August 25 , 2008 / 24 Av 5768

Happy 60th, Israel: 60 North American Jewish High School Youth Set to Leave for
Fully-Subsidized Schooling in Israel

Group Will Put Exclusive Jewish Agency Program Over '200 Student' Mark

NEW YORK, (August 25, 2008) – On August 31, 2008, members of the press are invited to meet with applicant families of the Elite Academy Program at JFK International Airport as the program bids farewell to 60 truly exceptional Jewish high school youth, including students currently living in Guam and the Dominican Republic. The students and their families will partake in a Send-off Ceremony and buffet dinner before the students board an EL AL flight to Israel to begin a life-changing three-year scholarship program co-funded by the State of Israel and the Jewish Agency. The students will fill four classes at four separate affiliate schools within the greater Elite Academy network.

Since 1992, more than 15,000 select high school students from Europe, South America and South Africa have been given the opportunity to fulfill their dream of attending high school in Israel through the Elite Academy. The year 2008 will mark the fifth year that Elite Academy has been available to students in North America, and the 60 students attending the program this year will bring the program's total participation over the last five years to almost 220 students. Since November 2007, applications have poured in from hundreds of talented American high school students eager and willing to leave family and friends behind to complete grades 10, 11 and 12 in one of the program's affiliated boarding schools, yeshivot or kibbutz regional high schools.

Elite Scholars receive full room and board, medical insurance, pocket money, travel money and a budget for maintaining telephone contact with their parents. In return, they are required to take their studies seriously, achieve the educational objectives of the Academy and abide by its rules.

For more information about the Elite Academy Program, or to schedule an interview with applicant families, please contact Elie Klein, Elite Academy Program, Director, at 212-339-6920 or via e-mail at eliek@jafi.org. The farewell ceremony will take place on Sunday, August 31, 2008 at 4:30 PM sharp at the International Synagogue in Terminal 4 of JFK International Airport.
Advance notice is requested for security reasons.