Gap Year in Israel, Study Abroad and Travel

Submitted by Paul on Mon, 07/14/2008 - 22:45

Noah Stern, from Los Angeles, CA decided to take a gap year before college rather than waiting until junior year. Noah went to Israel in 2007-2008 on a Masa Israel Journey Gap year program. Noah studied Hebrew, Arabic, Middle Eastern Politics, History, and traveled independently in Israel, North Africa and Europe. He has contributed his story to inspire others to consider the benefits of a gap year before college.

Noah says of his gap year.."Not only has my Hebrew improved tremendously, but I can now read and write Arabic and I have learned a great deal about the political situation in the Middle East."

Gap Year Story

by Noah Stern

I always thought I would have the opportunity to study abroad in my Junior year of college, but when I discovered there were gap-year programs for high school graduates, I decided I couldn’t wait, I had to go to now!

At the same time, I also had a burning desire to travel. For as long as I could remember I’ve wanted to see the world and a year touring just Israel would not be enough for me, I needed more. When I heard about Kivunim: New Directions, I knew I had found the perfect program for me. Kivunim is an 8-month academic program based in Jerusalem. While in Jerusalem we studied Hebrew, Arabic, Middle Eastern Politics and History, as well as weekly trips around Israel to see every corner of the country. Every month, the program took us on a 2-week trip to visit Jewish communities in the Diaspora and by the end of the year I had visited Greece, Morocco, Spain, India, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Turkey. It was incredible! Every step of the way Kivunim stressed developing the world consciousness of future Jewish leaders. I took a step out of my nice neat bubble in Los Angeles and opened my mind to communities all over the world, whether they spoke Arabic, Greek or Hungarian. In today’s globalizing world where borders are blurring and our globe seems to be shrinking, I was able to crisscross continents and observe these ongoing changes at the ground level.

Aside from the traveling, which was the highlight of my year, the academic side of the program added another intriguing dimension. Not only has my Hebrew improved tremendously, but I can now read and write Arabic and I have learned a great deal about the political situation in the Middle East. It is one thing to learn about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the comfort of a classroom in the United States. My learning reached a whole new level because I was able to learn from experts in the political field and talk to people who are actually involved in making the headlines. I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t go on Kivunim!

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. Noah joined the Kivunim Program.

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