Programs in Northern Israel

A hesder yeshiva overlooking the Mediterranean and the western Galilee, founded in 1995 by Rabbi Yeshayahu Meitlis (Nahariya's city rabbi) and Rabbi Chaim Rateig. Around 90 students study there today under Rabbi Meitlis and Rabbi Moshe Adler, in a program built around three pillars: personal development, close-knit community, and practical volunteering and service.

A summer dance intensive at the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company's International Dance Village, offering 2, 4, or 6-week sessions in ballet, contemporary dance, and company repertoire for dance students from Israel and abroad.

An English-taught Master's degree in water industry engineering and management at Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee, open to international applicants.

A hesder yeshiva in the northern city of Karmiel, founded in 2003, offering both a hesder track combining Torah study with IDF service and a standard higher-yeshiva (yeshiva gevoha) track.

A pre-military leadership academy operating across several Upper Galilee kibbutzim, with year-long, 18-month, and half-year tracks combining leadership training, community volunteering, and preparation for IDF service.

A joint Israeli-German excavation in the Jezreel Valley investigating the transition from Canaanite urbanism to the early Israelite monarchy, open to international student and volunteer participants.

A field school excavating Legio, the base of the Roman Sixth Legion near Tel Megiddo, run by the Jezreel Valley Regional Project with academic credit available.

An ongoing excavation on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee investigating the site identified by the project as ancient Bethsaida-Julias, offering short volunteer dig sessions to students and adult volunteers.

A coed pre-military mechina on Kibbutz Hukuk overlooking the Sea of Galilee, part of the Shahar network. The half-year program combines study, group living, fieldwork, and personal development in preparation for meaningful IDF service and community life.

A coed pre-military mechina on Kibbutz Haon along the Sea of Galilee, part of the Shahar network. The half-year program deliberately brings together participants from across the spectrum of Israeli society, building resilience, identity, and preparation for meaningful IDF service.

A coed pre-military mechina for religious and secular participants on Kibbutz Beit Zera, part of the Shahar network. Named in memory of Tal Ratzon, the half-year program centers on meaningful living, inner resilience, and social responsibility through group life, community service, and field study.

A boys-only pre-military mechina on Kibbutz Tel Katzir overlooking the Sea of Galilee, part of the Shahar network. Named in memory of David Ohana, a first-cycle staff member, the half-year program emphasizes simplicity, honesty, and inner growth alongside group living, challenge, and preparation for meaningful IDF service.

A coed pre-military mechina on Kibbutz Malkia along Israel's northern border, part of the Shahar network. The half-year program integrates participants into border-community life while building resilience, responsibility, and Zionist commitment in preparation for meaningful IDF service.

A coed pre-military mechina on Kibbutz Degania by the Sea of Galilee, continuing the founding path of the Shahar network's original mechina. The half-year program builds responsibility, resilience, and teamwork through group living, community engagement, and preparation for meaningful IDF service.

A coed pre-military mechina on Kibbutz Elrom in the northern Golan Heights, part of the Shahar network. The half-year program combines personal development, group living, and Zionist and social engagement, emphasizing inner resilience, connection to Israeli society, and preparation for meaningful IDF service.

An English-speaking Breslov yeshiva in the Old City of Tzfat, offering Torah study centered on the teachings of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov.

A high school and hesder yeshiva in the Givat Olga neighborhood of Hadera, founded in 2011 through the initiative of the Torah nucleus 'Atid Im Tikva,' and formally recognized as a hesder yeshiva by the Defense Ministry in 2013. Led by Rabbi Efraim Giami. Students volunteer in personal mentoring, hospital visits, and community events.

A hesder and higher yeshiva founded in 2001 by Rabbi Dr. Eliyahu Zayni as the first Zionist yeshiva in Haifa, combining meaningful Torah study with military service, emphasizing personal growth, responsibility, and love for the Jewish people and Land of Israel.

A hesder yeshiva complex in Or Akiva encompassing a preparatory program, the yeshiva itself, a girls' school, and an alumni program, with about 120 students. Led by Rabbi Yossi Alfasi. Approach emphasizes meeting each student where he is, with deep learning rooted in love and faith, journeys, and personal guidance.

A hesder yeshiva named for Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Neriah, established in 1994 by Yeshivat Bnei Akiva Kfar Haroeh (Rabbi Neriah's last founding before his passing a year later), relocated to Sdemot Mechola to strengthen Jewish settlement in the Jordan Valley. About 40 students study there under current heads Rabbi Nehemiah Ranan and Rabbi Avi'ad Shinuval.

