Why this American high school in Israel is determined to believe

Nested in the leafy outskirts of Tel Aviv opposite the last agricultural fields in the municipality yet to be turned into luxury apartments is Jewish National Fund-USA’s Alexander Muss High School in Israel, affectionately referred to as “Muss.”

For over 50 years, the campus has offered a one-of-a-kind American semester abroad experience with the likes of former Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, former Hillel CEO and Genesis Prize Foundation President Wayne L. Firestone, and musician and Jewish megastar Matisyahu, among the ranks of its Alumni network.

With increasing enrollments and Muss’ expansion to a second campus in recent years, the school’s much-lauded network of 32,000 alumni is being asked to help spread the “Muss Magic” through its latest “I Believe” fundraising campaign.

With a $250,000 fundraising target, the campaign will feature Muss alums creating peer-to-peer pages, educating their friends on the importance of studying in Israel, and explaining why now, more than ever, Jewish students need to be arriving on college campuses as informed and proud Zionists.

Fundraisers can personalize their pages by telling their Muss story, setting a fundraising goal, and explaining how “Muss Magic” has made a difference in their lives.

“Just watch the news or see what’s happening on our college campuses, and you realize that we’re at a point where we know that Zionist education and Zionist youth education is more important than ever,” said Muss President Ron Werner, who noted that while Muss is welcoming 1,600 students this semester, the goal is to expand to 5,000 students over the coming years. “We need to make sure that they understand Jewish history and Jewish values so we can build a strong, meaningful Jewish future of unity and solidarity by investing in our students.”

As an added incentive, all alums under the age of 25 who raise at least $2,000 will be entered into a raffle to win roundtrip tickets to Israel, an opportunity to revisit the country they are now philanthropically supporting.

“This is about the future of our Jewish People,” said Muss Head of School, Dr. Stephen Kutno. “When we educate more students in Israel, we build stronger connections between American Jewish youth and their heritage, making our future even brighter. In that regard, every student, and every dollar, counts, so we hope our alumni are just as engaged and excited as they were when they were students soaking up the spirit of Israel.”

However, many alumni participating in the “I believe” campaign simply view it as a way to give back to Muss years after the institution shaped their lives.

“We know better than anyone how Muss gave us the tools and confidence to be strong Zionist leaders on campus, in our communities, and everywhere else,” said Natalie Lewis, a 2019 Muss alum who is now a Senior at the University of Miami. “Through the ‘I Believe’ campaign, I am excited and honored to help ensure generations of students will have access to the Muss experience and everything it offers.”

To learn more or support Muss’ “I believe” campaign, visit amhsi.org/believe.