Naale Elite Academy — an Educational Experience of a Lifetime
By: Tami Benmayer
Naale Elite Academy is a unique program offering Jewish teenagers the opportunity to spend their latter high school years in Israel. Co-funded by the State of Israel and the Jewish Agency, Naale has spent the last twenty years providing thousands of academically-motivated students from around the world, with an extensive and enriching Israeli education, all expenses covered. US and UK students can also take advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Naale, which is a Hebrew acronym for Youth Make Aliyah before Parents (Naar oleh lifney horim), began in 1992 during the large wave of Aliyah from the Former Soviet Union. Head of the program, Yeshayahu Yehelie, explains Naales inception. Ive always had this dream of doing something big for Jewish youth in the Diaspora. Back then I was involved with the struggle of bringing Soviet Jewry to Israel, and when ideas were discussed about how to help those who wanted to come, the challenge of this specific initiative appealed to me. I volunteered to take charge of it, and the Israeli government accepted. The main idea was to work out how to enable the youth to obtain an Israeli Bagrut (high school matriculation certificate) but the details regarding how to turn it in to a reality were left to me.
A decade later, as Naales success was becoming increasingly more apparent, the Israeli government decided to expand the program beyond the borders of Eastern Europe, and open it up to Latin America, Europe, North America and the rest of the world. To date, there are more than 12,000 Naale alumni, with an additional 450 being added to this figure every year. The program is ideal for bright and mature young adults who are keen to experience a Jewish and Israeli environment, asserts Ofer Dahan, Director of Development for the Western World at Naale Elite Academy. The schools are rated top in the country, the informal education is second to none, the students get to interact with like-minded individuals from across the globe, and, on top of all this, the program is fully subsidized!
The three-year high school program includes a Hebrew ulpan, all academic studies, extracurricular activities, medical insurance, and full room and board. In addition, students receive small monthly stipends for travel within Israel and for maintaining telephone contact with their parents. In return, they are expected to take their studies seriously, achieve the educational objectives of the Academy and abide by its rules. So far, this arrangement has proved highly successful. 90% of our students graduate with honors whereas the national average in Israel is 60%, continues Dahan. This not only stands testimony to the high academic levels of our schools but also to the caliber of students who are accepted.
Due to the fact that students span the religious as well as international spectrum, there are a broad range of schools with which Naale is affiliated. These 26 schools are located all over the country and include both secular and religious, as well as four schools which cater specifically for Anglos. In order to provide students with the appropriate emotional and social support, each student has a strong support system consisting of counselors who live in the dormitories, a house mother and even an adoptive family who speak English and who provide home away from home hospitality during weekends and holidays. Students come here during the crucially formative years of their lives. It is an incredible opportunity for them to develop their independency and become responsible, emotionally mature and well-rounded adults, contends Dahan. The program is therefore set up in a way that equips them with the necessary tools to live self-sufficiently for their first time in their lives.
The academic program is geared towards gradually integrating students into the Israeli school system, and at the end of the three years, they are able to take the Israeli matriculation exams in Hebrew. During the first year, students learn intensive Hebrew (20 hours a week) and the rest of the curriculum is taught in English. Hebrew is then slowly integrated in to the classroom, and by the third year, students are being taught, tested, and asked to write reports and converse, in Hebrew exclusively. I spoke absolutely no Hebrew before I came to Naale, and in fact, Id only ever been to Israel once before in my life, comments Debbie Russek, an 18 year old Naale student, originally from Texas. Its amazing to see how easily Ive adapted and how far Ive come.
A rich informal and extra curricular education complements the academic one. All the schools are equipped with sports facilities, and swimming pools are on, or within, walking distance of every campus. A strong emphasis is put on learning about the land of Israel and its history, and students go on field trips around the country multiple times a year, often together with the students from other Naale schools. I wouldnt change my choice in coming here for the world, continues Debbie. I love Israel and I love the Jewish education Im receiving. Weve gone on really fun trips and Ive made friends for life here. All the staff are so supportive and I know I can turn to them if I need anything at all. Id really like to stay in Israel once I graduate, but I have the rest of the year to decide, so I guess Ill wait to see what the future brings!
The enormous impact that Naale has upon its students is not surprising. 92% decide to make Aliyah upon graduating, with the majority enlisting in the Israeli army, and then going on to study in Israels top universities. Those who choose to return to their native countries for higher education will do so with an internationally recognized certification. Either way, it is certain that all students will concur that their three years at Naale provided them with a meaningful and powerful Jewish Israeli experience, one in which they cultivated the skills and tools that will stand them in good stead throughout the rest of their lives.
