More Than a Semester: New Orleans High Schooler on Finding Herself in Israel

Fifteen-year-old Netta Magnus, a rising junior at Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, has always been deeply connected to her Jewish identity. She grew up attending synagogue and going to Jewish camps in the summer, and she remains involved with Jewish organizations including B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO) and North American Federation for Temple Youth (NFTY).

Magnus, however, was looking for something deeper. So, she decided to spend four months in Israel attending Alexander Muss High School in Israel (Muss), Jewish National Fund-USA’s college-prep, study abroad in Israel experience for American teens.

Her interest in the program was sparked by a friend’s experience attending the school. “I basically got to see her whole journey through the Muss program on social media,” she recalled. “I saw everything she had done while in Israel and how it positively impacted her.”

Magnus’ parents, while generally supportive, had some initial concerns about her attending Muss, primarily due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. But Magnus knew this was the program for her. “I didn’t have any doubts, and I wasn’t nervous,” she said. “I knew the program was safe.”

Once on campus, Magnus quickly adapted to life at Muss, which consists of a blended learning approach that combines accredited traditional coursework with a unique Israel studies curriculum that uses the land of Israel as a living classroom.

On general studies days, she found herself sticking closely to what a typical day in New Orleans looked like, thanks to excellent teachers who ensured that, despite the different environment, Magnus and her classmates kept up with their traditional school studies. “I still got to learn everything that I would have at home,” she noted.

But the real draw for Magnus was the tiyulim (trips) that they took as part of their Israel studies.

Students learned about Israeli history and visited the sites where the events happened. “We got to travel around the country with our teachers, and we discovered so much,” she said.

Some tiyulim were relaxing, like shopping at the shuk or an excursion to the Dead Sea. However, Magnus was more drawn to the emotional trips. A visit to the site of the Nova Music Festival, where the October 7 massacre occurred, stood out to her.

“Being where it happened really put it into perspective,” she said. “The teachers did a very good job of sharing stories of people they knew and making October 7 feel personal to every Israeli. It was an incredibly impactful experience.”

Another powerful moment was traveling to Poland, where Magnus visited concentration camps that had once imprisoned members of her own family. “Stepping foot on the land where my family survived the Holocaust and sharing my family story with the group meant a lot to me.”

Magnus noted that the more emotionally intense visits often created lasting bonds between her and her classmates. “My favorite part about Muss was the community it brought,” she said. “Learning together and deepening my sense of Judaism with such a close-knit group really made me feel comfortable and at home there.”

In fact, throughout the entire four months, Magnus found herself growing spiritually and emotionally. “I definitely think that the biggest thing I got out of Muss was a really deepened sense of Judaism and Zionism,” she said. “Being in Israel for so long helped me learn the importance of the country, and meeting different people and exploring different Jewish customs taught me a lot about the religion while connecting me to my history and culture.”

Now back in New Orleans, Magnus can see just how much she grew in Israel. “Living on my own for four months was a completely different experience,” she said, noting that her semester abroad will help her once she starts college. “I feel like it definitely made me more comfortable on my own, surrounded by peers rather than family. And I think that having the dual curriculum prepared me to balance college workloads.”

And she hasn’t stopped singing Muss’ praises. “I would definitely recommend the program to anyone,” she said. “Talk to a student who’s gone. You’ll see how much it impacted them. I know it did for me.”

To learn more about Jewish National Fund-USA’s Alexander Muss High School in Israel, visit amhsi.org.