Do you have to be of Jewish origin to participate?

Hi Sophie,

Yes you either have to be Jewish or have one jewish grandparent.

There is a box on the initial application that needs to be checked off (it's something along the lines of "Are you Jewish"), but you can manage to get on the program without having any close Jewish relatives. I think it's worth mentioning though that the majority of the people who go on MASA programs will be Jewish with some religious background (Reconstructionist, Reform, or Conservative), and with an intense interest in Jewish identity. So if you want to teach in Israel but don't necessarily want to be involved in Jewish life here, I'd recommend looking into a different program or choosing a MASA program in an Arab city.

The program tuition costs about $1000. Most applicants are eligible for grants from MASA and the Ministry fo Education, which can be up to $1000. In the program you get a small stipend (about $700/month), state healthcare, a Rav Kav subscription for the metro-area that your school is in, and some mandatory programming which includes Hebrew classes, tours around the country, and maybe some speakers. You will also recieve a reimbursement for you plane tickets to Israel for up to $1300. But unless you strictly budget yourself here (by not travelling and by only eating rice or pita), it is difficult to actually make money with this program. Israel is an unusually expensive country--for example, McDonald's hamburgers are 50 שח vs. the American equivalent for $1. But program provider staff are typically willing to help out financially.