FAQs

Israel has always been a place of central importance for humanity. The birthplace of monotheism and the crossing point between three continents, Israel today serves as a convergence point of civilizations, nations and religions. In this spiritual center for millions of people, there is proof of the challenge that human coexistence represents, one that acquires more importance as globalization progresses.

There are six characteristics that make “Coexistence in the Middle East” (CME) such a unique and extraordinary experience:

• Experiential. CME takes participants outside the classroom on field trips to visit key sites and meet with key actors in the region.  
• High level. Encounters with specialists and representatives of: government, religion, NGO’s and the civilian population.
• Pluralistic. Presentations from various representatives of the different sides. 
• Curricular value. Seminar endorsed by prestigious institutions.
• Multicultural. The opportunity to study and travel with students from universities around the world.

Israel is a very popular tourist destination. A record 3.5 million tourists visited Israel in 2013. Israel enjoys an effervescent social and cultural life, with streets filled with bars, cafés and restaurants where people can walk without fear, even at night. National and European sport competitions, international cultural events and concerts by internationally renowned artists like Paul McCartney, constantly take place in Israel.  

Sadly, as in every country, there are high-risk areas in Israel. CME only conducts field trips in areas where we can be reasonably sure of our participant’s safety. The International Institute of Leadership has brought more than 50,000 people from 140 countries to Israel since 1958. It is not a coincidence that the most repeated opinion by participants relating to the security issue has been, “I feel safer here than in my own house“.

CME is directed towards undergraduate, graduate and doctorate students in all areas, especially students of social sciences and humanities. Faculty members, diplomats, and other practitioners are also welcome to participate.

In the registration section, you will find the requirements that need to be met in order to participate in the program.

CME is primarily directed towards an academic audience. However, we are also able to organize custom programs with dates and field trips suited towards your needs. The minimum group needed to conduct a customized program is 20 participants. For more information, contact us at  info@coexistencetrip.net

To enter the country, you will need a passport that is valid for at least 6 months after your entry to Israel. Additionally, citizens of some countries may need to receive a tourist visa in their home countries. It is important to note that, in some cases, you may require a visa that allows more than one entry to Israel. For more information,  click here.

For information on how to get financial aid go to the financial assistance section of our website.

No. There are no prerequisites for participation in this program. However, the better informed you are, the more you will benefit from the program. Remember that the quality of the encounters usually depends on the quality of the questions of the participants. If you are looking for general references on the subject, we recommend you review the syllabus for the courses we offer through the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. 

After the program is over participants will receive a certificate with the amount of academic hours studied, issued by the International Institute for Leadership. Furthermore, participants in our Joint Program with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJ) will receive 3 credits from the HUJ equivalent to 45 academic hours for each course that is completed successfully.

It depends on your university. Many participants have been able to revalidate the seminar as a course in their universities. This might be easier for the seminars that include the courses in the Rothberg School of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where participants will earn a certificate for 3 credits, equivalent to 48 academic hours for each course that is completed successfully.

It depends on your university. Many participants have been able to revalidate the program as a course in their universities. This process might be easier for participants who enroll in our Joint Program with the Rothberg International School of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem which offers academic credits from this prestigious institution.

We recommend you process the revalidation before you travel. If you require any document or help for the process you can request it at registration@coexistencetrip.net.

Lectures and field trips will be conducted in English, and all reading materials are in English or English translation. For custom programs, we can also offer instruction in Spanish.

CME schedules offers different program options on different dates to coincide with the summer and winter breaks of as many as possible academic institutions around world. Special programs and intensive sessions may also be arranged with custom dates, and with academic field trips and  lectures tailored to suit the needs of different organizations and academic institutions. For further information, please email us at: registration@coexistencetrip.net.

No. The Rothberg International School and The International Institute of Leadership are not authorized to travel inside the territories under the control of the Palestinian National Authority. However, the program includes field trips to East Jerusalem and the security fence, and Palestinian speakers are invited to the program.

The summer program consists of two, 3-credit courses, and includes free days for leisure. The courses are designed to complement each other, and include different field trips. The 12-day intensive program grants 3 credits and combines the field trips from the summer program. The intensive program does not include rest days, though participants may extend their stay through the following weekend.

No, even though there are visits to sacred places and encounters with religious leaders. It’s an academic and experiential seminar, where the coexistence between civilizations, peoples and cultures is analyzed, not only relations between the different religions.

The seminar is promoted in different universities, thanks to the help of students and teachers who are interested in promoting coexistence and/or participating in the seminar. If you are interested in promoting the seminar in your university you could receive a discount. For more information, read the collaboration section. 

