Blog - Aardvark Israel Gap Year Program

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Gabi, daniel, and benjamin from jerusalem having their own version of b'nei mitzva

Weekly Updates – November 18, 2021

November 24, 2021 Weekly Updates

Shalom Parents and Students! Our students are keeping busy, and this weekend, we might even get our first rain here in Israel (finally!). On this week’s Tuesday tiyul, our Florentin community traveled to Beit Shemesh (a city where most of the people are Orthodox Jews). Zac Lovat told us about ...

Student of the Week – Sam Lynn

November 24, 2021 Student of the Week

I found out about Aardvark Israel from my grandpa, his friend’s granddaughter did Aardvark and loved it! I did some research of my own and totally saw why someone would love this program! I really wanted to come to Israel after my last program (a semester abroad) was cut short ...

Daniel Matthys – Bar/Bat Mitzvah in Masada!

November 21, 2021 Student Blog

I came to Israel to grow closer to my culture and heritage. The opportunity to have a Bar Mitzvah on top of Masada was another part of this journey, and one I am glad that I took. It was awesome being able to have this experience with my friends Benjamin ...

Hannah Nahmias – Masada in the sunrise

November 21, 2021 Student Blog

Visiting Masada was challenging yet rewarding. We left early in the morning in order to watch the sunrise on the mountain. We took the Roman ramp up and the snake path down. We also had a great tour guide who explained to us the history of Masada. We visited an ...

Ze’ev Gittleson – Be’er Sheva and Rahat – The Bedouin culture in Israel and its struggles

November 21, 2021 Student Blog

“Tuesday the 9th of November, 2021 was truly a wonderful experience for me. Traveling to Rahat with Aardvark was like entering a parallel universe. Hearing about the lives and experiences of two Bedouin Israeli women who defied the patriarchal restrictions and limitations imposed on them by their communities to pursue ...

Jacob Weiser – Sderot and Nativ Ha’Asara – Building bridges towards peace

November 21, 2021 Student Blog

It’s hard to imagine what these people who live near the Gaza border have to face everyday, knowing that day could end in tragedy. The day starts as a calm and peaceful day, when they are going around their daily business, when there could be a ‘Tzeva Adom’ (red color) ...

Student of the Week – Nomi Benus

November 18, 2021 Student of the Week

I chose to go on a gap year because I wanted to experience life in a different country and get a sense of Israeli culture before I start college. when I was searching for a program it was important for me to find a place where I can be independent ...

Student of the Week – Oreen Cohen

November 18, 2021 Student of the Week

I wanted to do a gap semester to discover myself and explore new cultures and environments before settling down into a routine. I chose Aardvark Israel because this program offered the perfect balance between structure and free time. I’m able to do all the touristy things while still spending time ...

Student of the Week – Shauna Bernstein

November 18, 2021 Student of the Week

I chose to go on a gap year because I wanted to take advantage of the amazing opportunities living in Israel would offer. I chose Aardvark Israel because my good friend from home went two years ago and loved it. I knew I wanted to live in both Jerusalem and ...

Student of the Week – Haley Slate

November 18, 2021 Student of the Week

I chose to go on a gap year because I wanted to take advantage of this rare time in my life where I’m transitioning between being a kid and starting my adult life (career, higher education, etc.) I’ve heard gap years are some of the most transforming experiences and the ...

Student of the Week – Szymon Brzezinski

November 18, 2021 Student of the Week

I chose to go on a gap year because I wanted to learn new things that I wouldn’t learn in college. I chose Aardvark Israel because I found it to be the best fit for what I wanted out of a gap year. Originally from San Diego, U.S.A Fun Fact: ...

Student of the Week – Talia Winiarsky

November 18, 2021 Student of the Week

In high school, most of the time when I wasn’t in class, I was either doing extracurriculars or studying – by the time I graduated, I felt burnt out. Knowing that I will have a similar experience in college, I wanted to take a break and be exposed to other ...

