Because of You, I’m Finding My Place in Jerusalem

Written by Ari Gordon, Atlanta Teen
February 12, 2026

When I arrived in Jerusalem this fall, it didn’t feel like I was just starting a new year. It felt like I was embarking on a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Thanks to your support, I get to spend this year living and learning in Israel. Through the Jewish Atlanta’s Gap Year Fellowship — made possible by Federation, Masa Israel Journey, and The Zalik Foundation — I’m living in the Old City of Jerusalem and learning at Yeshivat Orayta, a religious, learning-based gap year program.

I’ve only been here a few months, but this year has already changed me in so many ways. I keep telling friends back home, “You don’t really understand it until you’re here. You’ll never get another year like this — a year where you’re actually living in Israel, learning, and figuring out who you want to be. College will still be there. This opportunity won’t.”

Every day, I’m doing what I love most: learning and experiencing Israel. I spend a lot of time studying Jewish texts and talking through big ideas. Everyone is motivated to grow and learn, and that makes a huge difference. An added bonus is that I’ve made lifelong close friends.

Outside of my studies, I’m immersing myself in Jewish life in the holy land of Israel, which is truly a special experience. Celebrating the Jewish holidays in Israel is magical, being that the whole country is off and celebrating or commemorating the holiday. I’m traveling across Israel, seeing places I’ve only heard or learned about, and understanding the country in an authentic way.

I feel completely different in Israel than in America. Here, everything is Jewish. You don’t have to try to feel connected — you just do.

As a high school graduate, you start thinking about who you are and what kind of person you want to be and taking a gap year in Israel gives one the opportunity to dedicate time for personal growth. Being here in Israel gives me a place where I feel supported and part of something much bigger: the Jewish people.

One of the best parts of this experience is knowing I’m not doing it alone. Even though I’m across the world, I still feel connected to Jewish Atlanta because of you.

I’ve already been on one Federation-led touchpoint experience in Ashkelon, and it made a big impression on me. Spending time with other Atlanta fellows, talking about what Jewish peoplehood actually means, and planting roses in honor of Rose Lubin and palm trees in honor of Dekel Swissa made Israel feel personal.

I also look forward to our Shabbat coming up in Yokneam-Meggido, Atlanta’s partner city.

Israel stopped feeling like a place I’m in and started feeling like a place where I belong. And knowing there’s more of this still to come makes me even more excited for the rest of the year.

This fellowship isn’t just about helping me be in Israel. It’s about believing in people my age at a really important stage of life. It’s about helping us grow into confident Jews who are ready to stand up for who we are when we head to college campuses and into the world.

That’s what you’re making possible.

Thank you. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for giving me this year. Thank you for helping me learn and grow in the holy land of Israel.