Mikolot Mayim Rabbim

Growing up in Antwerp, where, at the time, it was an uphill fight to have a Orthodox high school, my friends and I had to continue our education either in a yeshiva without secular studies, or go abroad. Those classmates who wanted to finish their university matriculation ended up studying in Israel, the United States or England.

Living in Switzerland, I see the same phenomenon, there is areal lack of Jewish high schools out there.

Without outright endorsing it (frankly, I know very little about this place, beyond what they provide on their web site), I salute the existence of a new American Yeshiva High School in Israel, with a program for boys and a program for girls (in two different locations). The best part is that besides following the Bagrut standards of the Israeli education ministry, the school, being fully subsidized by the Israeli government, is free. That’s right, it’s free, and they even give the students some pocket money.

The program isn’t for everyone, but it’s surely worth checking out. Plus, it reminds us of another good reason to live in Israel: Jewish education is subsidized by the government, as should be in the Jewish state.

For decades American parents have been aware of the wonderful transformative power post High School programs in Israel have on their children. Now, through the YBA-Naale Yeshiva High School program in Israel, your children need not wait so long in order to take advantage of this special confluence of the Torah of Israel, the People of Israel in the Land of Israel.

While it’s true that the program fees amount to only a fraction of a typical American Yeshiva High School (thanks to Israeli government funding through Naale), that in itself should not be the main motivating factor in choosing this program for your son or daughter. Our program offers a first-rate Jewish and general education with the added spiritual and experiential dimension that only a program in Israel can provide.

If you know more about this program, please post a comment.