Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education

Virtual Tour

Visit our campus from the comfort of your own home!

AMIIE has been a provider of custom designed Jewish educational experiential journeys in Israel and Eastern Europe for Jewish Day Schools from throughout North America since 1995.
Programs are offered for high school students and can take place during the sophomore, junior or senior year. Programs range in length from anywhere between three to 19 weeks.

Currently we provide tailor-made, academic Israel experience programs to:

Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy (formerly Akiba Hebrew Academy) Merion Station PA
American Hebrew Academy Greensboro, NC
Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School Rockville, MD
David Posnack Hebrew Day School Plantation, FL
Donna Klein Jewish Academy Boca Raton, FL
The Emery/Weiner School Houston, TX
Gann Academy Boston, MA
Greenfield Day School Miami, FL
Lippman Day School Akron, OH
Jess Schwartz Jewish Community High School Phoenix, AZ
The King David School Scottsdale, AZ
Milwaukee Jewish Day School Milwaukee, WI
San Diego Jewish Academy San Diego, CA
The Weber School Dunwoody, GA

We can offer full semester or trimester programs or part thereof for students in the Sophomore year or Junior year. We also provide a range of programs for Seniors. These programs are flexible and can be coordinated with us through Lori Serbin Lasday, our Director of Day Schools and Special Programs.

There are schools that travel to Prague and Poland with us too; some on the way to Israel and others leave from Israel and return to Israel. The schools that study with us in the Sophomore and Junior years receive the full range of General Studies subjects. The students who come to us as Seniors concentrate on a Jewish-Israel experience only (some of them, however, take AP exams). In each case we tailor-make our program to meet the educational goals and needs of the schools with whom we partner.

Programs are offered for 8th graders that generally include ten days to three weeks of travel through the land. Students travel with home school faculty members who serve as escorts for the trip. Choose from the headings below to get more information:

General description of the core curriculum program
Additional program highlights
Religious ritual & observance policy & practice
Importance of Hebrew
Campus life & activities
AMIIE communication with parents
Student communication home
Security Guidelines

The mission of AMIIE is:

To strengthen Jewish identity, Jewish spirituality and pride in its students
To foster identity with Klal Yisrael and Jewish Peoplehood through a hands-on living Jewish history experience
To strengthen a relationship and connection with Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael; the People, Land, Culture and Tradition of Israel.

AMIIE seeks to create a strong American Jewish community composed of knowledgeable individuals committed to the continuity of the Jewish People. AMIIE aims to educate young people to be aware of the past, live the present, ensure the future and assume leadership roles in the Jewish community. Its aim is to help students grow in all aspects: spiritually, socially, emotionally and academically. To achieve this we challenge and enrich the students on the cognitive and emotional, physical and spiritual, individual and communal levels. AMIIE seeks to add to students' general Jewish knowledge and to their religious and spiritual experiences in the land of Israel. AMIIE provides a rich learning experience, one that fosters independent thinking and one which respects and advances the academic and ethical standards consistent with the highest Jewish ideals.

Our Staff
A hallmark of the AMIIE program is the use of teachers and educators, not tour guides. All are experienced teaching in formal settings and on site. All are native English speakers. Our teachers have great knowledge of the sites in Israel, but, most significantly, they have the gift to make these places come alive and become relevant in the lives of our students. All have academic training in Jewish history, experience in youth work, a love of learning and teaching, and a familiarity with the AMIIE experiential-style, hands-on curriculum.

Madrichim, (youth counselors), live and travel with students and participate in all aspects of their daily lives. Madrichim plan group activities and informal outings and provide students with a personal connection to the vibrant lives of Israel's young adults. All serve as personal support and problem solvers, and help students to process their experiences in the land. All are an integral part of the AMIIE program.

AMIIE'S International Team
Chaim Fischgrund, AMIIE Headmaster, has been a part of the organization for over 20 years, serving as its Principal since 1991 and Headmaster since 2000. Chaim was born in Germany, raised and educated in New York, and has lived in Israel since 1974. As Headmaster, Chaim works directly with each school to custom design an itinerary that meets its academic and religious goals. He frequently travels between Israel and the States to meet with school representatives face to face. In addition, as Headmaster he supervises the school faculty and campus staff. This includes the Dean of Education, Dean of Students, Dean of General Studies, the nurse, teachers, madrichim, general studies tutors, office support and campus maintenance. All security personnel work directly under and answer to the Headmaster.

