Hey,

I am so excited to hear that you are thinking about a MASA Israel program with Oranim Long Term Israel Programs! I recently completed the Community Involvement track in the community of Kiryat Ekron and I am currently living in Ramla for the summer with other current Community Involvement volunteers.

Kiryat Ekron was a great city to live in, and to experience the Community Involvement program. I volunteered in city hall, in a local school teaching English to Ethiopian children and at the community center teaching yoga. My peers also taught in the local elementary school, volunteered in a sports after school program and Ethiopian after school program, assisted in the library and at a local hospital.

In Ramla, the current Community Involvement volunteers teach English, volunteer at an old age center and assist at 2 summer camps, one is for Israelis and the other is for Arab-Israelis. They also volunteer at a local animal shelter and at a soup kitchen.

As you can see, the program allows for a wide variety of volunteer experiences and skill set building experiences, and it provides one with the possibility to work with a wide range of ages. Thus, everyone can find the right and meaningful volunteer experience for themselves and grow both personally and professionally. I see this as an opportunity to not take time "off" but rather to take time "on" while building up my resume and living my Jewish ideals of Tzedek and Tikkun Olam.

I am sure you have questions regarding the living arrangements, and I have to say we have the best accommodations. Before and currently, I am in a group house. Both are/were conveniently located to a supermarket and about 7 blocks from a mall. We have a washer and dryer in our house and the house is roomy. In Ramla there is also a fantastic shuk (market) with access to fresh fruits and veggies!

I also have access to buses for both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Both buses take 40-50 minutes to reach your desired destination! When I lived in DC, I would commute 40 minutes each morning to work, and now in the same time I can be in either one of my favorite Israeli cities. I love traveling to both cities in order to visit friends, attend concerts or to just be a tourist. Being on the Community Involvement program allows one to have a true small town Israel experience and to give back to a community in Israel's periphery and to still be connected to the larger cities within Israel.

Language barriers are real, but with our Ulpan classes I have learned so much Hebrew and I am able to navigate around the country and my volunteer placements with ease! It is great to listen to TV and the radio and to begin to piece together Hebrew dialogue and Hebrew lyrics.

A majority of the participants on the Community Involvement program are American. Yet Oranim Long Term Israel Programs also has/had participants from Russia, England, Latin America and Canada.

A little bit about me... I am 28 and originally from California, but I have been living the past four years in Washington, DC working for the Jewish community. I am a past employee of Taglit-Birthright Israel and Birthright Israel NEXT, and also an alumna of both programs. I decided to attend a MASA Israel program since I missed out on studying abroad while in college and this was the perfect time for me to come to Israel now before I begin graduate school.

When coming to Israel I was looking for a program with structure but also with enough flexibility to allow me to grow both professionally and personally. I also wanted a program for the post-college crowd that was aware of my needs as an adult. I could have easily traveled to Israel on my own, or found a job with a work visa, but it was important for me to find a community in Israel and attending a program seemed perfect. I wanted a program that would provide/create social as well as educational programs in order to find and create lifelong friendships. I wanted a volunteer program and I wanted to learn Hebrew. I also wanted a program that would be fun. Oranim's Community Involvement was that program! :)

Please be in touch with any and all questions you may have.

Good luck and I hope to see you in Israel,

Melissa Aviva

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