A settlement hesder yeshiva in northern Israel, established in 1977 by Rabbi Tzfanya Drori (a student of Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook) to strengthen Torah values in the northern border region. About 230 students engage in diverse learning methods; the yeshiva positions itself as a Torah center for the Upper Galilee.

A branch of the Chiburim Beit Shean VeHaEmek hesder yeshiva, operating in Afula alongside the main Beit Shean institution under the same organizational umbrella.

A hesder yeshiva operated by the Chiburim Beit Shean VeHaEmek organization, which also runs family support and counseling services, agricultural education, and adult education (midrasha) programs across the Beit Shean valley region, in partnership with several government ministries and municipalities.

A branch of Hesder Yeshiva Maalot Yaakov established in 2002 by Rabbi Yossi Stern, combining Torah study with active community involvement and volunteer work in Akko. Runs a 'Netiv' course integrating IDF soldiers and programs for local university students.

A hesder yeshiva in Nof HaGalil emphasizing deep Torah study with independent thinking, national unity through exploring Jewish peoplehood, and character development including leadership and personal responsibility.

A Bnei Akiva-affiliated hesder yeshiva in Maalot centered on the doctrine of 'Torah of the Land of Israel,' combining religious study with Zionist values. Runs a 'Bnei Menashe' integration project for that diaspora community and a 'Panim el Panim' interpersonal engagement initiative.

A hesder yeshiva established in 1980 to strengthen Jewish presence in the Galilee, combining Torah study with military service. About 200 students currently study there; the institution also runs mission-oriented communities (garinim) in Tfachot and Tiberias, plus an extension yeshiva, Ramat Arbel.

A higher yeshiva with a hesder track in the Golan Heights, offering study hall lessons in Gemara, Halacha, faith and philosophy, mussar, and Biblical studies, with an active alumni network and Torah library.

A summer program for international high school students to develop entrepreneurial skills and gain knowledge in science and technology fields at the Technion campus. Eligibility requires being at least 17 years of age with a strong STEM background and demonstrated interest in innovation and entrepreneurship.

An intensive Hebrew-language summer program at the University of Haifa, offered from beginner to advanced levels, listed as a distinct offering in the university's international program menu alongside (and separate from) the Study Abroad, BA, and Master's programs.

A one-month research placement for outstanding undergraduate students at Technion laboratories, working under the personal guidance of faculty members on a research project, concluding with a presentation of findings to the research group and faculty, alongside a social and cultural program in Haifa and around Israel. Distinct from Technion International's semester/year abroad track.

A secular pre-military academy founded in 2005 by Maj. Gen. (res.) Muki Betzer and Prof. Yossi Leshem, near Kibbutz Ma'agan Michael, promoting responsibility, initiative, and Zionism toward social and military leadership. For secular 12th-grade graduates deferring military service for personal development, learning, community contribution, trips, leadership workshops, and group living.

A first-of-its-kind integrated midrasha at Kibbutz Natur, opened September 2012 by Rabbi Aviya Rozen and Itamar Lapid, opening beit-midrash-style study to secular and religious students, male and female, across a range of spiritual and general-education subjects, integrated with full IDF service and academic advancement.

A joint Druze-Jewish pre-military academy at the Yad LeBanim complex in Daliyat al-Karmel, established in 2008 as a unique model of shared living between Jews and Druze in Israel. Combines physical and mental preparation for military service with study of the land and Israeli society, IDF battle heritage, and Jewish and Druze heritage.

A pre-military academy at Kibbutz Ravid aiming to be a place of leadership and social change, combining weekly workshops, a weekly guidance course, and group living with participant-led responsibility. Opened an additional branch at Kibbutz Lohamei HaGetaot.

A leadership and excellence pre-military academy in Hatzor HaGlilit, established in 2000, offering an intensive ten-month track for personal empowerment and physical/mental preparation for military service and civilian life.

A leadership-training pre-military academy with campuses in Akko, Haifa, and Kiryat Bialik, named in memory of Michael Gal. Prepares participants to be leaders in Israeli society through military-service and civilian-life readiness, life skills, and academic/career guidance.

A pre-military academy established in 2004 in Katzrin, based on values of Judaism, Zionism, and leadership, aiming to strengthen students' sense of identification and belonging to the nation, land, and state.

A pre-military academy founded in 1991 in the Keshet settlement in the Golan Heights, with a program lasting between one and one-and-a-half years; most graduates enlist in the military, with some continuing Torah study at yeshivot.

A pre-military academy in the northern Jordan Valley combining learning and action, challenges and community involvement, with military preparation through lectures, combat heritage study, navigation exercises, and visits to military units.

