiful and meaningful. The Rabbi really made every child feel special and conducted a beautiful service as the sun was rising. We cannot thank IDT enough for creating a memorable ceremony and giving the gift to our daughter of understanding the true meaning of being Jewish. I don’t think anyone in attendance had a dry eye.
The party in Tel Aviv was a good time for all. The kids and adults danced their hearts out. We truly cannot thank IDT enough for planning such a great tour and party at the end. My parents who were also on the tour, said this was the best Israel tour they had ever been on and this was their third trip.I have never been so sad for a trip to come to an end. Most kids cried our last night when we said our goodbyes. Although our Bat Mitzvah tour ended, we have lifelong memories and friendships. My kids only want to vacation in Israel from now on. We look forward to coming back to Israel soon and having IDT plan our next trip.
Candice & Mark P – San Diego, CA
We just returned from our tour with Israel Discovery Tours. Although I was leery of guided tours the trip wouldn’t have been nearly as wonderful without the expertise of IDT and our guide who was so informative, casual, funny, and thorough. He gave us a rich history of every area, was receptive to each and every question and made us all feel like long-lost friends. Starting in Jerusalem, seeing the Old City and Yad Vashem set the stage for what would be amongst the most enlightening 10 days of my life. An early morning up to the top of Masada and watching our youngest become a bat mitzvah was unquestionably a highlight, and the guide and the Rabbi helped make the day and experience so memory-rich. It really couldn’t have been better…and yet it was.Arriving to Ben Gurion for our flight home, I realized I’d left my very expensive camera behind in the car. UGH!! Unlike the States, where I’d expect to never see it again, I called Israel Discovery Tours and they were able to track it down and had returned to me in the airport 20 min later!….Simply Amazing!!! I cannot give a more enthusiastically glowing review and recommendation of the IDT brand and its people. They helped us experience a trip of a lifetime!
Melissa & Steve L – Far Hills, NJ
The trip was amazing. We had such a wonderful time. Everything listed in the itinerary was done and our guide was great and very knowledgeable. We enjoyed all the places we visited and the activities we had.
Andrea H – Aventura, FL
On behalf of our entire family, I wanted to take a moment to tell you that our experience was beyond all expectations. The sights were heartwarming, and exhilarating. Our guide was a professor of knowledge at the very least. His explanations and responses to questions answered far surpassed our anticipations. He went out of his way to attend to all our needs. He should be complimented as a consummate professional. The accommodations, attention to detail, and efforts to create an overall pleasurable experience for all in attendance, were far beyond what we had hoped for. Also, the Bat Mitzvah service and party were simply CLASS-A.On behalf of my wife and myself, thank you, and your entire organization for fulfilling a bucket list dream. For my son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, thank you for making their dreams come true.
Mark & Bonnie E – Round Lake, IL
We wanted to take this opportunity to thank Israel Discovery Tours for providing us with a truly unforgettable experience for our son’s Bar Mitzvah. Words cannot adequately describe how wonderful the entire trip was. From the moment we landed, to the bar mitzvah at Masada, to the moment we departed everything was amazing. Before we even left home, Brad was an invaluable source of information. He was always available to answer our questions and was extremely communicative. Once in Israel, our tour guide took over and was amazing! His depth of knowledge in history, culture, geography, geology, and languages was remarkable. He was incredibly well-informed, energetic, passionate, and funny. He was absolutely adored by the kids, the parents and the grandparents – no easy feat. I will recommend his services to anyone who is considering taking a tour of Israel. Each day was a perfect mix of seeing and learning about both ancient and modern sites, culture(s), and gorgeous geological wonders. Jerusalem, the desert, the grottoes, the Dead Sea, Tiberias, Caesarea, Tel Aviv, and everything in between were all amazing. Hiking, off-road adventures, archeological digs, museums, a Bedouin hut and meal, and a kibbutz visit were just some of the adventures and experiences that we took part in. The Bar Mitzvah at Masada was obviously a high point (no pun intended). It was a truly magical event for everyone. This is something that has to be experienced, as words cannot do it justice. The only thing we did not like about the whole trip was that it had to come to an end. My son is already thinking about when he will return to Israel. We will be recommending IDT, this trip, and Israel in general, to everyone we know. Thank you for the memories.
Cathy & Lee S – New York, NY
My wife, two sons and I have now been back in the U.S. for about a week, having returned from our Israel Discovery Tour last Monday. While I’m not inclined to hyperbole, this was frankly the most amazing trip we’ve ever taken. Certainly, it was significant for several reasons: 1) it was our first trip to Israel – ever; and 2) our son had his Bar Mitzvah at dawn on Masada. It was also a trip which encompassed the entire country, from the northern Lebanese border to Eilat in the south, from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, from the Jordan River to the Sea of Galilee to the Dead See to the Red Sea. Oh, and did I mention that we both drove and flew over the Negev, visited a Kibbutz, received and ongoing lesson in political science and history (our tour guide was nothing short of brilliant and funny, besides being incredibly informative). We also saw the Knesset, Yad Vashem, and the military cemetery which was more than poignant. Throughout the entire trip, from the moment we stepped on the plane going to Israel, to when we stepped off the plane back in the US, every event and activity functioned like clockwork. Even the rabbi as arranged by IDT made our son feel that this truly was his Bar Mitzvah, along with the other boys and girls who were there for the same purpose. No event or activity was either too long or too short. In sum, this was the most enjoyable trip we’ve ever taken. Thanks ever so much to IDT for giving us such a great experience.
Christine & Dana L – Worcester, MA
We still have huge smiles on our faces remembering our IDT Mitzvah Trip to Israel! It was truly a trip of a lifetime! The tour guides, IDT Staff, hotels, itinerary, food and participants made the trip one that we will never forget! Our guide was the star of our show and we still laugh while remembering some of his jokes. His knowledge, experience, humor and enthusiasm was second to none. The Waldorf is one hotel that we cannot stop talking about. The service on Masada was unforgettable! We became one large group; often times looking out for each other and sharing laughs. The Bar/Bat Mitzvah party was fabulous! The spirited Israeli dancing was a highlight as well as the candle lighting service. The endless delicious food and wine made the trip remarkable. The boat ride, tour and dinner at the Kibbutz was wonderful too.
Diane & Scott H – Boynton Beach, FL
Our experience with the IDT Bar Mitzvah Family Tour this summer was amazing. I can’t say enough positive things about the staff, the itinerary and the experiences. We stayed at wonderful hotels and ate way too much great food. But, it was really our tour guide who made the trip so memorable. He was incredibly knowledgeable and fun. I think I’ll hear “yalla” in my sleep for a few weeks, but we all will cherish the experience learning the geography and history of our homeland.
Beth & Matthew S – Richboro, PA