JNF-USA Winter Break: Provides Social Justice and Lasting Friendships

Jewish National Fund-USA’s Alternative Winter Break Program provides visiting college students with the opportunity to combine social justice with hands-on volunteering and touring throughout Israel. Each day of the trip is comprised of volunteering, touring,education, and independent time in the evenings and on Shabbat. The program, whose registration deadline closes on November 10, has been operating through JNF-USA for the past 15 years, and has brought 2,000 Jewish college students and young adults ages 18-24 to Israel. Through JNF-USA partnerships across Israel, their participants are given access to different types of volunteerism, which include helping the environment, working with children, supporting people with special needs, and assisting minority groups.“We are getting calls from students who want to visit Israel, yet they also want to make a difference and have a positive impact on a people-to-people level,” said JNF-USA Director of Campus Engagement Amy Cytron. “We are seeing a trend within the 18-24-year-old demographic where they have a deep social conscience and want to find meaningful volunteering opportunities. Alternative Winter Break allows them to have that impact while striking the right balance between independent time and group activities.”“I’ve been on Alternative Winter Break twice and I’m going back a third time this December because it’s such a great experience. It’s always a great group of participants, and I especially like the volunteering because we can actually see the impact we’re making after a long day of work,” said UMass Amherst student Max Rubin.More information about Alternative Winter Break is available at jnf.org/break.