Extending Your Trip

 Extending Your Journey! 

So you're coming on Birthright: Israel Free Spirit - GREAT!!!!!

At Israel Free Spirit, we take pride in providing incredible options to all those who are looking to extend their stay in Israel after their Birthright program. As a matter of fact, our team in Israel is willing to ensure your trip extension plans are taken care of for you so that you can sit back and enjoy! We implore you to start thinking about your future stay in Israel, and to take advantage of this chance of a lifetime!

First things first: After your trip, Israel Free Spirit participants are afforded an opportunity to stay in an amazing Jerusalem youth hostel forFREE! If joining a program is not your thing, and you want to tour Israel on your own after your trip, check into the Jerusalem Heritage House and save yourself some money! Find out more about the Jerusalem Heritage House at:www.heritage.org.il

For your benefit, we’ve compiled a list of some great opportunities for you to participate in following yourIsrael Free Spirit trip. Feel free to contact Netanel Gibson at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)for more information about any of the opportunities below, or regarding any other post-trip opportunities you may be interested in. We encourage you to maximize your Israel experience by signing up for one or more of the following programs:

Study in Israel –  Aish Hatorah Essentials Program for Men 

Spend as long or as little as you want studying your Jewish heritage in Israel’s pulse, in the heart of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Essentials introductory program is the perfect start for your spiritual quest. Essentials examines the relevance of being Jewish in today's world, and explores major themes and practices in Jewish spirituality. You can participate for an hour, a day, a week, or a month. The program offers a unique opportunity to gain a strong understanding of core concepts in Jewish thought, while touring regularly throught Jerusalem and around Israel. For more information please visit: http://israel.aish.com/essentials/

Study in Israel –  Aish Hatorah Jewel Program for Women 

Jewel is a 3.5 week introductory educational program for Jewish women ages 19 - 30. Amazing classes, exciting weekly trips around the country, volunteer work, Shabbat in the Old City, Hebrew language classes - the perfect balance of touring, fun, learning and personal growth.
Jewel has varied levels where students are invited to question and learn at their own pace in a warm accepting environment. Explore concepts in Jewish philosophy and spirituality, probe essential questions, delve into prayer and Hebrew texts, and learn the Torah approach to self awareness and relationships, and so much more.... For more information please visit www.jewel4women.com.
 

Study in Israel –  Neve Yerushalayim for Women

Neve Yerushalayim’s program offers Jewish women the opportunity to personally interact with some of the most stimulating lecturers and authors in the Jewish world, including personalities such as Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller (Our Bodies – Our Souls, More Precious Than Pearls, This Way Up), Rabbi Leib Kelemen (Permission to Believe, Permission to Receive, To Kindle a Soul), Rabbi Yaakov Marcus, and many others. Students tackle life’s toughest personal, philosophical and theological issues in a sensitive and thoughtful environment. Private tutorials are provided to all interested students. The program is conducted on Neve Yerushalayim’s sprawling, 6-acre, mountaintop campus in Jerusalem, and includes tours throughout Israel. For more information please visit: http://www.nevey.org/

Study in Israel – Shearim College for Women: Taste of Torah

Taste of Torah is a program for women curious about their Jewish heritage. No prior knowledge of Jewish Studies  or Hebrew is required. The breadth of the curriculum provides a well-balanced introduction to Jewish thought, text, tradition and practice. The intimate classes and mentoring options provide the students with a framework to integrate Judaism into their lives in an individualized way respecting each student’s pace and unique spirituality. For more information please visit: http://www.shearim.com/program/core/taste-of-torah

Mahal – Israeli Army Volunteer Service/Program
Nearly all Israelis, with few exceptions, are required to serve in the Israeli military. The Israel Defense Forces encompasses the country's army, navy and air force. Additionally, thousands of Jews and their descendants have expressed a desire to volunteer as soldiers for the IDF. For non-Israeli volunteers, there are many ways to participate as a full soldier. One of them is tojoin the Mahal brigade.The duration of the Mahal IDF program for non-Israeli citizens is 14 ½ months (or 18 months including Hebrew studies). There are also IDF programs of 14 ½ months for overseas Israelis. For more information please visit: http://www.mahal-idf-volunteers.org/

Marva – A Two Month Taste of the Israeli Army

The Marva program is a unique outdoor experience open to participants from all over the world. The program is conducted in simple Hebrew allowing for significant improvement of Hebrew skills. Activities range from camp craft, navigation and topography to hikes, lectures, seminars and walking tours, participation in training exercises, and living in field conditions. Marva is not an easy program, and military-style discipline is enforced in all activities. The program is based in the south of Israel on a Gadna base, but participants will spend considerable time in various other parts of the country, including Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, the Galilee and more. For more information please visit: www.israelexperience.org.il/marva

Sar- El: Volunteer at an Israeli Army Base

Sarel is a 1-3 week volunteer program with the IDF. Volunteers live on army bases, and do maintenance work such as packaging food and medicines for soldiers, fixing army equipment, clearing out storage spaces, etc. There are social aspects to the program as well. For more information please visit: http://www.sar-el.org/

Magen Dovid Adom – Ambulance Volunteer Program

This exciting two-month group experience is for independent young adults, aged 18 and over. Participants undergo a first-aid training course in Israel, and are then placed in one of the numerous Magen David Adom Centers around the country, where they work on ambulances with other Israeli volunteers, providing first aid and emergency care. The program includes housing in absorption centers, as well as trips and seminars, and is run several times a year. For more information please visit: www.israelexperience.org.il/mda

Livnot – Galilee Fellowships, Northern Exposure, Volunteer Program

The Livnot U'Lehibanot Israel program invites you to join summer 2011 3 and 4 week Galilee Fellowships  programs in Israel, or 1-week Northern Exposureprograms. Livnot  programs fuse volunteering with hiking in Northern Israel and workshops about different issues facing Israel and the Jewish world.  They are geared for people aged 20 – 30. The programs allow you to experience Israel, meet Israelis and perform community service in Tzfat and the North.  The subsidized programs cost $100/week and include all program costs, including room, board, hikes, activities and classes in addition to the volunteering.For more information about the program, click here. You can see an overview of the program here.

Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu

Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu is situated in the fertile Beit Shean valley close to the Sea of Galilee. It is home to 300 members and an equal number of children, and combines an observant, Jewish way of life with the principles of kibbutz life and a devotion to the land and people of Israel.
For more information please visit

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