The AMIIE National Office, located in New York, is home to a team of professionals who manage day-to-day state-side operations and promote the important work of our non-profit organization to supporters and alumni throughout North America. The office is led by the National Director, Hindie Fried, and includes staff working in communications, development, alumni relations, finance and bookkeeping, and the regular sessions and Day School division administration. In addition, Lori Serbin Lasday, Day School Division Coordinator our National Program Director makes up part of a valuable staff of Admissions Directors or DA's who live and work in regional offices around the country.

The AMIIE Day School Division Coordinator serves as a school's exclusive state-side liaison between our organization and yours. She will assist your professionals and the AMIIE Headmaster in goal setting and planning your itinerary and will coordinate all paperwork and billing. Parents will come to contact her directly for just about everything both prior and during the trip. Additionally, she will help market the program through personal visits to the school. If you work behind the scenes to solicit funding from members or community foundations she will be happy to be present at those meetings as well.

History of the School
Thirty-five years ago, in the summer of 1972, The Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education, operating first as the High School in Israel, pioneered a revolutionary experiment in Jewish Israel education. The AMIIE program unfolds the living drama of Jewish history using the land of Israel as its classroom. This innovative approach has been our guiding spirit for over three decades. As students change, history progresses, and new sites open, we have updated our program while remaining faithful to our guiding principles.

AMIIE was founded by Rabbi Morris and Lenore Kipper and the Jewish Federation of Greater Miami following a study whose results revealed that Jewish identity is formed for life during the teen years and that a keen appreciation of Jewish history is the best way to build it. AMIIE revolutionized the way Israel was taught by using the country as a living classroom, and boosted interest and attachment to our land, history and heritage. AMIIE has been an important contributor to the educational fabric of the North American Jewish community and boasts close to 18,000 alumni - many of whom continue to be active in their Jewish communities today.
AMIIE's original and signature program continues to provide an intensive academic experience for 11th and 12th grade public and private school students during five eight-week sessions throughout the school year and one slightly shorter session during the summer. All instruction is conducted in English. We work in concert with the students' schools so they are kept current with their home school in the areas of mathematics, science and foreign language. All levels of home school courses are available in Israel.
AMIIE is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and the Commission on International and Transregional Accreditation (CITA).
For our excellence we received the William J. Shroder Award presented by the Council of Jewish Federations, The Shazar prize presented by the Department of Education of the World Zionist Organization and the Dushkin Award presented by the International Organization for Culture of Youth in Jerusalem.

Traveling, studying and living in Israel are life-changing experiences that cultivate Jewish leadership, activism, learning and community building among students. AMIIE provides a total educational and academic experience combining discussions, seminars, on site learning and retreats.
It is assumed that Day School students arrive in Israel with a strong knowledge base. They come with myriad ideas and questions about Jewish history and Jewish life. Students arrive in Israel at different stages in the development of their personal Jewish identity. Our goal is to reinforce what has been learned and absorbed at home and in school. We hope to add to their general Jewish knowledge and to their religious experience in the context of their time in Israel. Our goal is to challenge students both intellectually and spiritually.
The aim of studying history is not merely to examine the facts of the past but to weave them into an historic narrative, one that may teach students about themselves and their place in Jewish history today. This study enables our students to confront the issues and role models that shaped Jewish history and Jewish life and allows them to draw conclusions relevant to their own lives. The historical narrative method has proven immeasurably more effective than the conventional arrangement of experiences in a thematic modular format.
AMIIE's 7-volume Sourcebook was developed to complement discussions and site visits with easily accessible primary and secondary sources. The Sourcebook is modified and personalized for each partner school. Whenever possible, text study is done on the site with direct relevance to the text itself. We travel and study with a frame of reference to the text. The interaction of text, the actual act of studying and the students' experience validates the relevance of the text.
Traditional texts, historic maps, modern Israeli literature and other primary source material are all used to promote this understanding. Of course, most significant is the unfolding of this living drama of Jewish history in the "classroom" of the land of Israel itself.
The AMIIE teacher leads all discussions, learning sessions and serves as guide on all trips. This assures educational continuity and enhances the creation of a total educational experience. Experiential education techniques may include the study of Jewish texts in a Bet Midrash atmosphere, creative art projects, dramatic presentations and regular personal journaling.
Upon request, AMIIE is flexible to engage other speakers or educational organizations as "subcontractors."

