MASA Programs: Finding the Right One
MASA Programs:Finding the Right One
CHOICES:
Today there are dozens of MASA programs for young Jewish adults in Israel. Each program has its own character and individuality. There are programs for religious and non-religious, outdoor-types and indoorsy, work programs, study programs, internship, career advancement and anything else imaginable.
It's not simple to identify the program that is right for each person's needs and interests, but the process can be made easier with the right tools
WHAT DO THEY SAY? WHAT DO THEY DO?
* Hebrew studies -- Some programs offer Hebrew studies, others don't. Some say that they do but the Hebrew classes are minimal.
* Responsibilities -- some MASA programs emphasize the fun of sun and few responsibilities. That's fun for about.....a week. Maybe.
* Career advancement - This is a wonderful catch phrase because everyone is looking to combine an Israel experience with future opportunities. What does "career advancement" really mean? Working in the program provider's offices? That may look good on a resume, but does it help you in the long run? It sure suits the program provider!
* Food - Most of the inexpensive and "free" MASA programs don't serve food. What is advertised as "free" may seem cheaper than a program that has a tuition. But in the end it ends up being much more expensive.
* Accommodations - What are they? A dorm? Campus? Or scattered apartments that resemble a refugee camp more than program housing.
* Work experience - What work experience? Doing unpaid maid and waiter service in return for....what? And who exactly gets paid for the work that the participants are doing? What do you do if you don't LIKE polishing silverware and cleaning bathrooms for local hotels.
* Travel - each MASA program provider is obligated to take the group on three trips per program. After that.....there are programs that take the participants out three times per week! And there are programs that take them out three times per semester. Do the arithmetic.
* Age - Some programs include participants from age 18 - 30. Some recognize that 18-year-olds are not going to want the same kind of programming that a 28-year-old wants. Check to see what age range the program accepts.
In short, the only way to really know that a program is appropriate for a particular individual is to research it thoroughly, including asking past participants for their thoughts and impressions.
TO BUILD AND BE BUILT Of all the MASA programs available there is only one that combines all the elements of other programs' emphasis in one comprehensive program
The Livnot U'Lehibanot To Build and Be Built, combines hiking (hikes every other day), volunteering (working in a variety of community service projects including the town's schools and kindergartens, ecological development, Old Age home, Ethiopian Absorption Center, food banks, soup kitchens, library, local nature reserve, etc) Hebrew study, kibbutz experience, community involvement, workshops and seminars on Jewish and Israel-related issues and weekly Shabbat meals and meetings with local community members, families and residents.
Livnot's MASA program registration fee includes room, 2 meals daily (with an open kitchen to prepare the third), three weekly hikes (at a minimum), Shabbat and holiday celebrations as part of the local community.
Livnot participants live in the charming Old Kabbalistic Jewish Quarter of Tzfat in the Galilee mountainside. Mornings are spent volunteering while participants hike throughout Israel's north in the afternoons. Two months of the program are spent living on a kibbutz, working in the kibbutz's sustainable agricultural branch and learning Hebrew at an intensive Hebrew-study ulpan.
Check out Livnot's MASA programs for the coming semester [http://www.livnot.com/]
Talk to past participants
CHOICES:
Today there are dozens of MASA programs for young Jewish adults in Israel. Each program has its own character and individuality. There are programs for religious and non-religious, outdoor-types and indoorsy, work programs, study programs, internship, career advancement and anything else imaginable.
It's not simple to identify the program that is right for each person's needs and interests, but the process can be made easier with the right tools
WHAT DO THEY SAY? WHAT DO THEY DO?
* Hebrew studies -- Some programs offer Hebrew studies, others don't. Some say that they do but the Hebrew classes are minimal.
* Responsibilities -- some MASA programs emphasize the fun of sun and few responsibilities. That's fun for about.....a week. Maybe.
* Career advancement - This is a wonderful catch phrase because everyone is looking to combine an Israel experience with future opportunities. What does "career advancement" really mean? Working in the program provider's offices? That may look good on a resume, but does it help you in the long run? It sure suits the program provider!
* Food - Most of the inexpensive and "free" MASA programs don't serve food. What is advertised as "free" may seem cheaper than a program that has a tuition. But in the end it ends up being much more expensive.
* Accommodations - What are they? A dorm? Campus? Or scattered apartments that resemble a refugee camp more than program housing.
* Work experience - What work experience? Doing unpaid maid and waiter service in return for....what? And who exactly gets paid for the work that the participants are doing? What do you do if you don't LIKE polishing silverware and cleaning bathrooms for local hotels.
* Travel - each MASA program provider is obligated to take the group on three trips per program. After that.....there are programs that take the participants out three times per week! And there are programs that take them out three times per semester. Do the arithmetic.
* Age - Some programs include participants from age 18 - 30. Some recognize that 18-year-olds are not going to want the same kind of programming that a 28-year-old wants. Check to see what age range the program accepts.
In short, the only way to really know that a program is appropriate for a particular individual is to research it thoroughly, including asking past participants for their thoughts and impressions.
TO BUILD AND BE BUILT Of all the MASA programs available there is only one that combines all the elements of other programs' emphasis in one comprehensive program
The Livnot U'Lehibanot To Build and Be Built, combines hiking (hikes every other day), volunteering (working in a variety of community service projects including the town's schools and kindergartens, ecological development, Old Age home, Ethiopian Absorption Center, food banks, soup kitchens, library, local nature reserve, etc) Hebrew study, kibbutz experience, community involvement, workshops and seminars on Jewish and Israel-related issues and weekly Shabbat meals and meetings with local community members, families and residents.
Livnot's MASA program registration fee includes room, 2 meals daily (with an open kitchen to prepare the third), three weekly hikes (at a minimum), Shabbat and holiday celebrations as part of the local community.
Livnot participants live in the charming Old Kabbalistic Jewish Quarter of Tzfat in the Galilee mountainside. Mornings are spent volunteering while participants hike throughout Israel's north in the afternoons. Two months of the program are spent living on a kibbutz, working in the kibbutz's sustainable agricultural branch and learning Hebrew at an intensive Hebrew-study ulpan.
Check out Livnot's MASA programs for the coming semester [http://www.livnot.com/]
Talk to past participants
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