(Not Exactly) Back to School

By Adam Schwartz
University of Tennessee

Immediately after leaving my summer job at Camp Ramah Darom, I went back to school. However, my trip to school took over 12 hours, as I am now going to the Hebrew University. So, I am writing this in the city of Jerusalem, surrounded by young Israelis, all of us trying to write papers. The Israeli class schedule is different from the USA’s, so while you all are just starting classes, they are ending them and taking exams. Of course, it’s worse this summer, because the professors were on strike for most of last year, but that’s another story.

I am in ulpan, which is a different experience from my home school of the University of Tennessee. In my class of ten people, we are from eight countries: USA, Canada, South Korea, Germany, Austria, France, Ecuador, and Australia (though I am from Tennessee, and one of the USA people is from New York, I do not count these as different countries here). We all communicate in English and Hebrew as we try to get better at our new language and become friends. I am becoming more multi-cultural, with roommates from France, Canada and the French West Indies. It is fun to look around the Student Village and see very diverse groups, not only by country, but by Jewish observance as well. As an added bonus, there are several people studying here that I have met either through KOACH Birthright Israel or KOACH conferences.

One of the first things I would do when starting a new year at my school is find the Hillel. Here that is not such a big deal. Although everyone is not Jewish, enough people are, so it is not a pressing need, nor hard to find Jews with which to socialize. It is REALLY easy to be Jewish here. At Hebrew University, being Jewish is the norm (go figure), so no one looks at you weirdly for saying some cultural joke or asks what that funny thing on your head is. Almost everywhere you go to eat is kosher and you can buy meat in a normal grocery store without worrying. Even the non-Jewish students do special things for Shabbos!

There are many fun things to do here. A typical week would consist of classes from 8:30 to 1:30 on Sunday to Thursday. Friday and Saturday are off and there are tons of extra-curricular activities. There are several text learning opportunities, from a Hillel one, to several orthodox ones, to one headed by Rabbi Ed Romm of the Fuchsberg Center for Conservative Judaism in Israel. There are lots of athletic opportunities, from a football (soccer) league, to salsa dancing to hiking, as well as random people doing random things around the campus. And, of course, you could always study.

My back to school experience is very different than what it would be like if I was going to school in the States, but it is an experience that is sure to make me grow. Most of us do not go to school in cities that are thousands of years old, nor have classes in which Americans are not the majority. (Please ignore that, O Canadian contingent). I am glad to be studying in Israel, and am thankful to be able to do so. Here's to a good new school year!

Adam Schwartz is an undergrad at the University of Tennessee where he studies psychology. His interests include puns, poi and archery.

[Posted 8/31/08]