Israel Archives

Mar 02 2022

A Day in My Life

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

Hello, my name is Eyal Amzaleg and I’ll be telling you about a day in my life, so lets get started.

The first thing I do is wake up at 6:45 to take a cold shower to start the day. Riight after I brush my teeth and get ready to school, my school usually starts at 7:45 am. Most of the time, first period is Computer Class, where I learn the programming language called c#.

Usually I finish school at 3:35 pm, and most of the time I go hang out with my friends for a while before I go home. When I go home I play my electric guitar for a while and record some stuff for my band, (Beyond Doom if you want to check it out). After that, I listen to some music from my disc collection I inherited from my dad, he likes the same music genre as me:) which is quite nice if I might say.

After I listen to some music for a few hours, I’ll go play some video games on my computer with my friends. After that, I usually go hang out with my girlfriend for a few hours. We usually either go out to eat at some restaurant or we just stay home and watch some movies together.

After I hang out with my girlfriend. I’ll go home and watch some television. After I watch television, I usually read some books before going to bed, this is my favorite part of the day.

After that I go to sleep around 1-2 am.

Thank you for reading my blog about a day in my life

Feb 28 2022

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My Gap Year Journey

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

I’ve recently begun my journey into Jerusalem after 4 months in Tel Aviv. Through the months in Tel Aviv I learned about the differences of culture, ecological aspects in industrial cities, and how to manage living with various people. We visited various Palestinians and settlers in the west Bank. Seeing both perspectives and narratives of the situation was very interesting. During my time, I worked on a farm in Bat Yam. The farm was sustainable and seeing a farm in an industrialized area was a unique experience. Living with various people from across America, the UK, and Israel, had its difficulties, but mainly had its moments of learning. Not only did I understand different people’s perspectives, but also household differences between one another. Overall my Tel Aviv experience has been a time for me to grow and find my identity at exponential rates.

Feb 24 2022

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Living 5-9

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

For those in America, many are familiar with the Dolly Parton song “9-5”. For those unfamiliar, the song reflects an average American woman who works “9-5” to support herself and her family. My life is the reverse, I live 5-9. Now while this may seem just like a play on words, it is fortunately very true. I start my days bright and early at 4:30 am, and I crash and burn by 9:45 on “late nights”. Why do you live like this, you may be asking? What teenager isn’t up on their phone and hanging out till midnight? The simple answer, I’m busy getting things done, and I love it.

4:30 am, the first alarm of the day. The mornings are always still a bit hard at first, but after 30 minutes I am quickly able to adjust, definitely a morning owl. The reason for me waking up at the crack of dawn? Weightlifting. I love the same early people getting a workout in before the day, it’s like our own little morning club. Athletics are not exactly one of my strong suits, but after tearing my ACL, the gym has become my home. I love the routine of the gym. Monday: legs, Tuesday: push:, Wednesday: legs, Thursday: pull, Friday: full body. And the soreness is just as gratifying as hitting a PR. The gym is the main reason for my early wake up call, the fewer people there are, the more I can get done, and not everyone is a crazy gym rat up at 4:30 to go throw around a couple hundred pounds.

7:00 am, the second alarm of the day. I am known for procrastinating and “dilly dallying” so small alarms remind me I need to stay on task. By this time, I have worked out, showered, gotten ready, and now am on my way to school. While class does not start till 8:20, I spend my mornings going to calc help sessions (definitely not a math person),studying, and generally working on student council (another one of my favorite things). I love the peacefulness of my highschool in the mornings, only half the teachers in the building, the lack of students in the halls, it really is my favorite time at school.

8:20 am, first bell. My class schedule is quite a bore, so I will definitely spare you the details. As a junior, high school is relentless, four AP courses, one course at my local college, never enough time to study. My first class is definitely fun, AP US History. While I am definitely no history buff, the people in the class make it fun to learn, and the teacher is a blast.

9:15 am, second period. My second class of the day is one of my harder courses, AP Calculus. Afterwards, my favorite class, AP Seminar. AP Seminar is different than my other courses as it revolves around discussions,

4th period bell, it’s time to eat. Lunch is a time in which I can socialize with friends, study, get ahead in classes, or have meetings I would otherwise be unavailable for. I fill up my free period with additional work in hopes of getting ahead in courses, nevertheless I am always busy with things to check off.

