Onward Israel participants with iPads in hand take an interactive ‘Jew Quest’ through Jerusalem’s Old City. (photo credit: Leeor Bronis/Times of Israel)
By: Jeff Seidel
In this day and age, getting a high-quality job is difficult. Since “the internship” has become a prerequisite for being in the race for a good job, the competition for finding one that builds your resume while providing you real-world experience, has only made the process more difficult. The good news though, the State of Israel has developed a market with great potential for young Diaspora Jews. Whether at your university, in your state/region, or studying abroad, there is no one place that offers more in your field than the Jewish state.
The State of Israel is the innovation nation and has it all. In the field of business, Tel Aviv is the start-up capital (but watch out for Jerusalem). For politics, the region is always changing but viewing it from Golan Heights is a little too close for comfort when one can intern with a think tank or in the Knesset itself. In the biomedical realm, the country is your oyster. One can pursue cancer research in Beersheba, pharmaceuticals in Herzliya, or even cyber-security, engineering, and computer science in Haifa.
As diverse and well-known as Israel is in these very important realms, the programs are always open due to the endless opportunities Israel offers. Onward Israel offers programs such as: Jinternship, Career Israel, and Destination Israel, all of which have become very popular and all offer a plethora of possibilities. Today, students even have the ability to choose what they want out of the internship based on where you want to be location-wise, if you would prefer to be with people from your area, and on the amount of time one wants to be in Israel. Most of these work with each other and have good connections with many Israeli organizations in order to find you the best experience. These providers are determined to help Jewish students from all over the world gain an edge in their career path. Though, they are not just committed to helping you find a meaningful internship, but to also assist in making meaningful friends who have a shared heritage and incorporating aspects of Judaism. Just like with Birthright, these friends and memories will last a lifetime.
Since these programs have been active for a few years, the results have been able to speak for themselves. Adam Cooper, a rising sophomore at the University of Michigan, interns at a 200 Apps. As a rising start-up business, 200 Apps looks to innovate application productivity, market products more successfully, and help their clients with any other vital business building. Adam’s internship as a New Business Coordinator, has given him a meaningful look into the financial and marketing side of a real business. In addition to recruiting new clientele, he also responsible for preparing spreadsheets for the logistics of a new incubator that 200 Apps is in the process of starting. According to Adam himself, “since I am studying finance, the skills that I have picked up at 200 Apps are going to help me not only when I start business school this coming semester but in future internships and jobs!”
Finding “the internship” today has become harder and harder, but look no further than the State of Israel! To pass the new internship prerequisite, one must start planning for their future now. Programs like Onward Israel, Jinternship, and Destination Israel have become the major providers and the results have been able to speak for themselves. This should be an incentive for the local Hillel, Chabad, Olami, and Jewish Federation to get more involved with sending students to Israel for a resume-building internship. Whether at your university, in your state/region, or studying abroad, there is no one place that offers more in your field than the Jewish state.
George Deek is an Arab-Israeli diplomat. In 2018, Deek was appointed Israeli ambassador to Azerbaijan. He is the first Israeli Arab Christian to become an ambassador. Deek grew up in an Eastern Orthodox Christian family in the Ajami neighborhood of Jaffa, in a building where the other tenants included Muslims, Catholics, Jews and a Catholic priest of Jewish ancestry.[2][3] His father, who worked as a tax advisor,[3] was one of the leaders of the Christian community in Jaffa who served as chairman of the Orthodox Association, and was considered a well-known and popular figure in the city until in 2015 a square was inaugurated in his memory in Jaffa in the presence of Mayor Ron Huldai.[4] According to Deek, his grandparents fled to Lebanon for safety when the 1947–1949 Palestine war, having been told that the Jews would slaughter them if they remained in their homes, but expecting to return home once Arab armies defeated the Jews.[3] According to Deek, when the war ended, his grandparents felt that they had been “deceived”, and decided to return illegally to their home in Jaffa rather than remaining in Lebanon as refugees. Since reentering the country was illegal, Deek’s grandfather, an electrician, was arrested and jailed.
