Browse Programs

A pre-military academy at Kibbutz Magen in the Eshkol Regional Council (western Negev, near the Gaza border), founded in 2023 by the Israeli Scouts movement (Tzofim) as its newest addition to the mechina landscape. The program is built around Scouting-movement values -- leadership, love of the land, democracy and equality, and social activism -- and presents itself as a deliberately new pre-military track for participants open to 'starting a new journey.'

A medical-track gap year combining a week-long orientation with two three-month internship rotations (clinical, then lab research) at Israeli hospitals and research institutions such as Hadassah Ein Kerem, Shaare Zedek, and the Ministry of Health, alongside Jewish medical ethics study.

A subsidized short-term volunteer trip for young professionals, combining 4-7 hours a day of humanitarian and agricultural volunteer work (crop harvesting, food-bank sorting, food rescue) with community and cultural programming.

A Holocaust remembrance journey for young professionals culminating in the March from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Yom HaShoah alongside thousands of participants from around the world, with an optional extension to Israel.

A year-long sports academy program for post-high-school athletes, with tracks in basketball, soccer, and sports management. The basketball track competes in Israel's IBBA semi-professional B League while participants also volunteer, intern in tech, and tour the country.

An annual week-long intensive for string players (violin, viola, cello), held around the Sukkot holiday, offering daily private lessons, chamber orchestra participation, workshops, and performance opportunities under internationally prominent faculty.

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.

A week-long summer dance course for teenage dance students from Israel and abroad, taught in the Batsheva Dance Company's Gaga movement language, including repertoire study, an open rehearsal, and meetings with company dancers.

A 6-month immersive program for Russian-speaking young Jewish adults combining Hebrew study, professional training, internships, and aliyah support, with four tracks: Betar IT (tech), Mabat (Hebrew/culture), Maof (entrepreneurship), and Media (communications).

A pre-military preparatory boarding program run by the Betar movement specifically for French young people, combining Hebrew, Judaism, and Zionism study with physical and military preparation; many participants go on to enlist in the IDF.

A leadership-training gap year (shnat hachshara) for Habonim Dror members from Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay, combining practical experience, Zionist-socialist education, and movement leadership preparation.

An 8-month religious-Zionist gap year hachshara program for Bnei Akiva members from Spanish-speaking countries (primarily Mexico and Panama), building leadership skills and connection to Israel, Judaism, and Zionism.

A 10-month religious-Zionist gap year hachshara program for Bnei Akiva members from Latin America (Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil), combining Torah study, Zionist education, and leadership development with seminars and excursions across Israel.

A professional Krav Maga instructor-certification course accredited through Zinman College at the Wingate Institute, open to international participants regardless of prior Krav Maga style or affiliation.

A grassroots nonprofit supporting lone soldiers -- both immigrant volunteers and Israelis without family support -- from before enlistment through five years post-discharge, offering guidance, community centers, and financial assistance.

A fellowship within the Pardes Institute's Beit Midrash Program for artists (music, theater, creative writing, visual arts, dance, and other media) who pursue a self-directed creative project informed by intensive Jewish text study, while contributing to community creative programming.

A paid Masa career program for college graduates and young professionals with at least two years of work experience, combining placement in the Israeli job market across fields such as tech, marketing, and business development with mentorship and cultural programming.

A bilateral academic exchange program for third- and fourth-year university students, offering courses in English (primarily through the English Department) alongside Hebrew-taught coursework, with particular strength in arts and education.

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 support program for lone soldiers of any country of origin serving in the IDF, providing guidance and services before, during, and after military service, run jointly by Nefesh B'Nefesh and Friends of the IDF.

A skill-building fellowship for Jewish creators, influencers, and emerging thought leaders, offered as either a 9-10 day fully-subsidized Impact Incubator or a 4-week Reichman University-based Geopolitics & Digital Influence track, blending Jewish history, geopolitics, and digital content creation.

A Masa-administered program in which participants complete an EMT certification course and then serve active ambulance shifts alongside Magen David Adom crews, gaining hands-on emergency medical experience.

A pre-military academy for science-oriented high school graduates that combines advanced coursework in fields such as astrophysics and neuroscience with community science outreach and preparation for IDF service.

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.

The Mahal program allows Jewish youth from foreign countries to serve in the IDF without making Aliyah (citizenship). Volunteers serve for 18 months, fighting alongside regular Israeli soldiers.

A coed pre-military mechina on Kibbutz Nitzan on Israel's southern coastal plain, part of the Shahar network. Named in memory of graduate Tomer Barak, who fell in military service on October 7, the half-year program builds resilience and self-efficacy alongside connection to the state, Israeli society, and Jewish identity.