A Visit to Prague and Poland (optional)
As fewer young people have first-hand connections to family members and community leaders who survived the Shoah, a visit to Prague and Poland enables students to experience, confront and ultimately gain a deep understanding of the rich but terrible history of Jewish life in Eastern Europe. The focus of the week is to understand the significance of the Shoah in its historic continuum, learning of the nearly 1000 years of Jewish life in Poland, seeing how who we are as Jews today is influenced by this history, and meeting face to face with the post-Holocaust, post-Communist Jewish communities of Prague and Poland.

The General Study Program
The General Studies Program constitutes academic instruction tailored to the needs of each student as demanded by the partner school. This option is available to those schools that plan an extended Israel experience. Our Dean of General Studies will work directly with your school administrators and faculty in planning and preparation. Students will arrive in Israel prepared to continue study of their regular school curriculum. The program is designed to ensure that when students return home, they are able to immediately reenter school classes at a level commensurate with their peers. Our general studies teachers are qualified to teach the range of language, humanities, math and science courses, including science labs and all Advanced Placement offerings. The campus is an official testing site for the PSAT and AP exams. Students are provided transportation to Tel Aviv for the SAT exam. Registration for these tests takes place prior to arrival in Israel.

Mifgash: Opportunities to Encounter Israeli Peers
Israeli youth are open and welcoming of special programs planned to introduce them to their "American cousins" and most schools and youth organizations in Israel respond positively to the opportunity to plan and host day-long programs, with AMIIE students. AMIIE has worked closely with Partnership 2000 communities and youth throughout the country to arrange unique gatherings addressing the goals and objectives of each partner school. The Mifgash seeks to provide the students from both communities the opportunity to learn about each other. It is important that they share feelings and experiences so that while realizing how different we may be there is much that unites us as one people. In order to do so in a meaningful way the students must spend significant time with each other in an environment that would foster friendship and camaraderie while facilitate serious discussions and activities.
Possibilities are nearly limitless - programs take place right at a community school, Israeli peers may join our students for a special joint tiyul (trip), or students may gather together for a barbeque and party on the AMIIE campus. Opportunities can be enhanced if preliminary work has been done prior to arrival in Israel, with ongoing communication and sharing between schools that culminates in the personal contact in Israel.

Community Service Projects
We offer a variety of community service projects that can meet the specific goals and time allotment of each partner. Organizations readily welcome the hands and hearts of American teens who come to fulfill the mitzvah of tikun olam (repair of the world). Past projects have included: packing foodstuffs for distribution to needy families through Yad Eliezer; preparing and serving meals at Hazon Yeshaya, spending time with the elderly at Yad Lakashish; assisting at a therapeutic horse ranch; refurbishing schools and community centers; picking fruit for Table to Table; or developing a Walk-a-thon to raise money for a personal cause.

Gadna: An Israel Defense Force Experience (optional)
The Gadna program is a basic introduction to the IDF for high school teens from abroad. As every Israeli teen is required to serve in the army, Gadna offers a window into what this uniquely Israeli experience is like. Time is spent learning outdoors skills and simulating what life is like on an Israeli army base. Its focus is not political or militaristic.

Recreation
Recreational and enrichment activities are an important aspect of the AMIIE experience. The season and weather determines specific activities, but always the itinerary recognizes the need to just have fun! Recreation options include swimming, rappelling, jeep rides, camel and donkey rides, snorkeling, sunset boat trips, and the Yam l'Yam hike from the Mediterranean Sea to Lake Kinneret. Cultural events may include attending theater or dance performance and professional sports event, rock concert, theater and movie night. On occasion aa well known performer will be invited to our campus in Hod Hasharon. Always the schedule allows for supervised trips to the mall and food concessions to mingle with Israelis.

Home Hospitality
A visit to the home of a student's family in Israel is an important part of the Israel experience. AMIIE builds into every schedule at least one "open" weekend when students may spend an extended Shabbat with family or family friends. Details are prearranged with parental permission and travel arrangements are organized by the AMIIE staff. A host will generally pick up and return the student to campus, or door to door transportation with our local taxi company will be ordered. In keeping with the organization's policy, no student may travel beyond the Green Line for this visit without a special written waiver submitted by the parents prior to travel.

Free Time
Along with all the seriousness of the program, students also need time to just "chill out." For those students who are based on our campus, down time is enjoyed in a place they call "home." Additionally, while traveling, whenever and wherever possible, and always with safety and security the highest priority, students are given free time to experience Israel on their own.

