Why is Israel’s sushi the best? We don’t know. We don’t even know if it is the best. But what we do know is that the teens at the Alexander Muss High School semester abroad experience in Israel won’t stop raving about it!
Our Alexander Muss High School in Israel offers a lifechanging experience where American teens go for a semester abroad (some go longer, some go for our ‘mini-mesters,’ and some come back as volunteers. It’s kinda become its own community of alumni for the past 40 years. It gives our teens a college preparatory experience before leaving the nest.
For many of them, it’s their first time not having their moms wake them up to go to class in the morning—which, for any kid raised by a Jewish mom, can be a bit of a shock. But it’s okay. We let them learn about life, get up in time for breakfast, and find their independence in the safest and most secure environment there is: our world-class campuses, complete with dorms, gym, quad, and more.
The main campus (there are two of them) is 20 minutes from Tel Aviv, with 24/7 security. On campus, the kids stay in purpose-built dorms: they eat together, learn together, and go on educational adventures across our homeland learning about their history and where it was written.
Our kids learn about independence, they learn about our values, and they do it while apparently eating an inordinate amount of sushi from the trendy establishments of Tel Aviv.
As well as making mind-blowing memories, our kids often go home with new friends: the kind you keep for life.
Most of our students didn’t go to Jewish day schools, so they haven’t had so much exposure to Jewish cultural life, yet they remember their B'nai Mitzvah experience and the famous chair dance.
We’re proud of having a diverse group of teenagers who come from many backgrounds and communities throughout the US. Some are more passionate about the spiritual element and others just want to make friends who actually know what Channukah is. Everything in the school is taught in English, and no one is expected to know Hebrew: very few actually do. And yet they learn their academics from Biology and AP through to calculus. Whatever kind of Jewish background you have—even if the emphasis falls on the ‘ish’ part of the word—the experience of learning at the Alexander Muss High School is open to everyone.
And as our kids go back home, they do so knowing that they are part of a tribe: proud of their identity and ready to support and lead the future generation of our people.
With so much misinformation and drama happening here in the US (especially on college campuses), this is the best time to give the kids a break, and send them on a trip to Israel to connect with their roots and gain a fresh new perspective.
We don’t know what the future holds, but we know that we want our next generation to lead us instilled with the greatest sense of pride and passion for their people. The safest way to empower the youth of today to be the leaders of tomorrow is to give them a semester at our Alexander Muss High School in Israel. And yes, the sushi is waiting!
