Recent Posts

• Masa Alumni Build Understanding about Israel at AJC ACCESS400 young Jewish professionals--many of them Masa alumni--attended AJC ACCESS 20/20 weekend in DC to take part in the the global debate on Israel, Iran, and opportunities for building peace.  Having spent a significant amount of time interning, volunteering or studying in Israel, Masa alumni were passionate about lending their insights to the conversation. At the Masa Israel panel, distinguished alumni spoke about how their Masa Israel experiences enable them to build understanding about Israel among diverse populations in their careers. The moderator was Jennah Craig, Career Israel alumnus and Assistant Director of AJC San Francisco.  The...read more »
• PresenTense/Masa Israel Pitch Night! Earlier this year, we launched our first-ever PresenTense Social Entrepreneurship program for Masa Israel alumni who have visions for Jewish social entrepreneurship projects.  After a competitive application process, six alumni were chosen. After months of hard work, they are ready to present their projects, which include: A space for Jewish artists to connect and build community A social networking site providing Jewish travelers with a home away from home A tour of Hasidic Williamsburg from an insider Support your fellow alumni as they pitch their projects, get a PresenTense crash course, and network over nosh. Date: May 29 ...read more »
• Leaving a Career in Television for Israelby Joseph Shamash, student at Masa Israel’s Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies Born to immigrant parents from Iran, I spent my early childhood in Dallas before my family decided to relocate to Los Angeles. As a student at Hillel Academy, an Orthodox day school, Judaism was a central part of my life, though meticulous religious observance was not. I did not like feeling forced into observing the minute details of halacha – especially when it made no sense to me. As a child, I asked a rabbi whether it was better to drive to shul or stay home on Yom Kippur,read more »