I am so grateful that I started touring with Dani Rotstein of Ayelet tours in 2024. Portugal, Spain, Morocco, Argentina; , what amazing memories I have of these Jewish tours. Looking forward to Spring 2027 touring Puerto Rico and learning its Jewish history and hopefully Spring 2028 Jewish Brazil. The online learning sessions are well worth attending. read more

I was scheduled to take a trip with Ayelet to Cuba in 2025. We paid for the trip in early September of 2025. On September 25th, 2025, the CDC declared a Level 2 alert abut a mosquito borne disease (Chikungunya). I discovered the alert via a former Cuban doctor in early November. I consulted with my physician and she strongly recommended that I cancel the trip due to my age and other issues. Ayelet refused to take any responsibility for not notifying me of the alert and refused to offer any form of refund. Instead, they told me that I would be fine and essential to ignore medical advice. I will never travel with a company that hides information, takes no responsibility, and pretends to be an expert on my medical condition. read more

Excellent lectures by Dr.Berk.He is entertaining and extremely informative he has an amazing amount of knowledge on each subject that he presents. I am looking forward to taking a tour when this terrible pandemic is over. In the meantime I will stay with these lectures which are also highly educational. read more

I am deeply grateful to Ayelet for the beautiful, educational virtual tours that they offer. The scholars are the cream of the crop and the tours professional and meaningful. On a very personal note, the people who are Ayelet, hold a very special place in my heart. It was a Cantor with Congregation trip to Israel some 25 years ago during which my husband died suddenly and quite unexpectedly in Eilat... one day before we were to return home. Ayelet saved me, comforted me, handled all the business and legalities required to get me out of Israel quickly, as was my wish. I will NEVER forget Diane and Seffie for the compassion they showed me. Never. Now a new and wonderful generation with Jeff at the helm has taken charge. From what I already know of Jeff, I feel assured that Ayelet remains the same, exquisite, Compassionate company that it has always been. I apologize for this lengthy review! I just couldn't help myself. There are many Tour Companies but I know that they are nothing like the people who ARE Ayelet. Warmest regards to all.., Cantor Rabbi Annie Bornstein read more

By now you know that we are in a dispute with Citi-Costco Mastercard. Let me begin by stating that I expect a full and complete refund before October 4th. I believe taking $ 500 as a penalty is nothing less than price gouging. Fifty percent penalty from $ 1000 deposit is outrageous regardless of whatever the contract states. Cancellation was done many months in advance and there is no evidence that you lost any money. Let me also add that it's belief that Ayelet has: · Ayelet breached its contract by not providing usual and customary travel services i.e., airfare and ground arrangements inconsistent with each other. · Ayelet provided misleading information about the trip, accommodations, and other services. I was sold a dissimilar experience than what was initially promised. · Ayelet was unresponsive and failed to provide timely updates unless pressed by me. · Ayelet made mistakes with reservations (e.g., wrong dates, incorrect flight times, or hotel errors) that caused me inconveniences and additional costs; this justifies a full refund. · Ayelet wants unjustified cancellation charges for services not yet provided. The trip is 5 months away! · Ayelet's customer services has been unprofessional and dismissive which has now led to a stressful and unpleasant experience. refund. Let's get this resolved before I take the above measures. read more

i recently found out about ayelet tours and so glad i did. i enjoyed the zoom tour lecture on india and had no idea about the jewish population there. glad i got to learn more about it. i look forward to watching more of their zoom lectures as i am unable to travel at this time and watching the lectures expands my knowledge of other countries, etc. read more

Just completed course; The War To End All Wars...But Didn't with Professor Stephen Berk, offered by Ayelet Tours. I am learning so much and appreciate the world class historian, scholar that Ayelet offers by bringing Dr. Berk to our life of learning. Thank you and I look forward to the next series. Heidi read more

Although I haven't had the opportunity to take one of the tours yet, I've listened to several zoom webinars taught by their tour guides. The speakers are very interesting, knowledgeable and engaging. read more

