Reposted from the Times of Israel in response to “Can a year in Israel transform your teen?”

By Rabbi Adam Drucker and Adina Frydman

“I’ve been able to explore and learn so much about myself on Year Course – figuring out how to live and share with other people, discovering a passion for cooking, learning more about Israel’s history…it taught me what it feels like to be part of the broader Jewish family here in Israel” – Recent reflections from participants in Young Judaea’s Gap Year Program

 

We affirm Gil Troy and Natan Sharansky’s strong statements about the importance of a gap year experience and their vision of an expansion into a “universal gap year.” As we at Young Judaea celebrate our 70^th year as one of the largest non-Orthodox gap year providers, we aim to suggest some pragmatic solutions and relevant success stories towards the vision of making a large-scale expansion for the Israel gap year market a reality.

Despite the many challenges of the past two years, we have seen significant growth in the gap year market with Young Judaea’s Year Course’s participation increasing from 110 to 225. With many universities going virtual, incoming students elected instead to spend their tuition on a gap year abroad while things went back to “normal” back home.  And now, as we round the corner of the second year of the pandemic, many families are continuing to choose the gap year path, opting for a year focused on more than academics, but of experiences and travel. This year there are close to 200 participants on Young Judaea’s Year Course and next year’s numbers are pacing ahead of last year. How can we continue to build on this upwards growth trajectory and move to scale?

The article posits that one of the challenges to a universal gap year is the quality or content of the programs in that they lack the “resume building appeal,” rather than acknowledging their value in providing a life changing journey of self-actualization and growth.  The market is looking for value-added programs, not just a college year in Israel. A gap year in Israel provides much more than a resume building opportunity with the chance to develop soft skills.  Participants begin a self-actualizing process by immersing themselves in a diverse community, taking part in experiential education, participating in identity building exercises, all while exposing themselves to a wide range of ideas.  In addition, participants learn to master the seemingly benign but critical life skills of living independently, having to manage a budget for the year, cook an occasional meal, do laundry, and manage social situations. For a young person, the opportunity to spend a self-actualizing year abroad provides an accelerated track of maturity that is incomparable to their peers who go straight to university.   It’s easier to fill gaps in knowledge than to fill gaps in character.

So, how do we create a tipping point towards a “universal leap year”?

A Rite of Passage

For gap years to become universal and culturally normative for all Jewish teens graduating high school, there needs to be a grass roots groundswell. Families that are currently sending teens on a gap year need to become the top promoters of the idea, as do the teens themselves.  There is nothing more powerful than peer-to-peer recruitment.  In addition, past participants of gap year programs, in particular influencers such as rabbis, educators, and podcasters, must tell their story to inspire others. Another possibility is talking about the 13^th year as the true year of graduation, opposed to the 12^th grade year. Gap year ought to be seen as the culmination of one’s schooling and a rite of passage to university.  And finally, exposure to the thousands of non-Orthodox Israelis who are participating in a gap year program in Israel, could further accelerate the normalization of a gap year in North America.

Financial Viability

Culturally normative is not enough. A gap year program could cost anywhere from $20-50k/year.  As future college students and their parents are telegraphing ahead at mounting college debts, there is little appetite for adding another year of costs to that financial obligation.  One suggestion to overcoming this barrier is to lower the cost of participation across the board, regardless of need.  Birthright Israel became culturally normative because it was free.  We have seen the role of incentive funding in the form of vouchers as one successful model to lowering the psychological barrier to participation.  One successful model that was launched last year was JumpSpark in Atlanta.  Funded by the Zalik Foundation and powered by the local Jewish Federation of Atlanta, young adults were awarded between $10-15k in vouchers to attend a gap year program of their choice.  This increased the number of gap year participants coming from Atlanta significantly.  We see a similarly successful model in incentive funding in the camping space with One Happy Camper powered by the Foundation for Jewish camp and funded by various local and national funders.  This has enabled thousands of new campers to come into the system each year.  Most recently, Root One, a project of the Jewish Education Project funded by the Marcus Foundation, provided $3000 vouchers for Jewish teens towards a summer of Israel travel. The program brought thousands of teens to Israel in just their first year.  Of course, for families with financial need, additionally increasing the pool of needs-based scholarships would certainly make an impact as well.

Another solution is to work with universities to more universally accept the credits earned from gap year programs.  Even the accredited programs are not accepted by all universities.  In Young Judaea’s Year Course, you can finish your gap year and begin university with up to 26 college credits, essentially entering as a second semester sophomore! This mitigates the challenge of the cost of an additional year of university and, in the best case, might even save you a semester.

