Nir Buchler

Immediately after graduating from IGF, I called the Jewish Agency in NYC because I was so passionate about my experience and got my first Jewish job recruiting participants for similar Masa programs. A year after graduating IGF, I started a dual Master at Brandeis in Professional Jewish Leadership and received prestigious scholarships like the Wexner Graduate Fellowship. I interned at CJP in graduate school, the Boston's Federation and because I was a recipient of a JFNA Fellowship I worked for 2 years in NJ at the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest. So IGF opened the doors for me first to the Jewish Agency, then to the Federation system. After my experience in NJ, I worked for the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach for 4 years and since 2017, I came back to the Jewish Agency. I am now the senior representative of the Jewish Agency for the Southeast. I can say this very clearly, if it was not for IGF I would not have taken this path in my career.   

 

The exposure I got through IGF and my internship had a big impact on my career. I remember participating in high level meetings at the JDC and with senior executives at the Jewish Agency for Israel. It opened my eyes to a whole new field, organizations involved in Israel-Diaspora relations, and the impact I could see. I remember that Israel turned 60 and we participated in the President's conference and it really inspired me, we sat in a classroom with Gorbachev, we saw Tony Blair, George W Bush and every one was accessible to us.  But most importantly we had one on one conversations with people who continue to play a role in my life today. 

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IGF is more than just me, it's also my little brother who now is following the same path. It's hundreds of young professionals who can gain a quality internship who otherwise would intern somewhere else outside of Israel. I can say for sure, that if it was not for the Masa and other scholarships, my brother or I could not have afforded this experience. So every dollar donors give is like a bond they invest that brings back outstanding results. For me IGF was a turning point, and the scholarship I got is reinvested in the work I do every day. 

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