In 2020, my trip with this company was cancelled due to Covid. Owner would not make a full refund even though it violated their published policy. Was willing to try to go again this year. Owner prohibited me from going unless I took down the post. Told her I would take down post if I went on trip and enjoyed it. Owner declined and now I am not going with my Temple. This business owner has no integrity. Would not recommend. read more

If you're looking for a company that will cater to your concerns, interests and needs, you can forget about getting support and assistance from this business. They don't comprehend that; they become defensive. I thought I found another tour group, outside of the others I've traveled with, that included trips for singles over 40. It seemed so. This one specifies a particular faith as well, which would have meshed with me. Though since airfare wasn't included, I had interest in setting up flights to connect with others from my area, I also preferred a reasonable flight rate, I inquired about the numbers of women to men going, I asked about discounts, I needed details on the trip insurance ! All these questions should have been expected & explained, without hesitation or delay. It was an International tour, not a local one by far. However, when I made an effort to get assistance on the varied matters, I was told I shouldn't go on their trip! Just imagine how that felt. Because they were irresponsible, I got booted. I received opposite the response I expected or deserved. I had been ultra motivated to travel. Though being meticulously curious with Ayelet Travel, especially the Best Day Adventures Tour to Tuscany and the Countryside, was my only downfall. read more

Israel!!! Our group of 37, ages 10-80 was over the moon satisfied with Ayelet, our guide Roni, and driver, Menachim. They nimbly handled all the BIG items tour, and found gems of other sites and experiences. The bus rides were filled with historical, geographical and geological details, and the land sites equally outstanding using their own audio devices. The specialty hired guides with Jeep riding up Golan, the ANU museum, street tours in Haifa and Tel Aviv , excavating in Beit Guvrin, added fantastic moments in their area of expertise. Don't think twice about booking with Ayelet; they are professionals. The all inclusive pricing was a terrific value for 10 packed days. June 2022 read more

We've used Ayelet for Hadassah travel to Israel. Sefie and other staff have been excellent and worthy of 5 stars. However, during the Pandemic, Ayelet has offered virtual travel and Israel related programs. One program featured Professor Stephen Berk from Union College for a series. I was disappointed with Prof. Berk's virtual lectures. He is very knowledgeable but also bombastic. So full of himself, it's a wonder he doesn't burst. He used his platform to gratuitously attack a pro-Israel group with whom he disagrees. This is not the time for discord among those who support Israel, nor is Ayelet's virtual classes the proper forum for Berk's personal political expression. It reflects poorly on the sponsor. read more

Just attended the Scholar in Residence program with Professor Stephen Berk put on by Ayelet Tours. This was an outstanding experience. The weekend was exceptionally well organized and a great experience. I would highly recommend another scholar in residence experience. The speaker was outstanding and the other activities were engaging as well. read more

I returned from the Ayelet tour with Professor Stephen Berk to Eastern Europe. This was an organized, well designed tour of a very interesting part of the world. Our guides were knowledgeable and articulate, explaining the history of these countries through the lens of Jewish history. Dr. Berk's discussions added an additional perspective, allowing the group to gain a greater understanding of the history of these countries in the context of world history. All of the trip details were carefully planned and managed in an efficient and organized way. We were able to navigate through many different places worry-free, as Ayelet coordinated all of the logistics. i highly recommend this trip to anyone interested in exploring the Jewish history of Eastern Europe. read more

I just returned from my first ever trip to Israel with Bill and Best Day Adventures. The trip went to all the highlights plus more. I have taken several trips with Best Day...it is a great company to travel with as a solo traveler and/or with friends. read more

Although I haven't talked with this organization, I am really impressed with their support of the Zoom-based courses held by Portland State University. OK, so they cant run tours during the pandemic; they are not just sitting on their hands and I really appreciate it. Thank you Ayelet. read more

I recently went on a tour of Acadia National Park with Best Day Adventures and had a great time. Everything was well organized. It was a relatively short trip which is what I needed to start traveling again after 2 years. Bill is a terrific tour leader. Changes had to be made due to Covid restrictions but everything was taken care of and it never felt like we were missing out on anything. I look forward to traveling with them in the future. read more

My family and I had a tour with Ayelet in Israel in June 2022. The tour guide and bus driver were both phenomenal. My family and I had an amazing trip. Thank you so much, Ayelet! read more

Jeff and Doron were able to help me with my difficulties. Thank you.

