{"id":205219,"date":"2026-07-13T23:23:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T23:23:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/205219\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T23:23:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T23:23:20","slug":"masa-israel-journey-opens-doors-to-israels-hospitality-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/205219\/","title":{"rendered":"Masa Israel journey opens doors to Israel’s hospitality industry"},"content":{"rendered":"

But behind the knives, flames, plating, and pressure of the kitchen is a larger story. For many participants, the program was not only about learning how to cook. It was about building a life in Israel.<\/p>\n

Recipe for integration<\/p>\n

For the past 15 years, Masa\u2019s culinary initiative has helped Russian-speaking young adults gain practical professional training, Hebrew-language experience, cultural orientation, and a direct pathway into Israel\u2019s hospitality industry<\/a>. The program, which primarily operates in Eilat, has enabled many participants to integrate into local hotels, work alongside some of Israel\u2019s top chefs, and begin careers in professional kitchens across the country.<\/p>\n

Today, more than 100 graduates of the program are employed across the Fattal Hotel chain, serving in a wide range of roles, including sous chefs, pastry chefs, maintenance managers, station managers, and other key positions within the hotel industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis program shows what meaningful integration can look like,\u201d Meir Holtz, CEO of Masa Israel Journey<\/a>, which has served more than 220,000 young people from over 60 countries since its founding in by the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Israeli government in 2004, told The Jerusalem Report in a recent interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cFood is one of the most powerful gateways into Israeli culture. Through the kitchen, participants experience Israel\u2019s diversity, creativity, intensity, and warmth in a very real way. This program does more than provide professional training; it helps young people build confidence, find belonging, and develop the skills to become future leaders in Israel\u2019s hospitality industry and beyond,\u201d Holtz added.<\/p>\n

The Eilat event showcased not only the participants\u2019 culinary skills but also their personal journeys. Over the course of the program, they received hands-on training, worked with industry professionals, and gained the tools needed to enter one of Israel\u2019s most dynamic and demanding sectors.<\/p>\n

For Israel\u2019s hotel and culinary industries, the program has also created a meaningful pipeline of motivated young professionals who bring talent, discipline, cultural diversity, and fresh energy into local kitchens.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe program combined high-level professional studies with real hands-on experience,\u201d said Dmitry Schwartzman, a 21-year-old participant from Ukraine who had just completed the Masa Culinary program.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring the internship, I worked with hotel staff and guests every day, so my Hebrew improved very quickly. We learned everything from knife skills and meat preparation to making dozens of dishes. Even those who came with previous experience are leaving with a lot of new knowledge. After the program, I want to continue working at the hotel, make aliyah, and build my family here,\u201d Schwartzman added.<\/p>\n

\"udgesudges from Fattal Hotels sit around a table as a Masa Israel Journey culinary program participant presents his final dish during the program\u2019s final exams, May 26, Eilat. (credit: Igal Vinovsky)Beyond the kitchen<\/p>\n

The competition featured a series of dishes prepared under time pressure, reflecting the intensity and creativity of professional kitchen life. Participants were judged on taste, presentation, technique, teamwork, and originality \u2013 but the true measure of success extended far beyond the plates served at the event.<\/p>\n

For many, the program opened a door into Israeli society through one of its most vibrant meeting points: food. In the kitchen, participants learned more than recipes. They learned rhythm, language, teamwork, resilience, and the unwritten codes of Israeli life.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis program is a real opportunity to change your life,\u201d said Mikhail Solonikov, 36, a graduate of the Masa Culinary program who now serves as sous-chef at one of Fattal\u2019s leading hotels in Eilat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI arrived from St. Petersburg with no professional kitchen experience, but the program gave me real tools, close guidance, and the chance to understand that Israel is where I want to build my life. The instructors and staff are with you every step of the way \u2013 from the very beginning, through trips around the country and the internship, and even after the program ends. You always have someone to turn to, and that is what makes this experience so much more than professional training,\u201d Solonikov added.<\/p>\n

The initiative reflects Masa Israel Journey\u2019s broader mission of creating immersive, long-term experiences in Israel that combine personal growth, professional development, Jewish identity, and meaningful integration into Israeli society.<\/p>\n

Making it home<\/p>\n

Through its partnership with Tlalim and Fattal, the Masa culinary program has become a unique model for practical Zionism, helping young people turn their connection to Israel into a lived experience, a profession, and, in many cases, a future.<\/p>\n

Dr. Ronen Shai, an expert in hotel management and culinary arts and a lecturer in the Department of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Kinneret Academic College, explained that such programs are particularly significant, especially at a time when the hotel industry faces an ongoing shortage of skilled workers.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor years, it has been difficult to recruit and retain professional workers in the culinary and hospitality fields,\u201d he said. \u201cBut in this case, it goes far beyond professional training. Young Jews from the Diaspora come to Israel, learn the language, experience Israeli society from within, and make a practical contribution to an industry facing a real shortage. It is a model that creates both professional value and meaningful human and cultural connections.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Shai, the industry\u2019s labor shortage has worsened in recent years, particularly following periods of unpaid leave and broader crises affecting the hospitality and tourism sectors.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany workers began looking for stability elsewhere,\u201d he explained. \u201cThat is why a track that combines high-quality training, real work experience, and a professional future is exactly the kind of solution the industry needs today.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Eilat event offered a taste of what the program has built over the past 15 years: not only stronger cooks, but more confident young adults ready to take their next step in Israel.\u25a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"But behind the knives, flames, plating, and pressure of the kitchen is a larger story. For many participants,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":205220,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[33],"tags":[55009,9921,13915,51411,37,12623,26747],"class_list":["post-205219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-chef","tag-diaspora-jews","tag-hospitality","tag-immigrants-in-israel","tag-israel","tag-jerusalem-report","tag-masa-israel"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116915247894537440","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/205220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}