12:30, last course of the day, AP Environmental Science. This is my “curveball” course as every day is something different. From labs outdoors, to testing mud inside, I never know what is going to happen, and it always makes for a fun adventure. The students in my class make it even more enjoyable, and it is definitely a course I look forward to.

1:30, time for work. Like I’ve mentioned, growing up sports were not exactly my strong suit. However, I did find a love for karate. Training now for 7 years, and obtaining a black belt in shuri ryu karate, I now work at a children’s karate dojo running the afterschool program. My work days consist of hanging out and making activities for 35 elementary schoolers. While it has made me realize that teaching will not be my future career, I love my kiddos and working with them makes my day so much better.

6:30, finally home. After a long day of being out and about, I finally got back home. However, the work isn’t over. After dinner with my family, it is time to get to work. Studying, getting homework done, and prepping for the next day are the final things I do before crashing.

9:30, time to crash and burn. By this time of the night, I am absolutely exhausted so it’s time to rest for another day of 5-9.

Feb 16 2022

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Shayna’s Day In the Life at School

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

The first thing I do is wake up at 7:00 am and go straight to the bathroom to wash my face, do my hair, and make my face presentable for the rest of the day. I then go downstairs and say good morning to my brothers, mom, dad, and dog. I then search in the fridge for a delicious breakfast, which usually consists of yogurt and granola. I then finish my breakfast and go back upstairs to get dressed for school. I pack up my backpack, fill up my water bottle, and head straight to school. I’m very lucky because I live 1 mile from my school, so I don’t have to rush in the morning.

After I park my car at school I wait in the car for a bit with my friends and listen to music and just chill before it’s time to go to school. After my chill time in the morning, I go to my first block which is AP Biology. During this class, I listen to my teacher lecture us as I take notes and try to understand the material. After a very long 70-80 minutes of AP Bio, I check out of school and go home for study hall to get some homework done and just relax at home. I then come back to school for my third block of the day which is English where we typically have discussions and read.

I then go to my last block of the day: weight training. Weight training is my favorite class because I get to do the things I love; for example, exercise, listening to music and having the best time. After this, I typically have basketball practice after school for two hours. After my super crazy full day, I go home and do homework. After several hours of work, I go downstairs again for dinner and have family dinner. I then help clean up the table have some team, shower, get my bag ready for the next day, and go to sleep.

Feb 09 2022

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My Day in the Life of An Israeli Teenager

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

My name is Lidor I’m from Israel, I think my life is good and I want to tell you why:

I am able to learn something I like – to program. At my school I have been learning a software called C#. As far as I know, this software is the best if you are new to the world called programming. Don’t try to learn Python- this software will confused you. And sometimes at my school I am doing my assignments at lunches break or at breakfasts.

I live in Yokneam Illit, a city in the north of the country. Don’t worry about the rain because the amount of rain is equal to the amount of rain that falls in the desert. But from time to time the weather is insane. For example, one day the weather will be hot and on the following day, the weather will be cold with a rain. If we are lucky enough, we will get some hail and I have been loving it since I was born.

I have a brother, whose name is Shai. His school is very close to my school, so I accompany him to his school because there is a small construction site next to our house and he gets scared of things like that. On the other hand, he is quite successful at school (he has some difficulty in reading sentences in English, but he will understand the words and overcome that.)

When I’m free from school assignments or home assignments, I like to listen to any type of music (except rock), I like to play videos games, or reading books, especially Harry Potter or thrillers.

Feb 02 2022

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A Day in My Life as an Israeli Teenager

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

Hi, my name is Noa Allouch and I live in Yokneam Illit in Israel. I’m in 11th grade. Today I’ll tell you about a typical day in my life. These days due to the Covid pandemic, we are learning on zoom, and not going to school. In regular times, when there is no virus out there, my day starts at school. It depends on the day, but usually I go to school at 08:30 am. One of my parents drives me to school, but if they can’t, I go by bus. I chose two majors in biology and physics and I volunteer in MDA (Magen David Adom), so it really helps me in biology.