Excellent tour of the Pacific Northwest. It was my first tour with Ayelet and although I felt like the new kid on the block, it was well organized and fun. Karen was a great tour guide and handled some difficult circumstances easily and with good humor. read more

Ayelet tours was hired to organize our congregation's trip to Israel. I have been to Israel on organized tours on four previous occasions each was handled professionally from start to finish. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about Ayelet. There are many other options out there. Beware if your congregation needs to reschedule or cancel your trip. read more

A belief A dream A thought A REALITY This is the representation of my experience in visiting Israel with Bill on Best Day Adventures. What I thought would be a great experience was exceedingly better! Bill, a phenomenal group leader whom I owe an incredible thanks for making my first trip to Israel as well as my first tour experience (definitely not my last) one I will never forget!!!! The opportunity to travel to with 20 other Jewish people whom I did not know.....a time to bond and share this incredible life experience was overwhelming. As I sit here only a little a month later from my return I continue to relish in the experience anxiously awaiting my next Best Day Adventure with Bill K!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

I have traveled with Bill and BDA prior and they do an awesome job. In case of last-minute changes Bill is very adaptable and tries to plan the best for our experiences. He is conscious of people's dietary needs like being kosher or vegetarian and other limitations. Recently I planned a trip to Israel with him. he kept in constant communication and told us not to do anything until he let us know. When the decision was made to move to next year he offered us three different options. I am very happy with the way that BDA handled this and am excited to go to Israel and travel with Bill again. read more

Ayelet did an excellent job planning our tour to Israel. Pam was great in helping us craft a very unique itinerary given that this was not our first trip to Israel. The guides Ayelet arranged were amazing and the experiences were unique. Would highly recommend. read more

The tour itself was great - not 5 star great, but a strong 4. We stayed in a very nice hotel in a great location in Jerusalem. Great food, rooms, spa and services. Ayelet was in charge of eveything - and the transfers from the airport (in Tel Aviv) to Jerusalem and back were smoothly run. An area for improvement? I was charged for an extrat night at the hotel - even though I have a midnight flight out and did not need to stay in the room (until 2 PM for a late check out). I was basically charged for an entire extra night (which at nearly $400 a night was not fun.) Otherwise? Seffie and his team did a superb job coordinating over 1700 Americans at a big convention in Jerusalem. In the meantime, if you are considering travel to Israel - and money is not an issue, go with Ayelet. read more

Currently they are doing Zoom video seminars with specialists from their tours. Have attended several seminars on Jewish history of Spain, multiple world historical figures (Prof. Burk of Union College), and just begun a series on aspects of Eastern European Jewry (Prof. Meir of Portland State). All have been excellent. They are both educational and enjoyable via Zoom. Highly recommend these seminars for those interested in Jewish history/culture and beyond. The instructors are all involved with actual physical tours (when available) and I look forward to exploring travel options with Ayelet and these folks in particular when we all can travel again. read more

There is nothing more enriching than listening to Professor Stephen Berk. There is no finer lecturer. His talk on Putin was fascinating and timely. I can't wait for the remainder of the series. I've been lucky enough to tour Eastern Europe and Russia with him as well as Cuba. Hope I can tour with him again soon. read more

Went on a tour of Israel with my Temple that Ayelet had coordinated. Very pleased with the communication from Tara at Ayelet, who was responsive to my questions. Ayelet planned an incredible itinerary and tour. All the hotels we stayed in were nice well-located, and comfortable, with fabulous inclusive breakfasts. Our tour guide, Julie, was experienced and so knowledgeable, which definitely added to our tour enjoyment. I recommend Ayelet and would not hesitate to use the company again if I planned an independent tour, which I hope to do one day. Had an amazing, unforgettable trip, and can't wait to return to Israel. Thanks, Ayelet! read more

