(Courtesy of YU) In a joint initiative, Yeshiva University and its S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program-affiliated Israel schools have successfully launched IsraelNextYear, a virtual Israel recruitment platform designed to be an informational, communication and engagement hub for high school seniors in the U.S. and around the world to explore Israel gap-year programs.

YU’s popular S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program (SDAIP), which facilitates the enrollment of hundreds of students each year and provides programming throughout the gap year for its students, will play a central role as the primary sponsor of the platform.

In lieu of the traditional yearly high school visits by representatives of various Israel schools that have been cancelled due to the pandemic, high schools and Israel yeshivot and seminaries have worked together to establish convenient dates to provide valuable information for students, creating a virtual Israel Fair experience. “With travel limited by COVID, we were forced to reimagine these opportunities so that Israel administrators could engage high school seniors in a virtual space and get them excited about what lies ahead for them next year,” said Stephanie Strauss, executive director of Yeshiva University in Israel and director of the S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program.

The SDA Israel program helped this year’s cohort arrive safely in Israel, and Strauss and her team continue to provide professional resources and programming to enhance their Israel experience. Rabbi Yisroel Kaminetsky, rosh hayeshiva at DRS Yeshiva High School for Boys in Woodmere, New York, said, “We are so grateful to YU for launching this revolutionary digital platform enabling our students to navigate through the critical decision to select their most suitable Yeshiva in Israel.” Added Rachel Shandalov, assistant principal and dean of college guidance at YULA Girls High School in Los Angeles, California, “Since many of our students enroll in YU’s SDA program, this unique, vital and exciting initiative will help students make informed decisions about their highly anticipated Israel gap-year experience.”

For more information about enrolling in YU’s S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program and to learn about Israel gap-year programs, visit www.israelnextyear.org.