Grape Harvest

Heartland Experience

Tree Planting

Pruning

Special Ops

COST

Starting at $1,440

DURATION

2 weeks or 6 weeks

SEASON

September and October

WHO CAN APPLY

Men, Women, Couples, Families

AGE LIMITS

0 to 75

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The Grape Harvest

Come to Israel during the autumn and experience the most exciting of all the agricultural seasons – the harvest. Choose from a 2-week or 6-week trip and join fellow volunteers in working in the lush, beautiful vineyards of Samaria. Volunteer work will consist mainly of harvesting grapes on various small farms throughout Samaria, but other possible projects include harvesting olives, harvesting fruit orchards, or planting trees.

Our autumn grape harvest trips are for men and women, singles and families, ages zero to 75. If you are 76 or older, we recommend you check out our Heartland Experience trips instead.

On a typical grape harvest trip, you will have 5-6 days volunteering each week and then take a break to relax and experience an Israeli-style Shabbat each Saturday. As you volunteer, you’ll have the opportunity to visit notable biblical and historical sites that are close by to where we are working. Along the way, you’ll get to meet some of Israel’s brave pioneers, talk to the locals, and hear from inspiring speakers. Each trip will also include a day in Jerusalem.

Trip Dates & Prices

2 Week Trip

arrive in Israel on September 2, 2024
airport pick-up is at 6:00 PM

depart Israel on September 15, 2024
airport drop-off is at 8:00 PM

Ages 13 to 75$1,440 + airfare

Ages 6 to 12$720 + airfare

Ages 0 to 5$288 + airfare

Coming as a family? Every 4th person age 13 and over is free! (applies to immediate family members only)

Last day to applyAugust 12, 2024

Apply for This Trip

6 Week Trip

arrive in Israel on September 17, 2024
airport pick-up is at 6:00 PM

depart Israel on October 28, 2024
airport drop-off is at 8:00 PM

Ages 13 to 75$3,360 + airfare

Ages 6 to 12$1,680 + airfare

Ages 0 to 5$672 + airfare

Coming as a family? Every 4th person age 13 and over is free! (applies to immediate family members only)

Last day to applyAugust 26, 2024

Apply for This Trip

More About These Trips

Accomodations

You’ll be staying in a room at our volunteer campus on the Mount of Blessing, located in central Israel. Our accommodations are similar to a hostel and are simple, but still comfortable and with all basic amenities. Restrooms and showers are located in a separate building. If you come with your spouse or your family, you’ll be rooming with them. If you come by yourself, you will room with one or two fellow volunteers.

Transportation

We will help you book your flight to Tel Aviv, Israel. When you arrive at the airport, we’ll be there to pick you up. Transportation is already arranged for your entire stay in Israel and is included in the price of the trip. For smaller groups, we will travel by 9-passenger vans. For larger groups, we will use private buses. At the conclusion of your trip, someone from our team will take you back to Tel Aviv in time for your departure flight.

Meals

We have a team of chefs running our on-site kitchen and serving three delicious meals every day for our volunteers. All meals are covered in your trip cost.

When we travel or tour in certain locations, such as Jerusalem, there will be an opportunity to eat out at local restaurants. You can pay for this on your own, or if you’d rather not spend the money, our kitchen team will provide a lunch you can pack and take with you for no extra cost.

You can let us know about any allergies or dietary restrictions that you have when you submit your application.

Daily Schedule

With agricultural work, it’s important to get up early and make it to the fields while it’s still cool and the sun isn’t too high in the sky.

Typically, each day begins at 5:00 AM with a half-hour of worship and/or prayer together as a group. Breakfast is served at 5:30 and we head out to the fields shortly after breakfast. Our volunteer campus is surrounded by beautiful vineyards on the Mount of Blessing, so on some days, our volunteer location is within walking distance. If we are not within walking distance, we will take vans or a private bus to nearby farms, anywhere from 20 minutes to 45 minutes away.

We usually work from 6:30 AM until lunchtime at 11:00 AM. The afternoon schedule varies from day to day. Some days, we will tour local biblical or historical sites in the afternoon, or travel around and meet local residents in the area. On other days, we will continue harvesting through the afternoon (you’ll have the opportunity to head back to camp after lunch and relax, or stay out in the fields to harvest through the afternoon).

Dinner is served at 5:00 PM and, on most evenings, we have a guest speaker out to our campus from a nearby Jewish community to share their personal story, inspiring message, or insightful teaching.

Because we’re waking up early, most folks head to bed between 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM.

This is a typical daily schedule for Sunday through Friday. On Friday night and all-day Saturday, we celebrate the Sabbath, taking the day off for rest, fellowship, and Scripture study. If you’ll be in Israel during a holiday, such as Rosh Hashanah or Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles), get ready for some fun parties, special food, and joyful celebration!

What do I need to do?

Signing up for a trip is simple. All you need to do is follow these 4 easy steps:

APPLY

Choose your favorite trip and click “apply”. Follow the instructions to submit your application.

It will take approximately 30 to 45 minutes to fill out your application and will require a photocopy of your passport and a $200 non-refundable processing fee (this amount will be deducted from your trip cost).

TALK WITH US

Once you submit your application and pay your processing fee, someone from our staff team will reach out to you and schedule a phone call. On this call, you’ll have the opportunity to get answers to any questions you may have and we’ll give you additional details about what to expect and what you should bring with you.