Had a great tour booked through Ayelet. I opted to upgrade from the regular hotel to a 5 star, and it was well worth the extra money. Israelis live for their breakfast, and both of the hotels exceeded expectations. Marc Savitt was extremely helpful through the entire process - especially since we booked on short notice. I will definitely consider Ayelet for any future tours I may take. read more

We have just returned from ten fabulous days in Israel, thanks to your organization. I particularly want to acknowledge three of you. First off, Pam Pearlmutter, our trip planner, was incredible in creating a memorable tour that included all of the important, and even some of the lesser-but-no-less interesting, sites. What I truly appreciated was the ease in dealing with her, her availability and ability to change her initial plans to suit and accommodate our wishes, and the diversity of the sites on the trip that pleased ALL of us: we were seven traveling on a private tour. Pam has been to Israel many times and knew about places and opportunities that we would never have been aware of, were it not for her! THANKS, Pam! Second, in addition to the incredible sites, the trip came to life because of our tour guide--DAVID LESHNICK, an American-born Israeli citizen/educator/administrator and fundraiser, now incredible tour guide, whose wealth of knowledge and ability to impart it to ALL of us (ages 6 to umpteen!) was a feat in itself. Warm, inspiring, a teacher/story-teller/passionate Israeli enthusiast, with a ready smile, an even disposition--even when our youngest members were tired and trying at the beginning and end of some days, with a sweet sense of humor, and an obvious desire to make us love his adopted country the way he does. The breadth of his knowledge and the way he conveyed so many different aspects of past, way past, and present history, his broad information about all of the places we visited, and his welcome desire to take us all by the hand and show us his country in a realistic and loving way--with all of its problems and all of its triumphs. "Awesome" was the way our ten-year-old described him. Our six-year-old learned SO much from him, obviously enjoyed his sense of humor, and at the end of the trip drew a fairly accurate map of all of the places we had been, naming them and placing them where they belonged on the map: the Red Sea, the Dead Sea, the Mediterranean, the countries surrounding Israel, and so on. We were all impressed by how much HE got out of the trip. And on the day when the 10 and 13 year old were having a somber but memorable experience at Yad Vashem, he and I were dropped off and later picked up at the Jerusalem Zoo where we had a terrific time! From the moment we met up with David--and our driver ASAF COHEN (who was also so accommodating and friendly and helpful)--we felt comfortable and so well taken care of. David also suggested some alternative and additional places to visit that were not included on our initial plans, and we loved every place he took us to. I cannot say enough good things about our guide and driver. They were perfect! Lastly, I want to thank Ayelet Tours for making the trip so easy and enjoyable. Your organization arranged for us to be met at the airport by one of your representatives who led us in the large, complex airport to our nearby private bus that took us where we had to go. The same occurred as we exited the country--led by one of your representatives who made our leaving Israel easy and effortless! And when we wanted to make additional/alternative plans to what was on our itinerary, our guide called your office, and it was done! We thank you for all you did to make our trip the BEST EVER! As for our favorite experiences, hard to say. We truly enjoyed it all! Memorable, all of it! THANK YOU. read more

My family and I just got home from Israel and what a fabulous, wonderful trip we had!! The tour was excellent. Our tour guide Noam was such a great guide. We all loved him. He was knowledgeable, interesting, energetic, warm, enthusiastic and so much fun. The accommodations were nice too! We loved the Inbal so much, that when the tour was over, my kids and I actually went back there and requested our same room. What a great hotel. The kibbutz was nice and rustic and the Sheraton had the perfect location. All the food was delicious too. Everything about the trip was so special. We loved the rabbi and the b'nai mitzvah service was incredible. The party later that day was really festive. All of the families on the tour were so sweet and everyone had a great time together. The kids have all been texting each other and the parents have become facebook friends. The activities during the day were exciting too and were enjoyable for all the different generations of people on the tour. This was just an all around amazing trip. I would highly recommend this B'nai Mitzvah tour to anyone. read more

