About the program
Jewish gap-year students from a range of denominations, youth movements and backgrounds; the site describes the program as pluralist and says it began as the gap year for members of the Young Judaea movement.
The Jerusalem half of Young Judaea Year Course, an eight-month program split between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Participants are based at the Machon l'Madrichim and take core courses (History of Zionism, Jewish Thought and Practice, The Jewish People), electives and field-based classes, with daily Hebrew ulpan and a trip to Vienna and Budapest included in tuition. An optional Pardes text-study track is offered for an added fee.
The facts
- Type
- Gap year program
- Location
- Jerusalem and Tel Aviv
- Director, Year Course
- Ariel Magal
- Founded
- 1956
- Program length
- Eight months (one semester in Jerusalem, one in Tel Aviv)
- Number of students
- Not published on the program's website. Ask the program.
- Tuition
- Year Course 2027-28 tuition: Early Action (apply by December 15, 2026) $32,100; Standard (apply by June 1, 2027) $33,600; both after the standard Masa Israel grant. Includes housing, local health insurance, full meal plan in Jerusalem, basic groceries in Tel Aviv, up to a full year's worth of college credits, Hebrew ulpan, monthly transit stipend, tours and overnight trips, and the European Heritage Trip. A single semester is $16,900 (limited availability). See it on their site
- College credit
- Up to a full year's worth of college credits through an accreditation partnership with Hebrew College (Boston); participants may opt out of for-credit classes. Minimum GPA of 2.0 to earn credits.
- Masa
- The program's website says it is a Masa Israel program.
- Housing and meals
- Standard dorms at the Machon Institute in Jerusalem, four participants per suite, each suite with its own bathroom and shower; full meal plan in Jerusalem. Food provided by the program is certified kosher.
- Tracks and options
- Internship Track
- MDA-Medical Volunteer Track
- Marva - IDF Army Track
- Tech & Coding Track
- Kibbutz Ketura Volunteer Track
- Pardes Jewish Learning
- Global trips (optional)
- Fitness Package
- Business Package
- Road Trip with the Rabbi
Where this information comes from
Everything on this page was taken from the program's own website and last checked on October 2, 2026. Details change, so confirm with the program before you rely on them. The photo shows Jaffa Gate, Old City of Jerusalem, not the program or its campus.
- https://www.youngjudaea.org/yearcourse
- https://www.youngjudaea.org/tuition
- https://www.youngjudaea.org/jerusalem
- https://www.youngjudaea.org/tel-aviv
- https://www.youngjudaea.org/aboutyearcourse
- https://www.youngjudaea.org/yc-faq
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