01/27/2016

Ruthy's Masa Israel Experience

Tags: Federation, Israel, Overseas, Young Adults, Women, Blog, I-connect

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Ruthy is spending the year on Masa Israel's Gap Year – filling the gap between high school and college with new life experiences. Masa Israel is just one program funded through I-Connect, an initiative of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, which invites young adults, ages 18-30 to pick their perfect Israel travel experience. Read Ruthy's story here.

Reprinted with permission from Aadvark Israel.

Hi, my name is Ruthy, and I am from Cleveland, Ohio. After years of Jewish day school and summers at Camp Yavneh I have grown to have a deep passion for Israel. I love the people, the food, the culture, and the countless debates that surround this small country.

So many of my older friends have taken gap years in Israel and absolutely loved their experiences which led me to follow in their paths. I chose Aardvark because of the internship opportunities and the independence to explore that it offers. My time on Aardvark so far has taught me so much about living independently of my parents (did you know that when you leave your dirty dish in the sink it doesn't magically clean itself?), Israeli culture, and where to find the best shakshuka around.

First semester in Jerusalem I interned at the Center for Near East Policy Research, a small organization that focuses on Israel in the media and getting the truth about Israel out to the world. During my time there I had the opportunity to visit the Knesset, conduct interviews, and do research for their publications.

I am so excited to see what this semester in Tel Aviv brings and can't wait to have experiences just as great as those I had in Jerusalem!


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Learn More: Federation, Israel, Overseas, Young Adults, Women, Blog, I-connect