Your 2003-2004 UF JCSC Fellow
Here's my Jewish Journey....
I grew up in a strong Jewish home and always have been involved in some form of Jewish life. I attended a suplementary afternoon religious school through my Bat-mitzvah and afterwards I attended a Hebrew High School program at the San Diego JCC. I was very active in BBYO (Yeah Hannah Senesh BBG) throughout my days at Rancho Bernardo High School and for awhile with Beth Am USY. So, people always ask what my AH! moment was and what motivated me to stay actively involved in the Jewish world. My moment, or rather a series of moments for me, happened while I was in Israel on the Alexander Muss High School in Israel, Spring 1998. This program gave me the hands on aspects of Israel which a textbook in the States could never provide. I fell in love with Israel. I don't know if it was planting the trees in the dirt, climbing Masada at 3:30am, sharing my first Israel experience with my cousin Avie and my best friend Heather, eating Magnum ice cream bars, learning about Nimrod's Fortress, or taking the hardest cumulative history exam of my life (to this day). I suppose it's a combination of all of these experiences and more. Heather and I made a pact before we left HSI to promise to return to Israel together for our junior year abroad...
Summer 2001....the Intifada is brutally destroying Israel and her people. My parents are strongly encouraging me to stay in Madison and wait until the situation in Israel settles. But I am determined to go. I meet Heather in New York and we are on our way to fulfilling our HSI Israel pact and return for our junior year of college in Jerusalem. As soon as I stepped off the plane in Tel Aviv, I knew that I had made the right decision. I was home....at least for the year. Throughout the year I had many amazing learning experiences from Rosh Hashana in the Old City with Aish HaTorah friends, Yom Kippur at "the singing shul" (Kol HaNishama)with Adam A. and Adam S., Greek Island hopping, the great Hanukkah candle meltdown in 18/17, being a Hillel Scholar, UJC Fellow, and JESNA Lainer Intern, learning more about myself, my comfort level and my intuition that I could ever imaging, backpacking through Europe with Heather and Ilana, Purim on Emek Refaim with egg sticks, the most amazing falafel and schwarma, cookies in frying pans, Pesach Project in Ukraine, the one and only bell museum in Rovno, challah covers that are afriad of water, and in addition to a slew of others. I became a stronger advocate for myself, Israelis and for the Jewish people. When I returned to Madison for my senior year, I realized that I wanted to be a JCSC fellow.
I had a great JCSC my freshman year at Madison, Julie was her name. She took me out for coffee and heard what I wanted to see at Hillel. To this day, I remember the lessons she taught me and how much I valued her as a Hillel professional and as a role model. When I got my list of schools that I matched with I was dissapointed, but I decided that I wanted to be a fellow, regardless of whether I would be in Boston, Los Angeles, Montreal, or Gainesville. I had unfulfilled program ideas from my college years, passion for Jewish college life, and a desire to work in the Hillel world. And so, I moved to Gainesville, Florida. It has been a year of highs and lows, learning and growing, empowerment and engagement, happiness and sadness, and most of all a year of independence. You learn that you can move to a completly new city, make new friends and co-workers, explore a new state, and still survive. The best part of the fellowship this year for me has been the love and support from the other fellows. We all wish that we could live in the same city and be friends because we all get along so well, but clearly by definition, that defeats our JCSC mission. As I move along my Jewish journey to the next step on my path (graduate school at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles) I wish the students and staff at UF Hillel the best of luck for next year and for many future years in the new building.
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