“I keep telling my friends and family that to send your daughter to Israel and see her literally growing in front of your face and hearing her developing those muscles to be open minded and hold multiple truths and perspectives is the most important lesson a person can ever learn – for work, for family, for friendship, for marriage, and for peace.”

“My experience on Nesiya taught me to love all different types of people. It made me dig into difficult places in my soul that I didn’t know existed. It changed how I see the world…This program seemed real, raw, down to earth and NOT tourist-y. It builds a community. Faces the hard questions. Brings together unlikely friends. Explores bigger ideas. Emphasizes emotion. Cares about art.”

“I felt like the community emphasis really separated Nesiya from other programs. The Kehillah (community) helped me open up emotionally and realize the importance of my voice.”

“I learned to confront people and problems. I was given the opportunity to challenge ideas and customs I grew up with and to ask myself and others questions. I hope to continue my curiosity and honesty with myself and others. I hope to keep up with Israeli politics from both Israeli and American news sources.”

“I now feel like I want to seek out who are different from me. I think I’ve gained a great sense of the complexity of the country. I want to continue to explore my Judaism when I get home.”

“Nesiya was difficult, frustrating, and intense; 5 weeks of nonstop activity that allowed me to question, share, and argue my beliefs. Nesiya was a great experience! I gained a new outlook on life that isn’t shielded by bias and naïvete. I also gained a realization of the value of deep, intellectual, and logical conversations. I will try to apply this to my community at home.”

“It was amazing to meet such different people. I changed in that I was able to start having conversations, not arguments.”