Student of the Week – Seth Williams

November 18, 2021 Student of the Week

I knew ever since my senior year of high school I wanted to take a gap year. It was important to me to add some excitement and change to my life. My mission for this year is simple: full send. I want to do everything I can to the max. ...

Student of the Week – Max Gould

November 18, 2021 Student of the Week

Aardvark Israel has shown me how to handle myself much better than before. It is a good opportunity to mature as a person without the stress of school looming over you. It has forced me to make friends and work with my roommates to maintain a livable space. I enjoy ...

Student of the Week – Keira Hartman

November 18, 2021 Student of the Week

I wanted to go on a gap year because I wanted to experience Israel as a local and immerse myself in Israeli culture. I have always wanted to strengthen my connection with Israel and a gap year was an amazing opportunity to do that as well as meet other Jews ...

Student of the Week – Yoav Konstantino

November 18, 2021 Student of the Week

I joined Aardvark Israel because I wanted to take the opportunity to connect to Israel and my Israeli family. The chance to learn and intern in Israel while exploring the country seemed like an experience I would never forget. (bobbergdesigns) I am so excited to be here and can’t wait ...

Ethiopian National Project

November 18, 2021 Spotlight! Internships and Volunteering

My name is Noa Isaacson, and I’m interning for Ethiopian National Project, a non-profit that works to integrate Ethiopian Jews into Israeli society and create equal opportunities for them in the workplace. As part of my internship, I’m working on ENPeople, a photojournalism project in which I photograph and document ...

Green Course Internship

November 11, 2021 Spotlight! Internships and Volunteering

My name is Haley and I’m a global movement building intern at Green Course. Green Course is the largest environmental activist non-profit organization in all of Israel. I’m so happy to be working with such an impactful group. As an intern at green course, my main project is to create ...

Weekly Updates – November 11, 2021

November 11, 2021 Weekly Updates

Shalom Parents and Students! It’s the middle of the semester (wow, how time flies!) and our students keep treasuring moments and collecting memories. This week, our Tel Aviv communities traveled to Sderot and Nativ Ha’Asara, while our Jerusalem community traveled to Rahat and Beer Sheva, both in the South of ...

Alumni of the Month – Hannah Fagut

November 8, 2021 Meet Our Alumni

My name is Hannah Fagut, I’m originally from Syracuse, NY and now I live in Washington D.C. I did Aardvark Israel in 2011-2012. I started thinking about a gap year program in 9th grade after attending a seminar on gap years hosted by NFTY. It wasn’t something that was promoted ...

Weekly Updates – November 4, 2021

November 5, 2021 Weekly Updates

Shalom Parents and Students! It’s getting chilly here in Israel as November has finally arrived! This Tiyul Tuesday, our Tel Aviv students traveled to the Holy City of Jerusalem and entered Me’arat Hanetifim – a stalactite cave. Our Jerusalem community traveled to Ein Prat, a beautiful hike, with a mix ...

The Aardvark Monthly – October 2021

November 5, 2021 Aardvark Israel Monthly

Shalom Parents, Students, Partners, and Staff! We are already halfway into the semester (!) and the students have been enjoying their internships, volunteering, classes, and chugim. Each of our communities participated in 3-day seminars in Kibbutz Ketura, down south, near Eilat. They got familiar with the collective lifestyle in the Kibbutz – ...

Exploring Tel Aviv’s Rothschild Boulevard

November 1, 2021 The Uniqueness of Israel

Anyone who has spent any time in Tel Aviv is sure to be familiar with Rothschild Boulevard. It is like a microcosm of the city, displaying everything that it has to offer. If you are spending your gap year in Tel Aviv, then it is a street that you are ...

The Future of the Dead Sea

November 1, 2021 The Uniqueness of Israel

In recent years, more and more attention is being given to preserving the Dead Sea. It is a unique body of water that is at the lowest point on earth, 420 metres below sea level. However, while it is one of Israel’s major tourist attractions, it has been shrinking extremely ...