It’s a bold move for a 22-year old woman from the small town of Caledonia to make but Samantha Kaplan Zantopp is absolutely sure about her decision to emigrate to Tel Aviv, Israel in September.

She graduated cum laude in May from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst with a double major in Judaic Studies and Political Science.

Though she is well versed in the Hebrew language, having studied it since she was a high school junior, Kaplan Zantopp says her reason for emigration is simple: she knows she can make a difference for the world we all live in and be happy doing it in a place that makes her feel satisfied.

“The Israeli culture is the warmest culture I’ve ever seen. It is a positive, vibrant culture that promotes so much, helps the world and work towards solving the country’s problems,” Kaplan Zantopp explained.

Samantha graduated from Caledonia-Mumford High School in 2007. She spent that summer working at Eisner Camp, Jewish camp in Great Barrington, Mass., before beginning college in the fall at the University of Massachusetts.

Two years later she spent her junior year of college studying in Tel Aviv in a Hebrew immersion program at Tel Aviv University. She spent one month traveling the country.

She volunteered in a program called Sar-El, with the Israeli army, living on base and performing odd jobs. Kaplan Zantopp especially liked staying at a medical base in the center of the country. Immediately following the earthquake in Haiti, the base prepared supplies and teams of volunteers to go there to assist the victims.

She helped prepare medical packages that were going with the doctors to the stricken island and she also helped translate for other volunteers.

After the conclusion of her spring semester at Tel Aviv University, she volunteered for the Israeli army for five weeks. She lived in the small city of Ramle and studied photography.

“Ramle was a really interesting place to live because Jews, Muslims and Christians live together peacefully and co-existence is proven possible,” Kaplan Zantopp commented.

She volunteered for an organization called 'Save A Child’s Heart' which brings children from all around the world with life-threatening heart conditions to Israel for surgery.

Kaplan Zantopp made many friends through her experiences in Israel but did return to UMass to complete her studies. She became active at college in the Student Alliance for Israel. She also realized then that the life she lived in Israel was fuller, more satisfied and she was happier. It was an easy decision for her to decide to permanently immigrate to Israel after her college graduation.

“What I love about Israel comes down to the culture. We can look at the scientific, medical, and technological advances that Israel has contributed to the world at large, but a specific culture needs to exist in order for that to happen; one in which people feel encouraged to research and develop these advances.

It is also a culture that encourages humanitarian rights. Israel has absorbed more refugees per capita than any other nation and sends the most humanitarian aid to Gaza and the West Bank, along with medical teams to places like Haiti, Pakistan and Japan following natural disasters.”

On a smaller scale, Kaplan Zantopp finds Israel to be warm and friendly, not only to its own people, but visitors as well.

“Israelis help each other and tourists, because they care. It is an entire country that is based on a sense of community. No one is ever lost in Israel because there are always people to help you. No one is ever alone on a holiday, a time of sadness or a time of happiness, because there is always someone to take you in.”

Kaplan Zantopp says these are all things that Americans may not understand about Israel. She says it is easy to think of Israel as a war torn country dotted by violence or that it is all desert and everyone travels by camel. In reality, she says, Israel is a positive, vibrant nation and culture.