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 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.

A 6 month or one year program living in Tel Aviv. Working in an internship at a company of your choice. You live in Tel Aviv and get to gain skills and experience for a resume. There are trips all over Israel and a Ulpan to help you integrate.

An unaffiliated Birthright Israel trip organizer running free 10-day trips for Jewish young adults, bundling accommodations, meals, guided tours, activities, and security support into an all-inclusive itinerary.

A Chabad-affiliated Birthright Israel trip organizer offering free 7-10 day trips across several age cohorts (18-22, 22-26, 27-32), with themed tracks including campus-focused groups, gender-specific trips, active-adventure trips, and a liberal-arts-curriculum option, plus post-trip extension and alumni volunteer opportunities.

A Birthright Israel trip organizer running free 10-day trips since 2002 for Jewish young adults ages 18-26, distinctive for its pluralistic, adventure-oriented itinerary -- hiking, biking, rafting, and jeep touring through the Galilee, desert canyons, and coastline -- alongside the standard historical and cultural sites.

The Coller School of Management's flagship English-language, AACSB-accredited MBA at Tel Aviv University, focused on entrepreneurship and new-venture creation through hands-on hackathons and accelerators; caps each cohort at 50 students drawn from 40+ countries, with an internship component and access to a 500+-member alumni network.

A one-year, AACSB-accredited English-language MBA at the Hebrew University Business School combining business fundamentals with biomedical-sector knowledge, taught by Israeli and international faculty with a year-long internship placement; open to applicants from business, scientific, or medical backgrounds.

A one-year, AACSB-accredited English-language MBA at the Hebrew University Business School focused on entrepreneurship, strategy, and innovation, combining coursework taught by Israeli and international faculty with a year-long internship placement at a startup or venture capital firm; open to applicants from both business and non-business backgrounds.

A 15-month English-language MBA at Bar-Ilan University's School of Business Administration, combining alternating on-campus and online sessions with coursework in entrepreneurship, global management, finance, and marketing; includes a study tour to China and draws an international cohort of 30-35 students per class.

A Masa-affiliated organization based in Tel Aviv offering professional internship placements (2-5 months) across finance, tech, marketing, consulting, and other fields with a network of 1,200+ partner companies, alongside shorter volunteer tracks (1-6 weeks) with organizations like Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah, and a remote-work track for participants continuing outside employment while based in Israel. Includes housing and Hebrew ulpan options.

The Jewish Agency's umbrella network connecting young Jewish adults with 2-12 month study, internship, volunteer, and teaching programs across Israel. Rather than running a single program itself, Masa operates as a matching and grant-support portal spanning gap-year, academic-semester, teaching-fellowship, and professional-internship tracks -- some of which are separately listed in this directory under their own program names.

A new Israel trip launching in 2026 connecting participants to Israel through the lens of sports, with unique encounters and site visits. Distinct from the JCC Maccabi Games in Israel (held every four years), which combines a week of athletic competition with two weeks touring Israel.

A pre-military academy in the Ein Kerem neighborhood of Jerusalem, established roughly a decade ago, open to religious and secular participants, boys and girls, preparing youth ahead of military service.

A mixed pre-military academy at Kibbutz Karmim founded in 2000 by the Zionist Council in Israel (originally at Moshav Argaman in the Jordan Valley, relocated to Kibbutz Karmim in 2008), open to secular, traditional, and religious boys and girls, for a year of identity development, connection to the land, character development, social action, and pioneering spirit.

A pre-military academy mixed for religious, traditional, and secular students, boys and girls, across four kibbutz branches (Beit Guvrin, Dorot, Nachal Oz, Gvim). Combines a year of study, reflection, and diverse group living with self-awareness, community involvement in surrounding settlements, and military-service preparation.

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 social-leadership pre-military academy with a boys' branch at Beit Berl and a girls' branch at Neve Hadassah youth village (Tel Yitzhak), aiming to narrow gaps in Israeli society by strengthening participants' sense of belonging to the State of Israel.

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 network of half-year pre-military preparatory programs in the Negev founded by Yonatan Kishinovsky and attorney Avi Cohen, aimed at bridging social gaps by giving youth from Israel's periphery and underrepresented communities access to a pre-military-style experience. Includes personal development, group living, field trips and workshops, identity/social-development study, IDF preparation, and community work.

A pre-military academy for social leadership, established in 2011 and named for Lt. Pini Cohen z"l, in which male and female participants undergo a process of personal, values-based, and social identity formation ahead of meaningful IDF service and civic life.

