ISRAEL ON A SHOESTRING: How to travel 6,000 miles on a tight budget

Jews have been taking low-budget vacations for years. Forty years of wandering in a desert is enough to prove to anyone that Jews can travel for a long time with few resources. You may not have 40 years and two stone tablets, but if you're looking for a cheap way to wander around Israel this summer, here are some suggestions.Study in a Seminary or Yeshiva
If you've never studied in a seminary or yeshiva before, you're in luck. There are at least seven different organizations that want to give you between $500 and $11,000 to cover costs ranging from airfare to books to special tzitzit laundry service. Most scholarships are in the $500 range but you can apply to multiple organizations.

Requirements for scholarships vary, but most look for students with minimal background in Jewish observance or education (sorry day school kids). Some scholarship programs specify a full-year commitment, but check with each organization to see if they will help you get to Israel for a summer program. A list of scholarships is available at www.studyinisrael.org. Also on this website is a list of yeshivas and seminaries.

Jewish Agency Programs: Stagerim Internship Program/Magen David Adom
If you want to be in Israel this summer, Stagerim and the Magen David Adom program are cheap ways to live in Israel for an extended period of time, according to Neil Gillman, the Aliyah and Israel programs representative for the mid-Atlantic region.

Stagerim is a professional internship course perfect for college students looking to get hands-on experience in their field while also in Israel. Internships include community activism, youth groups, science research at universities, working at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and, in one instance, at the StarKist tuna factory in Haifa. Depending on the location, rooms are provided for free at local absorption centers. This program is free and dates are flexible, but a minimum two-month commitment is required.

In the Magen David Adom program, participants complete an intense training course in Jerusalem and then spread throughout Israel to work on ambulances for the summer. The course costs $500 and there are specific start and end dates. A minimum amount of Hebrew is required for both of these programs.

Scholarships
Be creative in your scholarship search. Places to ask for scholarship opportunities include your home synagogue and Jewish Federation. Federations can offer $500 to $2000 but sometimes require dealing with complicated bureaucracies before receiving funds. Although the Greater Washington Federation covers College Park, this Federation will only support students originally from Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

"There are no shortage of Jewish philanthropies out there," said Gillman. "If [your program] fits their mold, they might be prepared to give you money."

March is the month to apply for scholarships because scholarship money will run out. For scholarships and programs, "the number one thing is to apply early," said Maryanna Walls of the Israel Aliyah and Program Center of Greater Washington.

Taglit-birthright israel
There is no doubt that the cheapest way to get to Israel this summer is through birthright. If you haven't gone on a trip yet, you have no excuse. Jewish professionals agree: "Birthright is the cheapest way of going to Israel" for the short term, said Wells. If you are going this summer, you have the perfect opportunity to extend your trip and by doing so you get the best of both worlds: an official introduction to the country as well as time to explore it more in-depth on your own. If you are nervous about being in Israel by yourself, try Volunteers-For-Israel and volunteer on an army base for 5-12 days after your Taglit experience for only $50. More information is available on the "Going Back" part of the birthright website. If you've already been on birthright and are over 21, consider staffing a birthright trip. Israel Outdoors (www.israeloutdoors.com) is looking for staff for all of their summer programs.

For those who have the drive to be in Israel this summer, there are ways you can get there without steamrolling your wallet. But Gillman said that the absolute, end-all, ultimate cheapest way to get to Israel is to make aliyah. What deal could be better? "The flight paid for, and you get financial assistance once you get there," he said.


Resources:

www.studyinisrael.org

www.birthrightisrael.com

www.israeloutdoors.com

www.goingback.birthrightisrael.com

www.masaisrael.org

www.jewishagency.org