Onward Israel is made possible by a partnership between The Jewish Agency for Israel, lead philanthropists, Federations and Jewish organizations around the world. Onward Israel provides participants with meaningful, immersive, and transformative six-to-ten-week experiences in Israel through internships, service learning, academic courses, and fellowships.
Besides life-changing experiences, Onward also provides housing, board, educational programs, insurance, and more. The program began in 2012 with 265 participants. Year after year, the program organizers work to increase the number of Birthright and teen programs alumni who return to Israel for a second visit.
Lia, a 22-year-old from Virginia, said of her summer with Onward Israel, “This summer, I have gotten to do what I love most in a fascinating and beautiful country, while learning and growing in ways I never could have expected,” Lia did an internship at EcoTraders, Israel’s Green Energy initiative, where she worked with solar energy.
Sam did his internship at Shaare Zedek Hospital’s emergency department in Jerusalem. Sam appreciated the exchange with his local supervisor, Shaul. “Shaul showed me extreme kindness and warmth and, almost daily, brought me into his office to share a cup of coffee and a conversation,” said Sam. “The barriers of age, culture and (as much as possible) language were traversed solely because we were Jews and he wanted to make me as comfortable as possible.”
