engage. inspire. achieve.

Rachel Krasner
in Israel

says. “They gain a sense of indepen-
dence and self-confidence because
they know they can tackle new [situ-
ations].”
Four Frankel students who opted
for gap years in Israel — all holding
different outlooks — returned very
pleased about their choices and par-
ticipated in a video about what they
did.
Tamar Brown, entering the School
of Dental Medicine at the University
of Pennsylvania, chose a gap pro-
gram to develop her religious and
spiritual outlook before starting the
University of Maryland as a family
science major.
“I studied religion five days a
week, but I also had time to hike and
explore the area,” she says. “It was
the first time I was on my own, and
I became more independent and
made many friends. My love for Israel
grew.”
Music has been a lifelong hobby
for Joe Kahn, and he spent his gap
year studying at the Rimon School
of Jazz and Contemporary Music in
Israel before beginning a remote, self-
guided career program, unrelated to
music, through Goddard College in
Vermont.
“My gap experience gave me time
to develop who I am as an individu-
al,” says Kahn, a sometime guitarist
whose senior thesis combines ideas
of philosophy, anthropology and reli-
gion. “It also gave me time to think
about what I would do academically,
and I felt more independent as I
made excursions to different parts of
Israel.”
Jonah Newman did not feel he
was ready for college and decided
to join the Israeli military for two

years. Afterward, he went on to
study finance at the Roth School
of Business at the University of
Michigan, where he is now a senior.
Newman believes the Israel commit-
ment helped with self-discipline and
showing his capabilities.
Lexi Smith, now holding a commu-
nications degree from Michigan State
University, wanted to explore the
world — and herself — before going
to college. As part of her Kivunim
program, she traveled to many
countries — Greece, India and Spain
among them — to learn about their
history and effects on Jewish culture.
“I matured and gained a pas-
sion for people,” says Smith, soon
returning to Israel as a Masa Israel
Teaching Fellow.
Rachel Krasner will be among new
gap students arriving in Israel to real-
ize their own purposes. A graduate
of Cranbrook and a member of West
Bloomfield-based Temple Israel,
she wants more time for herself and
introspection before pursuing class-
work at Northwestern University.
“I’m going to a seminary to learn
about Judaism and doing commu-
nity service in the country was well
as taking a heritage trip to Poland,”
says Krasner, who has known others
with satisfying gap year experiences
and found hers through the National
Conference of Synagogue Youth. “I’ve
been to Israel before and felt a deep
connection. I grow so much every
time I’m there.” •

Where personal excellence
is achieved through a powerful
community, a true culture of caring,
and extraordinary resources.

ͻ Established in 1840, the Berkley School District has
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ͻ Berkley High School, ranked among the top 500 High
Schools in the United States by Newsweek͕ŽīĞƌƐϮϰ
Advanced Placement courses and more than 68% of
graduates took at least 1 AP course in 2017.

ͻ ĞƌŬůĞLJ^ĐŚŽŽůƐŽīĞƌƐĂƌŽďƵƐƚŵƵƐŝĐĂŶĚĮŶĞĂƌƚƐ
program from Kindergarten to 12th grade — and
in 2017 was named a Best Community for Music
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year in a row.

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ͻ Students are nurtured and encouraged to be
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ͻ ĞƌŬůĞLJƵŝůĚŝŶŐůŽĐŬƐŽīĞƌƐŚŝŐŚƋƵĂůŝƚLJĞĂƌůLJ
childhood infant, toddler and preschool programs.

www.berkleyschools.org | 248.837.8000

To find a list of gap year opportunities
in Israel, go to frankelja.org.

@BerkleySchools

jn

August 24 • 2017

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