More on the Gap Year

Daniella and I wrote a response to the article in the Jewish Week

http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c53_a17832/Editorial__Opinion/Letter.html

Persistent Problem
by Debra Weiner-Solomont and Daniella Peyser

The article “Fast Times At Gap Year High” (Jan. 15) only brought to light what we, professionals and families living in Israel, have been saying for years. In April 2000, a conference on “Students at Risk” featured a session on “Substance Abuse in the Yeshivot.” (The transcript of the workshop can be found at www.atid.org/events/clinicalviews.rtf.)

The issues of drug abuse, unsupervised free time, and lack of motivation on the part of yeshiva administrators can be found in this transcript — and this conference took place 10 years ago. After all these years, the questions that needs to be asked are: Why do young people come to Israel and feel that they can conduct a lifestyle with total disregard of rules, and what is expected

of them?

The behavior manifested by these young people is indicative of a sense of entitlement arising from a generation of affluence and of never hearing the word “no” from parents. Unfortunately, it seems that a generation has grown up with a lack of responsibility or accountability.

Compare day school students from the U.S. to their Israeli peers, who are preparing for army service. In addition, there is little or no opportunity for the Americans to learn about and experience Israeli culture. There are a number of yeshivas that house both an Israeli and an American program, but with no integration between them.

After the pressures of high school and college applications, the U.S. youngsters find themselves in Israel, where the drinking age is 18 (although that may soon change) where there are no longer grades or pressure to get into college, and little adult supervision. Israel is like a candy store. One cannot compare this to being a freshman in college. Sure, college kids also go out, get drunk etc., but once your child gets his or her first D in a class, the “party is over.” In Israel there is absolutely no accountability, so the party can continue all year.

The bottom line is that the programs need to change with the times, the high schools need to re-evaluate their programs during the senior year and parents need to be more informed about where they are sending their children.

Jerusalem

The writers are founders of a Web site to provide support and informational services to American young people and their families, www.here4theyear.com.