Blog - Aardvark Israel Gap Year Program

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Alumni of the Month – Camelia Freites

August 13, 2023 Meet Our Alumni

My name is Camelia Freites, I’m from Argentina but currently I’m living in Israel. I did Aardvark Israel in 2020 and lived in Florentine, Tel Aviv for 8 months. After finishing high school I knew I wanted to travel. I’m from a small city in Argentina and back then I felt ...

The Aardvark Monthly – July 2023

August 10, 2023 Aardvark Israel Monthly

Shalom Parents, Students, Partners, and Staff, It’s the final countdown! In less than a month our fall semester students will arrive, and a new semester begins. We can’t wait, can you? But right now, our Plus Program students are still in America! Corey, Shoham, Dani, and Eden at Cedar Lake ...

Parshat Re’eh

August 7, 2023 Parashat Hashavua

In this week’s Torah portion, Moses continues his final address to the nation. He warns them that they should be careful not to be influenced by foreign ideologies and practices. Moreover, they should be cautious with what they consume; avoiding blood and nonkosher animals. We are reminded that we are ...

Parshat Eikev

August 2, 2023 Parashat Hashavua

This week’s portion opens with the words, “And it will be when you heed these ordinances” (Deut. 7:12). The subsequent verses proceed to relate all of the blessings that G-d will grant the Jewish people for upholding the commandments. The term “eikev,” which our portion is named after, is typically ...

Alumni of the Month – Caleigh Blumenow

July 31, 2023 Meet Our Alumni

My name is Caleigh Blumenow, I’m from Johannesburg South Africa and I went to King David Linksfiled High School. I was an Aardvark Isreal student in Jerusalem this past semester and currently working at a summer camp in the US as part of the Aardvark Semester Plus Program, where I ...

Alumni of the Month – Eytan Fainman

July 31, 2023 Meet Our Alumni

Although my pride as a Jew was strong and reinforced in Johannesburg, South Africa; I had always known I would make the move to Israel as soon as I finished high school. Many questions arose during this time, like what would I do? When and what will I study? And ...

Alumni of the Month – Maya Laufer

July 31, 2023 Meet Our Alumni

My name is Maya and I’m from São Paulo, Brazil. I am currently living in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A few years ago, back in 2020, I did Aardvark Israel and it was the best experience of my life. I lived in Tel Aviv in an apartment with 4 other girls ...

Alumni of the Month – Ella Newell

July 31, 2023 Meet Our Alumni

My name is Ella Newell am originally from West Chester, Pennsylvania, and today I live in Herzliya, Israel.I attended Aardvark Israel in the Fall of 2019, until the Spring of 2020. After finishing high school I decided I wanted to take a year to discover more of my Jewish identity ...

Parshat VaEtchanan

July 25, 2023 Parashat Hashavua

The renowned American psychologist, Gordon Allport, once stated that as soon as scientific findings contradict concepts or ideas held in a given faith or religious scripture, that faith or scripture is no longer relevant. In this week’s Torah portion entitled VaEtchanan, Moshe continues his final address to the people before ...

Alumni of the Month – Ben Wahba

July 25, 2023 Meet Our Alumni

My name is Ben Whaba, I’m from Portland, Oregon and today I live in Herzliya, Israel. I did Aardvark Israel from January to August 2020. I chose to do a gap year because I needed a break after many years of school, and I chose Aardvark because it looked great ...

Alumni of the Month – Isaac Shapiro

July 25, 2023 Meet Our Alumni

My name is Isaac Shapiro, I am from Bellingham, Washington, and today I am living in Herzliya. I did Aardvark in September 2019. I chose Aardvark because I always wanted to live in Israel and it’s the perfect program to meet people from all around the world. After being on ...

Alumni of the Month – Daniel Judcowicz

July 25, 2023 Meet Our Alumni

My name is Daniel Judcowicz, I’m originally from Vancouver and today I live in Florentine, the same neighborhood I was living in on gap year. I did Aardvark Israel from January 2020- August 2020. In Vancouver, not many people travel or take a gap year before college. I did 6 ...

Student of the Week – Remy Sharfman

July 23, 2023 Student of the Week

My name is Remy Sharfman and I am from and currently live in Johannesburg, In sunny South Africa. I decided to go on Aardvark Israel for the full year from January until December as a break before I start university. After I finished high school, I decided to take a ...

Parshat Devarim

July 19, 2023 Parashat Hashavua

This week we begin the fifth and final book of the Torah, Devarim or Deuteronomy. This book is called by the sages “Mishneh Torah” or the “reiteration of the Torah.” Just before Moses passes away and the Jews begin the conquest of the Land of Israel, Moses chooses – as ...

Alumni of the Month – Shoham Korzia

July 18, 2023 Meet Our Alumni

I’m Shoham Korzia, from Johannesburg, South Africa. After graduating from Torah Academy in 2022, I made the exciting decision to take a gap year before starting university. I discovered Aardvark Israel, which offered me a unique chance to experience independent life in Israel while learning to code and connecting with ...

Parshat Matot-Massei

July 12, 2023 Parashat Hashavua

The son of the king was terribly sick. After the top doctors examined the boy they came to the conclusion that there was one remedy that could save the prince; they needed a certain enzyme produced by a rare fish. Immediately, the king dispatched an emissary to procure the enzyme. ...

Parashat Pinchas

July 5, 2023 Parashat Hashavua

This week we read the Torah portion of Pinchas. We recall that in last week’s portion, entitled “Balak,” Bilaam was hired by the King of Moav to curse the Jewish people. Bilaam was unsuccessful. Nevertheless, at the conclusion of the portion he comes up with an alternative plan. He advises ...

The Aardvark Monthly – June 2023

July 3, 2023 Aardvark Israel Monthly

Shalom Parents, Students, Partners, and Staff, Wow, here we meet again! June is nearly over and we are patiently waiting for our new students to arrive in late August. In the meantime, let’s focus on our students’ most recent adventures during our summer Plus add-on program! These students spent more ...

Alumni of the Month – Dani Cinnamon

June 30, 2023 Meet Our Alumni

My name is Dani Cinnamon, I’m 18 and from Perth, Western Australia. I did Aardvark from January 2023 – May 2023. I always knew I wanted to take a gap year as I wasn’t ready to go straight into university! For months I was struggling to find a program that ...

Esther shira, aiden, lani, shylie and jordan on their first day at camp!

Parshat Balak

June 25, 2023 Parashat Hashavua

This week we read the Torah portion of Balak. At the conclusion of the last Torah portion, Israel sent out messengers to the Amorite nation asking for permission to pass through their land. They swore that they would not put the Amorites out in the slightest by using any of ...