Masa Israel Teaching Fellows (MITF) is celebrating 10 years of impact with a virtual ceremony on May 23 for Fellows, alumni, families, and organizers. Masa Israel Teaching Fellows (MITF), a 10-month fellowship through which young Jews contribute to Israel’s educational landscape, is one of the longest-running and most successful programs of Masa Israel Journey. In its 10 years of operating, MITF, which brings college graduates between the ages of 21 to 35 from English-speaking countries to teach English in schools in Israel’s demographic and social periphery, has amassed 1,700 alumni and impacted 300,000 Israeli students while contributing 25,000 hours to teaching.
MITF is celebrating 10 years of impact on May 23 with a virtual ceremony. The event will commence at 7:00 PM Israel Standard Time (12:00 PM ET/ 9:00 AM PST), and will be broadcast to thousands of Fellows, alumni and their families.
The night will begin with words from MITF’s partners and speeches from Israel’s Minister of Education, Yoav Galant, the Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency Issac “Bougie” Herzog, and Masa Israel Journey Acting CEO, Ofer Gutman. Surprise guests will also speak, and never-before-seen videos will be screened.
The event will offer a look at what is happening in MITF cities today, present social and professional networking opportunities for alumni, and showcase live entertainment. Interactive workshops will held and lead my MITF alumni, including education industry networking led by Elizabeth Weisberg and non-profit and public sector professional networking led by Courtney Roy, Colin Shalo and Megan Garrett. The social networking rooms will be organized by region, with MITF alumni Garrett Davis and Nina Mazel leading the Israeli social networking, MITF alumnus Michael Greenstone operating social networking for those in the midwestern United States, and MITF alumna Jennifer Handel guiding social networking in the Northeast region.
The event will feature live video from the 14 Israeli cities where MITF currently has Fellows, and a total of 800 participants, including active Fellows, alumni, host teachers, and school principals are expected to attend.
In addition to teaching, Fellows immerse themselves in Israeli society and become integral members of the communities in which they live, teach, and volunteer. Fellows from the program, which is a partnership between Masa Israel Journey and the Ministry of Education, have taught in 19 Israeli cities and have worked alongside 350 host teachers. Participants have come from the United States, Canada, the Dominican Republic, and the United Kingdom.
“Over the past decade, I have seen up close the direct impact of the work MITF Fellows have done, and it is nothing short of miraculous,” said Masa Israel Journey Acting CEO Ofer Gutman. “I have seen how it transforms the lives of students, how it transforms the lives of teachers, and how it connects us all as one global Jewish family and Masa community.”
