Making Study Abroad Affordable: How One Man’s Scholarship Fund Brings Students to Israel

David Weinstein has always been committed to supporting Jewish education. A retired attorney who divides his time between Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, and Jerusalem, Weinstein has served on the governing boards of Gratz College, the Schechter Institutes, and American Friends of the Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center. Yet among his many philanthropic endeavors, establishing a scholarship fund for American high school students to attend Alexander Muss High School in Israel (Muss) is among his most meaningful.

Muss, Jewish National Fund-USA’s college-prep, study abroad in Israel adventure, has a unique curriculum where students dig deep into the history, culture, language, and geology of Israel, using the land of Israel as a living classroom while participating in small group general studies classes.

“When we visited the campus, we sat in on classes and saw how the students were engaging with the real issues of Israel—not just what’s in the headlines,” he said. “It was clear that Muss was doing something very special.”

Inspired by the school’s mission to link learning, travel, and leadership so youth, families, and adults stay connected to the land and people of Israel for life, Weinstein sought a way to make the transformative study abroad experience financially accessible to more teens. So, he and his late wife, Elli, sought to provide scholarship funding for Muss students. Now given in Elli’s memory, the scholarship provides opportunities for students from smaller or less centralized Jewish communities—places where access to robust Jewish education can be limited — to experience the “Muss Magic.”

“Elli grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, and I grew up in Oakland, California, at a time when neither community had a Jewish day school,” Weinstein explained. “We understood how difficult it can be for kids in smaller communities to feel comfortable identifying as Jewish. Supporting Muss gives them a way to connect.”

Among the students whose lives the Weinstein Scholarship has touched is Neta Shahar, a Hong Kong native born to Israeli parents now living in Haddonfield, New Jersey. Shahar had heard about Muss and desperately wanted to attend, so she applied for any scholarship she could find. After receiving a Weinstein scholarship, she breathed a sigh of relief, knowing she’d be able to go to Israel.

“If it weren't for this scholarship, there would be no possible way that I would have been able to go on the program,” she added. “And that's why I was so extremely grateful for it, especially looking back knowing all the things that I could have potentially missed out on.”

Fortunately, Shahar didn’t miss out, and the semester was one she would never forget. “It was one of the most life-changing things I’ve ever done,” she said. “The friendships I made and the connection I built with Israel are things I’ll carry with me forever.”

Like other scholarship recipients, she met Weinstein in Israel—an encounter both found impactful.

“I had a chance to sit down with each recipient and get to learn more about who they are, while telling them a little bit about who my wife was in whose memory they're receiving the scholarship,” added Weinstein. “And we had some really lovely conversations.”

“I was nervous to meet him, but he was so kind and genuine,” added Shahar. “He told me about his wife, about their connection to Muss, and why they created the scholarship.”

And for Weinstein, creating those memories and connections is what it’s all about, fueled by the belief that every generation deserves its Israel story. “You can’t dictate love,” he reflected. “But Muss has created a setting where that love grows naturally. The students don’t just learn about Israel—they live it.”

To learn more about Alexander Muss High School in Israel's financial aid opportunities, visit amhsi.org/sessions-financial-aid