gap year in israel

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  • All
  • Aardvark Israel Monthly
  • International
  • Masa Year of Service
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  • Spotlight! Internships and Volunteering
  • Student Blog
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  • The Uniqueness of Israel
  • Weekly Updates
Gap year in israel - aardvarkisrael

Alumni of the Month – Mimi Baron

My name is Mimi Baron and I’m from Sydney, Australia. I attended Moriah College and graduated at the end of 2022. I am a recent alumna of the Aardvark Israel 2022 Spring Semester and am currently in the PLUS program. I wanted to go on a gap year in Israel ...
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Parashat chukat

Parashat Chukat

This week in Israel we read the Torah portion of Chukat. We are taught of the parah adumah, the red heifer. Should an individual or group be impure due to exposure to a corpse, the Torah species a special ritual by which the priest would take a “perfectly red unblemished ...
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Sarea sokolove

Alumni of the Month – Sarea Sokolove

My name is Sarea Sokolove and I am from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I did Aardvark from August 2022-May 2023. I decided to do Aardvark Israel because truthfully, I was not ready for college and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. I decided to choose Aardvark ...
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Parshat korach

Parshat Korach

This week in Israel we read the Torah portion of Korach. In it, Korach arises with 250 of the most exalted leaders of the time to challenge the leadership of Moses and his brother Aaron. Korach argues that all of the assembly of the Jewish nation are equally holy and ...
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The aardvark monthly - may 2023

The Aardvark Monthly – May 2023

Shalom Parents, Students, Partners, and Staff, Wow, the last month of the semester flew by so fast! So much happened in just one month. How about we start telling you about it? ⬇️ Two of our international trips took place in early May, to Poland and Germany! Our Poland trip ...
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My semester in israel - simon lagrange

My semester in Israel – Simon Lagrange

My name is Simon Lagrange, I’m from San Diego, California, and I completed a semester of the Masa Year of Service program as a volunteer at Ichilov Hospital in central Tel Aviv. Before arriving in Israel, I felt a bit lost in my life. After just graduating high school, I ...
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Eli from the states

Alumni of the Month – Eli Colton

My name is Eli Colton and I’m from Seattle. I am a recent Alumni of Aardvark 2022-2023 and am excited to share my experience and story of my past year. I chose to partake in a gap year because I felt like I had missed out on a year of ...
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Parashat shlach

Parashat Shlach

This week in Israel we read the Torah portion of Shlach. As the Jewish people encamp outside of what will eventually be their new home in the Land of Israel, Moses, as any good Commander-and-Chief would do, decides to send spies on a reconnaissance mission. He deems it important to ...
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My semester in israel - gabriella ben zvy

My Semester in Israel – Gabriella Ben Zvy

It really is so bittersweet being here with everyone for one last time before we all go our separate ways. Now that we’re at the end, I feel like it’s only fitting to start from the beginning. Before Aardvark, I had only ever been here to visit family, my mom ...
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Our year in israel - leeyam ohayon and lily waldman

Our Year in Israel – Leeyam Ohayon and Lily Waldman

When I think of Aardvark, I don’t think of how Faces of Israel shaped our perception and understanding of the country, or how Fun Nights built our communities, or how Tuesday Tiyuls let us experience the entire length of Israel. When I think of Aardvark, I think of people. I ...
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Parsha behaalotcha

Parsha Behaalotcha

This week in Israel we read the Torah portion of Behaalotecha. It begins with the instruction to Aaron, the high priest, to light the lamps of the sacred Menorah in the sanctuary. Last week’s reading concluded with the offerings that were given to the sanctuary by each of the tribal ...
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Gap year in israel - aardvarkisrael

My Gap Year in Israel – Ella Duvdevani

WHAT. A. YEAR. it has been. Before I came to the program, my life was perfectly stable; I had a job, I was always with my friends, and my family was always around to support me. One thing that I knew is that I felt a strong connection to Israel. ...
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Gap year in israel - aardvarkisrael

My semester in Israel – Mimi Baron

On January 9, at 7:00 pm this year, I was in the car driving with my family to Sydney International Airport, about to board flight EY455. There were laughs, there were tears and there were the final selfies with the ‘departures sign’. “We will miss you Mimi”, my family said. ...
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Gabriella ben zvy

Student of the Week – Gabriella Ben Zvy

My name is Gabriella Ben-Zvy, I’m from Rockland County, New York. I graduated from Clarkstown Senior North High School during COVID in 2020 and I got accepted to the honors program at Rockland Community College where I graduated last May! I chose to go on a gap year because I ...
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Shavuot dvar torah

Shavuot Dvar Torah

This Friday we celebrate the festival on Shavout. It was on this day over 3,300 years ago that the Jewish people stood at the base of Mount Sinai and received the Torah according to the Jewish tradition. Undoubtedly, the reception of this G-dly wisdom greatly influenced the moral and ethical ...
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Parshat bamidbar

Parshat Bamidbar

This week we begin the fourth book of the Five Books of Moses entitled “Bamidbar,” or “In the wilderness.” G-d has created so many wondrous sites in this world. There are the massive, awe-inspiring mountain ranges of the Himalayas, the incredibly beautiful chains of islands in the Caribbean, as well ...
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The aardvark monthly - april 2023

The Aardvark Monthly – April 2023

Shalom Parents, Students, Partners, and Staff, Wow, April flew by! We hope this newsletter finds you well, and we hope you have had meaningful experiences like our students have.. As we welcome the month of May, we are excited to share some updates from our Aardvarkians, who are now starting ...
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Gap year in israel - aardvarkisrael

International Trip to Poland – Matt Siegel

My experience in Poland was a deeply emotional and profound one, as it allowed me to bear witness to the sites where my ancestors were tortured, suffered, and murdered. In addition, the trip was crucial in strengthening my connection to my Jewish identity and love for Israel, which are significant ...
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Ella duvdevani

Student of the Week – Ella Duvdevani

My name is Ella Duvdevani, I am from Birmingham, Alabama and I went to Mountain Brook High School. I chose to go on a gap year because I wanted to have exciting new experiences in Israel, connect to Judaism, and make friends from across the world! I chose Aardvark Israel ...
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Behar and bechukotai

Parashat Hashavua – Behar and Bechukotai

This week we read the Torah portions of Behar and Bechukotai. The latter portion discusses various curses that will come upon the people should they not act in accordance with the moral and ethical specifications of the Torah. If G-d is all good and loves His people as His children, ...
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