A religious pre-military academy for both young men and women, named for Yoni Netanyahu z"l, established by the Religious Kibbutz Movement at Kibbutz Alumim. Combines Torah, faith, and Jewish philosophy study with kibbutz labor (packing facility, field crops, orchards, kitchen, ranch work), community volunteering, and military preparation. Opened an additional branch at Kibbutz Sa'ad in 2024.

A trip combining a tour of Jewish heritage sites across Europe -- including London, Paris, Belgium, and Amsterdam -- with two weeks touring Israel's cities and sites, led by NCSY educators.

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.

Habonim Dror Australia's year-long Shnat Hachshara Ve'Hadracha Le'Aliyah, run through the Australian Zionist Youth Council: touring Israel, a stay on Kibbutz Ravid near the Sea of Galilee for agricultural work and Hebrew/Jewish studies, an intensive study tour in Jerusalem working with civil-society organizations, and a concluding independent-living volunteering period. Masa-recognized, matching the same structure as the already-listed Habonim Dror UK and Southern Africa Shnat programs.

Places Yeshiva College and Stern College undergraduate science majors in Bar-Ilan University research labs across the Life Sciences, Brain Research, Exact Sciences, or Engineering faculties for a hands-on summer research internship.

A newly launched excavation under Hebrew University's Institute of Archaeology, led by Dr. Uri Davidovich, with participants staying at a glamping-style resort within Kibbutz En-Gedi; one credit per week of excavation is available from Hebrew University.

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 spring excavation open to volunteers of any experience level, offered in flexible one- to five-week blocks, with the first four weeks focused on digging and the fifth on digging and restoration.

A summer field school at Hazor, the largest biblical-era city in Israel and a major political, economic and cultural center for over a millennium; participants stay at Kibbutz Kfar HaNassi on the banks of the Jordan River, with credit available (up to 1 credit per week) through Hebrew University's Rothberg International School.

An excavation at Tel Gezer, one of the first sites in Israel to use student volunteers instead of paid laborers and the first to offer a field school for students; academic credit varies by sponsoring university program.

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 flexible-length Jewish learning program in the Old City for all ages, running anywhere from half a day to a few weeks.

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.

An accessible version of the classic 10-day Birthright Israel trip for Jewish young adults ages 18-32 with developmental, cognitive, or physical disabilities, run in partnership with organizations like Yachad and Yalla, featuring a specialized bus, higher staff-to-participant ratios, adjusted pacing, and one-to-one aides when needed, without sacrificing the richness of the standard itinerary.

A 5-week inclusive Israel experience bringing typical high school students together with Yachad members who have developmental, learning, or physical disabilities, combining touring and Jewish learning with a hands-on model of full social inclusion.

The classic short-term kibbutz work-exchange program: volunteers aged 18-35 work about 8.5 hours a day, five days a week, in a kibbutz's agriculture, kitchen, garden, or factory branches, in exchange for shared accommodation, three daily meals, and laundry facilities, without the structured Hebrew-ulpan component of Kibbutz Ulpan.

A 10-month fellowship for college graduates aged 20-26 combining Hebrew immersion, civil rights and community-building volunteer work, and hands-on social action, structured in three roughly 3-month sections: Hebrew ulpan at an absorption center, full-time community service in a development town, and a final stretch on a kibbutz, in the army, or in an internship, with housing, transportation, and food all arranged by program staff.

A supplemental enrichment fellowship that runs alongside a student's main shana ba'aretz (gap year) program, bringing together students from more than 20 partner yeshivot, seminaries, and gap-year programs to study the texts, events, and personalities that forged modern Zionism, including Israeli military history, political debates, and literature.

A 10-month fellowship for post-college young adults with strong Hebrew (Arabic a plus), interning 32 hours a week at an individually-selected Israeli NGO working on civil and human rights, environmental justice, Jewish-Arab equality, women's status, religious pluralism, or economic gaps, with monthly enrichment programming and leadership training.

A heavily subsidized 10-month program for computer science and engineering graduates to gain advanced tech skills in Israel, with intensive training from leading local and multinational companies in software development, cybersecurity, big data, cloud computing, and machine learning.

A fully accredited semester of high school in Israel for Reform-movement teens in grades 10-12, formerly known as NFTY-EIE, combining Hebrew, Reform Judaism, and Israel history and culture with home-school-equivalent coursework in English, math, science, and social studies; since 2023 its secular academic administration is run jointly with Alexander Muss while the Reform movement retains all religious and Israel-focused programming.

A fully accredited semester of high school in Jerusalem for 10th-12th graders, combining Judaic and general studies at the Ramah Jerusalem High School with immersive exploration of Jewish identity, Israel, and the city itself over just under four and a half months.

