Gap Year in Israel, Study Abroad and Cultural Immersion

Eitan is student at George Washington University majoring in History and Political Science. His gap year in Israel in 2006-2007 involved cultural immersion and study at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He has contributed his story to inspire others to consider the benefits of a gap year before college.

Few things in life exceed the expectations we have of them; movies people rave about rarely seem as funny once we actually see them, food rarely tastes as good. Nativ, the Conservative Movement gap year program, is something I can safely place on that small list of life experiences that lived up to, and far exceeded the preconceived notions I had when boarding the plane for Israel last September.

As a high school senior trying to decide where I would spend the upcoming school year, I jumped at the opportunity to avoid schoolwork for a year and relax for nine months in Israel. I had been to Israel before, but only as a tourist, and wanted to experience life in the country as a full-time resident. I expected an amazing year; I had no idea that the word amazing would do my gap year no justice.

Not a day goes by in college where I don’t think about how well Nativ prepared me for my life as a student in America. College is a confusing time, and having come into it with a year of self-reflection and growth under my belt has served me well on a personal and scholastic level. I had a year to struggle and change myself before coming to college, I gained experience as a college student from the classes I took at Hebrew U, and, having lived in another country with people from places of which I had never even heard prepared me well for college, where meeting dozens of new people every day and not being able to remember where anyone is from is the status quo. If for no other reason, Nativ prepared me well for college because it allowed me to breathe for a year. Right after the stress and pressure of high school wears off, most 18 year olds head straight back into the thick of it, bearing heavy workloads without having had much of a break from school at all. After being able to relax for a year and not worry about academics, I feel much more prepared and ready to embrace the challenge of college than I would have without Nativ.

Having supportive parents has been a true gift since I decided to go on Nativ, but most parents have big fears and doubts about gap-years. This is understandable, especially when taking into account the financial burden an extra year’s tuition will place upon families. Had I not taken the time to apply for the numerous scholarships available to gap-year seeking students, I would never have been able to dream about a program like Nativ. An issue such as money should never bar someone from the incredible experience gap year programs offer, an opinion that is shared by many of the incredible organizations that offer scholarships for those in need.

Many falafel and one year later, I can state with certainty that going on Nativ was the best decision I ever made. Gap year programs like Nativ offer room for both growth and relaxation, before jumping back into the hectic life of college and schoolwork. One would be hard-pressed to find someone who felt as if their gap-year didn’t exceed expectations. And after thousands of gap-year program participants, that says quite a lot.

Masa Israel Journey enables thousands of Jewish youth to spend a gap year in Israel in any of over 160 programs, helping them build a life-long relationship with Israel and a firm commitment to Jewish life.