When I come back from school, usually at 15:35 pm, I take my dog for a walk. His name is Joy. During the walk with Joy, I listen to music. When we get back home, I have lunch, I watch some TV or just rest. Then I go upstairs to my room to do my homework or study for a test. Now that I’m in 11th grade, I have a lot of homework, tests, and projects for school. This Monday for example, I have a test in Biology.

Ever since I was young, I have really liked to cook and bake. It really depends on the day, but if I don’t have any more tasks for school, I make cookies or cakes, or something tasty to eat. I also like to go to the gym with my friends. A few years ago, I used to dance twice a week. This year I don’t have a lot of time because of school, so it’s nice sometimes to go to the gym, but maybe I’ll go back to dancing 🙂

Some days I hang out with friends. We really like to go to “Golda”. It’s an Ice cream store in my neighborhood and it’s really close to our homes, or I just go back to watch Netflix.

Jan 03 2022

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My Gap Year in Israel

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

My gap year has been absolutely incredible so far. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to live in Israel for the year, and I am truly seeing and doing everything I can.

My school is located in the Old City of Jerusalem just a three-minute walk from the Kotel. I can actually see the Kotel from the balcony of my school. It’s difficult to put into words just how special and spiritual it is to be that close. On Chanukah, our entire school lit menorahs at the school window overlooking the Kotel, and it was such an incredible and spectacular sight. We also have amazing restaurants close by with the best falafel and shawarma in Israel. I enjoy learning in my classes every day and connecting to my Rabbis and teachers.

While growing up in Atlanta, I learned so many amazing stories in the Torah. This year I have been able to see exactly where all these events happened. We went on a school trip to Chevron, the place where the matriarchs and patriarchs in the Bible are buried, and visited the graves of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as well as those of Sarah, Rebecca and Leah.

Another incredible experience was a three-day trip to the Negev in the desert. We spent our days exploring and learning about the land of Israel. Each day we had the opportunity to focus on making a closer connection with our own selves, our peers and with G-d.

Next week we are going to Poland where we will visit the concentration camps and see the atrocities of the Holocaust up close and personal. I cannot even imagine what that will be like.

There are not enough words to describe this incredible experience I’m having living for a year in the holiest city in the world. In the short four months I’ve been here, I’ve already made lifelong friends, grown, matured and learned so much. I am certainly looking forward to the rest of the year and more amazing adventures.

Dec 20 2021

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Celebrating Chanukah in Israel

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

Chanukah was in the air everywhere for a couple of weeks before the holiday started. The stands in the shuk and different stores were filled with selections of different sufganiyot. Giant Chanukiahs were put up in most malls and on big streets. It was so fun to see all of the lights lit up at night from everyone’s individual chanukiahs. For the last night of Chanukah, me and a couple of my friends went to the old city for candle lighting. There was an enormous Chanukiah on top of a building overlooking the kotel. We met up with friends at the shuk and got sufganiyot. My favorite part of chanukah this year was lighting the menorah in one of my friends’ rooms and us all singing Chanukah songs together.

Dec 14 2021

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$10K Scholarships Available For Gap Year In Israel. Apply Now!

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

This article was originally published in Fed5, a publication of the Jewish Federaiton of Greater Atlanta. Read the original article here.

Did you know your high school student doesn’t have to start college right after completing high school? In fact, taking a year-long break between high school and college — known as a gap year — often contributes to a boost in performance when students enter college. Students who participate in gap year programs, whether academic, travel-focused, or service-focused, frequently become more mature, self-reliant, independent, and college-ready than students who go directly to college. (Read more about the benefits of a gap year here.)

Supported by scholarships of $10,000-$15,000 from the Zalik Foundation, 25 Atlanta area high school graduates are currently on gap year programs in Israel, connecting with Israeli culture and with Israeli peers. JumpSpark, which manages the Atlanta gap year initiative, is excited to announce the scholarship program will continue for a second year. Now is the time to learn more about gap year options and apply.

Jennifer Pollock Crim reports that her son Jordan has been thoroughly enjoying his gap year in Israel. “Jordan went there not knowing one person and now has many friends he can identify with and share new experiences together. He has never tried new food and says he loves trying new food and traveling to see and learn about new places in Israel. He also is enjoying his internship and learning independence and time management – two things that were reasons for him to go in the first place. I highly recommend it!”