A gap-year partnership between Yeshiva University and more than 40 yeshivot and seminaries across Israel, letting Orthodox gap-year students immerse in Torah learning at a partner institution of their choice while remaining fully enrolled YU undergraduates, with separate men's and women's school tracks.

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 gap year for Habonim Dror Southern Africa members, combining leadership and educational training at Jerusalem's Machon LeMadrichim, work and communal living on Kibbutz Revivim, and a trip to Poland to confront the history of the Holocaust, all within the Progressive Labor Zionist youth movement's framework.

A contemporary-dance program (established 2012) for male dancers 18-28 and female dancers 18-25 with a dance background, from Israel and around the world, offered by Vertigo Dance Company at its Eco-Art Village on a Judean-foothills kibbutz; recognized by Israel's Ministry of Culture & Sports, with graduates going on to the independent dance scene internationally.

An annual two-week Israel mission for CAMERA Fellows, CCAP activists and other campus Israel-advocacy leaders from the US, Canada and Uruguay, filled with expert speakers, lectures and touring -- most of the trip based in Jerusalem, with a Tel Aviv visit, a free weekend, and closing days on a Kinneret-area kibbutz -- to sharpen participants' ability to advocate accurately and effectively for Israel back on campus.

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.

A co-ed, religious-Zionist Israel year program for post-high-school graduates from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America, combining Torah/Jewish-studies learning with self-empowerment and personal-growth programming, distinct from World Bnei Akiva's other tracks (Kadima, Mechina Olamit, Torani, MTA).

An 8-month gap year for the Revisionist-Zionist Betar movement, running March-November: four months of Machon LeMadrichim leadership training at Kiryat Moriah alongside 100+ young people from other youth movements worldwide, a taste of IDF service through the Marva course, seminars across Israel and in Poland, and an extended period of community volunteering.

A 10-month gap year for members of the Labor-Zionist, secular Hashomer Hatzair youth movement (active in over a dozen countries including France, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay), living communally in Israel and becoming part of Israeli society before returning home to lead the movement's younger members.

A required summer-term Israel program (typically in the third year) for Reconstructionist Rabbinical College students, combining academic coursework and experiential learning on Israel's history, culture, politics and contemporary society; students who want to extend for an additional term or full year can access RRC scholarships and academic advising to do so.

An intensive 10-12 week summer Israel program for Ziegler rabbinical students, replacing what was previously a full year in Israel (third-year students traditionally spent a year there before the school's 2023 curriculum restructuring shortened the program overall).

A required second-year-of-study year in Israel for JTS rabbinical students, based at the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies, engaging students with Israeli society, history and politics alongside advanced Jewish text study to prepare them to teach and speak knowledgeably about Israel in their future communities. A joint Pardes/JTS track also lets students count a year at Pardes toward the rabbinical degree.

A mandatory first year in Israel for all HUC-JIR rabbinical, cantorial and Jewish-education graduate students, opening with a Hebrew ulpan before a full slate of Hebrew immersion, foundational textual skills, Israel studies, community-building and community-service projects, using Israel itself as a classroom to explore Israeli culture, Zionist history and contemporary social/political issues.

A gap year for lacrosse players ages 18-30 to live, train and compete in Israel for a college semester or full year, playing in domestic league and exhibition games plus tournaments abroad in Europe, completing a formal coach-certification program and mentoring local youth teams as ambassadors for the sport.

A Bachelor's/Master's/Artist Diploma program (established 2008) for outstanding foreign musicians in instrumental performance, voice, conducting or composition, taught by IPO principal players and other leading Israeli musicians, with performance opportunities in the school's Symphony Orchestra, chamber ensembles and bilingual (Hebrew/English) opera productions.

A semester-long option for international students 18+ to study at a college combining engineering, design and art under one roof, taking English-taught courses plus hands-on art/design workshops conducted in simplified Hebrew; the International Office also runs exchange, internship and transdisciplinary-project partnerships with schools like Cornell and Yale.

An International School offering English-taught and hybrid English-Hebrew degree programs at a 23,000-student college, including an International Law LLB for international students, Olim and globally minded applicants seeking a legal education grounded in Israeli, comparative and international law, with support gradually integrating students into Israeli academic life.

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 new (launching 2026-27) pre-college gap year combining a minimum of four for-credit Tel Aviv University courses with cybersecurity, AI and entrepreneurship workshops, hands-on research in TAU labs, mentorship from Israeli entrepreneurs, Jewish-peoplehood programming, and immersive tours across Israel.

