Public school students will be introduced to Israel's rich history and culture on The Jerusalem Journey (co-ed). Participants will climb Masada, swim in the Kineret, kayak down the Jordan River and dig for ancient artifacts – all while learning about the critical role Israel has played in Jewish history since biblical times.

Teens who attend the Israel Summer Experience (co-ed) will have the opportunity to explore their Jewish identity while taking in all that the Holy Land has to offer. Created for students of Jewish high schools, the program provides a full month of touring, hiking, rafting, swimming and learning opportunities throughout the Jewish state.

There are only a few coveted spots left on both of NCSY’s intensive Jewish learning programs in Israel – Summer Kollel for boys and Michlelet NCSY for girls – and waiting lists for these programs are beginning to form. With a special focus on Torah study, each program offers participants the opportunity to delve deeply into Judaism’s sacred biblical and rabbinic texts while exploring the Holy Land and joining in fun sports and recreational activities.

Eleventh and twelfth graders on the special Jewish Overseas Leadership Training (JOLT) program will make a dramatic difference in the lives of children living in Kharkov, Ukraine by serving as their camp counselors. The experience is set to begin with a week in Poland, where students will learn about the country's Jewish heritage and the tragic loss suffered when the Jewish community was decimated during the Holocaust. During the three weeks spent working as counselors for the Ukrainian children, JOLT participants will help teach the children about the beauty of the Jewish tradition.

The trip will culminate with a stop in Israel, where students will have the opportunity to visit some of the land's historic sights and look back on what they have learned over the course of the month-long journey.

High school sophomores, juniors and seniors can apply to participate in the Yachad/NCSY Yad B'Yad Leadership Israel program. Twenty-five students will be selected to explore the beauty and history of Israel with developmentally disabled members of the National Jewish Council for the Disabled's Yachad program. During the month-long trip, the high school students receive special leadership training and instruction on the basics of special education. Seminars and experiential workshops enable the students to enhance the Yachad members' experience in the Holy Land.

New applicants for both the JOLT and Yad B’Yad Leadership Israel programs are being placed on a waiting list.

Back home on American soil, high school boys ages 13-18 can attend Camp NCSY Sports, at the Ner Israel Rabbinical College campus in Pikesville, MD, while girls can participate in the NCSY Summer Experience for Girls in New York's famed Catskill Mountains region.

Both of these programs provide sporting activities, including baseball, basketball, tennis, roller-skating horseback riding and much more. In addition, campers will take exciting field trips to local attractions - such as Washington, DC's Air and Space Museum, Liberty Science Center, Great Adventure and Hershey Park - and spend their mornings immersed in Jewish studies.

On the West Coast of the United States, younger boys – in grades 5-9 – can attend NCSY Camp West, located in Southern California's beautiful Big Bear Mountains. There, campers will get the full NCSY experience: Sporting, hiking, touring and Jewish learning with the program's dedicated professional and rabbinical staff. Camp Canada for Girls provides a similar experience for high schoolers in scenic Kingston, Ontario at Camp Kennebec, with activities from horseback riding and jet skiing to Torah study.

Some scholarships are available for participation in all NCSY summer programs. For more information on any of the NCSY summer 2000 programs, please call 1.888.TOUR.4.YOU or visit our website at www.ou.org/NCSY.