Blog - Aardvark Israel Gap Year Program

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Alumni of the Month – Sophie Harris

January 4, 2022 Meet Our Alumni

My name is Sophie Harris and I am from San Diego, California. I was on Aardvark Israel last year, of Fall 2020/spring 2021. After having the absolute BEST YEAR OF MY LIFE, I completely fell in love with Israel and decided to move here! I am now currently living in ...

About professional and personal growth – Shayna Dash

December 30, 2021 Student Blog

My time on Aardvark Israel is exactly why I choose a gap year. While on Aardvark, I have not only gained real work experience with my internship but also gained independence and lifelong friendships. (nelsongreerpainting.com/) Aardvark gives us the ability to learn about Israel and form deep connections with the ...

Hannah, gailen, alex, josh, zac, and jake from florentin and jerusalem

Weekly Updates – December 30, 2021

December 30, 2021 Weekly Updates

Shalom Parents and Students! This week was the last day of our Fall 2021 semester. Our students reflected on their experiences and got the chance to see all they have accomplished and how they’ve grown. Each group participated in closing activities together. The students took the time to write something ...

Student of the Week – Julian Frucht

December 26, 2021 Student of the Week

When I first thought about taking a gap year, it was mainly because of the fear I had that college would be altered by Covid, so I wouldn’t get your normal “freshman experience”. What ultimately led me to take a gap year was coming to the realization that this was ...

A futursic visit at lightricks, a high-tech company in jerusalem

Weekly Updates – December 23, 2021

December 23, 2021 Weekly Updates

Shalom Parents and Students! This week our students had some closure moments, while they prepared for the semester to end, including spending their last days in their internships and volunteering. Jerusalem community students traveled to the Kotel tunnels and attended an end-of-semester party in the Moadon. They enjoyed a talent ...

Student of the Week – Samuel Spizzichino

December 22, 2021 Student of the Week

I’ve lived in Rome all my life, and growing up I realized that the bubble I was living in was too small to achieve my goals. So I decided to take a gap year to experience a new culture, away from home, and meet people with different ideas than mine.I ...

Food Rescuers

December 22, 2021 Spotlight! Internships and Volunteering

Food rescuers is an organization that collects products from restaurants and supermarkets and redistributes them to those in need. One of my roles at the internship is to help sort the fruit and veg to make sure that only good food is given away, not things that have gone off. ...

Levontin girls in beit she'an national park

Weekly Updates – December 16, 2021

December 16, 2021 Weekly Updates

Shalom Parents and Students! This week was a very emotional, though fun week for our students, as they got to go together to their last overnight tiyul for this semester! Our three communities (More than 150 students!) traveled to the north of Israel, to Beit She’an Valley. We started our ...

Student of the Week – Lila Goldstein

December 13, 2021 Student of the Week

I chose to take a gap year because I was burnt out from high school. Especially after COVID hit, it was hard to be motivated and get excited about being in a rigorous classroom again so soon after graduating. Aardvark Israel was the perfect gap year program because it gives ...

Weekly Updates – December 9, 2021

December 9, 2021 Weekly Updates

Shalom Parents and Students! This week on Aardvark Israel was very versatile. As most of our students will be staying here with us for another semester (yay!) some will be going back home at the end of December. For those students who are returning home after this semester, our partners ...

Save a Child’s Heart

December 9, 2021 Spotlight! Internships and Volunteering

I have had such a meaningful experience during my first-semester internship at Save A Child’s Heart. SACH is an organization that brings children with congenital heart defects from countries where they don’t have access to pediatric cardiac care and provides them with life-saving procedures here in Israel. (Diazepam) My role ...

Chaimes Daycare

December 9, 2021 Spotlight! Internships and Volunteering

Volunteering at Chaimes daycare for kids with special needs has been one of the best experiences of my life. I have had already two years of experience working with individuals with special needs and coming to Israel I really wanted to continue in that field of work. In such a ...

Adam Grossman – Leadership Seminar in Neot Kedumim

December 9, 2021 Student Blog

Yesterday, we were taken to a leadership seminar in Neot Kedumim. After splitting into two groups, we were taken around the nature reserve to undertake various activities centered around team building, communication, and cooperation. From herding cattle to obstacle courses, we learnt both how to effectively be part of a ...

Exploring Israel for Free

December 8, 2021 The Uniqueness of Israel

During your gap year in Israel, you will soon discover that it can be quite an expensive country. However, even if you are on a shoestring budget, you will quickly discover that there is plenty you can do for free. Whether you are in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa or anywhere ...

Jerusalem Ghost Stories Part 2

December 8, 2021 The Uniqueness of Israel

If you enjoy ghost stories, then you will find that Jerusalem is home to plenty of material to feed your imagination. If you look back on this blog, you will find that we already have a post dedicated to Jerusalem ghost stories, but there are so many of them that ...

Masa Year of Service

December 7, 2021 Service Track

Dear parents and participants, Masa Year of Service is off to a great start!We met new friends, traveled and explored Israel and started our volunteer work. We’re happy to share with you some of these great moments and invite you to be part of our shared experiences. Tiyul (trip – ...

Malia, ruby, sarah, lauren and sarah from levontin in haifa

The Aardvark Monthly – November 2021

December 7, 2021 Aardvark Israel Monthly

Shalom and Happy Holidays, Parents, Students, Partners, and Staff, We are down to one month until Fall semester ends, and winter has finally arrived in Israel! Our students celebrated Hanukkah and Thanksgiving, and some of them even organized their own Thanksgiving meals all by themselves. For some of our students ...

Tel-Aviv Botanical Garden

December 7, 2021 Spotlight! Internships and Volunteering

At the Tel-Aviv Botanical garden, I take care of a specific collection of native Israeli plants. Along with that, I germinate Israeli plant seeds and tend to the inside of the nursery. When the weather is nice outside I also maintain the mock native Israeli landscapes that host the various ...

Sammie Wittenstein – Shabbaton in Peki’in

December 7, 2021 Student Blog

At the Shabbaton in Peki’in we experienced a taste of Druze culture. We first stopped at a home where we got to experience Druze cooking, and later on we toured the area for a more everyday perspective. We also participated in programs where we discussed our personal connections to Judaism ...

Sam Lynn & Alex Sandler – Yad Vashem and Har Hertzel

December 7, 2021 Student Blog

Sam Lynn This week was an emotional whirlwind. We began our Siyur day at Yad Vashem, my personal favorite Holocaust museum. For me, Yad Vashem stands out because of its incredible attention to detail and its ability to tell as many individual stories as possible. While I have been to ...