Alternative Breaks

Applications for spring break trips are now open! See below and note eligibility requirements before submitting your applications.  All trips are heavily subsidized by Columbia/Barnard Hillel; program fees should not be a barrier to participation, please email [email protected] if you need a further subsidy.

ASB Rio: Discover Rio with the Class of 2028 (March 15-22, 2025)
Calling all first-years! Spend Spring Break in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil exploring this vibrant South American Jewish community. Rich with Jewish and Brazilian history and culture, Rio is a melting pot of various traditions. From footvolley lessons to Jewish walking tours, to a boat adventure and swimming, to Jewish historical site visits, this once-in-a-lifetime trip has something for everyone!

Program Fee: The program fee for this trip is $1,250 per participant. The full cost of the trip, generously subsidized by Columbia/Barnard Hillel, is $3,300 per person. Your trip includes round-trip airfare, accommodations, two meals per day, and all programming costs.

This trip is for you if…you are looking to get more connected to the Jewish community on campus, you are in the class of 2028, you’d like to make new friends and branch out. 

Next Steps: Apply below, and reach out to Rachel or Sofi with any questions.

ASB Poland: The Past, Present, & Future of Jewish Life in Poland (March 13-23, 2025)
Spend spring break with a select group of Columbia/Barnard students exploring Poland’s rich Jewish past, present, and future. We’ll meet with today’s Polish Jews through visits to Hillels, JCC, synagogues, and other gathering spaces for Jewish communal life to learn about the unique ways in which Jewish life was rebuilt post-war and post-Communism, while also delving into the past through visits to historical sites (including a walking tour of the ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto, time in Krakow’s historic Jewish center Kazimierz, and a study tour to Auschwitz) and meetings with scholars, historians, and community leaders. Throughout the trip we’ll build community with one another while reflecting on Jewish resilience, joy, and rebuilding.

This trip is for you if…you want to meet with and get to know a Jewish community that is often misunderstood, you want to build community with Columbia/Barnard students  from diverse Jewish backgrounds, you’re interested in exploring what rebuilding has looked like for the Polish Jewish community. Pescetarian food will be available with certified kosher food available as needed, and the trip will be Shabbat friendly.  

Program Fee: The program fee for this trip is $1,450 per participant. The full cost of the trip, generously subsidized by Columbia/Barnard Hillel, is $5,600 per person. Your trip includes  round-trip airfare, accommodations, most meals, and all programming costs.

Next Steps: Apply below, and reach out to Shana or Maia with any questions.

ASB HabHum: Volunteer and Explore (March 14-20, 2025)
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks once wrote of volunteering, “A society in which there are high levels of voluntary activity will simply be a better, happier place than one where there are not. Ask any volunteer and they will usually tell you that they gain more than they give. They don’t do it for recognition. They do it because they know volunteering helps change the world because it changes us.”  In that spirit, join us for an unforgettable ASB trip to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and explore what our host city has to offer. After a meaningful and relaxing Shabbat together with the ASB HabHum group, spend the week with new and old friends in service of others. The trip will feature plenty of fun activities outside volunteering hours. 

Program Fee: The program fee for this trip is $850 per participant. The full cost of the trip, generously subsidized by Columbia/Barnard Hillel, is $2,500 per person. Your trip includes round-trip airfare, accommodations, most meals, and all programming costs.

This trip is for you if…you don’t mind some hard work, you want to get to know new people from various Jewish backgrounds. This trip is designed to allow for traditional Jewish observance, and open to all who are interested. 

Next Steps: Apply below and reach out to Isaac or Maayan with any questions!

ASB Outdoors: Ground, connect, and grow at Urban Adamah in Berkeley, CA (March 16-20, 2025)
Got a green thumb? Want to touch some grass? Looking to live both Jewishly and sustainably for a week? Urban Adamah is an educational farm and community center in Berkeley, California that integrates the practices of Jewish tradition, mindfulness, sustainable agriculture, and social action to build loving, just, and sustainable communities. Join a group of CBHillel students from all class years and backgrounds for a week of Jewish community, breathing fresh air, and doing meaningful work with your hands.

Program Fee: The program fee for this trip is $550 per participant. The full cost of the trip, generously subsidized by Columbia/Barnard Hillel, is $2,000 per person. Your trip includes round-trip airfare, accommodations, most meals, and all programming costs.

This trip is for you if…you like spending time outdoors, you care about sustainability and social action, come from any and all Jewish backgrounds and levels of involvement in Jewish life on campus. 

Next Steps: Apply below, and reach out to Liana with any questions.

ASB Cuba: The Crossroads of Jewish History & Culture in Havana (March 16-21, 2025)
It’s often said that Cuba is “frozen in time,” but despite the classic cars and mid-century architecture, Cuban life goes on. The Cuban Jewish community – a unique meeting point of Ashkenazi and Sephardi immigrants – steadfastly serves over 1,000 Cuban Jews through it all. Join a group of fellow Columbia/Barnard students to explore this rich environment filled with music, dance, and deep traditions. See with the challenges and opportunities faced by the community today, and the steps being taken to preserve their future.

This trip is for you if…you’re still looking to find your Jewish crew on campus, have a sense of adventure, and don’t mind roughing it a bit. Vegetarian food will be available, with pre-packaged certified kosher food as needed.

Program Fee: The program fee for this trip is $900 per participant. The full cost of the trip, generously subsidized by Columbia/Barnard Hillel, is $2,800 per person. Your trip includes round-trip airfare, accommodations, most meals, and all programming costs.

Next Steps: Apply below, and reach out to Navah or Elan with any questions.

Applications are now closed, but we are accepting additional participants for Poland, Outdoors, and HabHum. Please email [email protected] if you’re interested in any of those trips.