AMIIE does not promote one particular approach to Jewish religious and ritual practice. We address and honor each individual school's philosophy for an authentically Jewish experience that will meet help students to grow Jewishly. Israel means "one who wrestles with God". AMIIE seeks to help its students grapple with their own personal relationship with God in a pluralistic, Klal Yisrael atmosphere. The program's pluralist atmosphere respects the religious and spiritual needs of all students and does not promote any Jewish denominational point of view. At the same time, the school does not violate Halacha. This approach enables all students to participate our program. Groups never travel on Shabbat. In addition, on Shabbat we refrain from writing or playing musical instruments in public areas and in the context of the program.
During the many years of our operation, AMIIE has partnered with a variety of community, non denominational (or trans denominational) and pluralist day schools. Additionally it has developed and successfully ran programs for every movement's teen division, including: USY HIGH for young leaders from the United Synagogue Youth (Conservative Judaism), The Eisendrath International Exchange Program (a Reform semester in Israel program), a Solomon Schechter Day School and Orthodox Day Schools.

Kashrut
All food associated with the program in Israel must be certified kosher. The dining room on campus has a Mashgiach. Together with the partner school we'll decide what guidelines, if any, students will be given about observing Kashrut during free time.

Tefillah
Tefillah should have a significant role to play in the program. AMIIE allows the school administration to determine the frequency and nature of worship services. Our experience has shown that some schools prefer daily Tefillah while others emphasize Shabbat with occasional weekday prayer. Other schools include Mincha service (in most cases Mincha-Ma'ariv services are conducted only on tiyulim). Depending on group size, some schools offer students alternative study and experiential activities during time set aside for Tefillah (Biur Tefillah). Our staff is trained to help make the prayer experiences educational and significant, while the partner school personnel often oversee the ritual aspects of the trip. A similar policy is in place for Hamotzi and Birkat Hamazon.

Shabbat and Holidays
Shabbat in Israel allows students to experience this holy time in a manner often different than Shabbat at home. All groups spend at least one Shabbat in Jerusalem, usually ushering in the Shabbat Bride at the Kotel. Shabbat tefillah can take several forms, including a group prayer experience or the opportunity to visit several different types of worship communities on Shabbat morning.
Because of the rich Jewish holiday calendar, every school trip to Israel usually overlaps at least one holiday celebration. AMIIE will work with the partner school to design a celebration most suited to the group.

Spirituality
In addition to many opportunities to celebrate religious rituals, AMIIE also provides students with unique spiritual moments that can only be experienced in Israel. Among many such special moments are: singing "Yerushalayim Shel Zahav" at sunset on Mt Scopus as the city of Jerusalem is viewed for the first time, a moving personal visit to the Kotel, a sunrise Shacharit service on Massada in the world's oldest Bet Knesset, studying Kabbalah in the ancient alleyways of Tzfat, Mincha-Ma'ariv service at sunset in Tzfat, an introspective discussion by the grave of Rachel Blaustein, the famous Poetess, along the shores of the Kineret, joyously celebrating Shabbat in the streets of Jerusalem , reflecting on the Holocaust at Yad Vashem, hiking and star-gazing in the Negev desert and singing Hatikva in Israel's Independence Hall. These and so many more personal and group spiritual moments are all integral components of the journey that the students take at AMIIE.

The program provides opportunities to learn and use Hebrew. In Israel Hebrew becomes a living language. Opportunities for Hebrew immersion include:

Formal studies, including an intensive Hebrew Uplan
Mifgash with Israelis on campus and on the streets in Hod Hasharon
Mifgash with the P2K peers or with members of Israeli youth movements
Community Service Projects that work directly with Israeli citizens and new immigrants
Home hospitality

AMIIE has its own campus, located on the beautifully landscaped Mosenson Youth Village in Hod Hasharon. Mosenson is also home to Jewish students from all parts of Israel, the former Soviet Union, Ethiopia, Europe and English speaking countries. AMIIE students can mingle at meals, on the basketball court or while outdoors in the park-like campus setting. Whenever possible joint programs and holiday celebrations are arranged.

Hod Hasharon
Hod Hasharon is a typical, mainstream, non-tourist town located north of Tel Aviv. Shops, cafes, American and Israeli eateries, friendly residents and shopkeepers help students feel at home. The town also boasts a municipal pool within walking distance.

