The "Interns and Sherut La’Am [National Service]” project is a program of the Jewish Agency's Immigration and Absorption Department. The program allows young Jewish students or academics from western countries to volunteer in Israel in the field of their occupation or studies.
The program aims to encourage young Jewish academics and students to spend a long period of time in Israel, in the framework of encouraging aliya. They gain experience in living independently in Israel, get to know Israeli society, and can plan their future immigration according to the stage by stage model that has been shown to be the most successful. The program helps prepare young academics as a top-quality professional reserve for Israeli society.
Leumi is the largest and oldest employer of interns, together with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Environment, Hadassah Hospital, Tel Hashomer Hospital, Meir Hospital, the Supreme Court and many others.
Volunteers are employed in different fields and professions, such as teaching, psychology, social work, banking, computers and law, and also in volunteer social projects in the framework of the National Service program.
The young people applying to the bank are Jewish students studying subjects such as economics, finance, marketing and business management at the leading universities in their countries. Over the past three years, 25 young people have volunteered at the bank, from Uruguay, the USA, France, Britain and other countries. Leumi warmly adopts these volunteers in the hope that they will later immigrate to Israel and join the bank as regular employees. Four have been taken on in recent years as permanent employees.
Mr. Izchak Rom, manager of the bank's Public Relations Department, is responsible for the project on behalf of the bank. He accompanies the volunteers from the moment the initial contact is made with them, and continues to accompany them personally throughout the recruitment, selection and placement stages. If the interns so desire, they can also receive a recommendation from the bank to the university where they are studying, to help them in their professional future.
Further details on the program for encouraging immigration for those who are interested
Location: throughout Israel, at the applicant's request
Duration of program: between two and six months
Accommodation: Jewish Agency Absorption centers throughout Israel, or by private arrangement
Grant: a nominal grant of $75 a month from the Jewish Agency
Social activities: tours, lectures, seminars etc
To contact Leumi:
Izchak Rom
Bank Leumi le-Israel B.M.
Customer Relations Department
35 Yehuda Halevy St.
POB 2 - 65136 Tel Aviv
Phone: +972 3 514 9097;
Fax: +972 3 514 3229
E-mail: romi@bll.co.il
To contact the Jewish Agency:
Vered Layish
Aliya Movement,
18 Shmuel Hanagid St.,
POB 92, Jerusalem 91000
Phone: +972 2 620 4348;
Fax: +972 2 620 4415
E-mail: veredl@jazo.org.il
Jewish Agency Website
