Program Overview
All Year Course participants spend one-third of their program year – about three months – in each of three locations: the majesty of Jerusalem, the beaches of Bat Yam and the beauty of the Negev. Each of these regions exposes participants to different parts of Israeli history, different environments and different cultural communities. Combined, the three locations present a well-rounded picture of the Israeli landscape. The sequence of the locations in which a participant lives may vary and, in each, participants live, take part in formal and/or informal study, learn Hebrew in an Ulpan setting, participate in volunteer work and enjoy a variety of engaging enrichment activities.
Bat Yam: Located just south of Tel Aviv, Bat Yam was originally established in 1938 and achieved the status of “city” in 1958. This beachside community has been undergoing urban renewal and renaissance over the past 6 years, but there is a long way to go. Year Course participants are part of this period of community growth and development, volunteering time, energy and skills to improve the present and future of the city. While in Bat Yam, participants receive an extended bus pass that covers Tel Aviv, Rishon L’tzion and Jaffa and some have the opportunity to share their apartments with Israeli Tzofim (scouts) who are their own ages. Volunteer projects in Bat Yam may include, but are not limited to, projects to improve English language skills of Bat Yam students, to revitalize the local library and to enhance the town through City Gardening projects with at-risk teens and more. Weekly siyurim stretch from Tel Aviv into the northern parts of the country.
Jerusalem The largest city in the country, Jerusalem is a multi-cultural melting pot comprised of residents from a myriad of different religions, cultures and ethnicities. While in Jerusalem, participants are given a monthly bus pass that allows them to explore Israel’s capital city. Weekly siyurim (excursions) are an integral part of the academic program in Jerusalem, taking the students’ learning experience out of the classroom as they explore firsthand the history, culture and political landscape of Jerusalem and surrounding area. Jerusalem is also a wonderful place to spend Shabbat and chaggim (holidays) with more synagogues per capita than any other city in the world. Participants are encouraged to take advantage of all the art, theater, music, sports, museums and cultural centers that Jerusalem offers. Volunteer placements in Jerusalem may include, but are not limited to, the Biblical Zoo, Hadassah Hospital, the Rusty Mike radio station and more. While in Jerusalem, many participants have the opportunity to live in Beit Ar-El, Young Judaea’s base in Jerusalem. Comprised of suite-style apartments, classrooms, offices, a library, gardens and more, Beit Ar-El places participants in the heart of this majestic city. Participants who do not live in Beit Ar-El live in nearby apartments.
Israel Experience: Many tourists visit Israel on multiple occasions without ever seeing the periphery of the country. Part of the Year Course goal is to take chanichim off the standard tourist path and into towns and communities that they would not otherwise experience; towns that are struggling to develop and are in need of Year Course volunteers perhaps more than in any other part of the country. During this semester, students are split into smaller groups and have choices as to how to focus their experience. Some focus on kibbutz living and hiking while others immerse themselves in social action projects; others get a first hand taste of what young Israelis their own age are doing in the Israeli Defense Forces. There are four options from which Year Course participants choose while they are in the Negev semester:
Kibbutz Ketura / Shvil Israel - Participants will live and volunteer on Kibbutz Ketura, founded by Young Judaea alumni and located 30 minutes north of Eilat. The students in this option will spend two months assisting on the kibbutz (working in the dining hall, kitchen,helping with housekeeping and packaging dates) and one month hiking in the southern part of the country, guided by tour guides.
Marva / Sar El – One of the ways to truly understand Israeli society is through a military experience. While on Year Course, participants can choose to take advantage of an Army experience through Sar-El and Marva. As part of Sar-El, participants spend one month volunteering on an army base in order to help and better understand Israeli society through interactions with soldiers. After the month with Sar-El, participants continue on to Marva, the army program run by the Israeli Defense Forces. (Marva is not part of the IDF and is not considered actual army service). Marva is an 8-week program and each week is dedicated to a different topic. The participants go through physical and emotional army training. They wear uniforms and are under military discipline and rules. The army program includes firing guns, learning survival skills, field training, self-defense, topography and navigation, meeting Israeli soldiers and observing live drills with the different army units. It also includes learning about famous battles in Israeli history and learning about the different units in the Israeli Defense Forces.
Outdoor / Desert Experience - This option is for participants who love the outdoors and want to spend their Negev semester working and touring outside. Participants will live in apartments in Arad and will volunteer in different outdoor locations ranging from Ein Gedi to Masada and beyond. Participants will go on a series of informal excursions to help with riverbed clean-up, marking trails and learning about the geography and environment of Israel’s desert region.
Social Action Experience – This option is for participants who want to make a difference to the people in a small desert town. They will live in apartments in Arad and volunteer with social action projects ranging from special needs organizations to Sudanese refugee assistance to coexistence projects at Bedouin schools. Participants will go on a series of informal excursions throughout the semester to explore important social action work being done around the region.
The town of Arad will serve as the home-base for students in the Negev semester, regardless of which option they choose. Arad is a development town in Israel’s southern desert. It is home to substantial populations of new immigrants to Israel who appreciate the interaction with Year Course volunteers to aid in their absorption and adjustment to Israeli society. Year Course participants strengthen their Hebrew skills while helping shape the lives of new Israelis and enjoying the landscape, climate and drama of the desert.
The Year Course program is organized in three semesters, each in a different and distinct location in Israel and each including academic study, Hebrew language Ulpan and engaging with / contributing to Israeli society through intensive volunteering experience.
The program also includes a number of optional “Extras” including weekly siyurim (field trips), special seminars, tiyulim (hikes), cultural and social activities, additional international travel opportunities, a Family Tour and more!
Year Course is an intensive group experience and requires of its participants the ability to adjust to cultural differences and other new situations. Participants live in close quarters with their group for most of the year – traveling, studying and volunteering together – enabling life-long friendships to be formed.
For more information about each aspect of the Year Course program, please click on the tabs and sub-category tabs found above. They are designed to paint a picture of the accommodations, volunteering opportunities, classes and other exciting components of Year Course.
Year Course is an enriching gap-year program that provides participants the opportunity to experience many different aspects of Israeli life.
It’s the experience of a lifetime!
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