The word "Kefiada" is rooted in the Hebrew vernacular word, "kef" which means "great fun" or "a bash", as in "It was a great time".

Kefiada is indeed a great time and a wonderful experience for all participants.

A program run through the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), Kefiada creates links between Israeli and American Jews by bringing  together American college youth acting as camp counselors for Israeli campers .  This year, six college counselors, or "madrichim," representing five cluster communities, will travel to Israel representing the NJ/Delaware-Arad/Tamar Partnership   which has supported diverse projects in the Arad/Tamar region in southern Israel for 12 years.

The madrichim spend 3 exciting weeks in Arad, working with 8-12 year old campers, interacting with Israeli peers, host families and merging into daily life in Arad.  It is a unique opportunity for the madrichim to contribute time, skills and English language lessons to the campers, travel to different parts of Israel, meet diverse members of Israeli society, share experiences with fellow Israeli Jews and become - for a brief but meaningful time - part of the Israeli 'crowd".  In the words of the madrichim themselves, being part of Kefiada is "an incredible opportunity;"  "a fabulous time;" and "kef--an enriching experience for all." 

This special summer program is subsidized and coordinated by the Jewish Federations in the NJ/Delaware-Arad/Tamar P2K Cluster.  Madrichim are housed in the Jewish Agency Absorption Center in Arad and supervised by the Jewish Agency.   It is geared to19-25 year olds who would like to work with children and live in Israel for 3 weeks in June - July. Successful candidates undergo an interview and orientation process, contribute $250 toward their trip, and report to their local Federations upon their return. For further information, contact Gabriela Sadote Slepian at the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County at gsadote@jf-gmc.org or (732) 432-7711.