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icnext – It’s a New Journey
icnext engages high school students within our Jewish community in learning about and experiencing Israel. Each year, 10-12 graders from different Jewish backgrounds come together. They meet, learn, and talk about Israel. Then they travel to Israel for 10 days in June.
Our Meetings - The icnext experience consists of 8 meetings: one Sunday per month, November through May. Each meeting will last approximately 4 hours. While meetings are generally on Sunday afternoons, the day or time may be changed to take advantage of other opportunities offered in the community. Ample advance notice will be given to all participants prior to any day/time changes.
Our Focus - icnext is built on Seven Pillars that guide our meetings and Israel experience:
- Establishing a Cohort of friends who share a common interest, and will share the experience for our Israel trip
- Understanding the geopolitics of the region
- Engaging with Israel through Social Media
- Building relationships with Israeli teens
- Discovering the joys of Israel through Israeli art and culture
- Developing techniques for personal reflections
- Creating and cultivating a personal toolkit to proactively and reactively understand and respond to anti-semitic and anti-Zionist situations.
This affordable 10-day trip explores Israel from Jerusalem’s cobblestone streets to Tel Aviv’s cutting-edge graffiti. Participants will gain deeper knowledge of Israel-related issues while creating lasting memories, traveling with this year’s Cleveland Shin Shinim and connecting with teens from Beit She’an.
The actual cost of the icnext experience is approximately $9,000 per student, but it is heavily subsidized through generous support from the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Campaign for Jewish Needs, bringing the family cost down to $2,500 per student. This fee includes programming for both Year 1 and Year 2, administrative costs, flights, hotel, all meals, and the Israel experience. $700 of the $2,500 fee is non-refundable. All participants are eligible to use the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s “Gift of Israel” one-time scholarship (if not previously used), and additional financial aid is available.
Meeting 1: October 25, 2026
Meeting 2: November 15, 2026
Meeting 3: December 13, 2026
Meeting 4: February 7, 2027
Meeting 5: February 28, 2027
icnext Mifgash with TeenShinim: TBD
Meeting 6: March 14, 2027
Meeting 7: April 11, 2027
Meeting 8: May 16, 2027
Israel Mission: June 6-17, 2027
Reunion: Sunday, TBD
Year 2 First Semester Meeting: TBD
Year 2 Second Semester Meeting: TBD
Apply now for icnext cohort 15
For information about cost, and the fellowship financial incentive, please reach out to Sydney Milgrom