The Campus
The campus includes dormitories, a library, synagogue, fitness room and fully equipped infirmary. The computer lab provides access to the internet and the ability to send and receive email. The Mosenson Youth Village provides students with a dining room, indoor and outdoor sports facilities and science labs. Campus living fosters maturity and independence among students and helps to prepare them for college living and beyond.

Student Banking
AMIIE provides a banking service as a convenience to our students. This service allows students to exchange personal spending dollars into Israeli Shekels without entering a bank or using an ATM card. These dollars are drawn from an account that is opened for each student prior to arrival in Israel. Parents may deposit money into this account prior and during the student's time in Israel.
Students may also partake of AMIIE's relationship with Payoneer, a pre-paid debit card, that will allow students the opportunity to withdraw money from ATMs across Israel.

Health Care
Our registered nurse lives on campus and provides students with daily infirmary hours. She is available 24 hours a day for consultation and in case of emergency. A staff doctor visits the campus regularly and a full range of specialists are available when necessary. Doctors are also available to visit students while touring everywhere in the country. The Meir Hospital is a few minutes away from campus and is used for lab work and serious emergencies.
All our students receive comprehensive medical insurance in Israel and when traveling in Eastern Europe. The policy covers all cases of illness and accidents, hospitalization, lab work and medication. The policy does not cover any expenses resulting from previous medical conditions.

Laundry Service
All students receive weekly laundry service. Whether the group is based on campus or primarily lodging in youth hostels, this service is provided to all AMIIE participants.

E-mail updates are sent each Friday by the Executive Director. The email enables families to experience their student's time in Israel as it unfolds.
Counselors (madrichim) are provided digital cameras to record daily activities. Their goal is to include every student in each series. On a frequent basis photos are posted on a convenient website sent to families via email.
The automated Hotline operates through the AMIIE Executive office in New York. It is updated whenever needed and used to confirm flight arrivals and departures and to address immediate concerns if safety problems arise in Israel.
The entire Israel staff (Headmaster, Dean of Students, nurse, teachers and madrichim) and the state-side Day School Division Coordinator are available at any time. Each carries a cell phone and those numbers are distributed before departure.

AMIIE's computer lab offers access to the internet, allowing students to send and receive email correspondences while on campus.
Each dormitory has a public pay phone.
Students may choose to rent a cell phone while in Israel. AMIIE has secured discounted rates with one provider. This service network enables the school to send group text messages to the entire student body immediately and simultaneously and in all circumstances, an additional level of communication to ensure each student's safety and security.

AMIIE is very proud of its 35-year record regarding the safety and security of our students. We have always exercised utmost caution in planning and implementing our program. This extends to the formal activities on campus and field trips. We state with great satisfaction that our prudent policy has not detracted from the Israel experience of our students and that the educational integrity of the program has never been compromised in the least.
All our field trip itineraries are submitted to the "situation" room that coordinates the Security Authorities, Society for Prevention of Nature in Israel and the Ministry of Education. We work closely with the Jewish Agency's Department of Education Security Officer to be certain we are fully compliant with their security standards. The precautions of the U.S. State Department have been incorporated into our mode of operation/security guidelines. We strictly follow all instructions and recommendations regarding routes, tour security, hiring of medics and guards, and all other matters.
Over the last several years we have continued to make adjustments in keeping with Israel's new security threats. Free time and the activities allowed have been scaled back. "Dinner on the Street" generally takes place in areas that can be well supervised. All decisions regarding free time are made on the day of the field trip and in consultation with the security authorities.
The Mosenson Youth Village has 24 hour a day guards and is surrounded by a fence. In addition, there are regular patrols by the local police and "Mishmar Ezrahi," the local volunteer police.
The bus company used is housed in our home community of Hod Hasharon and is the same one we have used for many years. The drivers and equipment are personally known to our staff. We have on file and can make available the periodic safety reports that are issued by the Ministry of Transportation.
The security company used works with many educational programs and institutions, as well as municipalities and government ministries. Guards are all IDF trained medics. Pertinent documents related to their licensing by the Ministry of Interior, as well as insurance and safety reports, are on file and available upon request.
Students are never permitted to use public transportation, even during free time. AMIIE will never arrange for group travel using public transportation (buses and trains). In July, 2005, AMIIE commissioned a private security firm to assess the current and future security services being provided to the organization. The Shafran Report gave AMIIE very high marks for overall quality of services in place and made recommendations for the furthering of security, all of which have since been adopted. The report is available upon request.