The Israelis
We have a pool of over 100 speakers, made up of women and men of varying ages from across Israeli society.
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Here is a representative sample of our speakers, so that you can get a general idea of the types of Israelis you'll
meet on the program.
THE HAREDI
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Yaakov is an "avreich". He grew up in a yeshiva system, predominantly learning Torah subjects. He's married, has three young kids, and learns Torah full-time in a kollel, a seminary where married men receive a monthly stipend. He would LOVE to tell you about his lifestyle, and to answer any questions to might have.
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Salma is an Arab Muslim living in Israel. She was born and raised in a small village in the Haifa district. She is part of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel.
She teaches Arabic as a second language in a Jewish school.
Salma will GLADLY tell you about her family, the identity conflict she experiences, and what it's like to be a minority in Israel.
THE ARAB
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Sarah lives in Tel Aviv and works as a store supervisor. Her parents were brought to Israel on a secret midnight airlift from Ethiopia. This involved a dangerous trek over many nights through the desert, with little Sarah on her mother's back. She is HAPPY to tell you all about her family's epic transition from a nomadic desert tribe to life in modern Israel, and share some of the difficulties of adapting to this new life.
THE ETHIOPIAN
THE LEFTIST
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Koby grew up in Tel Aviv, served in the IDF, and now works for a tech startup. His experiences in the army shook his political views, and he strongly believes that the only just solution to the Israeli occupation is to withdraw from the West Bank in a land for peace deal. He is EXCITED to discuss the complexities and moral implications of this dilemma, and to get you thinking about his proposed solution to the problem.
THE SETTLER
Avi lives in the West Bank settlement of Shilo, and works as an environmental consultant to private businesses. Avi thinks it goes against principles of international law and the Biblical narrative to withdraw from these holy lands. Avi CAN'T WAIT to have an in-depth discussion with you about this crucial topic.
THE NEW OLAH (IMMIGRANT)
Barbara grew up in LA and worked as a PA. She decided to make Aliyah, and in the summer of 2016 came to Israel on a Nefesh bNefesh flight. She's now enrolled in an Ulpan program to work on her basic conversational Hebrew, and trying to adjust to living is a country where she discovered that there's a lot more backwards than just the language. She'd LOVE to tell you about the roller coaster ride of making Aliyah.
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Avital is a combat soldier who grew up in Rishon Lezion, near Tel Aviv. She was on active duty in Gaza during operation Cast Lead. When she finishes her conscription, Avital plans on entering law at Tel Aviv University. She is HAPPY to tell you about her experiences in combat, life as a 21 year old, and to answer your questions.
THE SOLDIER
