November 1 11

After much deliberation, my post-high school college plans had finally been decided upon. Boston University. School of Communications. I had a BU ball cap and a freshman orientation package in hand.

And yet, somehow, I found myself on an airplane headed for a year at an all-girls seminary in Jerusalem.

It wasn’t going to happen, actually. I had friends who were planning to spend a year post-grad in Israel, it wasn’t uncommon at my high school. But not I. It wasn’t in the plans, of course, until it was. One of my very best friends and I decided, almost impulsively, to do it. To fill our allotted two duffle bags with modest clothing (mustn’t show your knees; mustn’t show your collarbone), Michael Jordan t-shirts, denim shirts, Doc Martens, flannel sheets, and enough Ramen noodles and instant oatmeal packages to feed the entire Israeli army. Somehow, my Rachel haircut and I were on our way to Israel. Plans were changed, just like that.

It was a school full of cookie-cutter girls. We all looked the same, dressed the same. Our accents were slightly different—some Brooklyn, some Boston, some Israeli, some midwestern (me!)—and our religious backgrounds were slightly different, but we were the same. All right Israel, what are you going to teach me? As a person who has always grappled with faith, which, I think, stems from the lethal combination of my inability to not question information that is presented to me and my excessive interest in studying history. But here I thought, ISRAEL. I mean, is there a better place on this earth to learn what being a Jew is all about?

And I did. I learned.

In between all of the trips to the mall and the newly-opened Second Cup coffee and the nights spent on Ben Yehudah street and the afternoons sunbathing on top of the school roofs and visits to my favorite bakeries, I learned.

In between trying to make contact with my boyfriend back home on my ancient IBM laptop and an Israeli dial-up modem, I learned. In between being surprised by said boyfriend’s surprise month-long visit where he opened with “Do you have the Waning of the Middle Ages?” and pretty well sold me for life and then we spent a glorious weekend in Herzeliah and taste-tested every single fettucini alfredo in the entire country before deciding that we don’t particularly even like fettucini alfredo, I learned.

I learned some very practical things, obviously. I learned about the laws of the sabbath and laws of keeping kosher and the laws of Jewish modesty and femininity. I learned straight from rabbis mouths and straight from biblical texts. But, at the end of the year, that’s not what I took away from being in the country.

I learned while climbing Masada. I learned while planting trees. I learned while visiting the Holocaust museum. I learned while visiting the Knesset. I learned while visiting the streets of Mea Shearim. I learned while walking the beach in Tel Aviv. I learned while standing in front of the kotel, the western wall. I learned while touring the tunnels underneath the kotel. I learned while visiting graves of our forefathers and mothers. I learned while visiting Latrun and other battle sites. I learned while spending the night on a kibbutz. I learned while drinking coffee at the King David Hotel. I learned while riding city buses.

I learned from the architecture, from the old stone, from the old synagogues and churches, from the water, from the gates around the old city, from the shuk, from the tippy top of the north to the tippy bottom of the south.

I learned that Israel is this little magical country, no matter what you believe. Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Atheist, Agnostic. Orthodox, Conservative, Reform. Belief in God, Belief in science, belief in history. It’s magic.

I learned that the importance of having a family that I spend time with is way more important than what happens if I spill some milk into my chicken soup. I learned that I care more about having a lovely Friday night dinner with candles and kiddush over wine and conversations about our day than I care about not turning on or off a light on Saturday. I learned that the incredible, amazing relationship I have with my husband is far more important than whether or not I pass him the salt while I have my period. I learned that being a good and modest person is more about HOW I behave and less about how little of my knees and my clavicle you can see. I learned that being a nice person is more important than being a pious person.

I learned that respecting of others’ beliefs (or non-beliefs) is far more important than judging them. I have respect for every single person.

I learned that I am doing something right in this world, even if some people do not think so.

I am so glad for 1996. I wouldn’t be who I am today without it.

I doubt I would be saying the same had I spent that year in Boston.

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  1. You learned so much. Was Bonkers Bagels open when you were there? I am pretty sure I gained 10 pounds in the 3 days I stayed right across from that place so many years ago.

    Comment by Jen on November 1, 2011
  2. love it. especially gav getting INTO YOUR ROOM to “fix the laptop”.

    Comment by obabe on November 1, 2011
  3. What an amazing experience! Thanks for sharing it.

    Comment by Sandy on November 1, 2011
  4. Great post, Ali!

    Comment by Kristabella on November 1, 2011
  5. Great comment, Kristabella!

    Ha. just kidding, thanks so much, obviously. xoxo

    Comment by ali on November 1, 2011
  6. I loved reading this, and learning more about you.

    Comment by Loukia on November 1, 2011
  7. I was just telling someone today (kristabella) that I want to tell my stories. ALL of my stories, especially the ones that didn’t get blogged about because I didn’t start blogging until 2004. And so much happened before then that has never been written about. And lots of them are good stories!

    Comment by ali on November 1, 2011
  8. I spent 1998 there…best decision I ever made. I too “learned” at a yeshiva for awhile, (why do they call it learning rather than studying? That’s so modern Orthodox of me) but really I learned that I liked Jewish boys. If that is all I got out of it, I know my mom thought it was enough. 😉 Love reading about other’s experiences! Oh, and I have so many matching jean jacket pics!

    Comment by Rachel on November 1, 2011
  9. I loved this, friend. We had such a great chat about our faiths back when I slept over in March. It’s cool to get some of the history behind it all.

    Comment by Angella on November 1, 2011
  10. Oh, man. I love everything about this post; the message, how you wrote about it, and especially your fresh denim button-down. (Heh.) As I’m sure you can imagine, I can relate to so much of this; just swap out the “1996” with “1998.”

    #MARZIPAN4EVA

    Comment by metalia on November 1, 2011
  11. Marzipan. OMG. I remember buying a kilo for someone before Shabbat and eating half of it on the bus home! Eeek! And the 3 challot/10 shekels right by Marzipan…I just gained 10 pounds reliving this. 😉

    Comment by Rachel on November 2, 2011
  12. I adore every thing about this publish the communication, how you wrote about it, and particularly your clean denim button-down. (Heh.) As I’m certain you can imagine, I can relate to so a lot of this just swap out the “1996? with “1998.”

    Comment by Grace on November 2, 2011
  13. It sounds like an amazing experience!

    Comment by Sharon on February 10, 2014
  14. I loved reading this. What a wonderful experience! PS I also had a Rachel cut in 1996.

    Comment by Nicole Boyhouse on February 10, 2014
  15. I love this post! I don’t think I would ever realize that you went to seminary! Lucky you, and I love the old stories the best! Israel truly is special and I’m a big believer in what you say about being a good person, because that you are and I love you for that!! xxoo

    Comment by Sonya on February 10, 2014
  16. Yes! I went to Machon Gold!

    Aw, thanks you. xoxo

    Comment by ali on February 10, 2014
  17. Wow, those pictures really took me back…That was an amazing and fun year…oh malon gogo, you gave us so much!!!

    Comment by Abby on February 11, 2014
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