Accommodations and Facilities
Central to the Year Course ideology is a belief that participants should experience Israel as residents – not solely as tourists. It is this commitment to exploring Israel through all five senses that guides every aspect of the Program. Though Israel is small in size (it is approximately the size of New Jersey), it is expansive in terms of its diverse communities, regions, history, cultures, architecture, archeology and traditions. Spending three months each in Jerusalem, Bat Yam and the Israel Experience allows Year Course applicants to experience the whole of Israel and to come to appreciate every inch of their homeland.
The town of Bat Yam is located on the coast of the Mediterranean and is home to several immigrant populations, including a mix of Sephardic and Ashkenazic families. While living in Bat Yam, Year Course participants find themselves just a 20 minute walk from beautiful beaches and a 20-30 minute bus ride from Tel Aviv, the cultural center of Israel. Participants in Bat Yam receive extended bus passes which allow them to both navigate their way to their volunteer placements and gives them access to Tel Aviv, Jaffa and Rishon L’tzion.
Jerusalem, Israel’s capital city, is located between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea and is home to over 1,500 public gardens, 30,000 volunteers, 70 cultural centers, 26 wineries and Haoman 17 (one of the highest rated night clubs in the world). During the holidays of Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot and on any given Shabbat, Jerusalem becomes the focal point of Jewish ritual and tradition with synagogues that range in cultural influences and observances.
Jerusalem is also home to Beit Ar-El, Year Course’s home base, located at the bubbling center of the Baka neighborhood, close to the Old City, Emek Rafaim and down-town Jerusalem. Beit Ar-El is surrounded by dozens of synagogues, hundreds of coffee shops, restaurants and bars. Participants can travel around Jerusalem with the bus passes issued each month and explore the angles of Jerusalem that interest them. Jerusalem has a great deal to offer and hear we give you the opportunity to explore the wonders of this city through informal educational activities, day-long excursions and group social programming.
The Negev desert covers over half of Israel’s geography and exposes Year Course participants to lifestyles not normally experienced in their hometowns. The city of Arad serves as the Year Course home-base in the Negev as participants choose between social action volunteering, environmental / outdoors volunteering, Kibbutz life or Marva (army) experiences. Arad is well known as the home of Bedouin and Black Hebrew communities, as well as for its annual music festival and proximity to Masada, Ein Gedi and other environmental and archeological sites.
Year Course facilities are as diverse as the communities in which participants live.
- Year Course participants live with their Year Course peers, surrounded by Israeli neighbors
- Each apartment is outfitted with:
- basic furniture (beds, couches, tables & chairs)
- cooking utensils (kosher meat and dairy dishes, pots and silverware)
- internet hook-ups
- Beit Ar-El in Jerusalem houses:
- a library
- classrooms with state-of-the-art educational technology
- beautiful seating areas in outdoor gardens
- a sanctuary
- Laundry facilities are available within walking distance of all Year Course apartments
- A fully-equipped gym, including weight machines, free weights and treadmills.
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