Meretz USA has just launched an exciting new program for American students and recent graduates called the Intern in Israel Initiative!
This program gives students and graduates a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to support a progressive Israel, granting them scholarships and connecting them with Israelis and Israeli grassroots organizations dedicated to peace, democracy, justice, human and civil rights, and equality.
Eventually, we intend to develop a full-fledged program, creating internships that are tailored to what each Israeli NGO needs and adding fun and informative enrichment activities for the interns.
Interns in this program will get the chance to travel to Israel and contribute to the cause of peace, working in the fields of law, education, international relations, development, web design and more. When they return to the US, they will become powerful ambassadors for progressive Zionism, with the knowledge and first-hand experience needed to represent and further their views in Jewish and liberal communities alike. Eventually, as leaders in many different fields, they will play important roles and strengthen the progressive communities in both Israel and the US.
We invite you to become involved with this program – as a sponsor or a participant. Please feel free to contact us at mail@meretzusa.org.
Want to hear from past grant recipients about their experiences?
Click here to read about Jill Slutzker's internship at the Palestine-Israel Journal.
Click here to read about Edie Joseph's internship at the Religious Action Center of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism.
Click here to read about Mike Rozensher's internship at the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.
In May 2011 I wrapped up my first year of graduate school during which I wrote at least four papers on different aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Being a student of International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and Middle Eastern politics, I wanted to learn the ins and outs of the conflict- the long history of both sides, the successes and failures of past peace efforts, and the underlying human needs driving the conflict. I had grown up in a reform Jewish household but frankly one that did not engage much in talk of Israel. I was twenty-two when I first visited the country and, like so many people on their first trip to Israel, I finally understood why this place was so beautiful, so unique and so important to so many.
From Edie Joseph, Meretz USA “Intern in Israel” scholarship recipient and summer 2010 intern at the Israel Religious Action Center of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism
Grantees are expected to arrange their own internships, travel and living arrangements in Israel.
In return for the grant, Meretz USA will ask the intern/grantee to write about his/her internship experience for a Meretz USA publication and to make a public appearance on behalf of the Internship in Israel Initiative and Israel's progressive agenda.
Application process:
Applicants planning to intern in Israel starting in September/October 2011 should submit their applications by Friday, July 15.
Applicants should send a cover letter, laying out the internship plan (name of the organization that will be ‘employing' the applicant, and the internship start and end dates) and explaining the applicant's motivation for pursuing the internship. A resume should be attached.
Applicants will also need to send a letter of recommendation (preferably from a source who can speak to the applicant's connection to Israel and/or the Meretz USA issue agenda) and confirmation of the internship plan from the organization at which the intern will be working. Applicant finalists will also need to take part in an interview.
Application materials should be emailed to mail@meretzusa.org, or sent via postal mail to:
Meretz USA 114 West 26th St., Suite #1002 New York, NY, 10001
Grant amounts will be determined by Meretz USA based on internship length, degree of the internship's compatibility with the Meretz USA vision and mission, and other factors.
In May 2011 I wrapped up my first year of graduate school during which I wrote at least four papers on different aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Being a student of International Negotiation and Conflict Resolution and Middle Eastern politics, I wanted to learn the ins and outs of the conflict- the long history of both sides, the successes and failures of past peace efforts, and the underlying human needs driving the conflict. I had grown up in a reform Jewish household but frankly one that did not engage much in talk of Israel. I was twenty-two when I first visited the country and, like so many people on their first trip to Israel, I finally understood why this place was so beautiful, so unique and so important to so many. 
