GUEST REVIEWS

Great Experience Back in the United States, we are reminiscing about our unforgettable family experience in Israel. We are grateful to you and Dekel Tours for organizing and facilitating a superior trip that met the needs and exceeded the expectations of all in our group, including youth and adults. The children and adults recorded their memories and reflections on the last day and had, among other responses, the following to say:“Between this trip and my Bar Mitzvah…I feel a great sense of pride in being Jewish.”“Thank you for this life changing experience and amazing trip.”“Thank you for letting us come to this amazing country and tour.”“ [This trip] helped me understand the complexity of the conflict and the situation Israel is in. I can now help [my friends] understand what Israel truly is.”The adults commented:“We have been here before but we [we had not done many] of the things we were able to see land do on this trip. It has been absolutely unforgettable”“This has been the trip of a lifetime. Israel is a beautiful, complex country, that I absorbed though all my senses.”“None of us will ever forget this trip. Thank for for giving all the kids, each in their own way, a closer connection to our people [and] Israel.”“It felt like home.”Some of the favorite experiences were:The ATV ride, the Jeep tour, Rosh Hanikra, Yad Vashem, Ein Gedi, talking to the tank loader in the Golan, Hezekiah’s tunnel, surfing in the Mediterranean, driving through the Judean desert, the food, especially the K’na’ani restaurant and breakfasts….Our tour guide, Sharon Pelleg, was outstanding. She reached out to youth and adults, meaningfully engaging the kids. Sharon went beyond the norm in seeking to meet the needs and respond to the interests of all. The guide at Yad Vashem (Lara….) was a wonderful educator who held the kids attention for over two hours. Our driver, Sergei, kept us safe and on time. The VIP access for the airport to the hotel and back was excellent. All contacts and connections made for a smooth and enjoyable experience. We have already given your name to a few people interested in traveling to Israel.

Superior communication and implementation of the perfect itinerary! I work at a Jewish day school, so when it came time to plan a Bnot Mitzvah trip to Israel, there was no shortage of tour company recommendations. However, David Gross of Dekel Tours immediately stood out from the rest. To begin, I appreciated seamless communication with a native English speaker. In addition, as they say, presentation is everything. The proposed itinerary from Dekel tours was beautifully crafted with color images and easy to read text blocks. The other proposals I received looked like résumés, or a document you might use to take notes. The itinerary was 100% personalized to our family. From the hotels to the activities, every one of our interests and needs were considered. This was no easy feat with a group ranging in age from 12-78. We also had a particular tour guide in mind, (Sharon Pelleg), and Dekel tours was able to secure the tour guide of our choice. For the Bnot mitzvah, (2 daughters ages 12 and 15), we were given phenomenal recommendations for clergy, location and photography. Once the planning was complete, and we arrived in Israel, the superior service continued with immediate communication whenever needed. For example, we unexpectedly required a scooter for a family member who experienced limited mobility. A scooter was delivered to the hotel and our transportation was modified to accommodate. Also, a different family member needed a chiropractor, David was able to schedule and arrange travel to and from an appointment. I know this is quite the gushing review, but it is well deserved. Superior communication and implementation of an itinerary that provided the trip we dreamed of, earned this review.

Highly recommend Dekel Tours and Yonatan/Jonathan as a tour guide! There were several favorite experiences during our week touring Israel with Yonatan/Jonathan as our tour guide! His explanations and stories were wonderful and his use of visual aids enhanced the history stories.

THE BEST private tour guide to Israel!! Dekel Tours did an outstanding job putting together a family tour of Israel. They were extremely focused on reflecting and delivering exactly what we wanted to experience, as well as letting us know about opportunities of which we might not have been aware. Our tour guide Rotem was knowledgeable, attentive, pleasant and completely on top of her game, as was our company contact, David. When we wanted to buy particular items, Rotem knew exactly where to bring us or found out where to take us if she didn't. Anytime we had a concern, David was reachable and ready with a perfect solution. We were a "high maintenance" family but nothing we requested was considered too difficult or too much or too anything. There were no "surprise" charges and the service was simply beyond reproach. They respected cost consciousness when it was wanted and were knowledgeable about splurging when that was wanted. I cannot recommend them highly enough.

Thanks for an unforgettable holiday, full of connecting, exciting activities. Thanks a lot to Jodie from Dekel Tours who understood very well what we were looking for when traveling to Israel. She organised a trip that met the diversity of expectations of our family with 3 children/teenagers. It was an unforgettable journey, a very good and interesting guide, a refreshing variety of connecting, exciting and sometimes moving activities. I would recommend Dekel Tours to anyone planning a trip to Israel. K. Lamberigts, Belgium, july 2023.

An Amazing Trip We've been home for a week since our amazing trip to Israel to celebrate our granddaughter's bat mitzvah. Despite our initial safety concerns, we made the decision to join our family. We always felt safe and well cared for with our wonderful guide Amir and our driver Hezi. From the time we were met at the gate in Tel Aviv to the time we left, Amir filled our heads and hearts with the astounding history, the uniqueness of Israel's people, and perspective on the current situation. We cannot recommend the tour group more enthusiastically and look forward to celebrating our grandson's bar mitzvah with Dekel in a few years.

The trip of a lifetime! Planning a bar mitzvah in Israel from the United States seemed like a daunting task. I am BEYOND grateful that I found Dekel Tours to help me with this huge undertaking. David Gross and Avital Rachmilevitch made this so easy for me! David planned a ten day tour for 36 of my family members ranging in age from 4-78. A month after returning, we are all still glowing from the incredible experience. David was responsive, easy to work with, professional, kind and a native English speaker, (which made communicating much easier). The itinerary was fantastic, each day was filled with incredible activities that were fun and enriching. He set us up with a fantastic tour guide and bus driver and everyone involved worked hard everyday to make sure all of our needs were met. (Not easy to do with 36 people!) David took care of everything from A-Z. Literally, from the moment we landed until we step foot on the plane to go home, he was with us all the way. Avital worked with me to plan an unforgettable event for my son’s bar mitzvah. She took care of all the swag for the trip from t-shirts and goodies, to balloons and décor for the event. I would HIGHLY recommend Dekel Tours for anybody planning a trip to Israel.

Wonderful 2 weeks in Israel We are wrapping a wonderful two week visit to Israel with a 1 day side trip to Petra Jordan. I have always wanted to go and my husband suggested it as a way for us to celebrate our 30th anniversary. From the very beginning of our contact, LeeAnn listened carefully to what was important to us for this trip and planned a perfect itinerary. From our arrival in Israel, throughout our trip everything went seamlessly. and she stayed in touch throughout our journey. Our tour guide, Yonatan was terrific. We have traveled to many places and have had guides in several of them and we count him as the best of the best. His personal knowledge of the country combined with his shared insights from his own travels really added a dimension to how we experienced each site. He was thoughtful, interesting, funny and considerate. I highly recommend Dekel for travel in Israel and also Yonatan as a guide. I am already thinking about when we can return.