After they graduate, some seniors will stay in Kansas, some will drive thousands of miles away to an out-of-state college, and some will fly out of the country to spread their religion, but only one Blue Valley senior will be making the trip to Israel to further understand his faith

Asa Abrahamson will be attending the Aish Gesher program, which will teach students the fundamental foundations of Judaism as well as the Torah’s wisdom for living. Abrahamson said his Jewish Youth Group, NCSY, inspired him to be more religious.

“My personal goals are getting fluent in Hebrew and understanding my faith on a deeper level,” he said. “I believe an experience in Israel will be different than America because it’s where my faith originated and allows me to see where all the events of the Torah unfolded.”

After finishing the application process for the program, which included essays and an interview, Abrahamson said he was happy to be accepted into the program.

“Aish Gesher is concurrent with Yeshiva University in New York, meaning I will get college credits,” he said. “What I will be studying is Judaism, including reading the Torah and being able to speak Hebrew fluently. When I get back to the States, I will either attend Yeshiva University or University of Utah. I have been accepted to both, and I am just going to defer them till next year.”

Although Abrahamson is leaving in the last week of August, he is beginning to prepare for the program, like applying for scholarships to help pay for it and visiting Israel.

“I haven’t had the pleasure to go to Israel yet, but I will be going to Poland and Israel for a month this summer with my Jewish Youth Group,” he said.

Abrahamson said he will be living in a dorm of a yeshiva in the city of Jerusalem with a roommate he doesn’t know yet.

“My biggest fear is being far away from where I have grown up in a completely different environment, though that gives me excitement as well.”