(Courtesy of Here Next Year) Here Next Year, in partnership with Nefesh B’Nefesh, hosted its fifth annual Israel Fair in the center of Jerusalem. The fair is designed to help young potential olim, currently in their gap year, learn about their options for IDF service, Israel National Service (Sherut Leumi), Ulpan and higher education in Israel.

“We were so pleased to welcome the close to 500 people who attended this event, and to have helped these students explore their futures in Israel,” said Yael Engelhart, director of Here Next Year. “With advisors from across the country, and specialty food vendors like Crave, Urbun and Muffin Boutique, these students both enjoyed themselves and learned a lot about the options open to them if they choose to stay in Israel.”

The goal of the Israel Fair is to give these students an opportunity to best learn about their options, in order to choose the right path for themselves. At the fair there were representatives from Nefesh B’Nefesh, the IDF and Sherut Leumi programs and universities and colleges from all over Israel. There were also recent olim in attendance to share their own personal experiences and act as peer resources for the gap-year students. It was an excellent opportunity for these potential olim to meet like-minded friends and create a strong support system.

“It is an incredibly special night at the Here Next Year Israel Fair,” said Marc Rosenberg, director of pre-aliyah at Nefesh B’Nefesh. “To be with nearly 500 young people, together exploring future options in Israel, is just an amazing sight to behold. We are proud to partner with Here Next Year on this event and see more and more young people interested in aliyah.”