Resume building

Gap years are becoming more acceptable in the secular academic sphere. Beyond academic rigor, all students identify a higher-level of preparedness and maturity compared to their peers who chose not to take a prep-year. While many universities accept and even encourage deferrals for the purpose of gap year programs, a growing number of universities are not allowing deferrals, making it an impractical choice for graduates.  We must work with universities to continue to endorse the gap year experience.

Another possible addition to gap year programs for the purposes of academic benefit, are robust and serious internships.  Although a growing area in post-college Israel programs, it is a bit more challenging for pre-college, because most companies will not hire high school graduates in a foreign country for a serious internship.  Despite this, Young Judaea has successfully partnered with numerous organizations and corporations in Israel to create impressive and exciting internships in a variety of chosen fields to match the interests of the individual participants.  To address the systemic problem identified by Troy and Sharansky, we will have to expand beyond the elites for high-level internships. In addition to academic institutions, the high-tech sector in Israel has much to offer.  If the Israeli government were to provide incentives to companies for offering positions and training to young interns from abroad, companies would be more inclined to develop internship departments and structured programs.

Jewish and Zionist Identity

One of the opportunities made possible by an extended stay in Israel is the chance to engage with the real Israel and to develop an authentic and personal perspective.  True, a year in Israel could be a year of “arming” the next generation with propaganda and pro-Israel rhetoric but what we are seeing, particularly within the non-Orthodox Gen Z and increasingly among the modern Orthodox, is a growing frustration with Israeli politics and policy as dissonant with more progressive values, and this frustration is leading to disengagement and anti-Israel sentiment. Gap year programs ought to be scaffolded in an intentional way to help young adults thoughtfully and carefully engage critically with an authentic Israel. Much has been written about the shock that sometimes comes when young adults encounter alternative narratives about Israel in college.  Gap year programs should not be governmental propaganda, but rather an opportunity to develop a sophisticated, thoughtful, and personal connection to Israel and an opportunity to acquire the tools to encounter narratives other than one’s own.  Of course, the ideal is that a young person is not waiting until their gap year to begin to encounter the complexities, but that is a discussion for another article about how we might scaffold a developmentally appropriate Israel education through the arc of one’s Jewish education.  Since it will be some time before all programs make this shift, gap year programs should be prepared to act as a bridge and to provide the tools to manage the cognitive dissonance and disappointment that no doubt will come when we move from falafel and Israel day parades to encountering contemporary Palestinian narratives and meeting settlers in the West Bank.  Just imagine these gap year alumni becoming the future leaders on campuses and if this becomes a universal gap year, they would no longer be the minority but find solidarity within a critical minority if and when they encounter dissenting views.

A robust marketplace

To move toward a universal gap year, there needs to be a radical expansion of the non-Orthodox gap year marketplace.  Diverse programs that cater to the diversity of participants out there.  One approach to this is to have various providers with differentiated approaches for various audiences.  Another is a small but strong market of providers offering a variety of tracks.  We would want to create opportunities for participants in similar niche programs/tracks to meet with one another, but that could easily be done with cohorts, fellowships, or cross-gap year retreats.   To significantly scale gap year, there will need to be an infusion of resources to develop existing and new programs as well as to grow the recruitment and marketing infrastructure in North America.  Some of this infrastructure could be collective – raising the overall brand and perception of a gap year program in Israel with a regional recruitment model not so dissimilar from those of summer camps, where recruiters are embedded in local communities and provide a concierge referral model to gap year programs.  Additionally, there are opportunities to leverage communal investments by directly marketing to the thousands of teens now making their way to Israel through Root One’s summer Israel programs.  Creating a pipeline from a summer teen Israel experience to a gap year in Israel will deepen and extend the impact of the initial travel experience across various markers of Jewish identity and connection to Israel.

In this article we have proposed various strategies to move towards a universal gap year.  Through a change in in culture, a lowering of barriers, and a strategic infusion of resources, we may create the tipping point that will make the gap year a universal rite for all Jewish teens.

Rabbi Adam Drucker is the Director of Education for Young Judaea Israel and Cantor Adina Frydman is the CEO of Young Judaea Global.

This January over a period of 10 weeks, the Yama (Tel Aviv based group) of Young Judaea Year Course participated in the very first social entrepreneurship hackathon! The topic of this years’ hackathon was how to make Tel Aviv a more accessible city for all.

After a full seminar day consisting of breakout groups, dialogue circles, and workshops, the group split up into teams. Each team was then tasked with creating a project proposal that aims to address a specific social issue.

