Funding of up to $15K helps students attend Alexander Muss High School

By J.D. Krebs

North Texas-area high school students can qualify for tuition grants of up to $15,000 to attend Jewish National Fund-USA’s Alexander Muss High School in Israel, the organization’s college-prep study abroad program in Israel for American teens. Funded by the Bar Yadin Family Foundation, the grants are designed to ensure that financial considerations never become a barrier to this transformative educational experience.

Eligible Texas teens in grades 10–12 can apply for funding to significantly offset tuition costs, making a semester in Israel more accessible than ever. Muss students earn full academic credit while exploring Jewish history, Zionism and modern Israel through a curriculum that blends rigorous, accredited coursework with an immersive experiential Israel studies program, using the land of Israel as a living classroom. Participants also develop independence, leadership skills and a lifelong connection to their heritage, all while strengthening their college applications and boosting their chances of getting into the university of their dreams.

“I grew up in a Zionist home, and when we learned about Muss, my folks did whatever they could to get me there,” said Sander Gothard, Jewish National Fund-USA Dallas board member and Muss Development Committee member, who is also a proud parent of two Muss alumni. “The program helps create young adults who are well-rounded in Jewish history and with a deep love for the land and people of Israel.”

“I suggest Muss to as many students as possible,” added Mandee Heller Adler, founder and president of International College Counselors. “It’s a transformative experience that not only strengthens college applications but also helps students grow into confident, well-rounded young adults. Muss fosters intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and the kind of character development that colleges value deeply. I can’t recommend it highly enough.”

For more than 50 years, Muss has transformed the lives of more than 35,000 alumni, linking learning, travel and leadership so that participants stay connected to the land and people of Israel from generation to generation. Since 2020, more than 50 Texas students have attended Muss, including 35 from Dallas, returning home ready to take their place among the next generation of Zionist leaders.

“Muss was one of the happiest environments I’ve ever been in,” said Lauren Atkens, a Muss alumna from Dallas. “Everyone was welcoming before I even got on the plane. Muss has given me lifelong friends that I’m still in contact with to this day, and some of us even returned to Israel together for a gap year after graduating high school. It was truly a life-changing experience.”

Grant applications are now open, and families are encouraged to apply early, as funding is limited. Other forms of financial aid are also available.

To learn more about financial aid opportunities at Alexander Muss High School in Israel, visit amhsi.org or email discover@amhsi.org.

Joseph Krebs is a national communications associate for JNF-USA.