Habuah Film Night - Ozen Hashlishit
The girls got to go to Max Brenner chocolate restaurant for bonding before leaving to complete the last 3 months in Jerusalem.
A small movie theatre in Tel-Aviv at "The Third Ear" was rented out for the night and we showed the recent Israeli movie "Habuah" (The Bubble). Typically Israeli, it is an intersting, yet controversial movie about the relationships between young Israeli and Palestinians in the current climate.
We returned to Bat-Yam where we learned about the organizations that could help smooth the process of moving to Israel, Nefesh B'Nefesh and Garin Tzabar. Nefesh B'Nefesh helps cut through the bureaucratic difficulties which make Aliyah so intimidating, and Garin Tzabar provides a supportive environment during army service. We finished the day with a talk with a girl currently serving in the IDF through Garin Tzabar. It was a really long day, filled with lots of information and options, which helped those who already had set plans for Aliyah understand their rights and what to expect, and those who hadn't yet made their plans concrete learned about the options that can make the process easier. I'm sure that over the next five years or so, most of our small group will have moved to Israel, proud to be fulfilling our dream of making Aliyah.
The girls got to go to Max Brenner chocolate restaurant for bonding before leaving to complete the last 3 months in Jerusalem.
A small movie theatre in Tel-Aviv at "The Third Ear" was rented out for the night and we showed the recent Israeli movie "Habuah" (The Bubble). Typically Israeli, it is an intersting, yet controversial movie about the relationships between young Israeli and Palestinians in the current climate.
Last week was a Campus Activism and Aliyah Seminar. For these two days, we were given a choice to choose from one of two options. Those going on to university or college next year took part in various workshops and speakers that addressed the issue of being Jewish on campus. For those considering making Aliyah there was a more practical seminar highlighting the main issues and challenges to expect.
Designed for chanichim seriously considering making Aliyah in the next 1-3 years, there was little time spent on feel-good Zionistic fluff, instead chanichim got the hard facts about the process of Aliyah.
We started Sunday night by having a talk about the rights of a new oleh (immigrant) to Israel. Did you know that all Olim under 30 receive three years of university tuition?!?! That's enough for a degree! Olim also receive tax breaks, five free months of Ulpan with stipend money, extra money to ease move, and more- and the flight to Israel is free with extra allowed for baggage! The following morning we were visited by the staff of Merkaz HaMagshimim, an absorption center and community center for English speakers supported by Hadassah. This was then followed by a talk about serving inthe Israeli army.
After lunch, we took a bus to Herzeliyah and used the transit to absorb the rapid information from the morning and to discuss the biblical history of Aliyah as well as the Interdisciplinary Center, or IDC, a college of social sciences with an international school growing in prestige. While this is a private institution and the tuition for Olim isn't completely covered by Israel's government, it's much cheaper than American universities and offers the benefits of a smaller student body, the chance to meet and learn with people from around the world, and get practical experience which would look great on any resume. We met some former Year Coursers who chose IDC after trying universities back in America and England and wanted to finish their degrees in Israel. The IDC isn't for everyone, but many of us left happy to know that there was a great option for university here in Israel.
We returned to Bat-Yam where we learned about the organizations that could help smooth the process of moving to Israel, Nefesh B'Nefesh and Garin Tzabar. Nefesh B'Nefesh helps cut through the bureaucratic difficulties which make Aliyah so intimidating, and Garin Tzabar provides a supportive environment during army service. We finished the day with a talk with a girl currently serving in the IDF through Garin Tzabar. It was a really long day, filled with lots of information and options, which helped those who already had set plans for Aliyah understand their rights and what to expect, and those who hadn't yet made their plans concrete learned about the options that can make the process easier. I'm sure that over the next five years or so, most of our small group will have moved to Israel, proud to be fulfilling our dream of making Aliyah.
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