Amber's Israel Study Abroad Program

Please help me raise funds to support my dream of studying in Israel!

 Judaism is an integral part of my life. I completed my Bat Mitzvah three years ago, and through the process fully realized love of my religion and Jewish customs. As a young Jewish woman, I have continued my Jewish education by achieving my confirmation in May 2015 and attending Hebrew High School.

 Last winter, I was blessed to be able to journey to Israel with my Temple Emanuel (Cherry Hill, NJ) confirmation class.  The 11 days in Israel were the most fulfilling and exciting of my young life. The spiritual connection with my classmates and the Jewish community in Israel was like nothing I have ever experienced before. Although I missed my family, I wanted nothing more than for my first trip to Israel to continue beyond the planned 11 days. Being part of the Israeli community provided me with a whole new perspective on being Jewish. 

 With the memory of visiting Israel still glowing like the Ner Tamid (Eternal Flame), I applied and have been accepted into an Israel Study Abroad program for high school students through the National Federation of Temple Youth, Eisendrath International Experience (NFTY-EIE).  I hope to attend thesecond half of my junior year in Israel as a student in this program. The NFTY-EIE program will require me to take the same academic classes I would take in my current high school in New Jersey. In addition, I would also be enrolled in classes for Hebrew language and Jewish History. 

 One of the most exciting aspects of this opportunity is the chance to apply information taught in Hebrew class as part of my everyday life in Israel. The program is located on a kibbutz, which is an Israeli settlement based on ideals such as communal ownership, social justice, and equality.  Within the kibbutz, the NFTY-EIE students will live side-by-side with native Israelis providing daily opportunities to apply new language skills.

 Additionally, I will have the incredible opportunity to visit sites covered in my JewishHistory class, and truly appreciate the history of Israel in a manner I never could have by learning in a classroom in New Jersey. For example, if we learn about the events taking place on Mount Masada, we will visit Masada that week.

 There are several more extensive trips in which I would be able to participate. For example, there is a “Sea to Sea Hike” (hiking from the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean Sea, over a series of days), Israeli Nation Defense Force training, and a Poland Pilgrimage. 

The Poland Pilgrimage consists of the group of students traveling to Krakow, Lublin, and Warsaw; cities that are essential to understanding Judaismin Europe.  These trips will provide students with the chance to experience the Jewish journey from the Middle Ages through the Holocaust. We will visit the Krakow Ghetto, and concentration and death camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau and Majdanek.  I am committed to visiting and learning about places that so greatly impacted past and present generations as part of my duty as a modern Jewish person.

 In addition to academic and experiential learning, there are social action projects integrated into the NFTY-EIE program. At least once a week, our group will participate in social action projects to help benefit the Israeli community.  These projects usually take place on Fridays as a Mitzvah (a good deed), which leads into Shabbat that night.  I look forward to engaging in community service as a student in Israel, as this will help me give back to a community that means so much to me.



 I am very excited to have the opportunity to study abroad in Israel, as I strongly believe this will support my personal growth and help me continue to embrace my Jewish identify. Further, I look forward to the challenges that will likely be presented with attending school outside of my home country, and the need to rely on my own ability to be an independent and responsible adolescent. 

 Please consider making a donation to help support the tuition and travel expenses associated with studying abroad in Israel. I am already planning to use my savings, but this will not be enough to cover the expenses for this exciting opportunity.

 
Thank you very much for anything you are able to contribute!!

 B’Shalom,

 Amber Soffer
 

If you would like to find out more about the program please visit: nftyeie.org