Executive Summary:
Journeys to Enrichment and Leadership

The mission of the Nesiya Institute is to inspire North American and Israeli young people from diverse backgrounds to enrich Jewish life for themselves and others.

The future vitality and creativity of Jewish life depends upon young people exploring Judaism and Israel as resources for their personal growth and developing themselves as creative leaders. Bright and questioning young Jews are searching for journeys that provide challenges, choices and tools for making the world a better place. North Americans and Israelis need new ways of learning from and contributing to one another.

Nesiya programs inspire young people to deepen their relationship with Judaism, the Jewish people, and the nation and land of Israel, and to develop their own Jewish journey – as individuals, as part of an international peer group, and as contributing members of the larger Jewish community. Nesiya brings North American and Israeli youth face-to-face with the richness and complexity of Jewish life – and with each other – through a unique model of experiential learning that combines community building, text study, the arts, outdoor adventure, and community service. Every Nesiya program builds relationships and explores differences among diverse Jews in order to develop Jewish leaders and invigorate Jewish life.

Nesiya has conducted highly innovative experiential learning programs for the past 23 years. The two historic core programs of The Nesiya Institute are: a six-week summer Israel program for North American and Israeli high school students and a substantive week-long arts and text-based Winter Retreat program in North America, with enrichment and educational leadership training for high school, college, and post-college age young adults. Over 2000 North American and Israeli young people have participated in Nesiya Israel programs, and over 800 high school, college, and post-college age young adults have participated in follow-up programs in North America and Israel.

During the past few years, Nesiya successfully launched an academic-year community service and learning fellowship in Israel which cultivates altruism, activism, and collaboration among religious and secular Israeli young people.

Nesiya's recent activities also include: new Israel leadership programs for North American college students (Harvard, Yale, NYU) with Israeli peers; programs in Israel for North American Jewish community high schools, and other programs for educators, lay leaders, and families.

Nesiya inspires journeys to giving, cultivating individuals who see themselves contributing to a larger vision of Jewish life. Today Nesiya is a unique model of leadership education and Jewish experiential learning and a growing renaissance community of life-long learners, educational leaders and activists in Jewish life in North America and Israel.