Many parents, educators, and Jewish community professionals are worried about dropping levels of Jewish commitment among young people. There is cause for concern in a variety of areas: levels of Jewish communal affiliation, synagogue attendance, and intermarriage, among others. Birthright and other short-term Israel programs play an important role in acquainting young Jews with their homeland, but to spark a lifelong Jewish commitment, nothing beats a long-term program. A variety of options are available to those interested in spending anywhere from a few months to a year or more engaged in study, service, or career development programs in Israel. These can be before, during, after, or instead of university study. One option that is increasingly popular is the "gap year" -- taking a year off, typically between high school and college, to devote to another pursuit, such as travel, nonacademic study, or an internship. The gap-year option gained increasing national prominence in the United States when then-President Barack Obama's oldest daughter, Malia, announced that after graduating high school, she would be taking a year off to work as an intern in movie producer Harvey Weinstein's New York office before attending Harvard University. In this episode of Israel Hayom Insider, Opinion Editor Steve Ganot speaks with American Israel Gap-Year Association Executive Director Phyllis Folb about gap-year options in Israel. Anchor: Steve Ganot. Camera: Doron Persoud. Makeup: Rona Ben-Ezra. Archive: American Israel Gap-Year Association.
