The Pre-Army Service Year ( he, שנת שירות, ''Shnat Sherut''), abbreviated Shin-Shin ( he, ש"ש), is a one-year voluntary service program for Israeli high school graduates prior to their service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Contrary to the

gap year A gap year, also known as a sabbatical year, is typically a year-long break before or after college/university during which students engage in various educational and developmental activities, such as travel or some type of regular work. Gap yea ...

offered in other countries, the Service Year is entirely devoted towards volunteer work, and offers no material reward for volunteers. Service Year volunteers work full-time in a variety of different fields: assisting

development town Development towns ( he, עיירת פיתוח, ''Ayarat Pitu'ah'') were new settlements built in Israel during the 1950s in order to provide permanent housing for a large influx of Jewish immigrants from Arab countries, Holocaust survivors from E ...

s and disadvantaged communities, residential schools for youth at risk, youth movements, nature/

ecological Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps wi ...

organizations, and many other civic organizations and projects. Through the

Jewish Agency for Israel The Jewish Agency for Israel ( he, הסוכנות היהודית לארץ ישראל, translit=HaSochnut HaYehudit L'Eretz Yisra'el) formerly known as The Jewish Agency for Palestine, is the largest Jewish non-profit organization in the world. ...

, some spend up to ten months of the year volunteering in the UK, Canada, the United States, and other countries. In order to participate in a Service Year, prospective volunteers must defer their compulsory military service. However, the number of deferments allowed by the IDF is limited, making acceptance into the Service Year program selective and competitive. Conscription rates among Service Year graduates are nearly 100%, and many of the volunteers are accepted into the most elite units of the IDF.

References

{{reflist Israel Defense Forces Volunteering in Israel Youth in Israel Labor in Israel

See also

References