When Liza Katz first arrived in Jerusalem, she expected to stay only long enough to learn Hebrew.

Fresh out of Germany’s University of Heidelberg, she had earned a scholarship to study the language, deepen her understanding of Israeli culture, and reconnect with a country that had long occupied a place in her family's story. Her grandfather lived in Tel Aviv, and childhood summers spent visiting him had left a lasting impression.

She imagined a temporary adventure.

Instead, she built a life.

"I always wanted to understand Israel beyond being a visitor," Katz recalled. "I came to learn Hebrew—and then everything changed."

Fourteen years later, Katz calls Israel home. Along the way, she taught languages in Jerusalem, worked to strengthen German-Israeli relations, helped foster scientific collaboration between the two countries, spent several years inside Israel's fast-paced high-tech industry, and eventually discovered that the career she had been searching for had been waiting in education all along.

Today, as Program Manager at Alexander Muss High School in Israel (Muss), Jewish National Fund-USA’s premier study abroad program for American high school students, Katz helps design the experiences that introduce Jewish teenagers from around the world to Israel—not simply as tourists, but as participants in its ongoing story.

It is a role that feels, in many ways, familiar.

"I realized I wanted to do something that had more meaning," she said. "Something educational. Something that inspires people."

For Katz, the distinction between travel and education is profound.

Many programs bring students to Israel's most recognizable landmarks. Muss asks students to do something more demanding: study them first.

History lessons become hikes through ancient landscapes. Biblical narratives unfold where they occurred. Civics discussions continue in the Knesset. Archaeology is no longer confined to textbooks but encountered beneath students' feet.

"It's really a living classroom," Katz said. "Students don't just learn about Israel—they experience it."

That combination of academic rigor and immersive exploration is what first surprised her after joining the organization.

As she accompanied groups across the country, she found herself wishing she had experienced something similar as a teenager.

"I remember thinking, 'I wish I could do this myself,'" she said with a laugh.

The transformation she witnesses in students is rarely immediate. It unfolds over weeks and months—in conversations, friendships, growing confidence, and an expanding sense of identity.

"They become much more independent," she said. "But even more than that, they develop a connection to Israel that is very personal."

Part of that transformation comes from the people they meet.

Israeli teenagers regularly join participants during portions of the program, creating friendships that extend beyond sightseeing or classroom discussions. Students begin hearing Hebrew spoken naturally, learning everyday customs, and seeing the country through the eyes of peers their own age.

By the end of the program, Katz says, many students no longer speak about Israel as a destination.

"They'll tell us, 'I want to come back,'" she said. "Some even say, 'I want to live here one day.'"

Parents often arrive with a different concern.

Sending a teenager overseas naturally raises questions—not only about safety but about academics. Katz says maintaining academic excellence remains one of the program's defining commitments.

"Our students continue the same core studies they would be taking back home," she said. "We work closely with their schools to make sure they stay on track, so they're gaining this experience without falling behind academically."

For Katz, working at Muss has become an education of its own.

Although she has lived in Israel for more than a decade, she says the program continually exposes her to new places, new perspectives, and new conversations.

"I've rediscovered Israel," she said. "Every speaker, every tour, every program teaches me something I didn't know before."

She has also come to appreciate the remarkable reach of the institution itself.

"When I tell people I work at Muss, almost everyone knows someone who attended," she said. "A friend, a family member, someone's children. You realize how many lives have been touched by this program."

Looking back, Katz still smiles at the irony.

She crossed continents intending to spend a single summer studying Hebrew.

Instead, she found a country, is raising three children with her husband, and a career devoted to helping the next generation discover connections of their own.

Sometimes, she says, the journeys that shape us are the ones we never planned to take.