I finished school at July and was going to start the army in March so I had a lot of time to spare, so instead of just working and chilling like most teens my age, I decided to go to a half-year Mechina. Since I’m a fluent English speaker and have a strong connection to diaspora Jews when I heard about the Kol Ami program, I knew it was the one for me.
Alumni Spotlight: Shani Ofir
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Shani is a 18 year-old Israeli who’s the daughter of an Australian Immigrant (‘Ola’). She went to Mechina Kol Ami in Carmiel and is starting the IDF soon as a Look-out.
Why did you choose this program?
What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
The program sent us a list before the Mechina started of what we needed to bring; we had beds and mattresses already there. They also organized our Rav-Kav (public transportation card) and had a 3 prep days before the Mechina to clean and organize the Mechina, as well as bond before the program properly starts.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
I’d recommend bringing snacks to make sitting in the Zula (our hang out spot) more fun, bringing good pillows and cute decorations for your bedroom. Also. a mirror is crucial, so you should really bring one!
Other than that, make sure you have enough clothes for 12 days at a time, plenty of sports clothes, and a reusable bottle of water.
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
The average day starts at 6am if there’s a morning workout, or 7am if there isn’t. We have Boker Tov, which is a fun morning activity a participant makes, and then we have different lessons, volunteering and committee/project times.
At night after dinner, we have Family Time, which is with the Madrichim, and is a conclusion of the day and a fun activity. The days are long and intense, but very productive.
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?
I was really scared of not enjoying community life aspect of Mechina.
It takes time to get used to living with 30 other people, but eventually it works. We fight and things don’t work out perfectly most of the time, but you learn how to deal with people and adjust to your environment, which is an incredible skill to have for life.
How hard is the Hebrew/English adjustment?
It’s not easy - some Israelis have a hard time with the English and some overseas Jews have a hard time with the Hebrew. The first 3 months are entirely in English, which makes the overseas participants more comfortable socially and improves the Israelis' English. After 3 months, the program switches to Hebrew and then it’s the same, but opposite.