The Jewish Federation of Louisville is thrilled to welcome Shinshinim to our Community August 2024- August 2025.
ShinShinim are a select group of promising Israeli high school graduates who choose to defer their enlistments in the Israel Defense Forces so that they can spend a year as Israeli ambassadors in communities around the world.
Our ShinShinim need a place to call home and are relying on the warmth and southern hospitality of Louisville families.
Hosting a young Israeli in your home is an exciting and enriching opportunity for the entire family. Host families everywhere regard this as a deeply meaningful experience. Hosting a Shinshin may only last a few months, but the relationships last a lifetime.
Who are the Service Year ShinShinim?
ShinShinim are Israeli high school graduates who are voluntarily giving one year of pre-army service known in Israel as a Service Year. The goal of the Service Year program is to place high school graduates from Israel in Jewish communities abroad for a one-year program of volunteer activity. The program is highly competitive, and these select high school graduates are trained in Israel in an intense preparatory course focusing on Jewish heritage, Jewish sources, and issues of national and religious identity. They are also provided with the tools to be counselors and leaders.
Unlike other gap-year programs offered throughout the world, the Service Year ShinShinim are entirely devoted towards volunteer work in the community. There are no monetary rewards or benefits given to them except for the joy associated with spreading their love, insights, and passion for the State of Israel. This type of Shlichut builds a bridge between Israeli youth and Jewish communities, creating educational dialogue between the two, to strengthen our Jewish family ties, and to build the foundation for a secure Jewish future. The program is designed by the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) with funding from Jewish Federation of Louisville and the Jewish Heritage Fund.
One of the key features of the ShinShinim program, that adds a special and unique dimension to their Shlichut, is home hospitality, creating connections that go beyond ordinary opportunities. Host families often develop strong lifelong bonds with the ShinShin, and even the ShinShinim families. Hosting has proven to be a wonderful and life changing experience, benefiting the ShinShin, the host family, and the local Jewish community.
Hosting periods and requirements:
- The ShinShinim will be placed in warm, loving, Jewish homes.
- Each ShinShin may stay with approximately 2-4 host families for approximately 3-6 months at a time.
- Each host family will provide a dedicated bedroom that is not used for other family needs (i.e., the family gym, TV room, remote office, etc.). It is preferred that the bedroom be a guest room or other unoccupied space so that the ShinShin is not displacing a member of the family. Additional private space, such as a bathroom or living area is desirable, but not required.
- The families will provide the ShinShin with food/meals.
The Jewish Federation of Louisville will provide each Shinshin with a car. Host families are not expected to transport Shinshinim unless they are going somewhere together.
Interested in hosting a Shinshin?
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