Masa Israel Journey Blog

August 20, 2007

From translation blunders to coffee confusion, Hebrew Union College student Jen Gubitz describes her first two months in Israel and the comical side of foreignness.

After being here for two months, I’ve concluded that my life in Israel is most easily compared to the only coffee beverage I can successfully order. Café Ha-fuch - translated simply as "Coffee Flipped/Upside Down" - is neither latte nor coffee, nor espresso by its lonesome. What is it? It’s tasty, caffeinated, complicated, indescribable at times, and a drink you will be served, regardless of what you order. Living in a new country can really turn all that you once knew – Upside Down.

While I'm a huge fan of iced coffee - the beverage of choice that I injected into my veins...

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Inside Look into Masa Israel through Executive Director Ezrachi

August 19, 2007

By Erin Kopelow

"Israel, is about to celebrate its 60th birthday," Masa Executive Director Dr. Elan Ezrachi says with an air of determination, "and the Jewish world of today is dramatically different than what it was sixty years ago."

The level of growth Israel has experienced over these past sixty years has significantly changed the face of this country. Compared to the Israel of 1948, which was a small country struggling to survive and define itself in the midst of mass immigration, war, and conflict, Israel today is a productive and thriving economic and cultural hub, one that now contains the largest single population of Jews in the world.

This demographic reality has lead many to believe a strong relationship between Diaspora and Israel crucial for the longevity of both communities. "We already know that more Jewish...