ZFA 1 MY Gap Year MASA ISRAEL GAP YEAR PROGRAMS 2019—2020 MASA ISRAEL JOURNEY ZFA 3 MASA ISRAEL JOURNEY ZFA Participants return from Masa Israel programs invigorated, inspired and with an enhanced sense of their Jewish and Zionist identity. They display maturity, independence, and a heightened interest in our Australian Jewish community. A study by the University of Sydney has shown that taking a structured Welcome! gap year invariably serves to develop the individual into a more focused student with a better sense of purpose and engagement in the world. They also found that taking a Gap Year had a significant positive impact on students’ academic performance at university and reflected positively on ones CV and future employment opportunities. If the plan is to go straight to university and skip the gap year, ‘Taking a gap year’ is an Australian tradition but taking a gap year Masa Israel has amazing Gap Year Study options where you can study in Israel is a rite of passage. It is an opportunity to experience Israel in some of Israel’s top universities. For a semester or a year, you can with thousands of other Jewish school leavers from around the globe be earning valuable university credits all while enjoying the benefits of who flock to Israel for their gap year. The following pages highlight a gap year in Israel. the amazing and enriching gap year programs available through Masa Israel Journey, the umbrella organisation for all long term Masa also offers an ‘Israel by Design’ service where participants Israel programs. have the option of building their own Israel program according to their needs, wants and interests. The program can be designed for an Masa Israel Journey gap year programs are not about ‘taking a year individual or a group of friends. off’ but about having ‘a Year ON’. It is about tasting independent living, immersing yourself in Jewish and Israeli life and culture, giving back, We encourage you to take the time to browse through the pages and meeting people from around the world and learning about yourself familiarise yourself with the gap year programs on offer. With generous and others through life changing experiences. Masa Israel Journey funding for eligible participants thanks to Masa Israel Journey and represents a large range of programs which have been designed to suit affordable 5, 7, 10 or 12 month program, there is a program to suit participants wishing to explore their individual academic, adventure, everyone and anyone! Feel free to contact our dedicated Israel environmental, creative and volunteering interests. Many of these program office to discuss any of the program options in this booklet. programs bring together students from around the world to live, explore, study and volunteer in areas directly related to their interests. Sarit Braver Whether you’re into sport and fitness, music, dance, volunteering, Israel Program Office permaculture, Jewish studies or just getting to know Israel and all she Zionist Federation of Australia encompasses then there is a program for you. Email: [email protected] Phone: 03 9572 5584 MASA ISRAEL JOURNEY ZFA WHAT IS MASA GRANTS & ISRAEL JOURNEY? SCHOLARSHIPS MASA FUNDING SUPPORT Masa Israel is a project of the Government of Israel and the Jewish All eligible Masa program participants receive a universal grant. Agency for Israel that connects young people with a range of Israel The grant amount is dependent on the type and length of the program experiences and opportunities. It was established in 2004 program and ranges from US$200 to US$3200. with the vision that all young Jewish adults should have the opportunity to spend a semester or a year in Israel. Masa therefore provides Masa Israel also provides means tested scholarships to eligible generous grants and needs –based scholarships to make the programs participants who may need extra financial assistance and meet the accessible and affordable for all. eligibility criteria. Today, Masa Israel Journey is the umbrella organisation for over 300 For more information on Masa Israel funding and how to apply please immersive gap year, study abroad, internship, volunteer and special contact your program representative or the ZFA Israel Program Office interest programs. Programs range from 5–12 months, with a vast on 03 9272 5584 or email [email protected] array of options catering to every interest. The Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) is the federal roof body of Please note all gap year program participants must register with Masa all Zionist organisations and activity in Australia. It is responsible Israel Journey by filling out a grant application on the Masa Israel website: for developing, enriching and supporting a meaningful relationship masaisrael.org between the Australian Jewish community and the State of Israel. ZFA Israel Programs is your go-to address for all Israel programs