Global Internships: Haifa, Israel

Summary

• Gain first-hand knowledge, connections, and international work experience through an academic internship in Israel. On this program, you will:
• Undertake a service-learning or research internship in a social sector field of interest
• Earn academic credit for the internship via a ten-week online course
• Learn about Israeli politics, society, and culture through an on-site course
• Live with other program participants in shared accommodations in Haifa, Israel

Scholarships of $5,000 are available for this location to all admitted students (including visitors) to assist with flight costs and living expenses, courtesy of the Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies. No additional application is required!

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About Haifa

Broaden your view of Israel and the Middle East with a Global Internship in Israel focused on Social Change. Israel is a country with a long and rich geopolitical, cultural, and religious history. Tourists travel to Israel to visit its archaeological sites, its religious landmarks, and its cultural heritage. Israel is also famous for its beautiful beaches and its natural wonders. In addition to Israel’s rich past and present heritage, it is a country of rapid economic development and technology, including the second largest number of start-ups in the world. In its seven decades of independence, Israel has experienced tremendous socio-economic, political, environmental, cultural, and religious transformations, many of which continue to shape and redefine Israel today.

Domestically, Israel is a country with complex social and political dynamics and a rich diversity of religions and cultures. Its large Arab population and its many waves of immigration over the past decades have contributed to its current sociocultural and political dynamics. Israel also remains at the epicenter of regional and international politics in the Middle East. This Global internship program will give you a chance to experience directly Israel’s complexity and diversity and its place as a crossroads of cultures, religions, and regional politics. 

The Global Internship program in Israel will be based in the beautiful coastal city of Haifa. Haifa is the third largest city in Israel and is unique in its diversity including a large Arab population, immigrant populations from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union, and many others. This program will offer you the opportunity to immerse yourself in this multicultural city and engage with Israel off the beaten path.

Berkeley Global Internship participants will work in local nonprofits, public projects and grassroots organizations working in the fields of education, women's rights, immigration, and others.

The program will be run in partnership with Yahel Israel - an Israeli nonprofit specializing in running service learning and social action programs in Israel. Yahel has worked in the city of Haifa for the past 6 years and has a network of local partners it works with. More information about Yahel can be found at www.yahelisrael.com.

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Program Details

Dates:

• Israel: June 19 - August 11, 2023
• Online Course: June 5 – August 12, 2023

Dates are subject to change.

Units: 6 units

Language of Instruction: English

Two Required Courses:

• Israeli Politics & Society: Israel's Minorities (3 units) - More information coming soon.

And your choice of:

• UGBA C155: Leadership - Purpose, Authority, and Empowerment (3 units)

OR

• UGIS W158: Global Citizenship (3 units)

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Housing

• Students will live in shared accommodations in central Haifa, Israel.
• Students will have access to a shared bathroom and communal kitchen to prepare meals.
• Students will be housed with other program participants in shared rooms of  2 students per room. Please note that at this residence, due to in-country policies, students will be paired with roommates based on the gender listed on their passports. If you have clarifying questions, please feel free to reach out to the program staff.

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Eligibility

• Currently enrolled in a degree program or have graduated within the last 12 months
• At least one year of college coursework completed by the start of the program
• 2.0 GPA or higher
• At least 18 years old at the time of application

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Application

• Application opens December 1, 2022
• Space is limited and applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis
• Deadline to apply is January 16, 2023

Courses

In addition to your internship, you will take two 3-unit on-site courses for a total of 6 Berkeley units.

On-site Courses

Course: HISTORY N100G - Section 003
Title: Israeli Politics & Society: Historical and Contemporary Status of Israel's Minorities
Dates: June 20 - August 10, 2023
Instructor: Dr. Rami Zeedan
Units: 3 units
Prerequisites: None

In this course, we will deepen students’ social and historical knowledge of Israel through excursions. The cities and sites we will visit expose students to different lifestyles, places, and periods in major cities, including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Haifa. It will help students better grasp and retain important concepts, such as the multicultural or mixed city, relations of religion and state in Israel, the role of the Kibbutz and Moshav, the unique status of the Druze, the importance of Aliyah, and the status of the Declaration of Independence in contemporary political discourse. The extensive program of field trips will help students embark on an investigation of broad perspectives of the various Israeli communities and connect meaningfully with the working world.

