Israel Fellowship
Teaching English to young Israelis reaps benefits
for students and their American teacher.
Josh Finn } jewish@edu writer
y the second semester of my senior
year at Central Michigan University, I
had a few post-college options lined
up for after graduation.
Then, one day, I was sitting at work, day-
dreaming about my Birthright trip. I always
knew I wanted to go back to Israel. An ad
popped up on the side of my Facebook page
asking, “Want to go back to Israel? Teach
English for 10 months!” I clicked the ad, and
the rest is history: I became a Masa Israel
Teaching Fellow in Ashdod, Israel.
Upon arriving in Ashdod in August 2013, I
had no idea what to expect or what situations
I would encounter. The single most important
thing I learned during my 10-month journey
was to get out of my comfort zone and try new
things.
I went to the market after school to buy
groceries and if I didn’t know where some-
thing was, I relied on what I learned in Ulpan
(Hebrew language immersion course), to ask a
clerk where to get it. Everyone was extremely
friendly and excited to help the teaching fel-
B
lows everywhere we went in the city.
In the past, I was a teaching assistant at
a summer day camp and university and that
was my only teaching experience. As a fellow,
I attended Achva College and gained impor-
tant skills for entering the classroom at my
newly assigned school in Israel, where I taught
grades 3-6. Teaching there gave me skills I still
use today.
One of these skills is patience. I am currently
going to school to become an American Sign
Language interpreter at Oakland Community
College. In Israel, I was the one teaching a new
language — English, and it’s a hard language
for people to comprehend. Today, I am the one
learning a new language, and it takes time to
develop these skills. Having helped my Israeli
students through this process, I am more
patient with myself.
I also stepped outside of my comfort zone
to explore Judaism in Israel. As a Jewish
American, you may think of only one type of
Jewish person — maybe they wear yarmul-
kes, maybe they don’t. In Israel, there are all
Josh Finn works with a student to
learn English.
different types of Jewish people, of different
races and backgrounds, who speak different
languages.
In Ashdod, we lived in a predominantly
Russian and French part of town, and I heard
people speaking multiple
languages around me all at once. I loved pick-
ing up words and learning other languages,
along with Hebrew. For a language enthusiast
like me, it was a dream come true.
I also interacted with area families. A
student even invited me to her house for a
Moroccan-style Shabbat dinner with her family.
The group of fellows in Ashdod were diverse,
too. There were people who were Orthodox
and Reform. My roommate was from England,
and I learned a lot about what Jewish life is
like there.
Overall, I had so many opportunities while
Finn works with his young
students in Israel.
serving as a Masa Israel Teaching Fellow. I
encourage anyone who is thinking about it to
go on the program. The leadership skills and
experiences I gained while living and volun-
teering abroad are invaluable.
I feel more connected to my Jewish roots
and traditions, and grateful that the program
provided me with so many travel opportuni-
ties to explore my religion and culture. I
recommend applying for Masa Israel Teaching
Fellows because it was the journey and oppor-
tunity of a lifetime! @
Josh Finn of Southfield is now studying at Oakland
Community College to be an American Sign
Language interpreter To learn more about the
teaching fellows program, go to
israelteachingfellows.org.
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February 18 • 2016
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