information at the ZFA. We are the Australian representatives of Masa Israel Journey and Australian partners of Taglit – Birthright Israel. MASA ISRAEL JOURNEY ZFA TABLE OF GAP YEAR ON CAMPUS PROGRAM SCHEDULES 20 Tel Aviv University 44 Aardvark CONTENTS 21 Bar Ilan 45 Big Idea 22 Hebrew University 46 Bina 47 Eco Israel 23 Technion 48 Israel By Choice 25 Israel By Choice 49 Israel Dance Journey 27 Israel By Design 50 Ohrsom YOUTH MOVEMENT SHNAT 29 Israel Dance Journey 51 Way More Israel 3 Limmud 11 Aardvark 31 Nitzana Desert Challenge 4 MTA 13 Big Idea 33 Mechina Kol Ami 5 Hashomer Hatzair 15 Bina 35 Ohrsom Gap Year Program 6 Betar 17 Eco Israel 37 Project Ten 7 Habonim Dror 19 Eilat Hotel 39 Tzofim Garin Tzabar 8 Hineni 41 Way More Israel 9 Netzer 42 Kibbutz ulpan MASA ISRAEL JOURNEY ZFA 3 Bnei akiva Limmud AZYC SHNAT Limmud is Bnei Akiva’s program for those who want to taste and experience all the wonderful aspects of Israel. Chanichim who choose to spend the year on Limmud are able to live on a Kibbutz, learn in Yeshiva or Midrasha, assist in Magen David Adom from the back of ambulances and partake in Shvil Yisrael, a 10 day hike throughout various parts of the country. The participants will join a Mechina Olamit with Israel adolescents who are preparing to go into the IDF. Limmud is a once in a lifetime chance for participants to develop independence and deepen their connection to the land of Israel, not through buses and touring but by engaging with the land and meeting its citizens. PROGRAM OVERVIEW · Duration: 11 Months · Start month: January · Age: 17-20 · Accommodation: Included · Meals: Included MASA ISRAEL JOURNEY ZFA 5 Bnei akiva MTA Hashomer Ha’tzair Midreshet Torah v’Avodah is an institution based program that ensures The Hashomer Hatzair shnat program is an exciting year of individual participants leave Israel with a suitcase full of Torah and knowledge. growth and self exploration. That said, Shnat is also about participating The institutions that our program is connected to provide boys and in a collective, the Shnat Kvutza (peer group), and about being part girls incredible teachers and classes throughout the year. For 2020, of a movement forum. This means that the process of independence, the yeshivot for the boys are Yeshivat Har Etzion (Gush) and Yeshivat individual growth and discovery is connected to and supported by the Eretz Hatzvi and the midrashot for the girls are Midreshet Harova and other members of the group and the madrichim (guides) of the kvutza. Midreshet Amit. All of the institutions offer something different but The program consists of four building blocks; firstly, the Hashomer share a commitment to facilitating and encouraging the growth of our Hatzair values, which come from a historical legacy and a particular participants. Aside from the learning aspect of the program, they’ll be worldview. There is also the Israel, Zionism, and Hebrew aspect. This exposed to many chesed (volunteering) opportunities as well as being program emphasises the unique nature of Israeli society, history, involved in various seminars about Israel and Bnei Akiva. language, and geography. The third aspect is Kvutza and community, as the program is synchronised such that the entire Hashomer Hatzair World Movement will be on the same program. Part of the mission of the program is to help facilitate tightly-knit, intimate, caring, thoughtful collectives of people who work to better one another and the world at large. Finally, the last building block is democratic education, an idea which permeates through the entire program. MASA ISRAEL JOURNEY ZFA 7 Betar Habonim Dror Betar Shnat includes many different experiences over the course of the The Habonim Dror Shnat program is an intensive 9 month program with the first being Machon, a 3 month leadership 10-month educational leadership program in Israel. Shnat plays a program at the Machon Le Madrichim in Jerusalem. During this significant and central role in the movement, and is our greatest period, the chanichim will experience classes in Hebrew and learn source of strength and inspiration. about Jewish history. They will also embark on day trips around The program is split into a number of components. The first is Israel. Volunteering is also a large aspect of Betar’s Shnat program, Yesod, an intensive educational, social and leadership development where each year the group will volunteer at a different place in Israel program run for the first three and a half months of Shnat. It takes promoting the Betar goal of activism within the community. During this place on a Kibbutz, and aims to provide participants with a broad time the group will be communally living in an apartment together. knowledge and understanding of Jewish and Israeli history. Kaveret is the second component of the program in which participants will be living independently in houses in Israeli cities.