Having traveled many times with Best Day Adventures and Ayelet Tours, I have always found them to be fair, honest, reasonable, organized and efficient. They have their travelers best interests at heart and work diligently to ensure that each traveler has a special and unique experience with them. Bill with Best Day takes a vested interest in ensuring that whether you are a first time traveler or you travel with them frequently, that your time spent will draw you back for more. I have been on trips to Israel and Cuba with them as well as other destinations and I would highly recommend both companies for Jewish travel. read more

I recently returned from a 10 day trip to Israel with my Congregation who chose to go with Ayelet Tours. I give this tour a C+ We were promised a 5 star trip but spending 9 nights in a twin size bed in small quarters did not meet my expectations of a 5 star experience considering I inquired before I left that my bed would NOT be a twin. I went sharing a room with a friend as our husbands could not join us. We were specifically told we would not have twin beds! The towel service was basically non existent at the Inbal as we called every day for towels and the wake up service never worked in our room. The bath tub was so narrow that it was amazing I nor my roommate got injured getting in and out around the half glass door. I would never stay at the Inbal again if it was the last hotel in town. The lobby is nice but you don't sleep in a lobby. The food at the breakfast buffet was average...nothing special. If you ask for ice water they will bring you a glass with one ice cube and tell you to go the buffet and pour the water yourself. The lunches were mostly plaza stops for over priced falafel and schwarma, or a gelato or ice cream. Tourist stops for buses. Usual time for lunch was 20 minutes. Are you serious? The tour itself was disorganized. I traveled during Israel Independence Day and you would think this day of all days would have been celebrated with a planned activity. Ayelet was supposed to get our group tickets to an Independence Day celebration and the trip was hyped to believe that if we didn't get them we would be celebrating the holiday In the end...No tickets...no guide.. nothing planned! My friend and I ventured out in the streets of Jerusalem to find our own celebration. We did find one but it was by chance following a group of people we did not know. We were told we would see the 911 memorial which was not possible to see by bus. There is a train being built presently that is a two year project to connect Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem. We did not see the memorial and nothing was substituted. The day we went to the Dead Sea we were also supposed to go the waterfalls in En Gedi. That did not happen either as the Cantor left that up to a bus vote with the guide. Only two of us raised our hands that we wanted to go and so we did not. Also the underground hospital trip was cancelled and the trip to an army bases was substituted because our leader from the base fell ill. We did not plant a tree, go to Tzfat, or even go to the beach!! 10 days in Israel and no beach time! This trip consisted of mainly couples of middle aged seniors. We were told in advance that we could elect to do what we wanted on our own but for the thousands of dollars we paid for this tour you would expect a top notch itinerary! The Dead Sea beach was outright dangerous. Many from our group got injured as they attempted the water. The mud filled sea was soft and people starting sinking in it and falling and getting cut up on the sharp rocks. A horrible choice for a group of seniors. This we did on the busiest day of the year (Independence Day and it took the bus over an hour and a half to leave the parking lot, sit in bumper to bumper traffic, before getting back to the hotel. Such a waste of time. The sulphur springs they took us to was a man made pool and the park was extremely dirty and un-kept. Extremely disappointing and a complete waste of time. The only good food I experienced was when we were on our own for dinners in Jerusalem. There was no attention to detail on this trip. I requested in advance feather-free bedding and all my bedding except for the kibbutz we stayed at had feathers. You had to pay $1.00 for water on the bus for each bottle. I'm not a fan of nckel and dime-ing. For Yom Hazikaron I was advised to stay in my hotel room to watch the ceremony on TV because the ceremony would have English sub titles on TV as opposed to to going to an organized ceremony at a Park nearby that would all be in Hebrew. The TV ceremony was in all Hebrew and it turned out the park had headphones you could set to English and I would have enjoyed that more. The guide should have told us.The hotel should have told...Ayelet should have told us! Above all the guide himself was disappointing. He sat at the front of the bus conversing in Hebrew 90% of the time to the Cantor and his wife. Every now and then he would point out sites out the window but it was mostly us tourists questioning what was out the window. I called Ayelet when I returned and told them about this experience. The manager asked me to put it in writing which I did. There is so much more that was disappointing but I don't feel the need to keep going on. Her response was very short and basically said she felt bad it wasn't what the trip I expected and wished me better experiences in the future! Let me say you are warned! Pick a different tour company! I'd NEVER go to Israel again Ayelet!.There are plenty of top notch companies out there!... read more

