Blog - Aardvark Israel Gap Year Program

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Israeli International Humanitarian Aid

March 1, 2019 The Uniqueness of Israel

Israel can often be found on the front lines helping out in areas that are in urgent need of aid following a disaster. The country has a proud tradition of sending help, just ten years after it was founded Israel adopted an official humanitarian aid agenda as a principal element ...

Exciting Israeli Innovations at CES 2019

February 28, 2019 The Uniqueness of Israel

Every year some of the most exciting and innovative technological developments go on show at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Over 180,000 people attend the show, with 4,500 exhibitors from 150 countries. Of course, as the start-up nation, there are always a number of companies there from Israel. ...

The Israeli Lunar Mission

February 27, 2019 The Uniqueness of Israel

In yet another display of Israeli innovation, an Israeli company has sent the world’s first privately funded mission to the moon, with the unmanned robotic capsule, named Bereshit, due to land on the moon in mid-April 2019. The capsule, created by the organisation SpaceIL, launched in a SpaceX Falcon 9 ...

Israel at the Oscars

February 26, 2019 The Uniqueness of Israel

In February 2019 the Israeli director Guy Nattiv won an Academy Award for best live-action short for his film ‘Skin’. Nattiv is one of very few Israelis to have won an Oscar, the last time an Israeli director won an Oscar was in 1978, when Moshe Mizrachi won the Academy ...

Student of the Week – Becca Carin

February 24, 2019 Student of the Week

My name is Becca Carin and I’m from Boyds, Maryland. After spending almost six months in Israel with Aardvark, I can say for a fact that this program has helped me grow. I grew up with strong Jewish connections, from living at my temple every week to becoming president of ...

Weekly Updates – Jerusalem February 21, 2019

February 21, 2019 Weekly Updates

Dear Parents, Shalom Shalom! What a week it’s been! On Sunday the students met with their Madrichim in the apartment meetings, and in memory of Ori Ansbacher, they learned about Israel and the Shvil Israel. The Shvil is a trail that goes from the North of Israel to the South ...

Weekly Updates – Tel Aviv February 21, 2019

February 21, 2019 Weekly Updates

Dear Parents Shalom Parents! Happy Adar! The Jewish sages say that from the moment Adar begins we increase in our measure of happiness. Here at Aardvark, we’re definitely lifting up the spirits as we prepare for the crazy and joyous holiday of Purim. After a long weekend during which the ...

Student of the Week – Josh Cohen

February 21, 2019 Student of the Week

My name is Josh Cohen and I am from Columbia, Maryland. This is my second semester on Aardvark, and I couldn’t be happier. I’m having such a great time that I’m looking to study at Hebrew University in the coming years. Back home I grew up in a hyper-competitive environment. ...

Israel’s Development of the Tomato

February 19, 2019 The Uniqueness of Israel

You have probably eaten a huge number of tomatoes, or tomato based products in your life. Tomatoes can be found a huge range of foods, the most obvious being salads, pizza, and ketchup. However, you probably aren’t aware that much of the modern tomato is down to Israeli innovation. While ...

Weekly Updates – Jerusalem February 15, 2019

February 17, 2019 Weekly Updates

Dear Parents, What a week it has been! On Sunday, in the apartment meeting, the students met with the Madrichim for a night that was all about group dynamics. Each group had a nice activity to break the ice and then went deeper into meaningful conversations about their experience in ...

Weekly Updates – Tel Aviv February 14, 2019

February 15, 2019 Weekly Updates

Dear Parents Shalom Shalom! What a week it’s been! With what feels like a third of our students in Ethiopia, Aardvark Tel Aviv has noticeably downsized. However, what we lacked in numbers this week we made up for in spirit and activities. On Sunday for the apartment meeting, the students met with the ...

Student of the Week – Annabelle Farris

February 12, 2019 Student of the Week

My name is Annabelle Farris and I’m from Colorado Springs, CO. This is my first semester on Aardvark, and it has been a blast so far! I chose to have a gap year because I wanted to take some time before school to really focus on my passions and experience ...

Ethiopia 2019

February 10, 2019 International

On our way! Shalom from Ben Gurion airport!After all the airport arrangements, we are one step from boarding.We all are very excited to start our trip and explore the history and culture of Ethiopia. We will be in touch soon,Shay-El Day 1 Shalom Parents, Today was a day that your ...

Weekly Updates – Tel Aviv February 7, 2019

February 7, 2019 Weekly Updates

Dear Parents, We have had a great week that was full of activities and I would like to now tell you about some of what we’ve been doing. On Sunday, in the apartments meeting, our madrichim met with their students and after a brief cleanliness check, they began their educational activity. Daniel’s group ...

Weekly Updates – Jerusalem February 7, 2019

February 7, 2019 Weekly Updates

Dear Parents, The first month of our program has come to an end, and it has been a very successful month. The vibe here at Aardvark Jerusalem is becoming very family-like and a lot of fun. The participation of our students in the various activities, the challenges they face in ...

Student of the Week – Miquelle Taubman

February 6, 2019 Student of the Week

My name is Miquelle Taubman and I’m from the San Francisco Bay Area. This semester is my first semester with Aardvark, and I couldn’t be happier! Before joining Aardvark in January, I worked for my uncle’s personal injury law firm in California. I chose to do a gap year program ...

The Biggest Acquisitions of Israeli Companies in 2018

February 4, 2019 The Uniqueness of Israel

Israel is well known as the Start-Up Nation and this of course means that some investors have made huge amounts of money thanks to Israeli companies. There have been some enormous acquisitions over the last few years and 2018 was no exception. A number of Israeli companies were acquired, making ...

Jerusalem’s Ghost Stories

February 4, 2019 The Uniqueness of Israel

Jerusalem is packed full of famous landmarks and sites, and you are sure to have a wonderful time visiting them all while on your gap year. However, one subject that is less thought about is Jerusalem ghost stories. For instance, you are sure to visit the area of Mishkenot Sha’ananim ...

Weekly Updates – Tel Aviv January 31, 2019

January 31, 2019 Weekly Updates

Dear Parents, The first month of our program has almost come to an end, and it has been a very successful month. The vibe here at Aardvark Tel-Aviv is becoming very family- like and a lot of fun. The participation of our students in the various activities, the challenges they ...

Weekly Updates – Jerusalem January 31, 2019

January 31, 2019 Weekly Updates

Shalom Parents & Students, Another busy week has come to an end here on Aardvark Jerusalem and our students are slowly settling into the program’s daily routine. Now it is my pleasure to tell you about some of the highlights from the past week. On Sunday we began the week we ...