For the most part of the seminar the group will be staying in Jerusalem. The group is programmed to stay at the student residences of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. However the University gives priority to its students, so the stay there can only be confirmed in a date closer to our arrival. In any case, there is a reservation for us in a pension where we’ve had good experiences with previous groups. Only a couple of nights will be spent outside of Jerusalem. One of those nights will be spent in the desert, in a Bedouin camp where participants will sleep in a tent under the stars, in the sleeping bags provided.

In the registration section you will find the detailed registration process.

If you are having problems logging into your account don’t register again.

If you forgot your password, click here. If you don’t remember the email account you used to register or you would like to change your email address, send us an email to registration@coexistencetrip.net with your full name and date of birth.

If you have any other problem send us an email to registration@coexistencetrip.net.

It is possible that your email server is marking our messages as spam; please verify if this is the case. If it isn’t, let us know at registration@coexistencetrip.net

If you already have an account on our site, the only thing you need to do is fill the admission application again. If you don’t have an account then you should just get one. Please don’t open more than one account.

If you don’t remember your password, write to registration@coexistencetrip.net from your registered account and we’ll send it to you.

Once you are registered on our site you have to fill the admissions application, deposit the registration fee, send the requested documents and obtain confirmation that we received everything before the registration period is over.

Remember that we give priority to those that register early.  For more information, review the admissions process.

Participants have to arrange their own flights to and from Israel. We recommend that you book your tickets as early as possible to get a better rate. However, it’s important that you don’t commit any money until your acceptance to the version you chose has been confirmed. For more information on when to arrive in and leave Israel, check our site for flight information.

For more information on when to book your flights, please visit the flights section of our site.

The deposit has several purposes. Through the registration process it assures us that the candidate is serious about traveling. After the registration process it lets us confirm that the version and additional trips you chose have the necessary participants. Finally, in the case of a cancellation, it lets us cover the fines.

At the moment of your acceptance, the fee will be considered as part of the total cost of the seminar.

Click here to see the accepted methods of payment.

If you are not accepted into the seminar, $75 of your registration fee will cover the registration cost and the rest will be returned to you.

If the minimum number of participants required for the version that you chose is not gathered, perhaps you could participate in another version or travel on another date. If that is not possible, then you will receive a full refund of your deposit. We recommend that you keep in mind the other versions in case there aren’t enough participants for your version or its participants quota has already been filled.

To know what documents you will have to send, please review the registration process.

We will reply to all applications no later than a week after the registration period is over.

To participate in the complementary trips els it’s important that you consult the Embassy of these countries to check if you will need to issue a visa in your home country. Usually visas can be issued at the border crossing.

You will need to register for these trips before the registration period is over and make an additional deposit of $100 with your admissions quota. This deposit won’t guarantee that the trip will happen if the minimum amount of participants is not gathered, in that case the deposit will be accepted as part of the total payment. This deposit won’t be returned in case of a cancellation.

If you want to know what to pack visit our section on travel preparations.

The cost of the seminar includes the majority of the expenditures that are required throughout the seminar. However, many participants choose to bring more money to spend during days off or to buy souvenirs. Although the decision of how much to money to bring is personal, many participants say that $500 is enough. For more information on what the seminar includes click here.

In our site there is a liability waiver that all participants have to accept, by marking the “I accept” box on their admission application. Click here to see it.

Basically the waiver refers to the validity of the information you provided in your registration (where you accepted you are over 18 and have started your university studies), where you state that you understand that the seminars are provided through an independent institution “The International Institute for Leadership”, and finally you agree that you are healthy enough to travel and that you can afford the cost of the trip. Other matters relating to the responsibility and well being of the participants are also clarified.

It is essential that you travel with your own health and travel insurance, you will also have the health insurance provided by the seminar. Throughout the duration of the seminar it is required that all participants have their own health insurance. We will provide you with basic health insurance that doesn’t cover preexistent conditions. If you have no insurance you will need to get one, and if your insurance won’t cover your stay in Israel, make sure you arrange that it does before traveling.

Furthermore, it is possible that you would like to obtain an insurance that will cover:

• Canceled or delayed fights
• Cancellations in case of a family medical emergency
• Lost, stolen or damaged luggage

If you applied, got accepted and decided to cancel your participation, you have to write to registration@coexistencetrip.net and receive confirmation that we got your message. In that case you will have to pay the following amounts to cover the booking fee. The amounts depend on the days that remain, prior to the beginning of the seminar, that you notify us of your cancellation:

• Up to 30 days: $350
• Up to 14 days: 25% of the cost of the seminar
• Up to 7 days: 50% of the cost of the seminar
• Up to 4 days: 75% of the cost of the seminar
• Less than four days: total cost of the seminar