Deciding to postpone college for a year means exactly that—you can go to college one year later. In fact, many students find this year "off" not only to be an enriching experience in itself, but also to be excellent preparation for college. Gann Academy hopes that some of its students will use this year to further their commitment to Israel and/or to Jewish learning, and we encourage our students to look seriously at various programs in Israel. The school believes in the value of these programs and recognizes that Gann Academy graduates will have an enormous amount to offer these programs as well.

In many Jewish day schools, spending a year in Israel after high school is the norm. Popular options include yeshiva study programs or programs that combine academic learning and experiential learning (such as Young Judaea’s Year Course and Shalem Program, USY Nativ, B’nei Akiva, etc.) You may prefer to look into a kibbutz volunteer program or urban volunteer opportunities. Many faculty members at Gann Academy have participated in such programs and are happy to help you choose a program that fits your goals and needs. We will also invite representatives from Israel programs and yeshivot to school in the fall and winter, and interested students should attend these presentations.

There are plenty of programs within the United States as well, most notably Americorps and City Year. Year-long programs in the U.S., in Israel, or elsewhere may provide a much-needed break from the traditional academic atmosphere to which you may be accustomed.

Resources

• Birnbaum, Eli and Menachem Persoff. The Israel Yeshiva Guide for Overseas Students. Ed. by Chava Shulman.
  A comprehensive guide for men and women looking to spend time learning in a yeshiva. Out of print, but the college counseling office has a copy.
• Gap Year Programs 2010-2011
  A list compiled by Gann's College Counseling office with up to date information on Gap Year Programs in Israel and around the world.

Programs in Israel

Here is a partial list of programs you can find in Israel for an interim year. Please visit the college counseling office for further information and a more complete list.

Kibbutz programs

• A Green Aprenticeship at Kibbutz Lotan
• Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu
• Project Oren

Yeshiva programs

• Beit Midrash L'Torah
• Machon Gold
• Machon Meir - Modern Orthodox Yeshivah
• Mayanot
• Neve Yerushalayim
• Ohr Sameach - Derech Institute for Torah Studies
• Sharei Bina: Women’s Center for Jewish Studies