Immigration Justice Journey
Arizona trip
February 17–21, 2027
Phoenix – Casa Grande – Tucson – Nogales – Arivaca – Bisbee – Tombstone, Arizona
February 17–21, 2027
Overview
On this five-day journey through the Arizona borderlands, from Phoenix, Casa Grande, and Tucson to Nogales, Arivaca, Bisbee, and Tombstone, we bring Jewish history and wisdom to one of today's most complex national issues. We hear directly from people who live with the border every day, including Border Patrol and Homeland Security personnel, elected officials, local residents, humanitarian volunteers, and migrants. We discover Arizona's own Jewish story. We celebrate Shabbat with the Jewish community of Tucson, learn how Jewish pioneers helped build the frontier, and hear how local Jewish leaders engage with the border today. We come home with a clearer understanding of immigration in the United States and a deeper connection to Jewish values and community.
Trip highlights
- Travel alongside a Tzedek America educator who shares his own story of migration, identity, and resilience
- Walk the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Nogales with a retired Border Patrol officer
- Join a volunteer-led desert walk through the Tucson desert
- Meet with an Arizona State Representative, a Homeland Security agent, and local humanitarian aid organizations to hear multiple perspectives
- Celebrate Shabbat with the Reform Jewish community of Tucson
- Explore borderlands history at Camp Naco, home of the Buffalo Soldiers, and discover the Jewish pioneers who helped build frontier Tombstone
- Take part in hands-on volunteer work with a humanitarian aid organization
Core values
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Witnessing Humanity
Rooted in בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים B’tzelem Elohim (the belief that every person is made in the divine image) and כְּבוֹד הַבְּרִיּוֹת K’vod Hab’riyot (honoring human dignity), we are called to see and uplift the full humanity of those impacted by immigration systems beyond statistics or headlines. -
Radical Empathy
Areivut (ערבות), mutual responsibility and interconnectedness, and Rachamim (רחמים), compassion and deep care for others, guide our practice of radical empathy. Radical empathy means actively choosing to listen, imagine, and feel with others, even when their experiences differ greatly from our own. On this trip, we lean into stories that challenge our assumptions and expand our hearts, recognizing both our connection and our responsibility to one another. We practice openness to perspectives that may differ from our own, approaching each person with compassion, curiosity, and respect, and recognizing that true empathy calls us to honor and learn from the full diversity of voices and experiences. -
Turning Complexity into Courageous Action
Through אֹמֶץ לֵב Ometz Lev (courage of the heart) and מַחֲלֹקֶת לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם Machloket L’shem Shamayim (sacred disagreement), we engage honestly with the complexities of immigration and commit to carrying what we learn forward with compassion, guided by Jewish values.
What to expect
Our daily morning meetings establish a respectful and open-minded environment for the day ahead, enabling us to approach each experience with sensitivity and a desire to learn, while debriefing each experience allows participants to process and learn from each other in a safe and structured space. Educational and impactful experiences are the focus of our trip; however, it's equally important to relax and decompress from the emotional intensity of the trip. This is when friendships are forged, conversations continue, and memories are made.
Activity level
Moderate activity level, with options for everyone. Some days include outdoor walking, such as a border walk in Nogales and a desert walk of up to 2 miles. Every activity is designed to be accessible, with options to participate at your own pace or take a break whenever you need. Share any mobility needs when you register.
Good to know
Individual enrollment. Registration is first-come, first-served, and open to travelers 21 and up. Group inquiries can be sent to info@tzedekamerica.org.
Ready to join us? Registration closes December 14, 2026. Full payment is due at registration.Pay by ACH bank transfer (no fee) or credit card (3% processing fee).
At a glance
Immigration Justice Journey
- From
- $2,250
- per traveler, shared room
- Single room: $3,050
- Dates February 17–21, 2027
- Duration 5 Days / 4 Nights
- Starts Phoenix, Arizona (12:00 PM, hotel lobby)
- Ends Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, Arizona (5:00 PM)
- Meals included 13 meals (4 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 4 dinners)
- Activity level Moderate, with options for everyone: some outdoor walking, and every activity can be done at your own pace.
- Register by December 14, 2026
Have questions?
Email us, and we can answer all of your questions!
- info@tzedekamerica.org
- See all contact options
Trip highlights
- Travel alongside a Tzedek America educator who shares his own story of migration, identity, and resilience
- Walk the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Nogales with a retired Border Patrol officer
- Join a volunteer-led desert walk through the Tucson desert
- Meet with an Arizona State Representative, a Homeland Security agent, and local humanitarian aid organizations to hear multiple perspectives
- Celebrate Shabbat with the Reform Jewish community of Tucson
- Explore borderlands history at Camp Naco, home of the Buffalo Soldiers, and discover the Jewish pioneers who helped build frontier Tombstone
- Take part in hands-on volunteer work with a humanitarian aid organization
Ready to join us? Registration closes December 14, 2026. Full payment is due at registration.Pay by ACH bank transfer (no fee) or credit card (3% processing fee).
- Dates February 17–21, 2027
- Duration 5 Days / 4 Nights
- Starts Phoenix, Arizona (12:00 PM, hotel lobby)
- Ends Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, Arizona (5:00 PM)
- Meals included 13 meals (4 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 4 dinners)
- Activity level Moderate, with options for everyone: some outdoor walking, and every activity can be done at your own pace.
