For Jewish teens, traveling to Israel to immerse themselves in the culture and religion while witnessing where their ancestors came from firsthand is something everyone should be able to experience in their lifetime. Unfortunately, for many teenagers of the Jewish faith, going on a trip such as this is just out of reach due to many factors, including financial limitations. Yet, there should never be any reason that stops anyone from visiting the Holy Land and connecting with their heritage. Luckily, with trips like The Jerusalem Journey and support from longtime benefactors like Mike Leven, that dream can become a reality.

 

The Jerusalem Journey, or TJJ, put on by the NCSY, is a four-week trip and touring experience of Israel for public high school students and, in particular, Jewish Student Union members. TJJ is an exhilarating, action-packed, transformative journey that allows participants to learn more about their Jewish heritage and culture by interacting with the history, people, and environment of Israel. “I've been involved with NCSY for years now and we started discussing the idea of organizing a trip for high school kids to go to Israel for a longer period of time than what Taglit-Birthright Israel does for college kids. We felt by giving them a four-and-a-half-week orientation in Israel, where they can experience the Jewish peoplehood, would be beneficial for their future success,” said Leven.

 

During the trip, participants will be able to see historical sites from the Golan Heights to the shores of Eilat and everywhere in-between, visit archeological digs, hike through the mountains, float in the Dead Sea, and much more. Ultimately, TJJ is designed for public school teens looking to learn more about their Jewish heritage through hands-on, meaningful experiences. In particular, this trip is offered to high school students who have not been able to get involved with their local Jewish organizations. “Andrea and I wanted to offer something for kids who maybe didn't go to Hebrew school or not for long, didn't go to Jewish camps, or are not involved with Southern NCSY to learn about their heritage and community,” he said.

 

However, without funding, these trips wouldn’t be possible and that’s where Mike Leven, a longtime supporter of The Jerusalem Journey and Southern NCSY, comes in. The cost for the trip per student is $8,200 which includes airfare and lodging and is often supported by donations. So, for Leven as a longtime supporter of NCSY, he decided it was imperative to come up with a way to help raise a significant amount of funds to ensure as many local students as possible can participate. “I decided to start a small fundraiser here in St. Andrews to support the effort. So, our plan is to fund a St. Andrews bus of students, which would need roughly 44 people to each donate $1,800. With that, we would be able to send a full bus of kids for every trip,” said Leven.

 

With that, this upcoming March 7, Leven will be hosting a fundraising event in St. Andrews with the goal in mind of raising $72,000 to fund a full bus of students to attend an upcoming Jerusalem Journey trip. However, pending the success of the first fundraising event, Leven hopes to make this an annual donation-based endeavor while also expanding to other communities as well. “The idea is to have a St. Andrews bus that is partially funded by residents along with other funds provided by NCSY that would become an annual support program to ensure a few hundred kids are participating every year. Then if it works, we will hopefully take this concept to other neighborhoods like Addison Reserve, Polo Club, Boca West, and all the others,” said Leven.