A 16-day leadership and advocacy training program for North American college-student leaders, active on 95+ campuses, combining ten workshops on Israel advocacy and campus leadership with meetings with Israeli political, military and business figures and conversations with Israelis and Palestinians across the political spectrum, in order to return as trained pro-Israel campus advocates.

A 10-month elite government and policy internship placing Fellows in Israeli government ministries and NGOs for hands-on public-administration work, paired with intensive Hebrew study, tours, and weekly seminar days meeting Israeli officials, policymakers, journalists and activists. Founded in 2007 to strengthen the Diaspora-Israel connection and global Jewish leadership.

A 6-month leadership program (with an optional 3+ month 'Perek Bet' internship extension) bringing young Israelis together with Jewish peers from around the world to study Jewish Peoplehood, public diplomacy and Jewish texts alongside personal-growth work and volunteering that benefits Israeli society.

A 5-10 month post-high-school program combining Machon Le'Madrichim leadership seminars, an optional taste of IDF Marva training, Magen David Adom EMS training, kibbutz living and work, touring across Israel, and a Poland trip focused on Shoah education; fully supervised by Maccabi World Union madrichim.

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.

An 8-month gap year for UK school leavers built around Socialist-Zionist and collective-living values: 3 months on kibbutz (Shorashim) for group bonding, Hebrew ulpan and Jewish/Zionist education; a month of leadership training; and 4 months (Anafim) living communally in an Israeli city, volunteering, running youth groups, teaching English, and a March of the Living trip to Poland.

Britain's flagship Zionist-youth-movement gap year: a 9-month program (or 4-month option) split between a Jerusalem semester and a Tel Aviv-area semester based in Bat Yam, combining academic study, community volunteering, direct engagement with Israeli society and a Special Interest Month (options include kibbutz, yeshiva, hiking, business internship, or surfing).

An 8-10 month program for young adults (18-21) combining Sherut Leumi-style social-service volunteering (health, education or welfare, participant's choice) with an educational program on Israeli-Arab conflict, politics and current affairs, leadership/entrepreneurship seminars, and cultural/outdoor activities, while living independently in rented Tel Aviv apartments.

An immersive Jerusalem gap year for 70 recent high school graduates -- half from North America, half from Israel -- blending Jewish text study, philosophy and modern thought with leadership training and communal life, drawing on the Hartman Institute's pluralistic scholarship and methodology.

An egalitarian yeshiva offering one-year, pre-college, advanced-studies, summer and winter Torah-study tracks for adults of all backgrounds and denominations, blending traditional beit midrash learning with a Conservative/Masorti approach; the program includes Thursday day trips and a Shabbaton, and long-term study is Masa-eligible.

A pluralistic, egalitarian beit midrash for university graduates combining classic Jewish text study (Talmud, Tanach, Halacha) with philosophical, ethical and societal questions facing the Jewish people today, taught seminar-style with chavruta (paired) learning; students choose from a wide range of electives and can study for Elul (September), a semester, or the full year while living independently in Jerusalem.

A personalized, one-on-one Hebrew program built around the 'Rapid Language Acquisition' method, with the flagship Sabra Immersion track combining three hours of daily one-on-one study with 1.5 hours of interactive outdoor activities; also offered as 10-day, one-week and two-week intensives.

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 9-month (or 6-month, depending on the track you decide), co-educational, army-preperation and leadership gap year. The program is completely mixed between Israeli and overseas participants, combining immersive Zionist and Jewish learning with hands-on leadership experiences at World Bnei Akiva's flagship international mechina campus in Jerusalem. The first 3 months of the program are run in English, the second 3 in Hebrew, and the final 3 months are for overseas participants only, and in English.

An immersive, co-ed, modern-Orthodox Zionist gap-year program giving participants a broad taste of Israeli life through internships, kibbutz living, volunteering, Magen David Adom training, a taste of Marva IDF preparation, seminars, Torah learning and travel.

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 secular/pluralistic, co-ed pre-military academy in the western Negev near the Gaza border, combining standard mechina Jewish-identity and leadership study with community volunteering in the region.

A pluralistic, co-ed pre-military academy emphasizing progressive and Zionist leadership development, alongside standard mechina Jewish-identity study and community volunteering.

A pluralistic, co-ed pre-military academy across several small Arava Valley communities, deliberately open to all Jewish denominations to maximize the diversity of its cohort, alongside standard mechina Jewish-identity and leadership study.

A pluralistic, co-ed pre-military leadership academy in Harish drawing on Israeli Air Force heritage and values as a framework for its leadership training, alongside standard mechina Jewish-identity study.

