Important Changes at the Bat Zion Program

Dear Friends,
In September of last year, I joined the Orot College for Education as the new director of the Bat Zion program. I had great hopes and excitement about revitalizing a program that had brought young women to study the Torah of the Land of Israel for over twenty years. I spent the entire month of November traveling to cities throughout England and the United States meeting potential.
Despite the hard work, due to an increasing number of one-year programs and the changing tastes of high school seniors, we did not receive sufficient applications to re-establish Orot's Bat Zion program. Still, Orot continues to provide a high-quality college-level education to hundreds of Israeli students, and we would like to offer the benefits that Orot can provide to students from abroad.
We are revamping the Bat Zion program to better reflect Orot's strengths and cater to students looking for what Orot can offer them. Foreign students who attend Orot will integrate into the broader college community and participate in a program consisting of:

1. A Judaic studies course schedule drawn from Orot's large number of class options. Students will take classes for full college credit or audit classes for no college credit. (Orot's college program runs from Sunday morning to Wednesday evening
2. Integration into the regular dormitory and college student life
3. Additional educational assistance and tutoring to help English-speaking students thrive and succeed in their Israeli classes
4. Thursday programming for foreign students, including shiurim in English and special tiyyulim weekly. We will transport students to Jerusalem each Thursday evening. The regular college runs from Sunday through Wednesday, so Bat Zion students will enjoy additional special program on Thursdays.
5. Monthly Shabbatonim and other programs for overseas students
6. A significantly lower price than the previously advertised one-year program. Teaching hours account for a significant portion of one-year programs. Because we will integrate Bat Zion students into existing college classes, we can offer the program at a significantly reduced cost, while still offering additional experiences important for a powerful Israel experience. Tuition for the coming year including room and board will be $10,200, and will cover lodging, food, health-insurance, tiyyulim and any other additional programming.

Clearly, this is a different type of program than the Bat Zion program that I presented in November. It will be a very small program for a student with looking for serious learning and confident enough to function in an Israeli environment. At the same time, it offers a unique opportunity for a student looking to spend her year in Israel invested in serious Torah study. She will experience Israel, grow in Torah, make friends, and learn Hebrew that will stay with her throughout her life.
Additionally, if a student is considering making aliyah after high school, a year at Orot will be a great way to enter the Israeli system under the guidance of a combined program, making her integration that much easier the following year.
I will be contacting you soon just to touch base and get your feedback. If you have any comments or suggestions, or feel that a particular student might be a good candidate for Orot, please let me know.
Thank you so much for your help and assistance. It was a pleasure meeting you during my travels, and I thank all of you for your encouragement, kindness and friendship. I pray that the current calm in Israel grows into a period of peace, safety and security for us all.

Fondly,

Rabbi Reuven Spolter
Bat Zion Program at Orot