Team Westside - JCC Maccabi Games Israel - Information Sheet

Transcription

1 Team Westside - JCC Maccabi Games Israel - Information Sheet General Program Information Dates: July 24 August 4-5, 2011 Program Fee: $3500 Teen Participant Ages: years old (as of July 31, 2011) Location: Venues will be in the Galil (the North), Wingate Institute near Netanya, and Kfar Maccabiah in Ramat Gan. Participants will also be touring in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Judea desert. WJCC Sports Teams: o Boys Soccer 7v7 (17U) o Coed Swimming (17U and 15U) o Coed Tennis (17U and 15U) Schedule WJCC Art Specialties: o Acting/Improv o Broadcast Journalism o Culinary Arts o Dance o Jazz o Photography o Rock Music o Visual Arts o Vocal Music

2 Tryouts and Payment Schedule o We are making arrangements for soccer and tennis tryouts. Our hope is to hold tryouts in November and possibly early December o Swimmers will be asked to submit their swim times to rhagar@westsidejcc.org by Dec. 1, o All ArtsFest participants must audition and/or submit a portfolio by December 1, Please contact Rachel Hagar for specific information on your art specialty. o A $1000 non-refundable deposit will be due by December 15, o A second $1000 non-refundable payment will be due by February 15, o The final non-refundable payment of $1500 will be due by March 15, FAQ What does the registration fee include? o JCC Maccabi Games/JCC Maccabi ArtsFest continental registration fee o Round-trip airfare to Israel o Land costs while in Israel including accommodation, transportation, meals, security, supplemental medical insurance, organized tours, and participation in athletic competition or art specialties o Delegation apparel including uniforms and trading pins o Israel standard medical insurance. We recommend purchasing additional travel insurance. Are scholarships available? Short answer: YES! Long answer: There are several different opportunities to help families pay for this trip. Jewish Federation of Los Angeles Partnership Grant o All teens are eligible for a $500 grant from the Jewish Federation regardless of need if they meet the following requirements: Are between the ages of 15 and 26. Have not been funded by the partnership grant in the past. Live in the Los Angeles Jewish Federation Catchment area (does not include Pasadena, Long, Beach, etc.) Has not participated in the Diller Teen Fellows Program or a Birthright Program. o Teens may be eligible for an additional $250 if their synagogue participates in the partnership program bringing the grant to $750. Over 90 synagogues in the LA area participate in this program. o For more information on how to enroll in this program please contact Beth Singer at the Jewish Federation. Her phone number is

3 Jewish Federation Need Based Grants o Grants are available up to $1000 in addition to the Los Angeles Partnership Grant listed above. These grants are decided upon by a committee. Applicants will be asked to fill out an application and provide a copy of their tax returns. Applications are due either February 15 or April 15 for committee review. o Teens are eligible for the Jewish Federation Partnership Grant in addition to the Need Based Grant bringing the potential scholarship total to $1750. o For more information and to obtain an application for this program please contact Beth Singer at the Jewish Federation. Her phone number is Westside Jewish Community Center Need Based Grants o Westside JCC may be able to provide limited financial assistance for the 2011 JCC Maccabi Israel program. These grants are decided upon by a committee. Applicants will be asked to write a letter explaining their need and provide a copy of their 2009 tax returns. Paperwork is due by January 1, o Teens are eligible for the Westside JCC Need Based Grant in addition to the Jewish Federation Partnership Grant and the Jewish Federation Need Based Grant. o For more information please contact Rachel Hagar. Her phone number is Jewish Free Loan Association o Jewish Free Loan Association offers loans of up to $4000 that can be paid back in small monthly increments with no interest. o For more information on these loans please visit: or call What are the accommodations for teen participants? The accommodations will be dormitory-style housing (with in-room bathrooms) of up to four (4) teen participants per room during the week of the Games/ArtsFest and the week of touring. Will there be home hospitality? There will be two nights of home hospitality with an Israeli family for the teen participants in their P2K/sister city. Our sister city is Los Angeles. There will be at least two teen participants in each home. Athletes and artists must participate in this Shabbat partnership program and may not spend this weekend elsewhere. Will Days of Caring and Sharing community-service projects be part of the program? Yes. The athletes and artists will have opportunities to participate in a variety of different international community service activities. We will be partnering with different organizations in Israel to provide the participants a meaningful, memorable experience.