Before getting started, the groups took to the streets to interview Tel Avivians, and find out what they loved about living in the city and what was a struggle for them. Groups received expert guidance and support from partners like Zevel Rebel, Aviv for Holocaust Survivors,  and Kasriel Kaye of the Michael Levin Base to talk about being the challenges of being a lone soldier.

Year Course 2021-2022 has been in Israel for a little over the month and they’ve been busy! Check out what the group has been up to:

Written by Yael Berezdivin for the Year Course 20-21 Graduation Ceremony

I grew up watching all my cousins go on Year Course. One by one they left for the land of milk and honey, and one by one they returned, speaking of “the best year of their lives,” and how they had learned so much about themselves, about their Jewish identity, and created their own special relationship with Israel. I didn’t really know what that meant at the time, but I anxiously awaited my turn, although it seemed like a lifetime away. Well, one uncle, an aunt, a father, seven cousins, and a sister later, my time finally came: it was time for Young Judaea Year Course 2020-2021 and I was signed up. That thing that seemed like a lifetime away, wasn’t so far anymore… one year, one month, a week, a day, and then BOOM I was put in an eight by ten room with three of my best friends for fourteen days straight, but it didn’t matter, I was in Israel, I was on Year Course. Mission Accomplished.

And what a mission it has been. Nine months packed with crazy adventures, friends, and non-stop laughter. I have been stuck in a sand storm (all because I wanted to pet a kangaroo), touched a sea cucumber (it was gross), had an incredible, seven-hour Passover seder, learned the entire super trouper dance from Mamma Mia, and even found out the Hila is my fourth cousin, crazy right? And that doesn’t even begin to cover it. All of those moments, as incredible and unforgettable as they were, are not what have made this year magical. A jar is not filled only by big rocks. To fill it, and I mean really fill it, you also have to pour in the pebbles, and then the sand, and then even a bit of water. It’s the little things, the inside jokes here and there, the tea times and the sunsets, the cooking and the having nothing to cook with, the late-night dance parties and the neighbors calling the cops on us within five seconds that give Year Course its magic. The little things help fill up the jar all the way to the top so that we can seal it up and take it home. A capsule full of the memories from the best year of our lives.

To feel a sense of belonging is also not this one moment where it all clicks into place, it’s all the moments. However, for me, there are four moments that stick out the most…

There was one time in Jerusalem when I decided to go on a walk before class. At the time I was reading a book set in Israel that followed two families through the creation of the state. They spoke about all the landmarks: the golden dome, the old city, the Jaffa port, kibbutzim, and Tel Aviv. And as I walked, I looked out onto the promenade, and as I breathed in that amazing view, full of all the places they mentioned in the book, only one thought crossed my mind, “Wow, I really live here.”

Months later, while walking the streets of Tel Aviv one night I ran into a man at the bus stop. I heard him speaking Spanish and he looked terribly confused so I approached him and asked if he needed any help. It turns out he had just made Aliyah from Argentina, it was his first day out of quarantine, and he was incredibly lost. So, I told him to download Moovit, explained how to use it, and gave him directions to where he wanted to go. Again, all I could think was, “Wow, I really live here!”

Now, a couple of days ago everyone at Beit Hillel had to run down to the bomb shelter as sirens went off all over Tel Aviv. We huddled together, most of us experiencing this for the first time, anxious and scared. One after another the sirens kept coming on as we heard the loud boom of the iron dome fighting to protect us. While sitting in that shelter, texting my friends to make sure they were ok, sharing my experience to educate others, and watching videos of rockets flying overhead one thought crossed my mind, “Wow, I really live here.” But it wasn’t a sad or resigned remark, it was one full of pride and passion. This year has embedded in me a paramount responsibility to advocate for Israel, and these past few days have only made that fire burn brighter.

And lastly, on Sunday night, I walked with stars beneath my feet and above my head. In the middle of the desert, on the Milky Way path, I let all my time here wash over me and I felt a sense of calm in knowing it is ok to be sad that Year Course is ending, but having a deep knowledge that it would never be over. Our friends are just like the stars: we cannot always see them, but they are always there.

Now think back to your capsule of memory. I’m sure they all look different, each individual experience adding its own personal flair, but before you seal the lid, I want to give you some more things to remember…

Remember that we are a family. Year Course ends, but our friendship never does. Wherever life may take us, through the ups and downs we are sure to encounter, we will always have each other. We have been through quarantines, lockdowns, corona scares, an open country, rockets flying overhead, and an impromptu trip to the desert, and we have done it together, as a family. In your jar, there are a million memories attached to 200 names that make up this amazing program.