Our experience with Ayelet Tours was fantastic. Pam started working with us nearly two years before our trip, and although we did our research, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into and still had our doubts about some of the things she suggested we had to put in our itinerary. However, she did not fail us at all! We loved everything we did and had the best tour guides, despite my worry about making sure we had a guide with enough personality for our big and varying aged group. Pam nailed it. Michele was our fantastic guide in Jordan; Ehud was the perfect guide for us in Israel! Ayelet Tours really planned a beautiful two week travel for our group of 14! read more

We loved our tours of Israel with Ofer. He is a delightful person and wonderful guide. On the day we visited Caesarea in the morning, he took us for lunch and touring in the old Port of Jaffa, which was absolutely delightful-among our favorite things on the trip. I would recommend Ofer to anyone. He didn't try to sound like a guidebook the whole time, but gave us interesting insights. He remained very considerate of our energy level considering the July heat topped 100 degrees in some locations, brought us to fun places to eat, and introduced us to terrific places to shop. We met artists and friends, and had the best falafel! All in all it was a terrific week. read more

This tour to Israel with my wife and 14 year old son was a trip of a lifetime. We have travelled extensively to Europe, Australia, the Caribbean, etc. but this trip exceeded all our expectations. We can't wait to go again. read more

We traveled with Ayelet Tours in April for our daughter's bat mitzvah. Ayelet planned everything including meals, transfers, 3 hotels (Galilee, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv), bus transportation, tour guide, rabbi, site seeing and all activities. Jeff and Jean did a brilliant job planning. The communication before the trip was clear and responsive, and their suggestions for our restaurants, sites and service providers were perfect for our group. I had never been to Israel, so I really put myself in their hands to make a lot of choices for me. The trip itself was even better than we expected. We traveled with 16 family members (ages 4 to 70), and our tour guide (David) knew exactly what to say and do to engage the entire group. He was incredibly knowledgable and really made it an unforgettable experience. When it comes to the Bat Mitzvah service, I can't say enough good things about Rabbi David Wilfond. He was warm and made the service meaningful without even meeting us until the day before the service. He is a very special person, and I would recommend him to anyone planning a b'nai mitzvah trip. We had such a great time that we all might go back again in a couple years for my nephew's bar mitzvah, and we would call Ayelet again and arrange it with the same tour guide and rabbi with new sites that we didn't see before. You can't go wrong with Ayelet. read more

They CANNOT take care of anyone with a serious dietary issue like celiac. Before leaving we were assured by the New York office that my husband's dietary issues would be no concern. Not True!! Nothing was done to ensure his meals were gluten free. The only call that was made was done when we requested they call ahead to Kfar Blum before we went there. My husband was seriously ill the entire trip. Don't trust them. To this day they keep referring to Celiac as a "sensitivity" - Yikes! read more

charging penalties for cancelling trips due to coronavirus. not good business when most tour companies are refunding all payments. would not recommend this company to travel with. read more

The tour itself was mediocre and frankly, pretty pricey for what we received. It always feels like Ayelet is scrambling to make things happen and it certainly causes stress to you, as the client, in the interim. Furthermore, the Rubtchinsky's (Jeff and Diane) are not kind or genuine people. They are extremely condescending and frankly, pretty rotten to interact with. They treat their staff like they are entirely expendable in front of clients - it's disturbing and sad. All in all, while it wasn't terrible, I wouldn't recommend it or use their services again. read more