Blog - Aardvark Israel Gap Year Program

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Alumni of the Month – Dani Starr

August 15, 2022 Meet Our Alumni

My name is Dani Starr, and I was born and raised in San Diego, California. I now live in Israel on Kibbutz Tlalim which is about half an hour west of Be’er Sheva. I came on Aardvark Israel in 2020-2021.The initial reason I decided to take a gap year was ...

Exploring Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Street

August 4, 2022 The Uniqueness of Israel

There is no way that you will be able to avoid Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv during your gap year in Israel, no matter which city you are living in. One of the city’s main streets, it is packed with shops, bars and cafes, and it runs all the way ...

The Maccabiah Games

August 4, 2022 The Uniqueness of Israel

You have probably heard of the Maccabiah Games, but did you know that it is actually the third-largest sporting event in the world when measured by the number of competitors? The Maccabiah Games take place every four years and the twenty-first edition has recently wrapped up in Israel. It brought ...

Gap years are not the only way to spend time in Israel after school

July 27, 2022 The Uniqueness of Israel

UJIA’s growing menu of 18+ programmes is attracting a higher take-up By Simon Baker A gap year in Israel has long been the pinnacle of experience in a Jewish youth movement.Not only did they deepen an individual’s Jewish connection but over the years they provided a pool of future leadership ...

Alumni of the Month – Jacob Leon Cherny

July 26, 2022 Meet Our Alumni

My name is Jacob Cherny and I am from Perth, Australia I chose to go on a gap year in Israel as it has been a dream of mine for a long time. I’ve grown up in quite an isolated community with role models who have all taken a year ...

Alumni of the Month – Emily Willrich

July 20, 2022 Meet Our Alumni

My name is Emily Willrich, and I am originally from Wellesley, Massachusetts. I came on Aardvark in Spring 2021. Originally, I never planned to go on a gap year. Then COVID hit, and I wanted to make sure I would get a full in-person college experience. After a lot of ...

Exploring Rishon LeZion – Israel’s Fourth-Largest City

July 5, 2022 The Uniqueness of Israel

Many people will have spent some time in Israel prior to their gap year. It is most likely that you have enjoyed relaxing on Tel Aviv’s beaches and exploring the history of Jerusalem. However, these are far from the only two cities in Israel, and it is definitely worth taking ...

Ein Hod – Israel’s Unique Artist Village

July 5, 2022 The Uniqueness of Israel

If you enjoy visual art of any kind, then you must make sure to visit the village of Ein Hod while on your gap year in Israel. The artist village is located at the bottom of Mount Carmel and in addition to beautiful views of the Mediterranean, it is home ...

Student of the Week – Navah Crouse

June 28, 2022 Student of the Week

My name is Navah Crouse, I am 19 years old and I’m from South Africa. 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 ...

New academic collaboration with Portland State University

June 23, 2022 Aardvark Israel Monthly

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 ...

Alumni of the Month – Benjamin Eden Busse

June 21, 2022 Meet Our Alumni

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 ...

Exploring Jerusalem’s Ben Yehuda Street

June 1, 2022 The Uniqueness of Israel

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 ...

Exploring Israel’s Modern History

June 1, 2022 The Uniqueness of Israel

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 ...

Weekly Updates – May 26, 2022

May 27, 2022 Weekly Updates

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 ...

Getting out of your comfort zone – Yoav Konstantino

May 27, 2022 Student Blog

Every morning during my 4 years in high school, I woke up and ate the same thing. Two slices of toast with peanut butter and banana and a cup of mint tea. Every once in a while if I felt a little adventurous I would change the flavor of the ...

Maya goldberg, volunteering at ichilov hospital

Masa Year of Service – Ichilov Hospital

May 24, 2022 Spotlight! Internships and Volunteering

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 ...

Student of the Week – Joshua Thomas Birnbaum

May 24, 2022 Student of the Week

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 ...

My semester in Israel – Caroline Press

May 24, 2022 Student Blog

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 ...

Rothschild students at mount arbel for one last tuesday tiyul

Weekly Updates – May 19, 2022

May 19, 2022 Weekly Updates

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 ...

Orr, joseph, omri, and ori from levontin on the rooftop

The Aardvark Monthly – April 2022 – Passover and first days of Spring!

May 18, 2022 Aardvark Israel Monthly

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 ...