I recently spent the past 5 months on the Aardvark Israel gap year program. Originally I never planned to go on a gap year, instead, I was going to study in Israel. However, after much thought, I decided to take a gap year to experience freedom and independence in Israel, …
We are thrilled to announce a wonderful new partnership with Portland State University which offers participants in all of the Aardvark Israel Program the opportunity to earn college credits from PSU for their courses taken in Israel. Over the last 12 years, Aardvark Israel has enjoyed an incredibly productive and …
My name is Benjamin Eden Busse and I’m from London, England and I went to Hasmonean Boys School.As the great Greek philosopher Diogones once said “A reasonable life is one lived in accordance with nature and with one’s natural inclinations”. I chose to follow this ideology which led me to …
Ben Yehuda Street is probably the most famous street in Jerusalem outside of the Old City. When living there, it is all too easy to dismiss the street as a tourist trap with nothing worth seeing. When visiting the city, many people simply don’t have the time to uncover much …
If you are on a gap year in Israel, then chances are that you have a genuine interest in the history of the country. When talking about the modern state, an amazing amount has happened in a very short period. You will certainly be taken to a number of museums …
Shalom Parents and Students! Our semester is officially over and our students are on their way home, to all parts of the world. This week was especially emotional, as our students reflected on their life-changing experiences, packed, and said goodbye to their new best friends. Scroll down, for the very …
Every morning during my 4 years in high school, I woke up and ate the same thing. Two slices of peanut butter and banana toast with a cup of mint tea to go along. And every once in a while if I felt a little adventurous I would change the …
People come to the hospital and don’t know what to do, where to go, and how to get there, so they need somebody who talks them through it and helps them get to where they have to be. Sometimes, I even get the pleasure of walking them to their appointment …
My name is Joshua Thomas Birnbaum, and I’m from Belgium. When I was 13, I left Belgium and moved to London. I have always felt close to Israel, from going on camp in Israel to even coming to visit my family here. I have always felt close to Israel and always …
The moment I was accepted to college, I decided to take a gap year. I was confident that this was something I wanted and needed to do. As I walked up the steps to John F. Kennedy Airport on January 9th, I found my stomach turning, my palms sweating and …
Shalom Parents and Students! It’s almost the end of the semester (only a few days left) and our students are busy wrapping up another amazing semester! This week, we had our final Tuesday Tiyul, last group meetings, and final classes. Curious to see how our students are spending their last …
Shalom Parents, Students, Partners, and Staff, After a nice, long Spring Break, when our students traveled the country, got together with their families in Israel, or traveled back home, we are back with another exciting newsletter, in which we will tell you about some of our students’ adventures from the …
My name is Caroline Emma Press, and I’m from New York City. It has been a dream of mine to live in Israel since I was younger. I’ve spent a lot of time here throughout the years and always felt a deep connection to it. It has always felt like …
Independence – Before I came to Israel, I didn’t realize how dependent I was on everyone else around me. While I can get around in a few places, I always needed someone else to lead me. I was scared to come here because I thought I’d be sort of dropped …
Before I came on Aardvark, I never really had to think too much about my own money. While I have worked over the years, I am fortunate that my parents have usually always supplied money when I needed it and most days I either ate dinner with them or I …
As someone who came to Israel from a very small town in Pennsylvania, I did not have much experience with true Holocaust remembrance, which I know is sad, but I did have a good education on it from my family along with Hebrew school. I knew coming to Israel that …
One of the first adjustments I made to Israel was the differences in shopping. Specifically grocery shopping. I was so used to my entire life going to one specific grocery store and one other store, where we could just buy everything we needed in one place. For example, in America, …
As I am writing this, currently it’s April 22, and we have just about a month left on Aardvark. It’s a crazy thought that soon enough I’ll be on a plane to go home, and I’ll be saying goodbye to all the friends that have become a family to me …
Shalom Parents and Students! Do you recognize the man in the middle-right of the picture, the one with the tie? Yup, you are not mistaken, it is the president of Israel, Mr. Issac Herzog! Our Jerusalem community met the president in his house for an official visit. What have the …
My name is Jaime Esquenazi and I’m from Miami, Florida. I chose to go on a gap year because the pandemic started before college and I decided that I should take a year to meet new people and have new experiences in Israel rather than go to school online. I …
