DECLARATION OF UNDERSTANDING

By applying for and being accepted to the Ohr Somayach JLE trip to Israel you are agreeing to the following Declaration of Understanding.

1.  Program Participation. All students are expected to fully participate in all trips, tours, special lectures and events and generally comply with the directions of the staff. The JLE learning tour has been designed to allow you to take advantage of a wide variety of educational experiences including a broad range of lectures and other learning opportunities. Although there is plenty of free time on the trip, attendance of programming during structured time, whether it is in the class room or in the field, is mandatory.

2.  Minimum class participation: You are committing yourself to attending a minimum of 5 classes per day, every day that the group is not on a tour.

3.  Sabbath Programming: The uniqueness of the Sabbath experience in Israel lends itself to special events and encounters which are integral parts of the JLE program. As such:
     i) Visits to family or friends should be either scheduled during one of the  
         many free evenings of the trip or after the formal conclusion of the trip.
    ii) Out of respect to the program, even if you do not regularly observe the laws of the
        Sabbath at home, you are required to refrain from publicly violating the    
        Sabbath while on the program.

4.  Insurance: Coverage for doctors, medicine and hospitalization is mandatory. Ohr Somayach offers a local plan which will provide students with an insurance card entitling them to receive medical services without any payment out of pocket for the cost of one dollar US per day. Even if you have an insurance plan from your country of origin that covers overseas travel, almost without exception you will have to pay for any medical services yourself and then seek to be reimbursed by your insurance company.

5.  Rules of the Yeshiva: All the rules of the yeshiva must be obeyed by all trip participants at all times.

6.  Non-compliance: The total cost of this trip is $3000USD. Any reduction in this cost is due to scholarship/subsidy that you have received from the JLE endowment and is conditional on a good faith commitment to this Declaration of Understanding. As such:
     i) Unauthorized absences, lateness or general non-compliance may result in a
        discretionary penalty of an additional $250 which will be charged to your credit card 
        (or billed to your home address if you have paid in cash or cheque).
    ii) In severe cases, non-compliance with this declaration of understanding will result  
         in your removal from the program, the forfeiture of your transport home and
         require you to reimburse Ohr Somayach the sum which it has awarded you as a
         scholarship/subsidy.