About a year ago, each of us sat in front of a computer waiting for our Year Course interview. They asked us what we hoped to gain from the program, and most of us said we wanted to find ourselves, not really knowing what that meant. Well, I found myself in the beautiful beaches of Tel Aviv and the spiritual energy of Jerusalem. I found little pieces of me in every hike, every Siyur. On lazy days and crazy days, hidden behind intense laughter and eye-opening conversations, through new friendships and old ones. Every time I ate way too much Anitas or missed the bus, slept through my alarm, or ran into my friends on the street I learned even more about myself.

I may still not know exactly who I am or what my purpose is in life but I can guarantee that this year has definitely led me closer to finding out.  Plus, some things it has taught me for certain are that wherever I go in the world, I have a friend to call. I know that I am capable of living independently (kind of), of finding my way in a foreign country, that I can throw an amazing party, organize a Maccabiah, and that I love Israel.

But the greatest thing I learned on Year Course is how to turn strangers into family.

Year Course 19-20 Graduation Speech
by Sofia Feldman

Each and every one of us sitting here today are the people we are because of the choices we have made. This past year has consisted of decision making. Not just small decisions and choices of what to eat or what clothes to wear, but decisions determining our futures. I want to share with you some of the decisions I have made which have formed me into the person I am today, standing here in front of you. 

After attending the Young Judaea summer program, Machon, I immediately knew that Year Course was something I needed to do. Four weeks on Machon did not satisfy my love and passion for Israel’s culture and everything that makes Israel Israel. It was my first time ever coming to Israel and I was positive I would be back. I knew that Year Course would be something I would regret not doing, but I was absolutely terrified. I was leaving behind everything I knew and loved. I would be going from the home of BBQ to the land of schnitzel and falafel. I’d be replacing Southern hospitality for Israel’s aggressive bus drivers. I would be leaving my friends for new ones and 14 random Israelis. I would also be leaving my family, not knowing that I would make a completely new one. 

By the end of senior year, I had solidified the next five years of my life. Although I was breaking out of the classic mold of attending college directly out of high school, I was comforted by the fact that I would be returning to life back in America. I would be close again to my family, my high school friends, and everything that I had grown up with. I would be coming back to attend the University of Florida and be a part of the classic American college experience. I knew after I had made my college decision to attend University of Florida, I was not being completely honest with myself. I made the choice to go to the University of Florida for other people around me. I was trying to live up to what was expected from me, not necessarily what was right for me. I was more satisfied with the knowledge that I had a plan rather than the plan itself. I tried to suppress these emotions because I was scared of them. When they reappeared a few months ago in Israel, I was forced to confront them. While on Year Course, I surrendered to the tough realization that my decision to go to the University of Florida was not what was best for me. I could not fight it anymore, because being a college student in America felt wrong. I essentially had a crisis of where I wanted to be and where I belonged. Every time I thought about the next few years of my life in America, it wasn’t something that necessarily made me happy or something that I saw a future in. I was faced with a choice that I did not see coming. The choice to go home and resume life in America or to stay in Israel and continue my life here. And deep down, the decision for me to stay was a no brainer.

 

With the current uncertainty surrounding starting college or university this fall, there’s been a tremendous increase in gap year interest and opportunities.

Previously seen as a complicated decision that might jeopardize academic or career prospects, more and more high school seniors are seeing the deeper, short-and long-term value of taking a year abroad before starting college – specifically in Israel.

It comes as no surprise that Israel is one of the top three gap year destinations for North American students. As the original gap year in Israel, Young Judaea Year Course has always seen the immeasurable value of spending a year learning, volunteering, and experiencing Israel. (There’s a reason 10,000 alumni have called Year Course home since 1956!)

Benefits Of Taking a Gap Year

There are numerous overall benefits to choosing a different track between high school and college:

• Gaining exposure to the larger world around you
• Figuring out what you really want to do in your life
• Building a community of truly like-minded friends
• Gaining invaluable experience for your resume

 

Why Israel?

Choosing to take your gap year in Israel unlocks an additional range of opportunities to learn and grow, including:

• Building your Jewish identity
• Living in Israel, one of the most interesting and complex countries in the world
• Learning from communities of all sizes and types
• Connecting with the history and future of the Jewish people

 

By the Numbers

The results from a recent study by the Gap Year Association give us a clear picture of the many benefits of choosing the gap year track as reported by participants themselves:

• 94% said their time spent abroad helped them learn to communicate with people from different backgrounds
• 90% said they have a better understanding and respect for different cultures
• 90% of students who take time off after high school will enroll in a four-year educational institution within one year of completing their experience.
• 84% of respondents to their study said their time abroad helped them learn skills that helped them become successful in their work
• 77% said their gap year helped them find their purpose in life

  The bottom line? You may learn a lot in class or in extra-curricular activities in college, but there’s no replacement for experiencing countries, cultures, and communities firsthand – especially when that country is Israel.

