ALF

My daughter wants to go to school for a semester in Kibbutz Tzuba (Eisendrath International Exchange High School in Israel). As best as I can determine, this is a little west of Jerusalem, but that is all I know. Has anyone been to this area and can tell me a little more? I am trying not to obsess about safety and security, but perhaps am not succeeding.
Thanks!
Al F.

eladn

This is a nice mountain village on the old, windy, narrow road to Jerusalem (it is about 10 KMs from Jerusalem, leading to it through back-roads into Ein-Karem, a wonderful scenic old neighbourhood of Jersulaem), which is little used now. The place is very scenic and forested.

Excellent place to spend time IMHO. I drove through that road few times - beautiful. All the area around is beautiful too, rode around the area with my road bicycle in the past, although not the road to Tzuba (except for the first 1km maybe - the grade leading to there can challenge top Tour de France riders...).

If you are worried about safety, don't be - since this place is pretty much off the beaten track, and has a small population, this is not a good terrorist target. They prefer big cities with big crowds at malls or restaurants/street restaurants.

Elad.

ALF

Elad,

Thanks for the information! We hope to be able to visit there some time in October/November.

Al F.

eri

ALF,
She will love the place. It is a nice kibbutz in a beautiful area of the Jerusalem mountains. She will be safe and happy.

hills27

Bump

lstwin

I spent 6 months at Tzuba as a participant in an Ulpan program in 2004. The kibbutz is great - everyone is very fiendly, the grounds are beautiful, and the kibbutz is only a 15 minute car ride from Jerusalem. Your daughter will be very safe on the kibbutz - there is a guard at the enterance of the kibbutz, and it is far enough away from the city/major highway that random people do not wander through. There is also a nice hotel on the kibbutz (the Belmont) that you can stay at when you visit your daughter (and where she will stay while on the program, if I remember correctly). I met a number of high school students participating in the EIE program when I lived on the kibbutz, and they were all having a great time.

Here are a few links with photos of the kibbutz/hotel:

http://www.kibbutz.co.il/kibbutzhotels/tzuba.htm

http://www.tzuba.co.il/index_eng.asp

ALF

My daughter returned recently from her semester in Israel, and it was a fantastic experience. We visited for two weeks, staying at the Belmont Hotel in Kibbutz Tzuba. I would recommend this hotel to anyone who wants a more out-of-the-way location, outside of Jerusalem. As everyone noted, this is a beautiful scenic location, surrounded by many interesting places to visit. Of course, this is a very safe place, and the students were well cared-for. If anything, the Eisendrath International Exchange faculty and staff were obsessive about safety and security.

If anyone has a high school student interested in Judaism and Israel, as well as a rigorous high school curriculum, I would highly recommend this program.

Thanks to everyone who gave me enough insight to not worry!

Al F.

massagediva

What a lucky girl to have had such an enriching experience!

eri

I am so happy that she had such a good time. I had a feeling that this will be a trip to remember. Hope to see you all soon back here in Israel.