Our Journals
My Birthday in Israel
by Olivia Hershkowitz
For the past 18 years, my birthday was celebrated in more or less the same way: waking up to my family singing happy birthday, opening some presents, celebrating with friends, and dining with my family at a restaurant of my choosing. Although I would get very excited each year prior to my birthday, it became a sort of repetitive ritual.
I don’t usually think too much about my birthday ahead of time, but during our In-Shabbat a few weeks ago, we sat by our birthday months on Friday night, sparking the birthday conversation. The Novembers — Darkaynu girls, other Lindenbaum girls and myself — went around sharing our birthdates, and I found out that I share a birthday with Sarah Ben-Nun. From the Shabbat table conversation and on, I became more and more excited to experience my birthday here at Lindenbaum.
Among the many unique traditions in Midreshet Lindenbaum, celebrating a birthday is a huge one. The festivities go as follows: by midnight, you will have at least one baked good and some friends singing and cheering in your room; you wake up with a birthday sign taped to your door from “Your Favorite Madrichot,” with two chocolates attached; you hug approximately 64 girls, and respond “thank you!” in the same enthusiastic voice approximately 64 times; and you most likely end the night getting dinner with friends (and more cake).
Of course, I was eager for it to be my turn — to eat a lot of cake and get triple the birthday wishes. However, I did not realize that my birthday would foster such an appreciation for my community here at Midreshet Lindenbaum. At around lunch time, I received a text message from Sarah Ben-Nun, saying, “Hey! Happy Birthday!! …I left you a bottle of mango juice in your fridge as a birthday present! Have an awesome day!!” In that moment, I realized I’d been taking the sincerity of the girls here for granted, and I hadn’t yet taken a moment to appreciate the sense of community that had formed among us so quickly.
Yes, it was a little weird not seeing family and celebrating with childhood friends this year; but, I will always remember my 19th birthday, thanks to sharing it with Sarah Ben-Nun and celebrating with my 62 other sisters.
Extra Curricular Activities
By Revital Chavel
There are different reasons for which post-high school students postpone university to spend a year in Israel. Debra Paul’s goal is to develop a habit of independent, Jewish learning; “I wanted to learn how to learn by myself, so that once I am in a strictly secular environment, I am able to continue my Judaic education on my own.” Carli Muller, a student at Midreshet Moriah, came because of her personal and religious connections to the land; “I chose to come to Israel because this is our home. I asked myself ‘where is our hope, our faith, our pride? Where is the desire, the love deep inside?’ And I realized all the answers were Israel.” Lauren Sorscher, a student at Tiferet, came to foster her connection to the larger Jewish community; “Being in the land of the Jewish people… allows me to learn about our heritage and truly feel apart of Am Yisroel.”
And some of us have less profound reasons: “I came because my cousin pressured me to,” says Becky Schwartz.
But in addition to seminary programming, students participate in Israel- education and advocacy programs, play on sports teams, volunteer for chessed programs, and join dance companies.
If students have primary reasons for coming to Israel, why do they busy themselves with secondary activities? Is it not more productive for students to dedicate themselves to one interest at a time than it is for them to pursue multiple interests at once?
Despite my indubitable credibility, as illustrated by my writing for the Tova-acclaimed TalpiOtiyot Newsletter, I don’t know which lifestyle is more productive.
But the more I think about it, the more I realize that I am naïve in assuming that our success is measurable only by our productivity. What is more important than how productive our lives are is with what spirit we live them. With this lens, extra curricular programs become — not a distraction to our other goals, rather — signs of vitality and enthusiasm! Our desire to learn Judaic studies and hike in the Holy Land and volunteer as a mother’s helper for an ill child and learn about Israel’s politics and play football make a more exuberant Jewish community, and I’m glad for these opportunities.