4 Will teen participants be able to participate in Taglit-Birthright Israel if they participate in this program? Yes, they will be able to participate but not until there are 22 for the year old program. They are currently treating this program like they do for March of the Living. How will Shabbat be handled? For Shabbat, the athletes and artists will be going to either their p2k community and receive home hospitality or will receive home hospitality through our partnering organizations in Israel. Those that are Shomer Shabbat will be housed in Shomer Shabbat homes as long as they are available. The JCC Association Israel office is planning different Shabbat activities with all the various communities so that the athletes/artists will have the most meaningful mifgash (gathering) possible. Those athletes/artists that stay in home hospitality will be eating Shabbat dinner with their host families and will do whatever their host families plan for them (just as they do here in the states). Where will the athletes and artists eat their meals? Breakfast will be served at the dorms in a cafeteria, lunch will be at the hub and dinner will be provided at the evening programs. During the week that we are in hotels, the breakfast will be at the hotel and lunch and dinner will be provided at the hotel, restaurants, on the road, etc. We plan to share specific details once everything is finalized. We will not only be serving dairy food during the program, as meat/chicken will be offered as many of the lunch and dinner meals. There will always be vegetarian options for those participants that do not want to eat meat or chicken. We will always have a variety of food available to accommodate everyone s needs. All food will be strictly Kosher. Will we need additional insurance coverage? All participants will have standard medical insurance for the duration of the JCC Maccabi Games/ArtsFest. We recommend purchasing individual travel insurance. What security measures will be in place? Maccabi World Union is working directly with the Israeli Government on this project and using the security standards set for the World Maccabiah Games, the largest Diaspora event held in Israel. Participants will not travel to any place deemed unsafe, and throughout each day, itineraries will be cleared through the official Government authorities and changed immediately if any heightened risk or security concerns arise. An Israeli security escort will accompany each bus during the trip, and there will be a security presence at every venue. Can I extend my trip to tour Israel either before or after the JCC Maccabi Games/ArtsFest? There are currently two pre-trips being offered by the JCC Association. Trip #1 is for the whole family including the teen participant and includes a week of touring prior to the Games/Artsfest for the whole family and then several options for the family without the teen participant for the week of the Games/ArtsFest. Trip # 2 is just for the family not the teen and includes touring options while the teen is participating in the Games/Artsfest. Please see Rachel Hagar for more specifics on these trips including itineraries and costs.

5 Families can also choose to take their own pre and/or post trips. Any teen deviating from the set flight plans of the delegation will receive a $1300 credit off the $3500 tuition price. Families will then be responsible for the payment of their flights. It is very likely that the flights will cost more than $1300. The $1300 reflects the subsidized flight costs obtained for the JCC Maccabi participants. We ask that travel plans be made though Gil Travel so that teens can be placed on the same flight as their delegation either coming or going (depending on the family s plans- i.e., If you choose to take a pre-trip your teen can be placed on the return flight with their team and vice versa.) If a family chooses to take their own pre and/or post trip it will be the family s responsibility to make arrangements to drop off and/or pick up their teen from the Games/ArtsFest. These arrangements can be made with Rachel Hagar once the delegation s flights are set. Gil Travel How can visiting spectators watch the Games and ArtsFest and experience the entire program? A comprehensive package, including spectator passes, will be offered for families/adults who would like to attend the JCC Maccabi Games/ArtsFest in Israel. JCC Association s Israel office will be offering several customized packages for individuals/families, semi-customized JCC missions, and a continental mission group (pre-programmed). For specific information, please call or israel@jcca.org.