Siblings Naftali and Avital Zuckerman were both born in Israel, but their family moved overseas when they were only small children. As part of the Naale program, Naftali and Avital are back in Israel, studying in Israeli high-schools - and it didn't cost them a dime.
Naale Elite Academy provides Jewish high school students worldwide the opportunity to live and study in Israel for high school - free of charge. Among the many educational institutes that host Naale students are Yeshiva high-schools and religious schools for girls where the students can combine secular and Jewish studies.
"There's no Jewish high school where we live," says Avital. "So rather than commute to Toronto or somewhere else, I really just wanted to be in Israel."
Established in 1992 in a joint effort with the Jewish Agency, Naale is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Jewish teens to achieve academic excellence as well as personal and interpersonal skills that will support them throughout their life.
"School is definitely a little bit more relaxed here, but they really do care about your overall well-being, and school is about more than just your grades, it's about your personal life and how you do overall," says Avital.