Startups. Science labs. An IDF base. An archaeological dig at the foot of the Temple Mount.YU students found themselves in all four this summer as they fanned out across Israel to work, research, volunteer and explore. Some learned the ropes at leading Israeli companies. Others assisted research scientists at Bar-Ilan University, took part in service projects through Counterpoint Israel or joined archaeologists searching for clues to Jewish pilgrimage during the Second Temple period.
Through four distinctive summer programs, students traded the traditional classroom for experiences that put them in the middle of Israel鈥檚 business, scientific and civic life and, in some cases, its history.
Here are highlights.
YU Summer Internship Program
For YU undergraduates Jordan Jesin '28SB and Talia Novick '27S, seven weeks living and working in Israel through the YU Summer Internship Program were nothing short of amazing. They were among 31 students selected for internships at more than two dozen leading startups and high-profile organizations, including PwC, EisnerAmper, monday.com, The Jerusalem Post, The Media Line, Shaare Zedek Medical Center and the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs.
Now in its seventh year, the initiative, run with support from KKL-JNF, placed students in internships across fields from tech and health care to finance, marketing, business development and media. But their experience went well beyond building a r茅sum茅. For many, it was an immersive introduction to a side of Israel they had never experienced before, not as tourists or students in seminary, but as young professionals navigating daily life and finding their footing in the workplace.
For Jordan Jesin, interning at the international accounting firm EisnerAmper鈥檚 Tel Aviv office was eye-opening. 鈥淚 learned a lot about private equity and venture capital and saw how they work in the real world,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e been to Israel before, but I鈥檝e never had an experience like this. It was fantastic.鈥
Tali Novick spent her internship volunteering in the cardiology unit at Jerusalem鈥檚 renowned Shaare Zedek Medical Center. Interested in pursuing a career in health care, she saw the seven weeks as an opportunity to explore that path from the inside.
鈥淓veryone was excited to be in Israel and have the opportunity to explore possibilities for the future,鈥 she said.
Some of the most memorable moments came after the workday ended, when the interns returned to YU鈥檚 Gruss Campus in Jerusalem to forge friendships and take part in extracurricular activities. Among the highlights were an evening with photojournalist Chen Schimmel, a live recording of the Shtark Tank podcast and a day in Tel Aviv meeting with senior executives from PwC Israel, monday.com and Wix.
鈥淭here are things students simply cannot learn in a classroom, and this summer they learned them firsthand, alongside industry leaders and YU alumni at the top of their fields,鈥 said Stephanie Strauss, executive director of YU in Israel.
鈥淥ur students developed skills, explored careers and discovered what it meant to live and work in Israel. And when they met YU graduates who had built remarkable careers here, they could begin to imagine what their own futures might look like.鈥
Counterpoint Israel
Eleven YU students spent July putting their energy and enthusiasm to work where they were needed most across Israel. They harvested fruit at an organic farm in the Golan Heights, visited an IDF base in northern Israel, assisted families of IDF reservists and mentored at-risk youth in communities navigating the effects of war.
It was all part of Counterpoint Israel, a YU summer program that has connected students to the country through service since 2006. Run in close partnership with the Jewish Agency for Israel, the initiative gave this year鈥檚 participants something many had been looking for: a chance to put their values into action and witness the impact of their efforts up close.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a special sense of connection that comes from volunteering and doing chesed in a place you consider home,鈥 said Yarel Sulman '29S, who had been to Israel before but never with Counterpoint. 鈥淗aving the opportunity to give back was incredible.鈥
The desire to do more was something Gabi Sackett, the program director for YU in Israel, heard repeatedly from participants. 鈥淪o many of our students wanted to help Israel beyond supporting it from afar,鈥 Sackett said. 鈥淐oming here gave them the chance to step off the sidelines and do practical work that was genuinely needed.鈥
Summer Science Research at Bar-Ilan University
Zohar Ben Simon '28S knows her way around computer science and economics. She鈥檚 majoring in both. Biology was another story. That changed this summer, when she secured a position in Dr. Orr Levy鈥檚 laboratory at Bar-Ilan University, where she worked alongside a physician and a computational biologist investigating how aging affects thyroid tissue.
鈥淚t was really engaging to learn about biology while applying my computational knowledge,鈥 Ben Simon said. 鈥淚 also loved collaborating with people in the lab.鈥
Edmond Shrem '27YC spent his summer putting artificial intelligence to work on a common challenge in the world of philanthropy. In the lab of Dr. Louis Shekhtman, the YU senior developed algorithms to help nonprofit organizations identify donors at risk of ending their support. Working with data from millions of foundation grants, Shrem used AI to tackle a problem with real-world impact, enabling nonprofits to build stronger, longer-lasting relationships.
鈥淭he research was unique, the people amazing, and being in Israel was just the best,鈥 Shrem said.
Ben Simon and Shrem were two of 16 YU students selected for the Summer Science Research Internship Program. Each was carefully matched with a research laboratory aligned with their academic interests and career goals, giving these budding scientists a chance to tackle some serious research questions.
Now in its 16th year, the program 鈥 a collaboration between YU and Bar-Ilan University 鈥 included students from Brandeis University, Binghamton University, Rutgers University, The Cooper Union and the University of Manchester (UK). Over seven weeks, they worked with faculty and graduate mentors on research spanning artificial intelligence, engineering, neuroscience, chemistry and the life sciences.
Among the research they tackled, one project was particularly ambitious. Pre-med student Aaron Sisser '27YC explored whether the lifespan of mice could be extended and what the findings might ultimately tell scientists about human longevity.
Sisser relished the opportunity to contribute, even in a small way, to potentially groundbreaking work. 鈥淒oing research at Bar-Ilan has been one of the coolest experiences I鈥檝e ever been a part of,鈥 he said.
It鈥檚 the kind of enthusiasm enthusiasm Prof. Arlene Gordon, director of the program, sees as one of the rewards of an internship experience that fosters both scientific inquiry and personal growth.
鈥淥ur students leave with new scientific skills, lasting professional relationships and memories that stay with them long after the summer ends,鈥 Gordon said.
Archaeological Excavations in Jerusalem
Digging into Jewish history has become something of a summer tradition at YU. Since 2004, students have joined archaeological excavations in Israel, unearthing monumental fortification walls, ancient gates and artifacts dating back to biblical times. This summer, YU students Ben Cypess, Gabe Simon-Hakalir and Ari Spivack, along with Stern alumna Yael Max, continued that tradition, trading books and classrooms for trowels and the chance to uncover history for themselves.
Led by Dr. Jill Katz, chair of Stern College鈥檚 Department of Sociology and clinical professor of archaeology, the YU team worked at Jerusalem鈥檚 Ophel, just south of the Temple Mount. There, alongside archaeologists from Hebrew University and the Armstrong Institute of Biblical Archaeology, they searched for new clues about pilgrimage to Jerusalem during the Second Temple period.
鈥淭he dig gave students a chance to engage in primary research as part of an international team and gain a deeper understanding of the logistics of pilgrimage, including the location of mikvehs and the water channels that fed them,鈥 Katz said. 鈥淏ut more than that, working at the site deepened their appreciation for the Land of Israel and their own connection to Jewish history.鈥
