Andi Feldman and Max Samis will be blogging live from Israel while they participate in Project Otzma, a 10 month service-based leadership program in Israel. Their journey will take them all over Israel and they'll experience all kinds of opportunities: Speaking Hebrew, volunteering in an immigrant absorption center, working at an internship or kibbutz, and much more.

Midway through the year, Andi and Max will be living and volunteering in their Partnership 2000 region, Yokneam-Megiddo, for 3 months, along with Tali Sachs, an otzmainik from Atlanta. Don't miss the opportunity to check out the blog and connect with Andi and Max.

Project Otzma is coordinated in North America by the United Jewish Communities. The participants and the program are supported in part through the Jewish Federation of St. Louis and the Federations of the United Jewish Communities. In Israel, the program is implemented within the framework of the Education Department of the Jewish Agency for Israel.

OTZMA, Hebrew for "strength," is a UJC/Federation initiative. OTZMA gives young Jews the opportunity to play integral roles in Israeli society for 10 months. For their first three months, participants live, volunteer and study Hebrew in an absorption center Next they volunteer in Partnership 2000 communities (Israeli-North American sister city program) and experience programs funded by the UJC/Federation system. Finally, participant’s choose to intern in nonprofit organizations or volunteer on a kibbutz.