Israel Programs

Study after study has proven that Jewish people who have opportunities to experience Israel in their teens or young adult years form more substantial ties to the Jewish community than those who have never visited Israel. The Greater Miami Jewish Federation is committed to building a strong Jewish future by providing a variety of Israel opportunities for those interested. Read more about major initiatives below.

For more information, contact the Israel Programs Coordinator at [email protected] or 786.866.8458.

MASA

MASA is the culmination of dream expressed by Ariel Sharon that all Jews should spend a semester to a year in Israel. Officially established by the government of Israel and the Jewish Agency for Israel in 2003, MASA is your gateway to over 160 long-term programs in Israel.

Greater Miami Jewish Federation support helps make MASA-affiliated Israel experiences possible for hundreds of young Miamians between the ages of 18 to 30 to spend a semester or a year in Israel where they can build a life-long relationship with Israel and a firm commitment to Jewish life.

Since 2003, MASA has been a catalyst in the developing new and exciting quality programs which express the multi-faceted experience of Israel, providing young Jewish adults with connections to programs, grants and scholarships towards program fees, as well as support, activities, workshops and resources while here in Israel. Read more about it.

Career Israel Internship Program
Internship in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem!

The Career Israel internship program is a professional internship program open to college/university graduates from all over the world. The program provides internship placements in leading companies and organizations in the private and public sectors in Israel- in any and every field. The program also includes a Hebrew study program, tours and seminars throughout the country, and extracurricular enrichment activities. The program also provides accommodations in the heart of Tel Aviv and in the newly renovated dorms of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and 24/7 staff support. Read more.

Taglit-Birthright Israel

Thanks to this popular program, young Jews between the ages of 18 and 26 are given the gift of a free first-time educational trip to Israel with their peers. Upon their return, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation offers Miami participants many opportunities to remain connected and get involved in the Jewish community. Read more here.

Project OTZMA

Recent college graduates between the ages of 20 and 25 can spend 10 months volunteering in Israel on a variety of projects related to their studies and interests. Through Miami’s partnership with the city of Yerucham, volunteers are teaching English to under-served school children in the Negev region of Israel. Participants receive one month of training, followed by nine months of teaching and volunteering. Miami’s partnership with Yerucham provides them with housing as well as a subsidy to live and volunteer in Israel. Read more here.

Watch a video about OTZMA in Yerucham.

AMHSI, Alexander Muss High School in Israel

AMHSI is a study abroad program in Israel for high school students. The program offers 6-week summer sessions, 8-week year-round sessions, as well as a full semester program. This is a high school unlike any other, where education is imparted through experience and history is infused into everything you do. While keeping up with classes from your home school and gaining important college preparatory skills, you will also be learning about Israel through first-hand experience. In Israel, your "classroom" is the land itself as you travel to the places where history was made - the curriculum is conducted in chronological historical order, with on-site learning at the actual places where history took place! You’ll hike where King Saul battled the Philistines…follow in the footsteps of the pioneer settlers…be welcomed at the home of Ben Gurion. Your next class may be at the beach, atop a mountain, or inside an ancient fortress. Learning in an ordered timeline on-site makes it so much more understandable, interesting, and more importantly- more enjoyable and memorable too. Read more.

Jewish Agency for Israel

Visit MyIsraelSummer.com to learn more about Israel internship programs, volunteer programs and study programs in Israel, along with Onward Israel-Yalla, the Jewish Agency’s newest initiative. Onward Israel-Yalla makes it possible for students and young professionals to visit Israel during the summer for their second or third experience.

Israel Opportunities

We know that an Israel experience goes a long way in shaping Jewish identity and values in our children and young adults. But we also know that for many families and individuals, the cost of an Israel experience can be prohibitive. The Greater Miami Jewish Federation is helping in many ways.

Passport to Israel

Created by the Greater Miami Jewish Federation in partnership with area synagogues, Passport to Israel is a unique savings incentive program that has made it possible for hundreds of families to provide inspiring, educational Israel experiences for their children. It works like this: You enroll your child in the program any time between the 3rd and the 9th grade. For every year your child is enrolled, Federation (as well as participating synagogues, if you are a member) will set aside funds to help with the cost of the Israel experience. For more information, contact your synagogue or email [email protected] or call 786.866.8496.

Need-Based Scholarship Assistance

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation offers need-based assistance for Miami-Dade County residents, ages 15 to 26. Funding is one-time only, and awards are based on need and length of an approved Israel program, which must be a minimum of three weeks in duration. Applicants must complete and return an application, along with their family’s financial information (1040), and a letter of acceptance or invoice from the program.

Applications and Criteria

The Lena and Joseph Silverman Scholarship Fund/The Nathan and Sara Gorn Fund

Israel Programs Scholarship Application

For more information, contact us at [email protected] or 786.866.8498.

“It was incredible to literally build the desert and be part of an idealistic Zionism, and then to return to Yerucham to take part in a tradition in which everyone opens their doors to their neighbors and visits each other. Though I was very far from my family, the experience really made me feel at home.”

Shauna Gamsey
Otzma participant sponsored by Miami
After returning to the United States, she decided to move to Israel.
She now lives in an Ayalim Student Village in Yerucham.