Gap year

The gap year: A journey that strengthens Jewish identity - opinion

The gap year is a great investment for the participants. Yet the real beneficiary is the Jewish people.

 Darkaynu women at the Kotel
 Participants in the Nativ pre-college gap year program, which is affiliated with the Conservative movement, historically divided their time between study in Jerusalem and volunteering elsewhere in Israel.

Conservative movement relaunches Israel gap-year program, swapping kibbutzim for Tel Aviv

 Jerusalem Day at the Kotel

War in Israel leads to unexpected increase in enrollment at American yeshivas

 DARKAYNU WOMEN’S first visit to the Old City and the Kotel is a dream come true for many.

20 years of Darkaynu: The year-in-Israel program for Jews with special needs


Conservative movement suspends its Israel gap-year program, citing budget, recruitment woes

In the past, Nativ has enrolled upwards of 80 students. But in recent years, the program has shrunk substantially and this year enrolls fewer than 20 teens.

 DANIEL MADMON teaches a class in Jewish history to Nativ conversion students.

University of Maryland sends letter of support to Jewish students

Jewish students who say they have experienced antisemitism on campus have reached an all-time high of 25% worldwide.

 Northeast entrance to the University of Maryland Campus.

Umbrella for gap-year programs in Israel says more than 5,000 participants are safe

A spokesperson for Masa Israel Journey to the JTA that all of its 5,700 participants had been relocated away from areas "under direct danger."

Rockets are seen being fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip, on May 12, 2021.

Amudim and Zvi Gluck are helping manage mental health crises among Jews

To date, Amudim has helped more than 14,000 individuals. This is alongside thousands of active cases in Israel and abroad.

 FILMING AMUDIM public service announcement (PSA) ‘Shattered,’ Shabbat meal scene.

How have Jewish gap year programs in Israel changed from 30 years ago?

We need to adapt to incorporate the new reality and to squeeze from it the very best possible outcome for the students to produce from them a generation of Jews.

 THE STUDENTS’ ability to reach their parents at any time was a game-changer.

19-year-old American seminary student killed in Jerusalem car accident

The driver seriously injured while a passenger was also killed. * The US seminary student was Adira Koffsky of New York, studying at Midreshet Amudim.

MDA ambulance (illustrative)

Yeshiva University launches mental health center for English speakers in Jerusalem

The center aims to address the pressing mental health needs of English-speaking immigrants – from gap-year students to lone soldiers and more.

Lone soldier

Youth with disabilities embark on an accessible gap year to Israel

This week, 29 students from around the globe arrived in Israel to begin their year in the Jewish state through Darkaynu, making it the largest cohort since the group's founding. 

 Darkaynu women at the Kotel

Amudim Israel: Counseling gap-year students in crisis

Amudim Israel is partnering with the Wurzweiler School of Social Work to launch a mental health clinic for gap-year students ineligible for most of Israel's mental health services.

 Yosi Golberstein, director of Amudim Israel, at a child safety workshop

This olah has built a life around social activism

Anthea Kessel: “I simply couldn’t sleep at night and felt the need to actively do something.”

 Anthea Kessel, 51 From Sydney, Australia to Kibbutz Na’an, 2000

How it really is: Guess who doesn’t recognize Israel?

As an Israeli, I resent these people peddling a non-Israeli, anti-Zionist fake “Year in Israel.” As a taxpayer, I resent subsidizing these programs

 People watch the military airshow during Israel's 74th Independence Day celebrations in Jerusalem, May 5, 2022.