By Rabbi Rich Kirschen, Director As you are reading this, our teens are preparing for Shabbat services in the Galilee, on the Mediterranean coast, in Jerusalem and even in Krakow, Poland. This has been an intensive week for all our participants who have been exploring...

By Aviva Brynjegard-Bialik, Bus 4 Participant What was my first thought when I stepped off of the plane? Well, first was “thank goodness the 13 hour plane ride is over.” But after that, I couldn’t help but feel that this is home. I can’t help but feel connected to...

The Yam L'Yam (Sea to Sea) hike is one of several elective options, or chavayot, that NFTY in Israel teens choose from to pursue their own interests and make new friends. Learn more at...

Why I Chose Tikkun Olam By Emmaleah Stapp When it comes to picking a chavaya for the summer, you may find there is an obvious, “easy” option. Meaning, you wouldn’t have to apply effort or the actions involve less physical work. Tikkun Olam may fall under this category...

Why I Chose Gadna By Wellington Rothschild Why did I pick Gadna? A question that gets asked a lot. For me, I come from a military family. The clocks in my home back in Colorado all run on military time, and my father frequently uses military codes for instruction. The...

By Camille Trawick, Bus 5 Participant When I think agriculture, I think Nebraska or Kansas. The Czech Republic had never come to mind. It’s the bread basket of Europe. It reminded me of home and the wheat fields of Texas. However, many things in Prague were very...