 

Course: HISTORY N100G - Section 004
Title: Studying Israel’s History Through Excursions
Dates: June 20 - August 10, 2023
Instructor: Dr. Rami Zeedan
Units: 3 units
Prerequisites: None

The course is an introduction to Israeli politics and society, focusing on Israel’s minorities. We will discuss Israel’s history and examine how the history of Jewish immigration and Israel’s “melting pot” policy resulted in social cleavages, such as in the cases of Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, Russian, Ethiopian, and Haredi Jews. We will learn how the official political and legal institutions, civil society, and the media in Israel shape public policy that affects minority groups throughout Israel’s history. Students will study different social justice dimensions regarding various groups such as immigrants, Arab citizens in Israel, women, and LGBTQ communities.

 

Please note that academic requirements may change. Consult with your college/major advisor to see which degree requirements this course may fulfill.

Internship

The Global Internships team works one-on-one with you to find an internship that matches your career goals, interests, and experience level. Internships in Israel are available in a wide variety of fields and internship placement is guaranteed. Internships will be three to four days a week, with two days of the week consisting of program-related coursework and field trips.

Opportunities can vary year-to-year due to such factors as market trends, time of year, and economic trends. Common industry sectors for internships include, but are not limited to:

• Nonprofit
• NGOs
• Business Development and Innovation
• Start-ups
• Research

Examples of internships:

The placements will include service learning internships in the social sector as well as opportunities to work in the public sector and in local innovation and entrepreneurship. Placements may also include work opportunities in campus research centers. Internship tasks may include:

• Curriculum Development in English
• Evaluation – assistance in ongoing data collection and analysis
• Resource development – including grant-writing, donor research, foundational research, assistance with fundraising campaigns etc.
• Media and marketing – creating website content, building websites, maintaining social media platforms, creating marketing materials in English and more.
• Assistance with program and event planning
• Assistance with local projects – second hand-store, projects with the elderly
• Community based research - community mapping 
• Secondary research – research on methodologies from around the world that may apply to local work
• Direct English activities with children and youth
• Outdoor activities with children and youth
• Assistance with academic research at a local campus/university

Sample organizations include:

• Beit Hageffen  -- coexistence organization
• Ruach Nashit (feminine spirit) Financial Independence - for Women Victims of Violence
• Kayan - grassroots feminist organization
• Hiyot -- a non-profit organization for the Ethiopian Community in Israel
• Hand in Hand -- brings together thousands of Jews and Arabs in six schools  
• NYCC --cultural, social and sports services to the residents of east Haifa
• Haifa Municipality – Community Development Department 
• Economic Empowerment for Women (EEW)
• HRCC: Rape and Violence Crisis Center
• and communities
• Sindyanna of Galilee -- female-led, fair-trade NGO promoting the concept of “business for peace”

Costs

Tuition and Program Fee

The fees to participate in this program are broken down into 1) tuition and 2) program fees, which are applied to your student billing account as follows:

2023 Fees	UC Students	Visiting Students
Tuition (6 units)	$2,514	$3,570
Program Fee	$4,289	$4,289
Total Cost	$6,803	$7,859

Fees are subject to change. All non-Berkeley students must pay an additional Document Management Fee of $65.

Estimated Out-of-Pocket Expenses

In addition to the fees outlined above, Berkeley Study Abroad has estimated amounts for out-of-pocket expenses. These amounts are used to calculate financial aid packages for eligible students. Actual expenses will vary depending on your lifestyle and spending habits.

2023 Estimated Expenses	Amount
International Airfare and Transportation	$2,078
Additional Meals	$3,119
Books	$288
Personal Expenses	$1,770
Total Estimated Out-of-Pocket Expenses	$7,255

It is your responsibility to obtain any necessary travel documentation for your program destination (i.e. passport, visa, etc.). This may require you to pay fees of up to a few hundred dollars depending on the type of paperwork required.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available for UC Berkeley students who are enrolled in at least 6 units during the summer.

​​Financial aid estimates for 2023 Berkeley Global Internships programs are now available in the Summer Financial Aid Estimator in your Cal Central account.

Please FIRST obtain your estimate in the Summer Aid Estimator, then write to travelaid@berkeley.edu if you have any questions about the estimate you receive. Your estimate will include a Berkeley Study Abroad Scholarship if you qualify for one based on financial need.

How to locate the Estimator:

1) Log into Cal Central
2) Navigate to the My Finances Tab, and find the "Financial Resources" card
3) Scroll to the bottom of the Financial Resources card and click on Summer Sessions
4) From the Summer Sessions menu, click on Summer Cost and Aid Estimator

Make sure to adjust the number of units in the estimator if your program offers a choice of course selection. If your program only offers one combination or one course for 6 total units units, you do not need to update the units in the estimator.​

All other students should contact the financial aid office at their home institution for more information.

