After Naale - alumni strengthening the connection to Israel - The Jewish Chronicle

Students at Naale Academy schools go through life-altering changes while they are away from their parents and extended families. For many, the opportunity to continue living in Israel, a country they come to love - and often get to know much better than their own - is one they accept readily. And for those who return to their countries of origin, the lessons and experiences from their time in Israel can have a positive effect to last a lifetime. Whether students remain in Israel after their matriculation or not, the Naale model imbues them with a sense of independence and courage, of which the benefits are long-term.

Clearly, Naale cultivates a strongly Zionist spirit in its students across the various academies. Although there is no specific programme for this purpose, there are numerous trips, events and other opportunities that enable students to feel part of the fabric of Israeli life. Rabbi Daniel Hershenson, from the Shaalavim campus, says: “Most of the students are here for three or four years and their feelings of connection sort of happen organically.” Hershenson acknowledges that the trips in which students participate connect them with the land and its history. “We visited the Kotel (Western Wall) at Chanukah and walked from Shaalavim [in the Ayalon Valley] to Tel Gezer. We also encourage our students to volunteer as they recently did at Yad Eliezer, to assemble food packages for needy families.”

Gal Caspi, an English teacher at the Anieres Naale Elite Academy, admits students do not acclimatise immediately - that can take the full three or four years of the course. “At the beginning, students tend to stick with the people they feel most comfortable with - and also in the language that is most familiar to them. Somewhere around the school trip during the 11th grade they really start mingling with Israeli students. They have a grasp of what the culture entails and by the 12th grade you can see a real shift; to the extent that they have friends in other classes than their own.”

Caspi also senses something deeper, a connection that goes beyond the classroom. “After four years - or by the time they leave - they are completely immersed in what’s going on. They feel part of the population rather than just visitors or immigrants.”

Chaim Meyers, Naale’s operations manager for the West, says in his estimation: “A successful experience is one where a student completes their matriculation - in our internationally recognised programme - and that they get accepted to universities and colleges, whether in Israel or throughout the world. In a wider sense, we want them to leave with a deepened connection to Judaism and Israel and that they feel they gained from the programme. A sense of independence and strong social connections with many friends is also a good gauge of success.”

While a high percentage of students stay on to serve in the IDF or do some kind of national service, those who do return to their countries of origin take the benefits of their experience with them.

Noah Vigodski, a former student from Germany, attended Naale Elite Academy at Mosenson from 2014 to 2017. “There was a cohesion in the group that I had never experienced before,” he says. “There was simply no such thing as exclusion or hostility. One was interested in and could learn a lot from each other, because so many nations lived under one roof. There were children from Germany, Austria, America, Canada, Italy, Brazil and even India. Friendships developed which I had not thought possible before. Even years later we are still in very close contact with each other and I try to travel to Israel at least once a year to see everyone again.”

He adds that the lessons and experiences he enjoyed at Naale have empowered him and provided him with skills he might not have had if he had not taken the courageous decision to learn overseas. “Through Naale many doors were opened to me. After three years I spoke not only Hebrew but also fluent English. Now I am studying dentistry in English, which would not be so easy without my stay in Israel. You learn a lot in boarding school and, as well as the languages, I became much more independent and I find it easier to approach people today. I experienced so much in those three years and still look back with both a tear and a smile. I was given more than I could ever give back.”

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