For a meaningful experience in Israel, check out OTZMA

OTZMA was such an amazing experience where I spent 10 months in different parts of Israel volunteering. It's hard to give you an idea of a day-to-day routine since each day was something different. To break it down, there are 3 tracks on OTZMA.

Track one is meant to help the group acclimate to life in Israel by learning hebrew, staying all together in a small city of Israel (for me it was Ashkelon but each year the location changes), volunteering a little bit, getting to know the community, and by attending education seminars.

Track 2 is when you divide into your partnership regions. Cities in the US (and all over the world) have partnerships with smaller cities in Israel. Since I'm from Chicago, I spent my track 2 in Kiryat Gat. In your partnership region you can volunteer in various fields. I personally decided to teach english at an elementary school, help tutor kids in High school, work at the community garden, and various other things. This was my favorite part of the year!

Track 3 is an internship or a kibbutz experience. I worked for StandWithUs - an amazing Israel advocacy organization.

And one of the most amazing things about OTZMA is the educational component. These seminars included topics such as "peace and conflict," "minority populations in Israel," and so many more!