Jewish Life Digital Edition October 2015 | Page 24

TEENS

MY LAND
Israel is a land of diversity, which makes it
ideal for a gap year after school. Whether
it’s a work, learn and play experience you’re
looking for, or a more serious stint in yeshiva or seminary, or even something more
off the wall – Israel’s got it all. I found three
options to explore… I By Chandrea Serebro
Ariella Cobb

Ariella Cobb knew she wanted to go to Israel on a gap year after school to give herself the chance to learn Torah, while at the
same time fending for herself on a journey
of self-discovery, and to see the beauty of
Israel as well. With the wealth of options
out there, Ariella had many different programmes from which to choose. In the
end, she decided to go on Bnei Akiva’s
Midreshet Torah vAvodah (MTA) programme, a year-long programme through
which she’d have the opportunity to live in
Israel, be part of Israeli culture, learn in
world-class Torah institutions, and tour
the country during the breaks between semesters. In addition, the programme consists of an emphasis on leadership skills
development, volunteering, Zionism and
hadracha (leadership) seminars, experiencing the army, and even a trip to Poland.
For Ariella, the real drawcard was the extensive Torah study and top institutions of
learning. “The programme offers different
options of learning institutions in order to
allow the individual to learn in a place that
suits them. During the times when we are
not at yeshiva or midrasha, MTA provides
a full programme of activities which includes seminars, touring and learning
about the land of Israel.” And it suits South
African students to a tee, because, unlike
most programmes, MTA runs during the
southern hemisphere year, from January
to December, while most of the others run
from August to June.

Even when I get
back from Israel and
go to university, I will
try my hardest to
continue to expand my
Torah learning and
never forget the
valuable lessons that
I’ve learned during my
gap year in Israel.

ARIELLA COBB
20 JEWISH LIFE n ISSUE 89

photographS: SUPPLIED

This land is

MTA – Ariella Cobb