Thirty Jewish young adults from our community have wrapped up eight, incredible weeks in Israel, as a part of the South Palm Beach County Onward Israel internship program.

The once-in-a-lifetime program, which is generously supported by the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, the Judi and Allan Schuman Center for Israel Engagement, and the Jacobson Jewish Community Foundation, offers an opportunity for participants to spend the summer living in Tel Aviv, while interning in specific fields of study.

“I am super grateful and excited for my internship at the Owners TLV, as it is truly helping me become accustomed to this city and providing me insight into how businesses are run outside of the United States. This is a great tool to have in my pocket, as I will be able to use my diverse understanding of business internationally throughout my entire professional career,” said Cole Buffa, a rising junior at the University of Florida, who is doing content writing at Owners TLV.

While Onward Israel is an internship program, it offers more than work experience. The interns participate in educational programs and group trips, including a special Shabbaton weekend with our Partnership2Gether (P2G) community, Zichron Yaakov. While in Zichron, the interns are offered a “home-away-from-home,” with Israeli host families, who provide home-cooked meals and the warmth of Shabbat.

“The Shabbaton weekend in Zichron was such an incredible experience. What I enjoyed the most was hospitality with the sweetest family, who treated me like their own,” said Rayna Hoffman of Boca Raton, who attends University of South Florida. In addition, participants make new friendships and connections, as well as a lifetime of memories.

“I think it is important to do Onward with other members of my home community because I was able to meet many new friends all from my hometown. Now when we all visit home on college breaks, we will have the chance to reconnect and catch up. Doing Onward with members of my home community also made me realize how many Onward participants are members of the same temple as me. So, coming on Onward South Palm Beach, I already saw a lot of familiar faces. I am very happy that I was able to do Onward with all people from my town,” said Tara Hecht – University of Miami student from Boca Raton, Florida.

Myles Talber of Boca Raton, who attends the University of Colorado Boulder, agreed, “it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life!”

Applications for the program begin in the fall for summer 2023. To learn more about Onward Israel, visit https://onwardisrael.org/programs/south-palm-beach/ or call Betsy Lampert, Planning Associate, Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County at 561-852-3155.