A religious pre-military academy in the Chemdat settlement, founded in 1997 by Rabbi Yinon Meder, training students for meaningful life and military service.

A religious pre-military academy in Akko offering 12 to 18 months of study before graduates enlist for military service. Established in 2014 and named after Avner Shimon Gatz, a soldier killed in the battle to liberate the Western Wall in the Six-Day War; founded by his nephew, Rabbi Ahikam Gatz.

A program for teens to train in CPR, hemorrhage control, and first-responder skills, becoming certified as Emergency Medical Responders, volunteering on ambulances, and assisting in a Hatzalah logistics and dispatch center, alongside water-rescue training on the Kinneret and rappelling with a search-and-rescue unit.

A leadership-development program for teens, centered on planning and running a ten-day camp for the siblings of children with chronic illnesses, combined with outdoor adventure activities -- including rappelling, cliff jumping, snorkeling, and waterskiing -- across Israel.

A touring program for teens combining major Israel sites -- including a dawn hike up Masada, rafting the Kinneret rapids, and a visit to Dialogue in the Dark -- with volunteer work alongside diverse Jewish communities and programming on Torah and connection to the land of Israel.

A five-week internship program for 10th-12th grade teens, working four days a week with Jerusalem-area companies and organizations in their chosen field, with evenings spent on group workshops and Jewish learning and weekends spent touring Israel. Offers separate tracks for public-school and yeshiva day-school students.

A thesis-track, English-taught MSc in marine biology combining coursework, research cruises, and dive-based fieldwork studying the Mediterranean Sea; Israeli and international students study together over two academic years.

A summer field school running since 2010, led by Dr. Ann Killebrew (Penn State) and Dr. Michal Artzy (University of Haifa), taking a 'total archaeology' approach spanning excavation, survey, GIS, on-site conservation, underwater archaeology, and community outreach.

A four-week excavation with field work in the mornings (5:00am-12:00pm, Sunday-Thursday) and lab work activities in the afternoons.

A summer field school continuing excavation of Iron Age II contexts to investigate whether the city was part of the Israelite Kingdom, directed by Naama Yahalom-Mack and Nava Panitz-Cohen; participants can join for the field experience alone or add credit through Hebrew University's Rothberg International School.

A summer excavation exploring Middle Bronze city gates, an undiscovered Iron Age palace, and the archive of Late Bronze Age kings, with participants housed at Mishmar HaEmek guest facilities; housing, meals, and daily transportation are included, and 3-6 academic credits are available through Tel Aviv University.

A Beit Midrash on a working northern-Israel kibbutz with classes spanning Tanakh, Talmud, Jewish law history, philosophy, Chassidut, and gender in Judaism; overseas students are fully immersed with 60-80 Israeli students living on the same schedule.

A Shiluv yeshiva combining two years of Torah study with the full three years of IDF service (rather than the shorter Hesder track), emphasizing rigorous study alongside intellectual openness and social consciousness; its overseas program is fully integrated with the Israeli program, adding English-language classes on top of the Hebrew ones, and draws post-high-school and post-college students from the US, UK, and Australia.

A nurturing, spiritually-oriented yeshiva in Tzfat led by Rabbi Avshi Weingot.

An archaeological field school open to undergraduates, graduate students, and general volunteers with no experience required, offering hands-on excavation work under a team of professional archaeologists (including veterans of the Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon) in flexible 1-6 week blocks across the 2026 summer season.

A 6-10 month gap year (length varies by home-country cohort) for members of Netzer, the Reform/Progressive Zionist youth movement, opening with a seminar at Kibbutz Ein HaShofet, moving into 1-2 months of volunteering on Kibbutz Harduf through the Jewish Agency's Project TEN, and continuing with programming on Tikkun Olam, leadership, and Zionism alongside Netzerniks from Australia, the UK, South Africa and beyond.

A 10-month leadership program founded in 2015 by the Jewish Community of Oslo, open to 18-22-year-old European, Israeli and American Jews of any observance level, combining an immersive Israel experience at the Upper Galilee Leadership Academy with University of Oslo coursework and travel to Jewish communities around the world, centered on Jewish history, religion, culture and identity.

An English-language M.D. program (running since 1983) for U.S. and Canadian pre-med graduates who intend to practice in North America, combining basic medical sciences at the Technion with clinical education at leading Israeli medical centers; graduates sit U.S./Canadian licensing exams.

A Masorti/Conservative-movement gap year for young adults from Noam's global network (UK, Europe, Latin America and beyond), combining Zionism, Masorti Judaism, tikkun olam, hadracha (leadership) and democracy education, run through Kibbutz Hannaton's Education Center in the Galilee.