Richard and Sheryl Arno said about their son Adam, “This experience on a gap year program has far exceeded our expectations. Adam has grown in so many ways and he has taken advantage of and experienced so many wonderful things that Israel has to offer. He has made some lifelong friends, not only from the participants but also from the wonderful staff of Year Course.”

Bev Lewyn reports: “Rebecca is having the best time. She has made great friends from around the world, enjoys the Jerusalem academic classes, and had a profound trip to Poland.”

Read a current gap year student’s story about life in Israel here.

Nov 23 2021

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My Gap Year Experience

By Charlie Render JumpSpark

My gap year experience in Israel so far has been nothing short of the best year of my life. I have explored so much of Israel and so much about myself in just the three short months that I have been here. Each day brings something new: a new food, experience, conversation, trip, or insight. As a part of the program I am on, Nativ College Leadership Program, I live in Jerusalem and spend most days at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Mount Scopus. There, I broaden my knowledge of many fields in which I have always been interested, and establish context for daily life here in Israel. I am taking four classes: Advanced Hebrew, Colloquial Arabic, The Battle over the three Bibles (Jewish Bible, Christain Old Testement, and Muslim Quran), and Technology and Entrepreneurship in Israel. These classes have given background and insight on ideas that I have always pondered, and I constantly look forward to applying all that I have learned into my own life. For example, after learning how to read, speak and write Arabic letters, I have been able to read every Arabic street sign. Also, after learning the basics of a conversation in colloquial Arabic, I have gone up and talked to Arabic speakers in their native tongue. I have learned more about Israel as the renowned start-up nation, and had the opportunity to learn from intriguing people who began successful international companies from scratch.

When I am not studying at Hebrew University, I explore Jerusalem and soak in all it has to offer. I get to experience the antiquity of the city, as well as the vibrant and diverse aspects of the bustling, modern city. I walk around the Old City, museums, synagogues, parks/nature trails, the Hebrew University campus, restaurants, Shuk Machne Yehudah, and cultural and religious landmarks for Jews, Christains, and Muslims. I have had the opportunity to try the most delicious food from around the world and breathtaking flavors that I had never before tasted.

When I am not in Jerusalem, I travel around the country to other cities, kibbutzim, moshavs, villages, or landscapes. In these places, I experience first hand Israeli culture, explore diverse Judaism, and embrace the Hebrew language more than I have ever before. I’ve traveled to coastal cities like Tel Aviv, Netanya and Herzliya where I’ve had countless relaxing beach days looking out onto the beautiful Mediterranean Sea. As one of many Nativ tiyuls, we went to the Negev Desert where we hiked for three days in the vast, breathtaking wilderness and slept in tents under more stars than I had ever seen in my life. We also visited a pleasant Moshav in the north where we spent a peaceful Shabbat and interacted with the welcoming locals. Much of the time, I truly feel like an Israeli: I travel around on my own across the country and visit friends who take me to authentic Israeli places where no tourists go. These “off the beaten path” places are one of the best parts of traveling and immersing myself in another country, knowing that I am living something that is so unique and so few people have the opportunity to experience.

This year has opened up new doors to learning more about Jews around the world, as well as Muslims, Christains and countless other people that I have had the opportunity to talk to. Communicating with people from other religions and cultures heightens my interest in other people from around the world and encourages peaceful and productive discourse that only inspires more exploration. I’ve grown to be much more independent and ambitious through navigating myself around the country, spending my own money, planning weekend trips, figuring things out on my own, and by simply being in control of where I go and what I do each day. More than ever before, I have experienced considerable freedom and responsibility, an exhilarating feeling that is simply impossible to achieve if I had gone directly into college this year. I feel that I am doing a lot of “adulting,” which initially seemed terrifying, but turned out to be completely achievable and satisfying once I got the hang of it. This year has given me new insights on the world and how it works, and encourages me to achieve intermittent goals I’ve set for myself. I have been able to engage in productive communication just in Hebrew, in which I have become nearly fluent in just three months. I have acquired valuable skills of self confidence and initiative by being in a land with which I was initially unfamiliar, yet still so comfortable and motivated to explore. By living in a country that is so unique, incomparable to any country on earth, I have also learned the value of resilience and passion for making this world a better place for all people.