BUY YOUR TICKET

After you talk with one of our staff members, we’ll let you know how and when to book your flight to Israel. It’s very important that you DO NOT BOOK YOUR FLIGHT until you receive a go-ahead from our staff team. We will be filing the paperwork for your visa to enter the country as well as picking you up from the airport. We’ll let you know when it’s okay to book a ticket.

COME TO ISRAEL

Between when you submit your application and the day you arrive in Israel, we’ll send you all the information you need to be prepared, pack everything you need, and be ready for a life-changing experience you will remember forever.

We’ll meet you at the airport!

Select a Trip

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can come on this trip?

Our grape harvest trips are for ages zero to 75. Please note that children under the age of 18 must come with a parent.

You should be physically fit and in good health to participate in this program. Applicants aged 60 to 75 will be asked for a signed letter from their doctor giving permission to travel internationally and participate in this program.

We do not accept volunteers for this trip over the age of 75. If you are 76 or older, we recommend that you check out our Heartland Experience trips.

For senior citizens under the age of 75, please be aware that our volunteer work is mainly done on rocky mountainsides, and in the summer, it does get very hot. We encourage those who are coming to prepare themselves physically by spending time outside, taking walks, and getting some exercise in the weeks leading up to their Israel trip. If you are concerned that climbing hills and traversing steep, rocky terrain might be too strenuous for you, consider coming on one of our Heartland Experience trips. The workload is much lighter, it’s not in the summer heat, and you will still get the opportunity to do some volunteer service.

Are there any vaccination or COVID-19 testing requirements?

No vaccine is required. As of March 1, 2022, Israel is welcoming foreigners from abroad regardless of vaccination status or COVID recovery status.

No testing is required. As of May 20, 2022, all PCR testing and quarantine requirements have been lifted for foreigners entering Israel from abroad.

Do you accept volunteers from my country?

To be eligible for one of HaYovel’s programs, the country that issued your passport must be on Israel’s list of allowed, visa-exempt countries. If you hold a valid passport issued by any of the following countries, you are eligible to apply for a trip with HaYovel**

Albania
Andorra
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahamas
Barbados
Belarus
Belgium
Belize
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Cook Islands
Costa Rica
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Dominica
Dominican Republic
Ecuador
El Salvador
Estonia
Fiji
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
Grenada
Guatemala
Haiti
Honduras
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Korea (South)
Latvia
Lesotho
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxemburg
Macedonia
Malta
Mexico
Micronesia
Mongolia
Montenegro
Nauru
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Panama
Papua New Guinea
Paraguay
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
San Marino
Serbia
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
St. Kitts & Nevis
St. Lucia
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tonga
Trinidad & Tobago
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
Uruguay
Vanuatu

If your country of citizenship is not listed here, you are not eligible to come on a trip with HaYovel at this time.

**this list is from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was last updated on December 21, 2022. Please note that the government of Israel may make changes to their visa requirements and list of allowed countries. If there are newer requirements published by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they supersede whatever is written here. You can check the latest visa requirements on Israel’s government website by clicking here.

Do I need to apply for a visa before coming to Israel?

You do not need to apply for a visa before coming to Israel for one of HaYovel’s programs. All you need is a valid passport. You’ll be issued a standard visitor/tourist visa when you go through passport control at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. No paperwork, forms, or fees are required.

Please note that only citizens of certain countries are eligible to enter Israel and participate in a program with HaYovel. See the question above “Do you accept volunteers from my country?” for a full list of allowed countries.

What places will I get to visit on my trip?

Volunteer locations will be various small farms and vineyards throughout Judea and Samaria.

On your trip, you’ll have the chance to tour different biblical and historical sites that are in proximity to where we are volunteering. However, these trips are designed with a focus on volunteering, meeting the local people, and enabling each participant to make a valuable contribution to the land and people of Israel. Because of this, we don’t have a guaranteed itinerary or list of tour destinations. The only two planned tours include a visit to Elon Moreh and a day in Jerusalem.

Other well-known tour destinations such as the Sea of Galilee or the Dead Sea are not part of this trip.

See More Frequently Asked Questions

This is what others are saying . . .

This was the experience of a lifetime. Knowing you are fulfilling prophecy by working the vineyards in Samaria has been the most fulfilling event in my spiritual life since my salvation experience in 1970.

Paul

from Oklahoma, USA

I experienced the Bible, the Word of God, not anymore as reading a book, but alive. The places and events from the past and nowadays are now connected in my mind and I have started to understand in a different way my Bible. I discovered a completely new world for me.

Valentin

from Sofia, Bulgaria

Our eyes were really opened to the struggles of the Jewish people in Samaria and Judea as they settle their Land. Seeing first hand biblical prophecy coming to life as we worked in the vineyards was very gratifying. We are thankful to have been able to experience Israel with the other volunteers from all over the world as well as the HaYovel staff. You made us feel very welcome and gave us great insight into the land of Israel.

Blaine & Lori

from Iowa, USA

My experience with HaYovel has been a learning experience like no other. It has helped me to see the significance of what we are doing in Israel and how it coincides with fulfilling prophecy. It also has helped put into perspective God’s role of Israel in His great plan for humanity and has greatly increased my love for our Jewish brothers and sisters.

Joel

from Texas, USA