One of the Lubavitch movement's most sought-after seminaries, historically for Israeli-Hebrew-speaking high school graduates training as future Chassidishe educators; its 'Chul program' extension accepts overseas students into a curriculum of personal and teaching skills alongside Limudei Kodesh, leading to a government-recognized 'Morot Lagolah' teaching certificate.

A 5-month program combining multi-level Hebrew language classes with kibbutz dormitory living and work assignments, giving participants an immersive experience of rural Israeli community life alongside their Hebrew studies.

The Jewish Agency's flagship Hebrew ulpan, founded in 1949, offering five months of intensive Hebrew instruction (5 hours/day, 5 days/week) to roughly 1,600 immigrants and young adults aged 22-35 per year from 30+ countries, with cultural activities and preparation for IDF service or Israeli employment.

A pluralistic, co-ed pre-military academy named for Haviva Reich, one of the WWII Jewish parachutists, combining standard mechina Jewish-identity and leadership study with community volunteering and physical preparation for IDF service.

A pluralistic, co-ed pre-military academy spanning several northern Israel communities, suitable for students of any religious background, combining standard mechina Jewish-identity and leadership study with community volunteering.

A pluralistic, co-ed pre-military academy in the Yizrael Valley centered on exploring Jewish-Israeli identity through study, leadership training and volunteer community work.

A pluralistic, co-ed pre-military academy on the Golan Heights focused on cultivating initiative, responsibility and leadership toward building a democratic Jewish society, alongside standard mechina Jewish-identity study and volunteering.

A pluralistic, co-ed pre-military academy on a kibbutz near the Sea of Galilee emphasizing nature exploration and building bridges across different sectors of Israeli society, alongside standard mechina Jewish-identity and leadership study.

A service-learning center co-directed by a Jewish woman and a Muslim man where young-adult volunteers weekly support Beit Elisha (a group home for adults with disabilities) and Sha'ar La'adam's ecological/educational activities, alongside pluralistic Jewish learning, Hebrew and Arabic classes, coexistence sessions, theater and bio-dynamic gardening.

The only Chabad-Lubavitch women's school in Israel, offering full-time Jewish studies (Jewish law, Torah and Prophets, Jewish meditation and prayer, Chassidic philosophy, Hebrew ulpan) for women of any age or background, on a year, semester, or short-term basis. Dormitory housing on premises, 2 students per room with a private bathroom.

A pluralistic, co-ed pre-army gap year program founded in 1998 in memory of PM Yitzhak Rabin, combining Hebrew-language study, communal living, and volunteering. Has a dedicated international track welcoming non-Israeli participants ages 18-19 to study alongside Israeli peers, though military-specific preparation is for Israelis only.

The University of Haifa's International School offers a semester or full-year study abroad program with English-taught courses in fields like Arabic, archaeology, business, history, international relations, and peace and conflict studies, with students living alongside Israeli students on Mount Carmel.

Technion International's exchange program lets undergraduates (2nd year and above) study engineering and science courses in English for a semester or academic year, living on campus with Israeli and international students and joining industry site visits.

A 28-day BBYO Passport journey across Israel including hiking Mount Arbel and Masada, rafting the Jordan River, Bedouin-style desert camping, and a multi-day Gadna army-style program.

A 22-day BBYO Passport trip through Israel for teens in grades 8-12, visiting major cities and lesser-known sites while engaging with diverse local communities.

A month-long immersive Israel journey for 10th-12th graders (successor to the historic USY Israel Pilgrimage), with an optional Poland add-on.

A three-week touring experience in Israel for public-school Jewish teens, combining hikes, historical/religious sites, and Jewish heritage programming.

A 9-month service-learning fellowship for ages 22-32 involving ~30 hours/week of grassroots volunteering across multiple placements, Hebrew ulpan, and immersive learning about Israeli society.

The longest-running Israel gap-year program, an 8-month experience combining kibbutz-based collective living, volunteering with Israel's Hanoar HaOved VeHalomed youth movement, a Poland seminar, and deep engagement with Israeli society in all of its complexity.

A 6-10 month fellowship placing Jewish young adults as English-teaching assistants in Israeli public schools, paired with Hebrew study and professional development.

Short-term programs in Tzfat and Jerusalem focused on Jewish identity, hiking, volunteering, and Israeli history.

A summer or semester internship and academic program in Israel for young adults, combining professional experience with Israel exploration.

A free 10-day trip to Israel for young Jewish adults ages 18-32, covering history, culture, food, and modern life across the country. Registration fills up fast, so early application is strongly recommended.