Explanation of Fees

Tuition is based on a per unit cost: 

• The UC undergraduate student rate is $419 per unit
• The visiting student rate for all non-UC participants is $590 per unit

The program fee includes the following items:

• Student housing in apartment-style accommodations with a shared kitchen, living room, bathroom, and access to laundry facilities
• Excursions including entry fees to local museums, historic sites, etc.
• On-site orientation activities including an introduction to the city of Haifa, Israeli work culture, etc.
• Travel insurance, including accident/sickness medical coverage, emergency medical evacuation, security extraction, and other travel assistance services
• Other program-related costs including fees for placement services
• The initial non-refundable deposit of $400, which will be charged on February 1, 2023, is applied to the program fee. Please note that the list of items included in the program fee is not all-inclusive and is subject to change.

The following items are excluded from the program fee:

• International airfare
• Personal expenses (souvenirs, routine medical expenses, toiletries, etc.)
• Meals (access to kitchen facilities will be provided)
• Course materials (textbooks and readers)
• Other travel expenses (passport, visa, etc.)
• Additional meals
• Commuting costs for the daily travel to and from your internship
• COVID-19 testing fees for travel-related purposes

Timeline

*All dates are subject to change.

Summary of Recommendations to Student Travelers to Israel

Berkeley Study Abroad is actively monitoring COVID-19 on the ground for all in-country programs. All programs that are running have gone through a screening for COVID-19 safety. That said, the global pandemic is an ever-evolving situation, and programs may need to be postponed (and in some cases, cancelled) in the event of an increased risk of COVID-19. To prepare for this, Berkeley Study Abroad recommends the following:

• Vaccinations and boosters are strongly encouraged and recommended to participate in Berkeley Study Abroad programs. If students have a vaccination exemption, we cannot guarantee that they will be able to travel, re-enter the U.S. upon return, live in program housing, take public transportation, or participate in program activities. You may also be subject to a mandatory quarantine period upon arrival, which would be your financial responsibility. If you are a student with a vaccination exemption and wish to study abroad, we highly recommend you reach out for an advising appointment to discuss if there would be a program that would meet your needs.
• Purchase refundable or changeable airline tickets in case the on-the-ground situation changes.
• Research entry and exit requirements and restrictions for all countries you plan on traveling to (including paying attention to any travel prior to your arrival in-country for your program).
• Budget for entry and exit related expenses related to COVID-19 that are not covered by UC travel insurance policy. Details about the student travel insurance policy, and to find out what is covered, click here.
• Regarding vaccination status: All students must comply with the UC Berkeley UHS and UC policy on reporting requirements, proof of vaccination, or exemption. For students with vaccination exemptions, please research entry requirements for the program location. It is each student’s responsibility to plan and budget for necessary quarantines/additional testing, etc.
• Please take the time to familiarize yourself with any and all COVID-19 safety protocols in-country, and take extra precautions to keep yourself and others safe. Especially in these times, it is important to consider how our actions can have an impact on local communities while we travel in study abroad programs.

Additional Links and Resources for Travel to Israel

• US Embassy Common COVID-19 info page for Israel
• Israel Government COVID-19 page
• Consider signing up with the state department to receive the latest Travel Advisories when they are posted on travel.state.gov.
• Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated Travelers
• Global Vaccination Rates
• FOR STUDENTS TRAVELING WITH A NON-US PASSPORT: IATA Travel map which outlines
• restrictions for all nationalities.

Traveling Responsibly

On July 15th 2021, the University of California Office of the President announced a system-wide vaccine mandate that will require all students, staff, and faculty be immunized against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Summer 2022 program participants must comply with this mandate prior to their program start date. It is imperative to plan ahead as several COVID-19 vaccines require a 6-week period to achieve effectiveness. All students must comply with the UC Berkeley policy on reporting requirements, proof of vaccination, or exemption.

Please also take note of the COVID-19 related travel entry requirements for the country in which your program is taking place. These entry requirements may vary depending on which national passport you are traveling with. Note that some locations require proof of vaccination for entry, and that any costs associated with quarantining for non-medical related reasons will be the responsibility of the student. Please also pay close consideration to the route you are planning to take to enter the country, as some locations may have additional travel restrictions from places outside the US.

Lastly, while traveling to and living in your program country, we urge you to consider not only your own safety, but also the safety of others. As students representing the UC Berkeley community, especially in these times, it is important to consider how our actions can have an impact on local communities while we travel in Study Abroad programs. Please take the time to familiarize yourself with any and all COVID-19 safety protocols in-country, and take extra precautions to keep yourself and others safe.