Letters from the Director (Nativ 31)

Dear Parents, 

The past two months have been filled with all sorts of news from here in Beit Nativ (and from around the world, as well!). The Nativers finished off their first semester and are off on vacation now, so here are some updates.  Everyone who was studying at Hebrew University worked hard to finish off their semester with good grades - they sat up late at night practicing for their Hebrew oral exams, and worked in the library during their free time to finish up essays and prepare for tests. Overall, it seems like most people were pleased with their final grades and everyone is happy that it's all over. Some of the students at Ulpan got to go on a field trip to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo as an end-of-the-semester treat, and everyone was sad to part from their teachers and new friends from class. The Yeshiva students had a special week of programming, just for the Nativ students, in which they did some volunteering together and had special shiurim (classes) geared towards the Nativ students' experiences, wrapping it all up, and ending the year off with closure. They were also sad to part from their teachers, who they learned to appreciate greatly over the time they spent together. 

Dear Parents,
Greetings from Jerusalem! Things are going well here, as the semester is in full swing and the Nativers are either preparing for midterms, writing papers, deeply immersing themselves in Jewish text study or really starting to speak Hebrew like native Israelis.   Things have been extremely busy here for the past month. Every night, the Nativers have a multitude of activities to choose from and thus, have been stimulated and challenged not only in their academic environments, but also at Beit Nativ, as well. These optional activities, which are run by the Nativ staff and Nativers alike, include a boy's basketball league, a girl's football league, a weekly jam-session for the Nativ musicians, an a-capella group, an Israeli film series, an American classic film series, jewelry-making classes (for those with an artistic inclination), a seminar about Alex Singer (an American who made Aliyah and was killed fighting in the Israeli army) and a seminar on the philosophy of Abraham Joshua Heschel. Additionally, there are several activities run by outside educators that Nativ brings in, including a weekly David Project  session, as well as a Jewish Educator Training course, taught by Mark Lazar (who is also teaching a seminar preparing the participants who will be going to Poland in January).  

Dear Parents,
Shalom!


It has been five weeks since the beginning of Nativ and the mini-semester is already behind us. The first few weeks on Nativ were extremely intense, as the transition from high school to college was internalized by the students.  The Hebrew University students took a total of seven credits; half the group took intensive Ulpan classes, while the rest took courses on Israeli Society, as well as a Jewish text based course. Both the Israel and text courses were immensely beneficial to the Nativers and helped to prepare them for spending a year in Israel on a Conservative Jewish program. The courses on Israeli society taught the students to understand both the historical underpinnings of the State of Israel and how those underpinnings have shaped the way contemporary Israeli society is structured, while the text course introduced the students to the type of critical, Jewish thinking which is an integral aspect of the Conservative Jewish outlook. The students truly gained immensely from both courses.

Dear Parents,
Shalom! It has been one week since we met your children at Ben Gurion Airport and so much has already been accomplished.

The first few days in Israel were devoted to orientations and group activities. On Wednesday, the Nativers began the day with Tefilot and breakfast and then came together with their staff for an orientation to their year in Israel. Then, the Nativers toured the neighborhood of Beit Nativ, met their fellow group mates, and set up their rooms. Later that evening, Nativers worked together to prepare a barbecue dinner and discussed with each other their goals for the year.

On Thursday morning, studies began for the Conservative Yeshiva and Ulpan students. The Hebrew University students had their academic orientation for the Mini-Semester. This year there are 12 students studying at the Conservative Yeshiva, 68 at Hebrew University, and 11 on the Ulpan track. The Yeshiva students will be taking introductory classes for the first few days until the official opening of the year on Monday evening September 5th. Then they will be meeting the other Yeshiva students who are all graduate students pursuing various degrees, as well as second and third year rabbinical students from the American Jewish University Rabbinical School in Los Angeles.