Volunteer on a Kibbutz

There are age restrictions, but if you are between 19 and 35 volunteering on an Israeli kibbutz could be an interesting  and low-cost opportunity. Kibbutzim are communal, economically self-sufficient organizations that have existed on Israeli territory since the early part of the 20th century, before the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.
For a fee or only $635 you can spend between two and a half and six months working on a kibbutz. And that could mean some pretty hard work, since many kibbutzim are agricultural. I visited one kibbutz at Ein Gedi near the Dead Sea, and found it appealing as aplace and as a concept, though I'm not sure I would want to live on one.
The kibbutzim are founded on principles of communal ownership of property, social justice and equality, similar to the principles of Marxism and Socialism.
You can find out more about these programs at www.kibbutzprogramcenter.org.
As with Jordan, travel to Israel can be problematic because of the political situation in the region, but if you wait until peace prevails in the Middle East you may be too old for this opportunity. People of any or no religion are welcome on the program.