April 1, 2007

by LENI REISS
Special to Jewish News 

In a hurry to get back to our hotel before Shabbat, two fellow journalists and I have made a wrong turn. We ask a kippah-clad elderly man for directions, telling him, "We are a little bit lost."

"Aren't we all a little lost?" he smiles. "But with God's help, we'll find our way." With those words of wisdom and his directions, we reach our destination.

His words, however, continue to resonate with the three of us, members of a group of 23 journalists from around the world who have come to Israel in March, at a time when the whole country seems to have lost its way, still reeling from last summer's less-than-successful war with Hezbollah and a series of devastating political scandals.

But we are here as guests of MASA (Hebrew for "journey"), an ambitious and optimistic joint effort of the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency, initiated in 2004, to provide Jewish young adults (ages 18-30) with a long-term connection to the land and people of Israel.

Elan Ezrachi, MASA director general, lays the groundwork for our visits to nine of some 160 programs (a semester or a year in the Jewish state) under the MASA umbrella. He explains that this undertaking expands upon the successful free 10-day birthright israel program, with 100,000-plus alumni. MASA-affiliated programs are geared for high school graduates, collegians and post-graduates. They include academics, volunteering and study and represent the spectrum of Jewish tradition.

"We are the 'main course,'" he smiles. "For many young people, our long-term visits are follow-ups to a birthright 'appetizer,' which is great but doesn't necessarily fill you up"

Ezrachi credits former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as the guiding force behind MASA. "Sharon understood that our future is from the West, not from places of distress."

The idea, he says, is to dramatically increase the number of young Jewish adults in semester and year programs, to strengthen their Jewish identity, to create a vibrant association with the Jewish state - and to develop future leaders.

Sharon's enthusiasm for this initiative spearheaded his government's agreement to partner with the Jewish Agency for Israel to fund MASA, "and this is one of the answers to connect young people to Israel," Zeev Bielski, chairman of the Jewish Agency, tells us at a session later in the day.

Offering a sobering observation about the need for programs like MASA to bridge the gap between Israeli and Diaspora Jews, Rabbi Michael Melchior, a member of Knesset, tells us, "We live in a Jewish world with minimal feeling of common destiny and common faith." He says he hopes MASA programs "will result in serious connections with Israel and the creation of a relevant Jewish agenda that is not in place in the world today."

With those points to ponder, we embark upon our own journey to meet MASA participants in sites from one end of the country to the other. As we spend time with them and hear about their extraordinary experiences, we are heartened and impressed. Especially delightful for me was connecting with several Valley young adults involved in a variety of MASA offerings.

'A family tradition'

Sydni Zinker, 18, is enrolled in Bar Ilan University's one-year Tochnit Torah V'Derech Eretz program, taking classes in Judaic and secular studies. Sydni, a Chaparral High School graduate, tells me that Bar Ilan "is a family tradition." Her mother, Laurie, and father, Eli, a Sabra, met in a cafַ on the Ramat-Gan campus when Laurie was a student; and her older sister, Brandi, also studied at Bar Ilan and now is at the Raphael Recanati International School in Haifa. "Mom told us about Bar Ilan, and it was everything I wanted," Sydni says. Although she can transfer her academic credits to schools in the States, at this point she is planning to stay in Israel, continue her studies and perhaps make aliyah. "Israel is where you don't feel different," she says. "It is a meaningful life."

Belly-dancing in Arad

The arts program offered by the WUJS (World Union of Jewish Students) Institute in Arad seems custom-made for Keren Sper of Scottsdale, who graduated from Desert Mountain High School in 1998. It encourages artists to further their creative work while exploring the arts in Israel and interacting with local mentors. Trained as a ballerina, Keren, whose parents are Devin and Tanya Sper (they met in Israel while attending Hebrew University in Jerusalem), has undertaken a rather unusual - and first time for WUJS - project: She is teaching and choreographing belly-dancing classes for fellow WUJS students. She tells me her future plans include opening a studio in Scottsdale.

Social work experience

Orly Shafir, 23, daughter of Nedda and the late Shlomi Shafir, says her 10-month experience with Otzma "is the most incredible opportunity for me. I majored in family studies and human development," she says. "So since social work is my destination, this is a way for me to determine the path I will take."

Through Otzma, a "service-oriented leadership-development program," Orly and a group of her peers are living in the development town of Netivot, "working in elementary schools with at-risk kids, and with elderly immigrants, mostly from North Africa, who are first learning Hebrew."

A bonus for Orly is that her dad was an Israeli native "and it is especially meaningful for me," she explains, "to be here and spend time with his side of the family."

"My Hebrew is improving exponentially," she grins, "and my Israeli family joke that I have seen more of the country than they have."

Future leaders

Katie Winsberg is coordinator of public relations and marketing for Hadassah's Young Judaea Year Course. (I have Katie to thank for introducing me to the addictive Bamba, a kosher Israeli peanut-butter-flavored snack with the texture of Cheez Doodles.)

The year course, designed for high school graduates, consists of "experiential, volunteer and living experiences" along with academic studies.

Katie, the daughter of Freya and Ken Winsberg of Phoenix, tells us during our visit to the Bat Yam Community Center on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, "There is something about being a Jew that inspires and drives people to seek special paths - to challenge themselves. MASA is providing options to fulfill this need."

Indeed, from all accounts this relatively new feature in Jewish life is delivering the goods, exposing future generations of leaders to exciting, stimulating and unforgettable time spent in the Jewish state. Bielski challenges our group of Jewish journalists: "Start spreading the news - and help us get young people here. They will come home different Jews. They will understand, not only see on TV, but with their own eyes, the reality of our country - and bring home with them the truth of Israel."

Leni Reiss is a freelance writer in Phoenix.

Facts and figures for 2006-2007

• 7,800 Jews (average age is 20) from 50 countries (65 percent from the U.S.) are taking part in MASA.

• This year's budget is $50 million, $22 million of which is spent on scholarships.

• Each participant receives an average of 650 hours of Hebrew lessons and travels and volunteers extensively throughout the country, integrating into all aspects of Israeli society.

• 75 programs are Jerusalem-based; 20 are in the North, 20 in the South and 45 are centrally located.

Visit masaisrael.org