So, what are you waiting for? There’s no better time than now to take a gap year in Israel – and there’s no better choice than Young Judaea Year Course!

Dear Young Judaea Community,

We at Young Judaea have been continuously monitoring the ever-changing situation as it relates to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic including guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as local Departments of Health here in the US, and government, health, and partner agencies in Israel.

We are committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all of our participants, volunteers, and staff and our priority is always for their health and safety. First and foremost we send wishes of healing to all those in our community who are affected by this outbreak, whether they themselves are ill, have been quarantined, or are feeling the impact of the restrictions being put on us and our communities. To that end, please review important information about our programs and events below. Note that the situation is very fluid and we will communicate when any changes are made:

US Programs

Year-Round Activities

We have made the difficult decision to postpone all national and regional overnight events at this time. Given that health departments in each community are issuing slightly different guidance, we will determine whether to postpone local events on a case-by-case basis in consultation with local staff and volunteers. We have made this decision out of an abundance of caution and while we recognize that this may be disappointing, we are actively working to find ways to meet virtually and stay connected with one another until the health risks have been resolved.

We will follow up with information about specific events that have been postponed and provide information about credits for future Young Judaea events and/or refunds. If you have any questions about year round programs please contact Sandra Marks, Director of US Programs.

Summer Camps

Our camps are moving forward with planning for a wonderful summer as they monitor potential implications related to COVID-19 and are considering numerous initiatives to ensure a safe environment for all participants.

Young Judaea Global NYC Office

Our NY-based staff is transitioning to working from home and we are supporting their working remotely to ensure organizational operations continue.

Israel Programs

Year Course 2019-2020

As Israel’s quarantine policies continue to become more stringent, Young Judaea Israel staff are working around the clock to ensure that we comply with all governmental regulations while still providing our participants with meaningful programmatic experiences and academics through coordination with the relevant ministries and partner organizations. We are grateful to our students who continue to handle this fluid situation with good spirits and maturity, and are working together to create the best possible experience over the next two months.

WUJS Interns 2020

We are in regular communication with our WUJS interns in Tel Aviv and Haifa, making sure they are updated as quickly and comprehensively as possible regarding developing quarantine, travel, and public gathering restrictions. Our participants are being strongly discouraged from any private travel, and our staff are providing them with ongoing social support.

Machon and Amirim Summer Programs 2020

We know that applicants may be concerned about the implications of ongoing travel restrictions with regards to our summer Israel programs, Machon and Amirim. While we anticipate and hope that both Machon and Amirim will run as planned, we have decided to offer a refund for the registration deposit fee (if requested) and hope that doing so will help our applicants feel more comfortable when making the decision to register.

Year Course 2020-2021 and WUJS Fall 2020

We are continuing to plan for Year Course 20-21 and WUJS Fall 2020, and looking forward to welcoming our participants in Israel at the end of the summer.

Alumni Events

At this time many of our alumni programs and gatherings are being postponed or cancelled. We will continue to communicate any event updates. If you have any questions please contact Andi Lewittes, Director of Development.

Young Judaeans have always stepped up in challenging times- this is no exception. We will navigate these changes to our programs and prepare for what lies ahead as a community and having the resources to respond effectively and responsibly is key, so please consider making a donation to help us handle the many unanticipated costs we are incurring because of the COVID-19 situation. Your help will enable us to continue to offer our programs as broadly and as widely as possible. You can make your donation here. Thank you for your support during this unprecedented time

Please bear with us as we work through this rapidly-changing situation. And, most importantly, stay safe and healthy.

Simon Klarfeld

Executive Director,
Young Judaea Global

Something Year Coursers can all agree on: Tel Aviv has some amazing options for cheap and tasty food, whether at noon, midnight, or anywhere in between. Here are six of Tel Aviv’s best meals in a pita, perfect for vegans, vegetarians, carnivores, and anyone who wants a taste of the city’s world-renowned cuisinse without hurting their wallets too hard.

Brianna Hacker, Year Course 19-20, is currently interning at The Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences (ISEES), an initiative promoting environmental studies and ecology in Israel. She recently authored the following article, featured in ISEES’ publication, Zavit.