Did you catch the snow in Israel?  Jerusalem enjoyed its first snow in years earlier this month.  Those who missed it may have been fortunate enough to visit Mt. Hermon over the past few months, an area which gets snow quite often.  Here is a recap from one chanich about one Shabbat he spent enjoying some of Israel’s coldest weather.
Aaron Karas, Newton, MA; Section  … Read more

A few weeks ago, several of our chanichim in Arad got their hands dirty to make a difference in their community….literally.
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During Operation Cast Lead, an Israeli military operation in Gaza in December 2008, an Israeli officer named Omer Rabinovich died in an ambush.  In his honor, his parents decided to create an observation point next to Arad, not far from the Dead Sea.  Eli

Last month, members of Year Course joined members of the Israeli border patrol on the Michmas army base to plant flowers.  In what has become an annual tradition, our chanichim helped beautify the Negev Desert, contribute to the environment, and develop stronger ties to their Israeli peers not so much older than them, as expressed by director Adam Jenshil:   ”Many of our past participants have continued  … Read more

David Jacobowitz, Los Angeles, CA; Shalem chanich
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Before this year, the most elaborate thing I could make was an omelet and place it in a bagel.  Now?  I am able to make a whole new arrangement of dishes. Now that I’m living in my own apartment, I have worry about what I’m going to be eating for breakfast, lunch, and

In a city where religious differences have sometimes resulted in women’s faces being blurred in advertisements, one could be excused for being surprised to discover the word “vagina” in public. However, late last month, a group of women put on Jerusalem’s latest production of “The Vagina Monologues”.
Written by playwright and performer Eve Ensler, “The Vagina Monologues” is a series of monologues presented by women  … Read more

Eli Schiff, Los Angeles, CA; Shalem/Section 1 chanich
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Volunteering for Magen David Adom (the Israeli Red Cross) as a first responder has been a life-changing experience. Not only have I met some incredible people, I have seen so many unbelievable cases that I will never forget. From transferring elderly people to the hospital, to seeing a birth, to performing CPR on a couple of patients,

This is the most recent of a series of posts from Rwanda from the group leader Adina, detailing our Tikkun Olam track  … Read more‘s one-month visit to the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village.
Dear Parents,
Our final week at the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village was a busy one. Our challot came out extra delicious on Friday thanks to Alex Lyon, Rachel Frenkel, Julie Cohen and Sammy Schwartz.

This is the third of a series of posts from Rwanda from the group leader Adina, detailing our Tikkun Olam track  … Read more‘s one-month visit to the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village.
Dear Parents,
Our third week at the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village started out with a trip to the Western town of Gisenyi. Gisenyi borders Lake Kivu, Rwanda’s largest lake and home to many fishermen. We arrived at

The Year Course Arts Track  … Read more exposes participants to the broad spectrum of performing and visual arts in Israel while encouraging them to explore their own artistic expression. Participants meet with some of Israel’s leading artists as well as up and coming talent. Students focus on skill development and study all aspects of the classic arts including voice, dance, theater, painting, and sketching. Students also experience

This is the first of a series of posts from Rwanda, this one written by the group leader Adina, detailing our Tikkun Olam track  … Read more‘s one-month visit to the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village.
Our second week at ASYV has been filled with adventure and action. On Saturday morning we woke up bright and early to join the entire village for “muchaka muchaka” (jogging). We enjoyed