(Courtesy of Achva Tours) For some Achva participants, it’s the ruach at the Friday night tish. For others, it’s taking a selfie with friends at the top of Utah’s Bryce Canyon. No offense to the beautiful scenery surrounding camps in Pennsylvania, but they don’t hold a candle to the national parks that Achva participants experience. And for others, it’s the incredible lifelong friendships that are created. Whatever it is, there is something magical that happens on every Achva tour.
Achva, gearing up for its 41st year, offers four incredible summer tours divided by grade—Mini, East, West and Israel. Let’s walk through each of them:
Achva Mini is both the shortest tour and for the youngest participants (post-seventh grade). This one week tour (August 24-31, 2021) travels up to the northeast, offering all sorts of fun activities and attractions including in Boston and Newport. The tour goes as far north as the pristine White Mountains in New Hampshire. Mini is an excellent option for anyone who wants to end their summer with a bang and get a nice taste of the incredible excitement of an Achva tour.
Achva East, a three-week tour (August 2-23, 2021) for post-eighth graders, has been completely sold out for the last few summers. Achva East visits destinations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland. The super-fun activities range from whitewater rafting in the Smoky Mountains to WhirlyBall in Cleveland and Ogo Ball in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania. This unforgettable trip starts in August, giving kids the opportunity to go back to camp for the first session if they so desire, while afterwards experiencing an amazing Achva tour.
Achva West, our most popular tour, fills multiple buses each summer with excited participants eager to travel and make new friends. Beginning in Denver, Achva West guests spend their first Shabbat there before moving on to Wyoming. By the end of the first full week, the tour has already been to some of the most spectacular sites in the country like Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park and Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. It keeps getting better as we head through Utah for Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks before a quick detour to Arizona to visit the Grand Canyon. We then continue on to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego for a wide range of attractions that include a tour of Warner Bros. Studios; La Jolla Beach kayaking; Alcatraz; and Disneyland. At five weeks (July 7-August 11, 2021), Achva West will surely fill your summer with both memories and friendships that will last a lifetime.
Achva Israel, our five-week (July 4-August 9, 2021) tour of Israel, now includes a great little taste of Europe. For post-10th graders, this tour is a comprehensive, fun and meaningful tour of Israel in the great Achva tradition. The tour will begin with a few days in Venice, Italy, and a day-trip to exotice Slovenia, where participants will get to know each other while visiting some of the historical and amazing sites there. Then it’s off to Israel for nonstop exciting activities, rewarding chesed programs and the warmth and wonder that only Israel offers. From the Negev to the Golan, Achva shows you the greatness of Israel as you deepen your connection to Israel and its people.
Planning for the summer in the age of COVID-19 has been unique. Achva takes pride in its mission of bringing great kids together from across the country, but will always prioritize maintaining the highest levels of safety. With the help of medical experts, Achva will establish whatever safety protocols are necessary to run their tours safely. For more, see the section on COVID found on Achva’s website.
Even while the pandemic continues, Achva is moving forward to provide more kids with more tours. Toward that end, Achva is excited to announce the hiring of Yoram Roschwalb, their new associate director. Yoram has been on Achva’s summer staff for 10 years but now joins the senior administration to work on planning and preparing Achva’s tours. Yoram has always been a fan favorite on Achva’s tours and at SAR, where he teaches and directs student activities.
Reviews for Achva have always been stellar. In the words of Jacob Spitzer, former Achva participant from Englewood, New Jersey, “My summers on Achva were the best of my life. There is no other program out there with the opportunity to see some of the coolest sites on planet Earth, all while making awesome new friends, some of whom will be your best friends for life. Whether it was a hike, a theme park or a basketball game, every day on Achva is exciting. Honestly, the greatest decision I ever made in my life was going on an Achva tour.”
To find out more, visit the Achva website: www.achvatours.org. Achva has Zoom information sessions planned to learn more about their tours and their COVID policies. To attend a Zoom meeting, see the “Meetings” tab under the “About” section on the Achva website and proceed from there. For more information, call 212-929-1525 ext. 181 or email [email protected].
