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What is icnext?

What is icnext?

israel.cleveland.next is a one-year program with a second-year fellowship that educates Cleveland’s Jewish high school students from all denominations on the core issues of Israeli society and the geopolitical situation in Israel today.

The program originally began as Write on For Israel (wofi) (2008–2013) and merged with the Ambassadors for Unity program in 2014 to become icnext. The primary changes to the program in 2014 included the addition of a Mifgash host exchange with Israeli teens from Cleveland’s partnership region of Beit She’an, and opportunities for participants to learn about Israel from Cleveland Shin Shinim.

Today's Program

First Year:

  1. Attend eight Sunday seminars (10am-5pm), once a month.

  2. Learn Core Israel subjects: Zionism, history, and current issues of Israeli society and culture.

  3. Sharpen writing and journalistic skills through monthly written assignments.

  4. Study important Israel advocacy issues.

  5. Mifgash (encounter with Israelis) with a teen group from the Beit She’an/Emek HaMayanot region for one week (early spring).

Israel Mission:
In the middle of June, icnext embarks on the 10-day Israel learning and research mission that focuses on learning the geopolitical issues Israel is facing, and exploring contemporary Israeli society and culture. The mission also includes a second Weekend Mifgash with the Israeli teens from Beit She’an/Emek HaMayanot. During the course of the trip, participants document their experiences through blogs and photojournalism.

Second Year:

During the second year, students can:  

  1. Attend 6 hours of icnext guest speakers or other special presentations.

  2. Contribute to ic.news, a publication of five, two-page inserts in the Cleveland Jewish News that include blogs from the Israel trip that reach the publication's entire readership.

  3. Organize and participate in an exhibit of the group’s Israel photos.

  4. Create an Israel Advocacy-related Dvar Torah project.

  5. Join the Israel Update Project to keep members of the group informed of current events in Israel.

  6. Help the Jisr Az-Zarqa Youth Department project (Fundraising Project)

  7. Become a Stand With Us Fellow

  8. Be part of the Teen Leadership Council (A Stand With Us style group)

Who is Eligible?