OTZMA's Independent Program Reviews!
Check out over 50 alumni reviews and our 96% overall success rating on the Go Overseas website.

More alumni quotes:

Why OTZMA
"I know that OTZMA will now afford me the opportunity to contribute to the larger Jewish community, to focus my energy on volunteering in Israeli communities and to gain ann insider's understanding of the intricacies that make up Israeli Society." 
-- Elizabeth Snell OTZMA XXIII

"From the moment I returned from Israel June of 2009, I haven't been able to get over Israel. I fell in love with this country, with its history, its land, and its beauty.  After navigating myself physically and mentally past the stumbling blocks I encountered, I once again feel like I have been pulled back into whatever enchantment this place creates.  My internship allows for creativity and outside the box thinking and I'm somehow managing it in 3/4th English and 1/4th Hebrew.  When I look back at not just the effort I put into making this happen, but the things that just somehow seemed to work out for me, I can't help but think that I'm supposed to be here.  I always said I wanted to try living here beyond a program, and here I am doing it." 
-- Nicole Miller OTZMA XXIII

 "I'll give you guys a little taste of some of the most standout moments so far…. Sleeping in Bedouin tents, visiting Jerusalem during Yom Kippur when the streets were empty and we could walk down the middle of the road, Shabbat potluck dinners – family style, going to the beach after Hebrew classes, doing yoga in the front lawn of the absorption center, visiting my host family and eating so much and still having Safta (grandma) ask me why I stopped eating, figuring out the bus system up North in the Golan, hiking in the Israeli mountains where the landscape has a harsh beauty, where ancient mountains and deserts can spontaneously turn into a waterfall oasis and the heat makes sweat pour down your skin." 
-- Meira Gottleib OTZMA XXIV

Adoptive Families
"I've been "adopted" by a kibbutz family. The husband and wife are Evan (South African) and Martine (English) and they have twin 2 year olds, Yonaton and Suzanna, and a very lovable golden retriever, Shrek. They're a very sweet family who's only house rule is that adoptee(s) (a lot of families have more than one volunteer/solider adoptee) don't wait for an invitation to come over: if I'm hungry or want to watch a movie or whatever, I should just come over." -- Jenn Carmen OTZMA XXII

Living Accomodations
"The house has everything that we need to live comfortably and to work hard. However, it goes without saying that we are here for a purpose, to give back to the community of Arad through education." 
-- Mollie Cherson OTZMA ITC 2009-2010 

What Others Think About OTZMA
"I’m always impressed when we meet each new batch of OTZMA volunteers at the quality of these people. We worry about the future of the Jewish people but when I see young American Jews like Andy, Tali and Max and the enthusiasm they have for Judaism, Israel and their partner community, I realize the future is in very safe hands." -- Judy Yuda, Partnership 2000 reigional manager for Yokneam/Megiddo

If you would like to speak to a former OTZMA participant, please email us and we'll be happy to arrange it!