Call Me Crazy

Call me crazy. If someone handed me a ticket to go to Israel tomorrow, I’d drop everything in a heartbeat and go. I am a staunch supporter of Israel, a “Zionist” who isn’t afraid to use that word. When I tell people that my job is to recruit students for long-term programs and encourage young adults to spend time in Israel, the response is usually, “Go to Israel now? Are you crazy?”

My first stay in Israel was with Tichon Ramah Yerushalayim, a program run by Ramah, the camping arm of the Conservative movement. I spent a semester of high school in Israel, not realizing then how extraordinary my decision was. I now see that most Jews don’t like to venture off the beaten track the way I did when I was just 16.

My second stay in Israel was during my junior year of college at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. I also signed up for Sharsheret, Young Judaea’s supplemental program sponsored by Hadassah that includes an internship, apartment residences instead of dormitories, special seminars and trips and an accredited Zionism class. My internship was with Hadassah’s Center Stage Theatre, one of Israel’s only English-language theaters. I lived across the street from the president’s official residence in Jerusalem. From our balcony, my roommates and I watched dignitaries visit and demonstrators of every stripe parade by. We even met President Ezer Weizman in his sukkah.

Many Israel programs can be tailored to fit a participant’s individual interests. With enough initiative, a student can make a stay in Israel a life-changing event in terms of personal growth, Jewish development, Zionist involvement and maturation into a leader.

Right now, participation in long-term Israel programs is dramatically down, especially among students from Los Angeles. Alexander Muss High School in Israel, which turns Israel into a living classroom for American high schoolers, can’t convince parents of the benefits of taking eight weeks out of the school year to study in Israel. The parents worry that spending half a term in Israel somehow detracts from the full high school experience. Actually, the students who attend the program return to the United States more confident and committed to both the secular and Jewish communities.

Hebrew University normally has several hundred students from the United States registered in the Rothberg International School. This year, volume enrollment is down 50 percent from last year. Yet, despite the heated political situation, those who are at Hebrew University have wonderful stories to share and are pleased with their decision to experience Israel this year. The University of California schools have played an important part in Hebrew University’s lasting success, continuing to run their study-abroad programs at Israeli universities.

Recruiting students for Young Judaea’s Year Course, a 10-month study/volunteer experience in Israel for recent high school graduates, is a struggle, even though the program has so much to offer: up to 27 college credits through the University of Judaism, volunteer opportunities throughout the country, overnight hikes to explore Israel on foot and sporting and cultural events.

People have a million excuses not to go. “It isn’t safe to go to Israel,” is at the top of the list. But all Israel programs supported by the Jewish Agency put safety first. Hadassah, sponsor of Year Course, is an organization of 300,000 Jewish mothers. To say that taking care of these young people is their top priority is an understatement.

Year Course staff in Israel and New York work together to devise strict security regulations, using both private and public sources. They immediately notify parents of security changes via e-mail. Students are required to carry cell-phones so they can be reached quickly. The staff manages to achieve a delicate balance between ensuring the highest safety for our students and giving them an unforgettable yearlong experience.

Think American campuses are safer? Instead of cataloguing the problems that plague students on American college campuses, I will point out that many Israel programs provide a nurturing environment for their participants, with a caring and involved staff. During the year, the students can grow and find positive ways to have fun. Then, with a level of confidence and maturity far surpassing that of their peers, they transfer to colleges in the United States well equipped to withstand peer pressure.

Some students are afraid they can’t afford a long-term Israel program. True, study-abroad programs can be very expensive. The marvelous thing about the Jewish community is that we support programs in Israel. The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles offers numerous grants and scholarships for Israel programs and fast-tracks applications to the Jewish Free Loan Society. There are private scholarships as well, and grandparents are often more than willing to help. I firmly believe that with the available help from the Jewish community, a student who wants to do an Israel program will be able to go.

When other students tell me they are worried about getting behind by taking time off before college, it’s hard for me not to laugh. Behind in what? In life? What is the big rush? I graduated from college after five years, and I recommend taking your time before hurrying into the adult world where you have to worry about jobs, car payments and medical insurance. As one Year Course returnee put it, Year Course is “not a year off, it’s a year on!”

In spite of all these excuses, this year’s 224 Year Course participants are having the most fantastic year of their lives, on Young Judaea’s largest Year Course ever. Research has been done; the numbers are in: Jews who participate in long-term Israel programs are far more likely to marry Jewish, continue their Jewish education and not only remain involved in the Jewish community but become its leaders and advisers. Connecting to Israel personally by spending time there is essential to the development of Jewish identity. Nothing else has the power to put a lifetime of Jewish education into context.