Ta'am Yisrael - A Taste of Israel
8th Grade Israel Experience
2013 Trip Dates: Monday, Jan. 28 - Tuesday, Feb. 5
Registration for Ta'am Yisrael 2013 is now open!
Click here for our online registration form.
INFORMATIONAL MEETING (For Parents & Participants):
Wednesday, May 16, 7 p.m.
Temple Jeremiah
937 Happ Road, Northfield
RSVP/More Info:
taamyisrael@cfje.org
(847) 410-3900, x14
www.facebook.com/taamyisrael
Click here for the program flyer
Additional Forms and Information:
Introductory Letter
Taam Yisrael Participant Eligibility 2013
Personal Profile
Letters of Recommendation Form - must be completed by one of each of the following two groups:
1) synagogue rabbi or education director
2) middle school principal or teacher
T-Shirt Form
Guest Notification Form
Public School Letter
Web Journal Sample
OVERVIEW
Ta’am Yisrael: A Taste of Israel, CFJE's 8th grade Israel Experience, aims to give participants a meaningful, intense, emotional and focused taste of their heritage through a weeklong, "hands-on" experience in Israel.
Ta’am Yisrael was developed in order to respond to the needs of post-Bar/Bat Mitzvah students, who constitute an especially at-risk group for discontinuing their Jewish education. Traditionally, the Bar/Bat Mitzvah year has marked the entrance into the Jewish community as an adult. However, following the excitement of the Bar/Bat Mitzvah year, a majority of students do not return for additional Jewish education.
The goals of Ta’am Yisrael include:
- Encouraging students to continue their Jewish education post Bar/Bat Mitzvah;
- Begin building the relationship between participants and Israel, wth an eye toward their return for lengthier Israel experiences;
- Strengthen Jewish identity and increase participants' desire to participate in organized Jewish community programs, such as Jewish camping and youth programming.
Highlights of Ta'am Yisrael include:
- Shabbat in Jerusalem
- The Kotel and Jerusalem’s Old City
- Climbing Masada
- Swimming in the Dead Sea
- Beit Guvrin/Archeological Dig
- Activities with Israeli youth
- Bedouin Tent experience
- Jeep Rides in the desert
- Yad Vashem (Israel's National Holocaust Memorial)
- Ammunition Hill
- Activities with Israeli youth
- Nalaga'at deaf-blind theater company
- An evening desert experience
All Ta'am Yisrael applicants must have a student-parent interview. Applicants and parents are required to attend all participant and participant/parent orientations, which include educational programming to prepare the participants for the experience.
All Ta'am Yisrael staff participate in extensive staff training, which includes CPR training. Our staff includes one doctor per bus. CFJE contracts with a highly regarded Israeli security company which provides security throughout the experience.
Why should your child participate in Ta'am Yisrael?
Ta’am Yisrael: A Taste of Israel, CFJE’s 8th Grade Israel Experience program, was launched in 1998 as an innovative response to the bar/bat mitzvah “dropout” problem; it remains a leading model, both locally and nationally, for keeping youth engaged Jewishly well into high school and beyond.
On Ta’am Yisrael, participants are exposed to:
- Biblical, early Zionist, and modern historical sites
- Hebrew language and Israeli culture
- Intense, emotional experiences that connect them with their Jewish heritage, identity, and people
- Peers and staff from around the Chicago Jewish community
Research has shown that Ta’am Yisrael alumni demonstrate a higher degree of involvement than
non-Ta’am Yisrael participants in:
- Jewish education during adolescent years
- Studying Hebrew language
- Visiting Israel during high school or college
- Jewish activities during adolescent years
- Attitudes toward sending their own children to Israel
- Taking Jewish studies courses in college
THE BIG QUESTIONS
“Will my child still be eligible for birthright?”
Historically, birthright Israel has accepted Ta’am Yisrael alumni, since our program is not long enough to disqualify participants.
More importantly—the impact Ta’am Yisrael makes on your child’s Jewish identity will inform the decisions he/she makes throughout high school and college, from studying Hebrew to engaging in Jewish activities, from social circles to college choice, and beyond.
“But we just went on a family trip to Israel…”
Family trips to Israel are a wonderful experience to share with your children. But they’re not a replacement for the peer experience that’s so valuable to immersive educational experiences like camps and retreats. Experiencing Israel with peers and friends opens teenagers’ hearts and minds to absorb the experience in an entirely new way, which leads to a long-term impact on their Jewish identity.
What about the cost?
CFJE subsidizes about half the actual costs; participants pay the remaining $1,948, but can receive from their congregation a $100 Award certificate, generously funded by the Susan and Marc Sacks Scholarship Fund. Up to $500 of SKIP funds from the Jewish Federation may also be used. Register by July 15 and save another $100; and those with greater financial need can apply for additional scholarship.
For more information
taamyisrael@cfje.org
(847) 410-3900, x 29
The CFJE reserves the right to make any and all decisions regarding the acceptance of applicants to Ta'am Yisrael. If the experience does not go forward for any reason, the CFJE has no future obligations to the applicants or their families.