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Financial crisis leaves some Israel programs to flounder, yet others thrive
By Raphael Ahren

While most Israel programs for Diaspora youth report a significant drop in applications due to the financial crisis, others were able to maintain and even increase their numbers.

Nativ, the post-high school program of the Conservative movement reports an almost-30-percent drop in participants for next academic year compared to this one, and blames the economic recession. "I think people are concerned, and when they think where they have to cut costs unfortunately they feel that [Israel programs are] one of those places," said director Yossi Garr.
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"Some of the kids receive full scholarships to attend schools back at home, which we can't compete with. In our day and age, every cent counts. We definitely know about kids who wanted to come on our program, but for purely financial reasons weren't able to do so."

Kivunim, an unaffiliated gap-year program, which is Israel-based but features field trips to different countries, actually reported a substantial increase in applications - from 120 in 2008 to 175 this year. Yet, a program official said Kivunim admitted fewer participants - reducing the number from 51 to 42 - to fit everyone on one bus.

The founder and director of the program, Peter Geffen, said that while the demand for financial aid to cover the $34,000 tuition didn't increase - Kivunim is nonetheless feeling the crunch. "We would have wanted to expand to two busloads this coming year, [but] probably will not do so until 2011-12," he said, citing the bad economy.

Bnei Akiva reports mixed results. While the national-religious youth movement's U.K. branch said participation in its "Israel Machane" - a 25-day program for sixteen-year-olds - is up by almost 50 percent, fewer Brits enrolled in the yearlong Hachshara program. On a global scale, Bnei Akiva's flagship program plummeted from 300 to 180 participants.

While Rabbi Rafi Ostroff, director of year programs for World Bnei Akiva, told Anglo File the decrease has other reasons besides the economy, he said it's undoubtedly the main reason. "We encountered many candidates [who] were enrolled and showed enthusiasm," he said, "but in the course of the year canceled [their applications], some of them [quoting] the financial situation, especially after [the billion-dollar fraud allegedly perpetrated by Bernard] Madoff."

Enrollment for NFTY summer high school programs, run by the U.S. Reform movement, is down by about 20 percent - from 650 to 535. Yet director Paul J. Reichenbach speaks of a success. "While we would prefer having more participants, we are very happy that we have more than 500," he said.

Young Judaea Year Course, which last year had 560 participants, expects about 345 students to sign up, a 38 percent drop. "Although lower than this year's record high number, the numbers are in line with 2006," a spokesperson said.

Young Judaea's summer program is down a more modest 17 percent, from 1031 students last year to an expected 858 in 2009. Notably, the number of summer applicants from the U.S. plummeted by 30 percent, while the number of British participants remained almost stable - dropping by less than two percent.
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