MEET THE FELLOWS

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario
College: York University
Major: Sociology
City in Israel: Petach Tikva
Fellowship Year: 2012-2013

I was deciding whether to stay in Toronto or come to Israel after graduation. I knew I wanted to do some volunteering and Israel Teaching Fellows allows me to gain that hands-on experience I need to get my Master’s in Social Work. I know these 10 months will allow me to obtain a lot of field research prior to my graduate studies. I’m interested in working with youth and anything to do with helping society, I want to make a big impact this year. I hope the students will take some things we teach them and apply them later in life to help them become better people, not just better students.

Hometown: Stone Ridge, New York
College: SUNY New Paltz
Major: History
City in Israel: Beer Sheva
Fellowship Year: 2012-2013

After graduating, I knew I wanted to work and live abroad. Israel Teaching Fellows was the way to meet those goals. A couple of years ago, I didn’t even know when the Jewish holidays were and now I am working at a religious school – I absolutely love it! I can’t explain how good everything is. My school is great and I love my students. They are very eager to learn English and speak with me. They’re really interested in having a connection with a young Jewish American.

The class is very welcoming to me, I really feel at home here. I hope the students are inspired to travel and build a connection to the United States. This is a cultural exchange, as well as an amazing volunteer experience. Beer Sheva is my favorite city in Israel. People are very friendly and eager to know what we are doing here, which is very cool. I really want to show Israelis American culture and learn about their culture, as well.

Hometown: Ellicott City, Maryland
College: Johns Hopkins University
Major: Psychology
City in Israel: Rishon LeTzion
Fellowship Year: 2012-2013

When I went on Birthright, I wasn’t expecting to get that much out of it. I really loved it and had a great experience. I knew I wanted to come back to Israel after college. I’m interested in pursuing a graduate degree in clinical psychology, focusing on children. Israel Teaching Fellows will allow me to broaden my perspective and give me a sense of what it’s like to work with kids from a different culture. I love working with kids. These students are so eager to learn English with us because we are form America. There’s definitely something exciting about learning a language from a native speaker.

Hometown: Santa Rosa, California
College: UC Berkeley
Major: Anthropology
City in Israel: Netanya
Fellowship Year: 2012-2013

I wanted to volunteer in Israel before going to graduate school. While I’ve always felt connected to Israel, I feel a stronger connection now since this is my home for the next 10 months. I don’t think many people get to have an experience like this. I have a lot of room to grow, explore, meet new people and learn a new culture. Israel is such a fascinating country, so technologically advanced. The children need to learn English if they want to put these resources to good use. I’m so proud to be facilitating this experience.

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
University: Tulane University
City in Israel: Petach Tikvah, Israel
Fellowship Year: 2011-2012

Not many programs give young adults the chance to do such meaningful work as does Israel Teaching Fellows.  Israel Teaching Fellows get the opportunity to teach in an Israeli public school and do volunteer work in their new communities. If you are interested in living in Israel and teaching, there is no better program than Israel Teaching Fellows. As a Fellow, you get the opportunity to integrate yourself into Israeli society and give back to your new community in a very meaningful way.

Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida
College: Emory University
Major; Creative Writing and Music
City in Israel: Rehovot
Fellowship Year: 2011-2012

This is my first time being abroad for more than two weeks and I’m having a life-changing experience.  As a teacher in an Israeli public school, I’ve had the opportunity to positively impact my students’ education. In addition to the excellent training I received during my first month in Israel, I have been encouraged to use creative teaching modalities. Best of all, I’ve enjoyed getting to know my students. Talking to them always puts a smile on my face.

My neighbors in Rehovot come from all over the world—Russia, Ethiopia, Yemen, Europe, the US, and South America—and each one of them has a unique story about their journey to Israel.  They are all extremely welcoming, inviting me to spend the holidays with them only after a few minutes of talking.  I’ve taken a few of them up on the offer, and home-cooked family meals have been unforgettable.

Hometown: Shaker Heights, Ohio, USA
College: Bucknell University, Pennsylvania
Major: International Relations
City in Israel: Ramla-Lod
Fellowship Year: 2011-2012

Realizing that I had found a way to make my student understand English grammar was an incredible achievement—and well worth the struggle it took to get there.

As an Israel Teaching Fellow, I overcome challenges on a daily basis and feel myself becoming a stronger and more independent individual.  I know am gaining tools that I will use for the rest of my life.

Hometown: Newark, Delaware
College: University of Delaware
Major: Elementary and Special Education
City in Israel: Netanya
Fellowship Year: 2011-2012

I came to Israel with one goal: to volunteer.  But, I never expected that I would also work alongside 24 amazing peers from the US, meet Israelis who would take me on adventures throughout Israel, and become an A-list celebrity among the students at Shazar Elementary School!

Amidst adjusting to my new life in Israel and getting to know my students who come from broken homes, I find that I’ve become immersed in Israeli society.  My Hebrew has improved, I feel comfortable with Israeli culture, and best of all, I feel myself making a positive difference in the lives of others each day.

Hometown: Troy, Michigan, USA
College: University of Michigan
City in Israel: Rishon Lezion
Fellowship Year: 2011-2012

My work as a teacher’s aide in a middle to low-income school in Israel has been an eye-opening experience.  While the school’s culture is much different than that in the US, the kids are still the same: in need of love, nurture and guidance.  Each day, my students greet me with hugs, smiles and questions about life in the States.  Their gratitude is fully reciprocated; thousands of miles from the US, I feel at home.

I never imagined that my first trip to Israel would be this fulfilling.   Not only has Israel Teaching Fellows given me the chance to develop my career and personal goals, but I have had also had the opportunity to explore this beautiful country meet people from all over the world and make a real difference.

Hometown: Somerville, Massachusetts, USA
College: Harvard University, Massachusetts, USA
Major: History of Science
City in Israel: Ramla-Lod
Fellowship Year: 2011-2012

I volunteer five days a week in a religious girls school in Lod, teaching and tutoring girls from grades 3 through 6 in small groups. Although I do not have any religious background and initially was hesitant to work in a religious school, now I wouldn’t trade my time there for anything. The girls are indescribably sweet, and I have found the community very welcoming – they accept that I am not religious, and they are curious to learn about my customs as a secular Jewish American while at the same time eager to teach me about theirs.

Before I came to Israel with Israel Teaching Fellows, I worked for two years in healthcare administration in Boston. Although the job was interesting and comfortable, I have found teaching these girls every day to be a more fulfilling way for me to dedicate my time. In fact, it has been easy for me to decide that, after this year, I would like not to return to my former career path but rather to continue teaching young students – maybe even in Israel.