Further update and explanations about the Workshop 58.

First off as noted in the email and soon to be fixed on our website, Workshop 58 will start on September 3rd and run until May 17th. Boneh(the first half of the year) will take place at Kibbutz Ein Dor. Ein Dor is located in the lower Galilee, in the North of Israel, near Mt Tavor and not far from Afula. The area around the Kibbutz is beautiful and despite going through a privatization like most Kibbutzim, still has a real sense of community and should be a very positive place for the Workshoppers to spend their Boneh time period. I will write more soon to shed some light on details such as work placements, seminars, and food during Boneh.

Some of you might have noticed that the cost of Workshop has gone up from last year's cost of $14,500 USD. While we in our offices understand that the cost already is significant, there is good reason for this increase. The foremost reason for this cost increase, is the unfortunate status of the American Dollar. Since the beginning of our previous Workshop, the Dollar's value to the shekel has dropped 20%. We could almost justify increasing the cost even more just on that pure reality. We, do understand Workshop's relative high cost, and have done our best to only raise the price modestly in response to the economic realities we find ourselves facing.

Workshop still maintains its edge in being competitively priced lower than other comparable Israel programs. In many ways when you crunch the numbers, Workshop could be argued to be quite a bargain when compared with the costs of University and what you are getting for the cost of the program. The price of Workshop includes but is not limited to, meals, lodging, utilities and internet access, all travel to and from Israel and your home area, health insurance, a trip to Poland for a week, weekly tiyulim(day trips), additional longer tiyulim, week and weekend long seminars, ulpan, seminars and classes that are at a level ready for college accreditation and in the process of receiving that status, madrichim(counselors) and rakazim(coordinators) working with and available to the Workshoppers on a daily basis, and of course our offices which coordinate the program and are in touch throughout the year. These tangible things are coupled with having a one of a kind experience, getting to see Israel first-hand, being able to have a transformative experience giving back to Israeli society, having 9 months of fun, challenges, and personal growth, making memories and friendships that will last a lifetime and so much more. Placing a price on these last few is quite difficult.

Lastly, Universities are starting to wise up to the fact that it is often healthier for students to take a "gap year" before entering their studies. Princeton, among others, is leading the country in this direction as outlined in this article. In many ways Workshop is an investment in your Workshopper and their future success in school, their Jewish identity and experience, and really life in general. I hope you can take all this into consideration when sitting down to write that check or getting ready to make a credit card payment. The experience of Workshop is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will never be replaced and offers so many unique opportunities you cannot get anywhere else!

A related note to all this is the issue of college credit. We are in the process of trying to obtain college credit for Workshop, and Workshop 58 participants still may be able receive at the very least a few credits, at most a semester, back to their university. We are working to make this a reality but the process does take time. Once we have more information about what this will mean, and the nominal fee involved in gaining credit, we will notify you all.

I hope you all are truly getting excited for this incredible experience. The hard work and dedication of our staff in Israel leads me to believe that we will continue the trend of improving Workshop year after year. Here's to start of a beautiful thing; Workshop 58!

Michael