Frequently Asked Questions

Answer: In 1949, when the school was founded, the most urgent need was to provide the sons of new immigrants with a vocational training which would allow them to become economically self-sufficient, and a Jewish education to inspire and prepare them for their duties as citizens of the Jewish State. In subsequent years, several fine educational institutions for young women were founded in Israel dedicated to a similar mission to that of Boys Town, making it unnecessary for Boys Town to duplicate their efforts. This has allowed Boys Town to concentrate on its original mission as it has evolved over the years.

Answer: All students receive some level of scholarship assistance. Since most of Boys Town’s students, who range in age from 12 to 20, come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, they require a high degree of financial assistance. Without the opportunity to study at Boys Town, most of them would have little chance to break out of the multi-generational circle of poverty. Boys Town Jerusalem is one of the very few high level educational institutions in Israel that accepts students solely on the basis of their potential, without regard to their economic situation or ability to pay.

Answer: The school’s annual operating budget is approximately $7.5 million. Israeli government support and tuition payments cover less than half of that amount, leaving an annual operating deficit of $4 million, which is made up by worldwide fundraising efforts.

Answer: One of the keys to Boys Town’s success in working with students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds is that we remove them from home environments which are often detrimental to their educational development. By having our students live on campus, we can provide them with more incentives and assistance to help them learn, eliminate many distractions and negative influences, and encourage them to develop a more responsible and self-reliant attitude.

Students in the Naaleh Zion (France) and the Naaleh Ohr Dessa (former Soviet Union) programs live in Israel without their families. For these students, Boys Town Jerusalem is their only home. In addition to those students from overseas and elsewhere in Israel, there are many underprivileged and disadvantaged students from Jerusalem and the surrounding area who reside in the dormitories.

The entire Boys Town Jerusalem campus, including its residence halls, is built to extremely high and comfortable standards in order to bolster our students’ feelings of self-worth. By bringing them into this beautiful environment, we are conveying the message that we think they deserve the very best. Many of the boys respond by doing their very best, in order to justify the faith that Boys Town has shown in their potential.

Answer: The school day is 10 hours long excluding extracuricular activities and recreation. From Sunday through Thursday, the school day begins at 7:20 a.m. with morning services, and may continue as late as 8 p.m. for older students. As is the custom in Israel, the Friday schedule ends early in order to allow preparation for Shabbat. There are no Saturday classes.

Answer: Each student’s daily schedule typically includes several breaks during which he may take advantage of the school's many recreational facilities. After hours, students have access to study halls, libraries and computer centers on campus, as well as a fully equipped gym, lounges and several illuminated outdoor areas suitable for team sports. In their free time, the boys may engage in a wide selection of extra-curricular activities and clubs, including volunteering in the community.

Answer: Each comfortably-appointed suite in Boys Town’s modern campus residence halls provides three boys with separate sleeping, storage and study areas. Every residence hall includes its own lounge and recreational facilities, and is supervised by live-in counselors and house parents. Hot kosher meals are served three-times-a-day in the central campus H. Bert & Ruth Mack Dining Hall Complex, with a varied menu designed to satisfy a wide range of ethnic tastes.

Answer: That varies, depending on the age of the boys, how far away they live and their individual circumstances. The younger, junior high school students go home more often, usually for Shabbat several times a month, as do students whose homes are in or near Jerusalem. Older students and those who live in more distant communities go home, on the average, about twice a month and during holiday breaks. If they choose, they may stay on campus, where they will be fed and looked after by the school staff, including counselors and house-parents in permanent residence.

All students spend one Shabbat per month on campus (except for those who reside on campus year-round).

Answer: Boys Town was founded with the uniquely American attitude that every student must be given an equal opportunity to succeed. That is why visitors often tell us that they find Boys Town to be Israel’s most American institution, even though its faculty and student body are almost entirely Israeli. At Boys Town, every student is taught to be proud of his own ethnic heritage, and we, in turn, respect their distinctive religious customs and dietary preferences. While living and studying at Boys Town, our students quickly learn to accept and respect every fellow student as an equal, regardless of his background, and to act accordingly. Life at Boys Town is a lesson in egalitarianism. After living on campus for several years, that attitude becomes ingrained in the students, who carry it with them for the rest of their lives.

Answer: All Boys Town students receive a full academic high school education, meeting the strict standards set by Israel’s Ministry of Education. In order to graduate high school, students must pass the standardized national matriculation exams known as the bagrut, which qualify them to enter any Israeli college-level educational institution. Boys Town students typically score far above the national average on these tests. In addition to a high-level secular education and a full spectrum of Jewish studies, each student receives an introduction to the living skills he will need to adapt to the rapid changes in our modern technological world through the CIT (Comprehensive Interdisciplinary Technology) program. Finally, depending upon their individual talents and preferences, Boys Town students may enroll in specialized programs of advanced instruction emphasizing academic studies, computer technology, and electronics.

Answer: Yes, Boys Town graduates serve in the IDF. Boys Town teaches its students that they have a moral obligation as Jews to accept their responsibilities as Israeli citizens and do everything they can to strengthen and defend the Jewish state, including service in the Israel Defense Forces. The IDF command has recognized that Boys Town graduates make highly motivated soldiers, with strong personal values and excellent technical skills. At the specific request of the IDF, Boys Town established the College of Applied Engineering, a special post-high- school engineering program in which our best graduates, during a two-year deferment from their military enlistment, are taught the advanced technical skills most needed by the IDF.

Over the years, 61 Boys Town graduates and three faculty members have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Answer: The broad, quality education at Boys Town gives our graduates a solid foundation for pursuing the career of their choice. Because of the emphasis on technology, many of our graduates go on to careers in Israel’s high-tech industries after completing their army service, some after earning university-level degrees. Several hundred of our graduates have become educators or school administrators, while others have embarked on professional, academic or public service careers. A significant percentage of our graduates choose to remain in the army as career officers, many holding key technical positions throughout the Israel Defense Forces. Boys Town is especially proud of the graduates who have returned to our campus as counselors and members of our teaching faculty.

Answer: To assist underprivileged and disadvantaged students to fully develop their potential. Whatever they do or wherever they go, Boys Town graduates carry with them the knowledge, technical skills and the Jewish ideals they learned during their years at the school. They also know that the school will always be there to serve them if they ever need it. The more than 6,224 Boys Town graduates have taken their places as loyal, responsible and productive citizens, making valuable contributions in all walks of life, in communities throughout Israel today.

Answer: Click here to view Boys Town Jerusalem's 2010 IRS Form 990

Answer: Click here to view Boys Town Jerusalem's 2009 Annual Report