An advertisement in Times Square displayed a send-off message to thousands of Masa Israel Journey Fellows on September 2.
Thousands of young adults are preparing to travel to Israel through Masa for a gap year, internship, study abroad, volunteer, or professional training program. Masa Israel Journey is the largest immersive, long-term educational experience for young adults ages 16-35. Masa kept its programs open throughout the entire COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 6,500 young adults have registered since Masa opened its registration for the 2021-22 program year in late June. Ahead of Rosh Hashanah, 3,000 American Masa Fellows have landed in Israel, 1,000 of them from New York.
This includes Jason Botesazan, who is interning in the advertising department with Minute Media. He holds a bachelor's degree in organizational and industrial psychology from Baruch College. While studying at Tel Aviv University, the company piqued his interest and he knew he wanted to work for them.
"I realized that I could connect with the company through Masa Career opportunities and participate in an internship that matched my interests well. I love the internship and am really happy at my company. Thanks to Masa I can boost my career and contribute to Israel’s economy. What could be better than that?” he said.
Masa Acting CEO Ofer Gutman said, “We are thrilled to be celebrating 18 years of Masa Israel programs, and the increase in demand amid a challenging period has been inspiring. We’ve recently extended our program offerings to those aged 16-35, as we work to continue offering more life-changing, long-term opportunities to Jews from around the world.
"Our programs not only offer unparalleled internship, work and study experiences at top organizations and schools, but also give young adults the chance to live like locals and contribute to Israel’s rich and vibrant culture. As we prepare for the Jewish New Year, we welcome the endless possibilities a new year presents. We wish our Fellows a Shana Tova filled with discovery, growth and success.”