I decided to started to start this thread because I didn't see anything else about this program on DDF. Living in a small community, we have limited Jewish High School options and a lot of our children are sent out of town for HS. In the past couple of years, a number of families in Denver became aware of this Na'ale program (run by the Israeli government) the number of kids attending from our small community has boomed. I know people, especially from smaller communities, are often looking for Jewish High school options for their kids.
The Na'ale program is totally free, including room and board, except for an initial $600 screening fee when you apply and another $600 when you accept. You don't have to make Aliyah to go to one of the schools but they are very open about saying that they hope the child will choose to make Aliyah afterward. The government also invests in this program because their statistics show that a significant number of the families of these students eventually end up making aliyah as well.
Just from Denver, I personally know families with kids in 6 of the 8 schools (I don't know anyone in Denver with children at the two girls Lubavitch High Schools) and people have sent on the program for many reasons including: the child knows he wants to live in Israel so would rather go and become fluent now instead of before college; the family wants to make Aliyah but isn't moving quite yet so the child is going ahead first with Na'ale; the family isn't orthodox per se and didn't want to continue in Orthodox HS but wanted a "Jewish" school so a secular Israeli school fit for their family; the child woudn't fit in to the local Hareidi HS but the Modern option was co-ed and too left wing so the family felt much more comfortable with the Dati Leumi option in Na'ale; the family could afford local Jewish HS on heavy scholarship but not to send a child away to a yeshiva in another city (where at a minimum you will have to pay room and board) so Na'ale enabled them financially to send a child away to Yeshiva, etc., etc.
I just wanted to start this thread so that a.) people would know this existed and that there is no "catch" that this is a real and proper program and b.) if someone was curious they could ask questions (or give answers if they have a kid in the program) without any kind of commitment or "seriousness" of actually calling the program.
Here is the website and the FAQ page:https://www.naale-elite-academy.com/en/faq/These are the eight English language Na'ale Schools (they also offer programs in French, Russian, etc.) with a little info on each:Amana- Girls only Dati Leumi HS, one of the most highly regarded girls Dati Leumi schools in the country, you can see the "Torani Track" video about it at the bottom,
https://www.naale-elite-academy.com/en/schools/amana/Anieres- Is a Co-ed STEM school affiliated with the Technion (they take classes there once a week starting in 10th grade). It is the only school with additional academic testing to get accepted and if the child progresses as hoped, they can automatically get accepted to the Technion for college. In order to continue the program in the Technion for college the child would then have to make Aliyah but would get an automatic deferment of the army as part of the Atuda program, get free tuition and a stipend in college and enter Tzahal as an officer, after graduation. This is a secular school but they have a significant number of (different levels of) observant kids. They are very friendly and accommodating to them and for example the religious students are never required to be on campus over the weekend, even for "mandatory" in Shabbatot. The school was supportive of weekday minyanim some boys wanted to organize, etc.
https://www.naale-elite-academy.com/en/schools/anieres/Here is also a video about this program-
Ayanot- Secular, co-ed school,
https://www.naale-elite-academy.com/en/schools/ayanot/Beit Chaya Mushka- Lubavitch Girls HS, specifically for the daughters of Israeli, Hebrew Speaking Shluchim,
https://www.naale-elite-academy.com/en/schools/beit-chaya-mushka/Beit Chana- Lubavitch HS for English Speaking Girls in Tzfat,
https://www.naale-elite-academy.com/en/schools/beit-chaya-mushka/ Dror- New Na'ale school that is trying to model itself after American co-ed Modern Orthodox schools although from what I know it's more Conservadox and the majority of kids are not even Shomer Shabbos,
https://www.naale-elite-academy.com/en/schools/dror/Mosenson- The oldest English speaking school, it's near Tel Aviv, very secular, from what I understand,
https://www.naale-elite-academy.com/en/schools/mosenson/Sha'alvim- The boys HS Yeshiva, in Nof Ayalon, its on the same campus as the very well known Sha'alvim post HS yeshiva for Americans and HS and Hesder Yeshiva for Israelis.
https://www.naale-elite-academy.com/en/schools/shaalvim/Here is a video explaining their Na'ale "Torani" track at Sha'alvim and Amana:A lot of families in Denver have benefited from basically the hasgacha pratis of a couple families finding out about this program, telling people and answering questions so I just thought I'd create this thread so others could know about it and ask questions too!
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(anyone ever spend a day in the city?)