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 in Beer Sheva open to students of all religious backgrounds, combining standard mechina Jewish-identity and leadership study with community volunteering in the Negev.

A pluralistic, co-ed pre-military academy across three campuses focused on cultivating a new generation of Israeli leadership with an emphasis on social and environmental responsibility, alongside standard mechina Jewish-identity study.

A pluralistic, co-ed pre-military academy established in 2018 that uses a distinctive physical-and-mental training system to build modern-age resilience and life skills, alongside standard mechina Jewish-identity and leadership study.

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 pluralistic, co-ed pre-military academy set in a dense urban environment, emphasizing social justice and coexistence work within Tel Aviv-Jaffa's diverse Jewish and Arab communities alongside standard mechina Jewish-identity and leadership study.

A pluralistic, co-ed pre-military gap-year academy combining intensive study of Jewish identity, Zionism and Israeli society with coursework in the arts and environmentalism, plus independent study, community volunteering and physical preparation for IDF service.

A Foreign Volunteer Program placing short-term overseas volunteers alongside nursing staff, in service laboratories, and in patient-comfort and care roles at Hadassah's two university hospitals, with a coordinator introducing each volunteer to their unit and staying in touch throughout their placement.

Israel's national food-rescue organization runs gleaning trips to pick surplus produce in the fields, night-time food rescue runs, and sandwich-packing sessions for schoolchildren, redistributing rescued food to a network of 200+ partner nonprofits serving over 175,000 people weekly; sessions require no prior training or professional credentials.

Volunteers support children from developing countries receiving pediatric cardiac care, organizing games and activities and providing companionship and emotional support to patients and families before and after their procedures; tracks range from an 'Immersive' 3-week minimum to longer 'Superstar' and 'Buddy' commitments of 2+ months.

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.

Israel's only hi-tech-focused gap year, combining a 4-month coding bootcamp (earning a Front-End Developer certificate in mobile and web app development) with a hands-on internship at Be'er Sheva tech companies and start-ups such as Wix and PayPal, plus Hebrew study and organized trips around Israel.

An intensive 10-day seminar bringing together Israelis and Palestinians ages 20-30 for 18 hours of hands-on tech/entrepreneurship training alongside 18 hours of facilitated conflict-dialogue sessions and a hackathon, followed by ongoing alumni dialogue and cultural-exchange programming.

A highly selective, lifelong business and tech fellowship for outstanding Jewish college students that begins with a 10-week summer internship in Tel Aviv at a Fortune 500 company, top consulting firm or Israeli startup across fields like finance, venture capital, software engineering and biotech, followed by ongoing mentorship and a 1,500+ alumni professional network.

An internationally-ranked film school's lab program bringing a small cohort of outstanding local and international emerging filmmakers to Jerusalem to develop their debut feature film projects, alongside the school's separate four-year directing/producing and two-year screenwriting degree tracks.

A juried two-week international artist residency at Musrara's Naggar School selecting five interdisciplinary artists from Israel and abroad working in photography, new media, video art, sound and experimental music, alongside the school's ongoing three-year photography, new-media and phototherapy departments.

A highly competitive 7-week summer research program (running since 1971) placing outstanding undergraduates from physical sciences, chemistry, life sciences, math or computer science majors into a Weizmann lab under a research scientist's supervision, working on a real research project alongside the scientific team.

A university-level dance program for international students combining technical training in classical ballet, contemporary dance (including Ohad Naharin's Gaga), choreography and improvisation with Rothberg International School's academic coursework on Israeli history, society and culture.

An English-language study track for overseas students combining first-semester courses from Ariel's three-year undergraduate programs with an intensive 500-hour Hebrew ulpan, run in partnership with Masa Israel Journey; students live and study alongside Israeli peers on the Ariel campus.

The Reconstructionist movement's Israel program for 11th graders: after building community together at Camp JRF, participants travel to Israel for a month, tracing how Jews have lived on the land throughout history, spending Shabbat in Jerusalem, watching sunrise over Masada, doing tikkun olam projects with Israeli peers, and meeting Reconstructionist rabbis living in Israel.

The Conservative/Masorti movement's gap-year program, run in partnership with Aardvark Israel: a full academic year split between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, with intensive Hebrew ulpan, university-accredited coursework, internships/volunteering, and leadership training grounded in Conservative/Masorti values.

A pluralistic, fully-accredited study-abroad program for high schoolers combining general studies with experiential Israel-studies curriculum (learning history on-site at the actual locations). Offered as a semester, a shorter 'Mini-Mester', or summer sessions; students can earn college credit through the University of Miami. The Reform movement's own standalone semester program, URJ Heller High (formerly NFTY-EIE, previously based at Kibbutz Tzuba), recently merged into AMHSI due to declining enrollment -- Heller High students now live and take Jewish studies together as a track within the AMHSI campus near Tel Aviv rather than as a separate program.

