Ever since our post on Sunday, American Colleges Expand Israel Study Programs, we've been asked about the $400,000 in MASA grants, and for specifics about the programs. Here are some details (as provided by MASA): Arizona State University’s partnership with Ben Gurion University of the Negev: Named Sustainable Development and Environmental Justice in Israel, this program will leverage each institution’s highly regarded experience in environmental manipulation and the use of limited natural resources. Barnard College of Columbia University’s partnership with Hebrew University: Barnard alumni living in Israel will serve as mentors to Barnard students and provide them with internship placements in their Israel-based companies. Case Western Reserve University’s partnership with the … Continue Reading
American Colleges Expand Israel Study Programs
from American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers: U.S. Institutions to Expand Study Abroad Programs in Israel In an attempt to promote Israel as a study abroad destination, eight American universities received grants from Masa Israel Journey to start or expand educational programs in the country, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. According to the Institute of International Education, Israel is currently ranked 22nd out of the top 25 study abroad destinations for students from the United States. A total of 2,322 American students participated in study abroad in Israel in the 2007-08 school year, compared to over 30,000 students who studied in Great Britain. The institutions receiving the $400,000 in Masa grants are Arizona State University, Barnard … Continue Reading
New Programs Assist Doctors With Aliyah
Israel has a doctor shortage and as a result a new series of initiatives has been launched - spearheaded by the Jewish Agency (JAFI) - to facilitate the aliyah and absorption of doctors into the country's health system. Within the framework of one of the programs, 30 doctors made aliyah this week and headed to JAFI's Beit Canada absorption center in Ashdod. During their first year in Israel they will learn Hebrew and take a preparatory course for the Israeli medical licensing exam. Those who pass the exam will begin working in hospitals connected to the Clalit health fund and the Ministry of Health. A second group of 16 doctors will be arriving at Kibbutz Merhaviya in October as part of the “First Home in the Homeland” project. This program is aimed at doctors with more than 14 years … Continue Reading
Ahad Ha’Am At Last
by Wayne Firestone The new era of Israel-Diaspora relations isn’t a rejection of classical Zionism. Rather, it is the acceptance of a different model of classical Zionism, the one propounded by “cultural Zionist” Ahad Ha’Am. And it is uniquely suited for the today’s generation of college-age Jews, the so-called Millennials that are the focus of the work of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life. Asher Ginsberg’s pen name, “Ahad Ha’Am,” proclaimed that the writer was, modestly, “one of the people.” A slight twist on his pseudonym, “Am Ahad,” or “one people,” may be more appropriate. Unlike his “political Zionist” contemporaries, he did not seek to create a bipolar world of Israel versus the Diaspora. He understood that the Diaspora would continue to … Continue Reading
Lapid: Now 27 Organizations and Growing
Last Thursday, Lapid, the Coalition for High School Programs in Israel, celebrated Lapid Day. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Herzl's birth, the events were put together by Lapid member organizations in conjunction with Israel Experience, and support from Masa and The Jewish Agency, Israel Phones, Harel and private sponsors. During the day, the 1st Lapid World Jewish Teens Council, held at the Alexander Muss High School in Israel campus in Hod Hasharon, featured workshops and discussion panels led by program alumni and staff. In the evening, the 2010 Israel Experience and Lapid Youth Festival took place at Park Herzliya with the participation of over 4,000 high school age teens from all over the world and Israel. Participating in the festivities was Natan Janner Klausner, 16 years old, a … Continue Reading
High School Israel Trips Regain Foothold
by Ramie Arian In the midst of the recent Jewish Agency board meetings, a small but significant policy shift was announced, one that was barely reported in the media, but which may produce a significant change in the way in which young American Jews experience Israel. This news was the announcement of a grant of $1 million to Lapid, to complement Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) support of Birthright and MASA, in order to determine how to structure what will eventually be a program budgeted at $20 million per year. Lapid? Given that most folks have never heard of Lapid, and given that $1 million is a very small grant in the context of JAFI’s budget, it is hardly surprising that the story garnered little notice. So, what’s it about, and why might it be important? Here’s the … Continue Reading
The Many Faces of ROI Community: Argentina, Israel, Belarus and Copenhagen
Israel, especially during the summer months, is a melting-pot of innovation. And one of the real pleasures of living here is having the opportunity to meet, and interact, with young adults from around the world who are involved in these new endeavors. As we have in previous summers, over the next month or so, we will bring you snapshots of just some of the many, people and projects, that are shaping our collective future. With the ROI Global Summit opening on Sunday, we introduce you today to four who are a part of this growing, vibrant and important community. Evelyn Goldfinger is Creator/Director of El Toratron Jewish Educational Theatre in Argentina, for which she received an ROI Community grant in May. She is an actress, playwright and director. Together with Hillel volunteers, she directs … Continue Reading
Strengthening Our Jewish Identity
Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky unveiled the Jewish Agency's new vision at the opening plenary of the Board of Governors on June 20, 2010. The Board of Governors then acted and adopted the plan with only one dissenting vote out of 200 members present. "We will connect, inspire, and empower," Sharansky told hundreds of participants who assembled from around the world; "the central point is to strengthen our Jewish identity, our ties with our community, with Israel, with our past and, working together, to guarantee our future." Historically, the Jewish Agency, whose establishment pre-dates the State of Israel, has worked to "to ensure the future of a connected, committed, global Jewish people with a strong Israel at its center." Whether it was settling the State, building up kibbutzim … Continue Reading
The Jewish Agency Pushes Forward
One thing is abundantly clear: the Jewish Federations' partner organizations, including the JDC, the Jewish Agency and World ORT are not sitting still. All three are busy strengthening their North American infrastructure, making high-level hires and becoming more independent in their FRD approach. None of this bodes well for JFNA as a facilitator of overseas money, and more important for the future health of UIA. A controversial thought for some of you JFNA folks? Perhaps. Feel free to comment. In the meantime, an excellent article from The Jerusalem Post's Haviv Rettig Gur: Major Jewish Agency reform begins to take shape One month after the Jewish Agency announced a new strategic process to rethink its purpose in the Jewish world, details are emerging of a plan to transform the ailing … Continue Reading
MASA Invests in US-Israeli University Partnerships
Masa Israel has announced the launch of a new capacity-building initiative to encourage study abroad and academic exchange in Israel. The program will provides $50,000 grants to U.S. universities wishing to develop and execute academic partnerships with institutions of higher learning in Israel. Currently, Israel ranks 22nd out of the top 25 study abroad destinations for students from the United States, according to the Institute of International Education’s (IIE) 2009 Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. In addition, while the number of American students who spent a semester or year abroad increased 8.5 percent in 2007-08 from the year before, those who chose to study in Israel still made up only .9 percent of the total. American students often prefer to study abroad … Continue Reading
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