Behind the Headlines in the Middle East

This program was truly amazing and inspiring. The PLs (Program Leaders) were perfect and worked well together despite being very different people (they really made their differences work for them and make them stronger as a leadership team). The organizations that we worked with were responsibly chosen and we were never in a place that they didn't have something for us to do (I have had previous experiences volunteering where we definitely were not needed). Additionally, the people are what made the trip. The community that we built with each other was phenomenal and a safe space for everything from LGBTQIA+ community to people who had struggled with addiction or mental illness, etc. This is the most social conscious trip that I have ever been on and would recommend it highly to the conscientious traveller.

I got the chance to attend a Palestinian wedding with fellow OGers, but it got real interesting when I realized the friends I had come with were women and we were going to be separated for the entirety of the ceremony.

No booze at Palestinian weddings either, just lots of coffee and cigarettes and smiles and dancing. Me with my minimal Arabic just grinning foolishly and that awkward moment when, atop the groom's shoulders, the music stops and the DJ calls in his equally minimal English, "my friend! Where you come from?"

Pause. Swallow. "Ah-America!" and not wanting to be from anywhere at that moment and the wave of silence in the dirt street of a small West Bank village. The pause passing and everyone around me yelling ebulliently and we all continue the dance.

One man, afterwards, pulls me aside and explains this was one of the few moments in their culture where they could be happy. That life was very difficult and did I see? Me taking a cigarette from his leathery long fingers and rheumy eyes, listening to him tell me in an earnest and stern voice that life must be enjoyed at some point, even in the hell that Palestine is.

That's Israel to me. That's Palestine. It's some unspoken and prehistoric pain that a wistful stare can stir in the bowels of the stranger, the foreigner that I was.

I enjoyed this program so much. I was at a point in my life in which I needed a restart if you will. I jumped on this program really late in the game. They were accommodating, understanding, and helpful. I have never been to the Middle East and I honestly had no expectations. I was glad to be with people who were in similar boats, and that the group was relatively diverse. I didn't go to be a tourist, and so I was pleased to find that there was not too much of that happening. The purpose to learn and be immersed in the culture was clear. The leadership was also amazing. I felt safe and cared for the whole time. I left the trip feeling like a new human. Something shifted in me. I began to look more at what I was actually passionate about and what my next step should be. My perspective on my life, and those around me, shifted.

The time I spent in volunteering and traveling in Israel with Operation Groundswell is one of the best times I have ever spent abroad. I was forced to face difficult situations emotionally and physically in our work there and even in our travel there. I grew so much for it, and it has inspired me to go back. It made me realize that there's also so much that can and should be done over there, and that if more people were willing, we'd be able to relay a bigger impact on the communities over there.

I went to Israel for 6 weeks with this group! It was a great time. I met some amazing people, and the leaders were very helpful! We were able to volunteer and to travel which made the program very unique!

This is an amazing way to explore the region. There's lots of travel so you get a good sense of a variety of cities, while still having a home base in Jerusalem. The program leaders are experienced and know how to navigate the area. I think this is the best and most unbiased way to really get behind the scenes and try to understand the complicated history while visiting Israel. I can't recommend it enough!

From the first moment I landed (at 2 am) to the moment I left (also at 2 am...oy), I felt like I had lived as much of the local experience as I possibly could have- and that's what makes OG so great. The trip leaders and the program itinerary effectively balanced experiencing the social life of both Israel and Palestine, learning about the cultures and the conflict, and volunteering.

I had put a deposit on my program before the "early bird" deadline and started raising money. Near February OG really encouraged me to get my plane ticket asap so I could confirm the times and dates with them, so I did.

In March my trip was spontaneously cancelled through EMAIL. No person-to-person explanation. I had to contact them for information.
At this point all they could offer me was the trip later in the summer, or another program which started later and the refund of what I had paid them up to date. I could do neither of the other trips because I am student and was counting on those months to work (my original program was early in the summer).

It took me 2 months of fighting with airlines to get my plane ticket reimbursed which totaled over 2K.

Worse more, summer plans that I was dead-set on going through with were squashed with too little time left in the academic year to plan an alternate trip. I spent since November being in contact with OG and pumping myself up for this experience.

I would not recommend this organization to anyone. I spoke with at least 4 others, some in different programs, who this happened to. All they advertise are the happy stories, and fail to talk about the people who get messed over each year in non-refundable tickets and broken plans.

Tread lightly.