OTZMA: Live and Volunteer in Israel

Being the Otzma director for 4 years almost 6 years ago, I can say that our volunteers truly made a deep impact within the communities they served. One of the advantages is being able to truly use your skills to find the right for volunteering - from becoming a swim coach to a local kids club, to teaching English in a local school.

How can I summarize the value of a year on OTZMA?
Do I start with the beauty of the country, the vibrant people, the history, culture, or incredible food?

Do I share grand stories of hiking the desert, swimming in the Mediterranean or camping in the Galilee?

Should I count the number of live, open air concerts I went to of big name Israeli artists with thousands of people in attendance?

Should I talk about the daily love that happens on volunteer sites with children of all ages, and adults that you come to admire as the most heroic you've ever met?

Do I tell about growing my Hebrew abilities and connecting with local families and professionals?

Do I tell about the street performers, artists' colonies, student activist groups, or community song sessions?

And, perhaps above all, how can I tell about all that, while also remembering the shared experiences of 40 OTZMA XXI friends that will last a lifetime?

I don't know where to start, but I know where to end: feeling at home in Israel with unique connections that have carried me farther than I ever dreamed!

In my work for the Jewish Agency for Israel, I got to work on several occasions with OTZMA's staff and participants.

In my role, I was in charge of young Israelis who got to meet and work with OTZMA participants, as they went through challenging education sessions together. Having done this from 2008-2010, and having worked with two OTZMA years (and ending up marrying a past participant!) I can say it is a true exploration of the Israeli experience, and probably the best way to spend a year volunteering, learning, and truly getting to know Israel.

have fun, and good luck!

I had a wonderful 10 months in Israel, complete with learning Hebrew in the desert, studying Torah in Jerusalem, volunteering teaching English at an elementary school, helping out at a nursery school and doing an internship living by the beach in Tel Aviv. I have lifelong friends from my time on OTZMA!

OTZMA was absolutely the right choice for me. It gave me the opportunity to participate in a variety of different volunteer opportunities in many locations around Israel.

The first track can be most challenging, since the holidays intersect with a huge piece of this track. You need to be truly motivated to go out and find opportunities that can use your help and show them that you want to be there! This is also the time to take advantage of Ulpan!! You get out of it what you put in! (You will hear that about EVERYTHING you do on this trip and it is 100% true).

Track two is spent in your sister city, volunteering in a variety of ways. This is the perfect opportunity to see even more of Israel, by visiting your friends in their placements throughout the country. Again, you can have one volunteer placement or you can try three. You need to find the opportunities that interest you and go for it!

The final track you can choose between an internship or a kibbutz. I personally chose an internship in Tel Aviv and sought out a new internship with an organization I had found on my own. Zalul Environmental Assocation, focusing on protecting and maintaining Israel's natural water resources. Either way you should choose what is right for you. The people that had the best experiences did what they felt was best for them and didn't just follow their friends throughout their journey.

Throughout the whole experience you have the option to be with participants of the trip. Make an effort to go even further and meet Israelis in the communities all around you. It can be very easy and safe to stick with the other participants, but it is worth it and it is an experience you will not want to miss!

This experience absolutely changed my life and was an AMAZING year. Since I returned from the program I have gone on to work in the Jewish non-profit world back at home.

Being an OTZMA participant changed my career focus and helped me reconnect with my Jewish roots. I loved everything the program had to offer, volunteering, ulpan, studying, living and workign on a kibbutz! This is a fantastic MASA program.

I know work with college students and recommend OTZMA to anyone who is considering traveling to Israel!

It has now been 16 (!) years since my Otzma year and it is an experience I talk about and draw upon frequently. It was a truly unique opporutnity to experience, at least on some level what actual day to day life is like in a country that gets sensationalized and often demonized. To live and work among Isrealis, learn the language and get an in depth look into social and political struggles they face has impacted my view and understanding of Israel. Professionally the experience exposed me to a model of service learning and a field I have worked in for the past decade. On a personal level, the friendships I made are some of the most important in my life, especially since I now share my life and family with a fellow participant.

I only hope that my daughters are one day able to have an expeirence like this.

One of the best volunteer programs in Israel, provides on hand experience and a snap shot into Israeli everyday life. Only do this program if you are serious and committed to bringing about more good in the world for yourself and others.