Born out of a deep need to connect youth to their identity and nation, "I Belong. Israel (Masa Israeli)" has grown into a groundbreaking educational initiative that blends experience, dialogue, and meaning. Twenty years after it all began, this model—now operating across Israel—continues to transform lives through a shared path of action, purpose, and belief.
Twenty-five years ago, during a routine workshop at an international Jewish summer camp in Szarvas, Hungary, a moment of awakening occurred. Jewish teenagers from around the world spoke about their strong sense of belonging to the Jewish people and the State of Israel. But when the conversation turned to the Israeli teens, veteran Jewish Agency emissary Uri Cohen heard a different tune: “We're not sure Israel is our future,” some admitted. “We don’t feel connected to Judaism or to the Jewish people.”
Cohen, a former Golani soldier who had spent years working with Jews from the former Soviet Union and in Zionist education, immediately understood the gravity of the disconnect. The feelings expressed by the Israeli teens were a wake-up call: unlike their peers in the Diaspora, the younger generation in Israel was drifting away from its Jewish-Zionist identity—and doing so almost unconsciously.
This realization became a cornerstone in what would eventually become one of the most ambitious and influential educational projects in recent Israeli history I Belong. Israel (Masa Israeli) As the founding CEO, Cohen, together with like-minded partners, sought to change the rules of the game in Israeli education.
Beyond Formal Education: Feeling the Land, Asking Questions<br><em></em>
I Belong. Israel (Masa Israeli) was born out of a deep need to connect teens to their identity, their people, and their homeland—not through classroom lectures, but through an experiential, transformative journey that provokes deep questions. Participants in the six-day journey traverse national and historical sites across Israel, combining treks through the land with open discussions on identity, responsibility, belonging, and society.
The founders and early educators quickly recognized that in order to reach the hearts of teens, the traditional structures of the education system had to be broken. Frontal teaching was replaced by values-based discussion circles. Grades gave way to personal reflection. Attendance became emotional engagement—and above all, relevance.
Thus emerged a unique Israeli pedagogy based on six levels of identity, from the personal to the national. Each stop on the journey becomes an invitation for internal exploration: Who am I? What matters to me? What do I belong to? How does this connect to you? How can I make a difference?
This experiential learning experience does not end when the bus ride home begins—it stays with participants for months or even years after they return.
During the Swords of Iron War, many bereaved parents came to the I Belong. Israel (Masa Israeli) village in Jerusalem to share how the journey their children had taken in high school had been a formative and life-changing experience—one that stayed with them until their final day, October 7.
From Vision to Reality: A Deep Educational Shift
Since its establishment in 2005, I Belong. Israel (Masa Israeli) has become a national-scale educational movement. Some 450,000 teens, soldiers, educators, and community members from Israel and around the world have participated in the program. Over 3,000 journeys have taken place, each one different, each one personal, and all striving for the same outcome: to nurture young citizens who are engaged, caring, and deeply connected to their society, country, and people.
The same data that led to the program’s creation 20 years ago—that 65% of Israeli high school graduates had never visited the Western Wall, and that 45% were considering a future outside Israel—formed the foundation of the educational vision crafted by the project’s founders. For them, formal education alone was not enough. Something deeper, more resonant was needed—a journey that would reach the soul, not just the intellect.
International Recognition—and Ambitious Horizons<br><em></em>
I Belong. Israel (Masa Israeli) has been awarded the Jerusalem Prize, the Knesset Speaker’s Prize, and was designated a UN advisory organization in the fields of identity and education. In 2020, Uri Cohen lit a torch at Israel’s 72nd Independence Day ceremony—an honor that symbolized national recognition of the initiative, its spirit, and its vision.
Yet for Cohen, the work is far from over. The vision for the coming years includes joint journeys bringing together thousands of Israeli and Diaspora teens. “Our shared story and common ground as a people,” Cohen said in an interview, “must be rooted in connection and belonging. A joint journey—where teens from Israel and the Diaspora meet in the landscapes of our homeland through the language of the journey—a language of dialogue, listening, and mutual responsibility—is essential for the survival of both Israel and world Jewry.”
The I Belong. Israel (Masa Israeli) vision continues to grow thanks to a strong partnership with the Ministry of Education, the IDF, and a broad coalition of public figures across the Israeli spectrum who have supported the initiative over the years. Major General (res.) Eliezer Shkedi, former commander of the Israeli Air Force and President of I Belong. Israel (Masa Israeli) Journey, has stated unequivocally, “I Belong. Israel (Masa Israeli) is the most important and impactful educational initiative in the State of Israel and the Jewish world today.”
A Journey of Hope
At its core, I Belong. Israel (Masa Israeli) is more than just an educational program. It reflects the values-driven face of Israeli society and the Jewish people in the years to come. It represents a clear stance on how we can and must educate the next generation in a complex reality—not through alienation, but through connection; not through blurred identity, but through clarity and pride; not out of obligation, but from love of the land and the people.
This Israeli initiative, born out of an encounter with Diaspora teens yearning for identity—and the contrasting apathy of Israeli teens—has sparked a genuine values-based educational revolution in Israel.
It’s a journey that has transformed—and continues to transform—not only its participants, but also the language of education itself in Israel and the Jewish world.
For more information or to support I Belong. Israel (Masa Israeli), click here.
Written in collaboration with Belong. Israel (Masa Israeli).