A 5-month permaculture and sustainable-living program for English-speaking young adults ages 18-24, centered on a Permaculture Design Course (internationally certified) and hands-on farm work. A Masa-affiliated long-term program.

A month-long, hands-on program in permaculture, natural building (straw-bale and earth-plaster construction), and organic agriculture, living on Lotan's eco-campus of student-built earthen domes. Graduates receive an internationally recognized Permaculture Design Certificate.

An accredited university-level semester (or full-year) environmental studies program bringing together Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian, and international students to study topics like sustainable agriculture, cross-border water management, and environmental diplomacy.

Places North American medical students, nursing students, and other healthcare professionals as volunteers in Israeli hospitals and primary-care services, matched to placements by ability and availability. Also runs an annual APF/Birthright medical trip for medical, nursing, and allied-health students to see Israeli healthcare firsthand.

A four-year, North American-style M.D. program taught in English, integrating global health coursework throughout. First three years in Israel (with Medical Hebrew in years 1-2), fourth-year clinical electives at Columbia University Medical Center, and an eight-week clerkship in an underserved community worldwide. Applicants need an undergraduate degree, at least one year of North American college coursework, and an MCAT or GAMSAT score; must hold a passport from a country with diplomatic relations with Israel.

The largest gap-year program in Israel (9 months, up to 30 college credits) offers a Medical Track: a 10-day intensive course followed by five weeks of hands-on volunteering aboard Magen David Adom ambulances alongside Israeli paramedics, plus tours and workshops with Israeli medical staff. Eligible for 3 college credits. No prior medical experience required, but a conversational Hebrew oral test must be passed before volunteering with MDA.

A pluralistic, non-movement-affiliated program combining outdoor adventure with workshops in visual, performing, and literary arts, community service, and creative Jewish study. Israeli and North American participants travel together through four regions of Israel exploring the land's role in Jewish history and the future of Jewish life, with a multi-day service project benefiting Israeli children.

A nine-month artistic gap-year program for 18-19 year-olds studying visual arts, music, theater, or dance. Students choose one of four tracks and get weekly one-on-one studio time with professional artists, plus a personal artistic project. Participants live alongside Israeli students from the 'Ruach Nachon' pre-army artistic academy, building Hebrew fluency and Israeli friendships. Includes trips, volunteering, and Jewish learning.

One or two semesters of study at Israel's oldest and most prestigious art and design academy, in fields including fine arts, photography, visual communication, animation, fashion/jewelry design, ceramics and glass, industrial design, architecture, and material culture. Courses in Hebrew or English; a week-long Hebrew course precedes the spring semester. Exchange students are housed at Hebrew University dormitories. IMPORTANT CAVEAT: this is a university exchange, not an open-enrollment program -- applicants must be nominated by a partner institution's international office (Bezalel partners with ~100 art schools worldwide), so it is not available to individuals applying directly without a partner-school affiliation.

A one-year, English-language program for international students at Israel's leading contemporary music school, covering music theory, ear training, arranging, music technology, songwriting, composition, improvisation, private instruction, and ensembles. Begins with a month-long Hebrew ulpan and orientation. Students fluent in Hebrew may continue into Rimon's full majors (jazz, performance, production, composition, education). Commuter campus -- no on-site housing, but staff help arrange shared apartments.

A volunteer medical based program for young Jewish adults (ages 18-40) that provides certified first-responder training followed by experiences in real ambulance shifts alongside Israeli medics; offered independently and through Masa Israel partnerships.

An official Israeli government program placing overseas volunteers from 51+ countries into welfare settings (group homes, day centers, nursing homes) to support people with disabilities, at-risk youth, Holocaust survivors, and the elderly.

A Masa-affiliated program for English-speaking young adults (ages 21-30) to live, study Hebrew and Jewish culture, and volunteer in south Tel Aviv-Jaffa, choosing between Social Action, Coexistence, or Internship tracks over 5 or 10 months.

A long-running lone-soldier program (since 1991) that brings young Jewish adults from abroad to make aliyah and serve in the IDF, providing a 'garin' (seed group) peer community, host absorption support, and ongoing assistance before, during, and after military service.

An umbrella program run by Israel's official council of mechinot that places Jewish high school graduates from the diaspora directly into Israeli pre-military academies for a fully-integrated 10-month experience alongside Israeli peers, with both English- and Hebrew-language track options depending on the host mechina.

