Select Highlights of 2010-2011 Foster Seminar

Statehood and Religion

  • Tour of Wadi Area: the Israeli Arab perspective
  • Sacred Spaces: Israel Museum and Shrine of the Book tour
  • Visit to integrated Jewish and Muslim school
  • Influence of the religious political parties
  • Settlements and the State: tour of Ariel and Shomron

Entrepreneurial Ventures

  • Israel 15 Vision: The plan to advance Israel into the top 15 countries within 15 years
  • Guidestar Israel: Israel's non-profit registry
  • Media Line: non-profit news agency promoting balanced reporting

FSU Community

  • Night Owls: non-profit dedicated to working with at-risk youth from FSU
  • Dinner with Limmud FSU immigrant students

Other Highlights

  • Group Shabbat and lively Oneg
  • Meeting with Mark Regev, spokesman for the Prime Minister
  • Walking tour of the old city; Kobi Aflalo concert

Seminar in Israel

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The Foster Seminar in Israel on Contemporary Jewish Life has been a cornerstone of the Hornstein Program’s curriculum for 30 years. Partnering with the Jewish Community Center Association (JCCA) Israel office, the seminar provides an incomparable experience allowing you to explore Israel in its 6th decade. Thought-provoking dialogues, dynamic speakers, experiential activities, wide-ranging field visits, and personal and group reflections will help you to relate to Israel in a professional context while defining your own connection to it.

The seminar exposes you to the complexities of modern Israel, helping you to shape your personal and professional relationships to the country. It will introduce you to individuals and organizations that can serve as important resources for years to come. It will deepen your connections to classmates. It will strengthen your ability to speak knowledgeably about Israel in your workplace. We expect our graduates to help shape the relationship between Israel and American Jewry in the decades ahead. The Foster Seminar helps to provide you with the tools to do this.

Cost of participating

The 2010-2011 seminar was generously funded by the Robert and Myra Kraft Israel Initiatives Fund at Brandeis which allowed our students to participate in this unique experience at little cost. In coming years, we hope to be able to continue to heavily subsidize the trip. We recommend that students bring about $400 personal spending money with them.