Day 1: Wednesday, February 17 – Welcome, Orientation & Tone-Setting
- Location: Phoenix, Arizona
- Meals: Lunch, Dinner
- Stay: E.g. Embassy Suites Phoenix-Scottsdale
- Activity Note: The tour begins at 12:00 PM with a warm welcome and intentional community-building as we ground ourselves in the purpose of the journey ahead.
- Midday: Meet in the hotel lobby.
- Welcome lunch – meet and greet.
- Afternoon: Grounding, tone-setting, and text study.
- Personal Narratives of Immigration – meet with an asylum seeker and/or a refugee.
- An asylum seeker is someone who has fled their home country and is requesting protection in another country, but whose claim has not yet been legally approved. A refugee has already been officially recognized as needing protection because returning home would be dangerous.
- Evening: “Stories, Sips and Dips”: learn with an esteemed educator as he shares his powerful and deeply personal story of migration, identity, and resilience.
- Dinner.
Day 2: Thursday, February 18 – Bearing Witness: Justice, Security & Humanity
- Location: Phoenix → Casa Grande → Tucson, Arizona
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Stay: E.g. Hampton Inn/Home2 Suites by Hilton Tucson Downtown
- Activity Note: Today centers on exploring U.S. immigration through multiple, sometimes competing, perspectives. The day is grounded in the Jewish practice of Machloket L’shem Shamayim (disagreement for the sake of heaven), which teaches us to engage honestly with differing perspectives as an act of values-driven inquiry.
- Breakfast: Morning meeting.
- Morning: Meet with the leader of a local nonprofit group.
- Meet with a Homeland Security agent with a background in federal law enforcement and extensive experience addressing immigration and border-related issues in the southwestern U.S., spanning smuggling, trafficking, cybercrime, and national security cases.
- Visit the Arizona State Capitol and meet with an Arizona State Representative.
- Lunch: Lunch at an authentic pupuseria.
- Afternoon: Meet with an organization that provides care for immigrants.
- Evening: Dinner at a local restaurant.
- Drive to Tucson, with a fun pit stop midway.
- Check in at the hotel in Tucson.
Day 3: Friday, February 19 – Life in the Borderlands
- Location: Nogales, Arizona, and Arivaca, Arizona
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Stay: E.g. Hampton Inn/Home2 Suites by Hilton Tucson Downtown
- Activity Note: Today invites participants to experience the U.S.–Mexico border through direct experience and reflection.
- Breakfast: Morning meeting.
- Morning: Border Walk with a retired Border Patrol officer who has decades of experience as a border agent.
- Walk through Nogales, Arizona, and along the border wall.
- Afternoon: Lunch.
- Visit Arivaca, Arizona, to meet local residents who provide humanitarian aid, including water, food, and other crisis relief, to migrants passing through the area.
- Migrant Desert Walk through the Tucson desert, offering a firsthand glimpse into crossing the border, following actual paths and reflecting on the journey.
- Free time and preparation for Shabbat.
- Evening: Kabbalat Shabbat with the Reform community of Tucson.
- Shabbat dinner.
Day 4: Saturday, February 20 – Hidden Stories of the Border Lines
- Location: Bisbee, Arizona, and Tombstone, Arizona
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Stay: E.g. Hampton Inn/Home2 Suites by Hilton Tucson Downtown
- Activity Note: Today invites participants to step back in time and explore the deeper histories that shaped the borderlands, including militarization, migration, labor, and community resilience.
- Breakfast: Morning meeting.
- Morning: Guided tour of Camp Naco in Bisbee, Arizona – the only remaining U.S. border fort built during the Mexican Revolution era. Established in 1910 and expanded in 1917, it was notably staffed by African-American Buffalo Soldier units from Fort Huachuca between 1911 and 1924.
- Lunch: Lunch at a local restaurant in Bisbee.
- Afternoon: Free time to explore Bisbee, with optional activities: Copper Mine Tour, art museum, Old Bisbee Main Street shopping, or the Mining Museum.
- Visit Tombstone, Arizona, famous for its Wild West history but also home to a lesser-known Jewish story. During the 1880s silver boom, Jewish merchants and pioneers contributed meaningfully to the town’s growth.
- Visit the Jewish Pioneers Memorial connected to Boothill Graveyard, honoring Jewish residents who helped shape the town’s early civic and economic life.
- Evening: Last Night Dinner & Drinks.
Day 5: Sunday, February 21 – Closing the Circle
- Location: Return to Phoenix, Arizona
- Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
- Stay: Not applicable – the program concludes today.
- Activity Note: On our final day, we’ll put our values into action by supporting the community.
- Breakfast: Morning meeting.
- Morning: Learn with a nationally recognized Jewish social justice activist, educator, and author whose work brings Jewish ethics into action.
- Afternoon/Evening: Hands-on volunteer work with an organization that provides basic needs and crisis relief to migrants, protects lives, and raises awareness.
- Closing circle and lunch.
- Transportation to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport for flights home.
Route: Phoenix → Casa Grande → Tucson → Nogales → Arivaca → Bisbee → Tombstone → Phoenix. Select a day to zoom in. Route shown is approximate.
- Meals included 13 meals (4 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 4 dinners)