Founded in 1997 as Israel's first secular/pluralistic mechina and the first to accept international participants, Nachshon alternates 'in' weeks of campus study with 'out' weeks of hiking and volunteering, emphasizing leadership, Zionism, and Israeli identity. Runs in Hebrew and is primarily for Israelis, but has a history of hosting overseas participants through the Yachad program.

A mixed religious-secular pre-army academy founded in 1997 by the Beit Yisrael urban kibbutz community, bringing about 70 young Israelis together annually for Torah study, community volunteering (10+ hours/week), and leadership training before IDF service. Israeli-only, Hebrew-language program with no overseas track.

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.

A pluralistic pre-military leadership academy founded in 2001, combining Jewish text study, Israeli society engagement, and leadership training for Israeli high school graduates before IDF service. Primarily Israeli-only and Hebrew-language, though it participates in the Joint Council of Mechinot's Yachad initiative that places diaspora young adults into partner mechinot.

Sapir Academic College's International Office offers semester-based courses in English for overseas students in fields such as marketing, communications, cinema, law, economics, and social work, studying alongside Israeli peers.

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.

BGU's overseas student program offers a semester or year of English-taught coursework spanning anthropology, environmental studies, political science, global health, and Israel studies, plus a six-week Hebrew ulpan and dorm life with Israeli suitemates.

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.

Bar-Ilan University's English-taught overseas student program for a semester or full gap year, combining Jewish studies, general academic coursework, and Hebrew ulpan with dormitory life and organized trips around Israel.

Tel Aviv University's international school offers undergraduates a semester or full academic year of English-taught coursework in fields like international relations, business, Jewish and Israel studies, plus intensive Hebrew study, while living on TAU's Tel Aviv campus.

Hebrew University's school for international students, offering undergraduate study abroad and exchange tracks with English-taught courses across the humanities, social sciences, business, and Israel/Middle East studies, plus Hebrew ulpan.

A 22-day summer trip for teens in grades 9-12 combining a Holocaust-heritage journey through Poland with touring and volunteering in Israel, in separate boys' and girls' sessions.

A four-week traveling Israel program bringing together teens from six Habonim Dror North America camps, emphasizing values-based education, youth empowerment, and engagement with contemporary Israeli society.

A six-week immersive Israel adventure for Jewish teens entering 11th or 12th grade, exploring the country's history, culture, and people; eligible for RootOne and Masa grants.

A 3.5-week pluralist Israel summer trip for teens entering 10th or 11th grade from any camp or denomination background.

The three-week Israel component of the year-long Diller Teen Fellows leadership program, bringing ~700 Jewish teens from 32 partner communities across 7 countries together for the Global Diller Congress.

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 five-week Israel summer tour for 10th-grade graduates from Orthodox/religious-Zionist backgrounds, with historical sites, hikes, an Adventure Week track, and movement-wide events.

A six-week travel and study program for rising 12th-grade graduates of Ramah camps, combining hiking, text study, and discussion-based learning, with optional Sea-to-Sea Hike and Gadna tracks.

A four-week summer program for Reform-movement teens (grades 10-12) combining touring, hiking, and social-justice engagement across Israel.

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 semester or year-long visiting/study-abroad program at Israel's first private university, offering English-taught coursework across all schools.

An immersive program for young adults engaging in social-justice partnerships between Israelis and Palestinians, combining Arabic/Hebrew study, activism, and homestays.

A volunteer program placing civilians (17+) on IDF bases for 1-3 weeks to perform non-combat logistical support such as packing medical supplies and equipment maintenance, living alongside soldiers.

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 competitive 8-week summer internship program for active TAMID Group chapter members, placing fellows at Israeli companies in finance, tech, and entrepreneurship while living in Tel Aviv.

A 5-6 month professional internship program for Jewish young adults over 21, offering internship placements with Israeli companies, central Tel Aviv housing, Hebrew classes, and career-development seminars.

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

A 10-month secular gap-year program in which participants live communally with Israeli peers in south Tel Aviv, study pluralistic Judaism and Hebrew, and take part in grassroots social-action volunteering.

An academic gap-year program for high school graduates based in Jerusalem that combines Jewish and Middle Eastern studies (including Hebrew and Arabic) with extensive travel to up to a dozen countries, offering a transferable Hebrew College transcript.

A customizable gap-year and semester program combining internships or volunteering, Hebrew ulpan, academic courses for college credit, and field trips, with participants living in staffed apartments in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.

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

A Conservative movement gap year program blending Israel study, army service (Marva), and leadership development.

A nine-month gap year program combining volunteering, touring, army experience, and academic study across Israel.

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.