My Gap Year: Temporary Immersion in Israel
Today's guest blog post is by Shoshi Preuss, an admitted student who chose to take a gap year between high school and college.
Hi, my name is Shoshi Preuss and I am currently on a gap year program in Israel called Mechina Beit Israel ("preparation, house of Israel"). Following this gap year, I will be returning and joining University of Rochester's Class of 2018. The most common questions I receive are what drove me to take a year off before college and, further, why I chose this specific program. I have always loved the concept that one can take a break from formal education. I have heard so many stories of gap years where the people have grown and gained independence, so I did not want to give up this wonderful opportunity. What stood out to me specifically about Mechina Beit Israel is that it is an Israeli program in Israel rather than an American one, meaning that I am fully immersed in Israeli culture and society. Though there are a few Americans on the program, everything is done in Hebrew.
For the 46 Israelis, it is a year off before mandatory army service while the Americans use the year as a gap before college. A couple of the Americans are also considering whether they want to go to the Israeli army and move to Israel. Deciding to take a gap year in Israel was easy for me because Israel is a core part of my Jewish identity. While I have experienced culture shock and frustration at times, from the language immersion (I studied Hebrew in school, so I already came with a good basis), I am so glad that I chose this program.
Our weekly schedule consists of taking classes through the program, volunteering in our community in Jerusalem called Gilo, and traveling around Israel. While our program provides a broad structure, we choose which classes to take and where to volunteer. Among the classes that I take, the ones I find most interesting include a class about creative writing, one about the writing of Martin Buber, and another called Individualism and Specificity, about how communities are set up and how individuals relate to each other and their community. It is still a struggle to fully understand the classes, especially when we read documents written in sophisticated Hebrew, but everyone is very willing to translate words and explain concepts multiple times.
Exploring Gilo with friends.
I also work one-on-one with two different students in second grade one morning a week and help run an after-school program for middle school students two afternoons a week. In addition to those activities, we are in charge of our own general living situation, such as cooking and cleaning for the group. Overall, the Mechina is run completely by the will of the participants and we work together as a group, which teaches us all about personal and communal responsibility.
One view of my apartment.
So far, the most rewarding part of the program has been meeting the Israelis in my program and really feeling like I am experiencing Israeli culture first hand. We go out to see concerts of their favorite singers, go to the local market here, called the shuk, and explore Israel together. While it is a culture shock, it is great to really experience Israel not as a tourist. Even though we have only begun, I can tell that it is going to be a great year, and I would highly recommend to all seniors to look into gap year programs before college!
Gilo, Jerusalem, Israel