By Sari Mishell
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Hebrew University. The longest amount of time I’ve ever spent in Israel was three weeks at most. As incredible as the Opening Conference was, it didn’t quite feel like Israel was my home.
After seven years of overnight camp, I learned that nothing feels more permanent than putting sheets on a bed. That was also true for my apartment in the student village or kfar hastudentim. I put my new Israel sheets on my bed and knew my semester was just beginning.
Next to the kfar hastudentim is a British World War I cemetery, which I believe demonstrates the perfect contradiction of Jerusalem—an old, war-time cemetery next to a place of young, vibrant learning.
Hebrew University is also a contradiction of sorts—it is an old place with ancient, garden tombs and discoveries in dance, literature and language. Something else that strikes me is the love that Hebrew U inspires from all walks of history. On the first day of orientation, I picked up schnitzel from the Frank Sinatra Dining Hall and sat on the Nancy Reagan Pavilion.
At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, my home university, the population is pretty homogeneous. However, in the kfar hastudentim, many different languages permeate the air, such as Arabic, Chinese and French. Also, instead of hearing midwestern accents, I hear accented English from Australians, Brits and, believe it or not, Texans.
Last Shabbat, a couple of other Nachshon fellows and I walked from the kfar to the Old City. We experienced Jerusalem in a different way. I learned, while walking around all of Jerusalem, that there is a beauty that transcends the senses—a beauty that cannot be touched, smelled or seen. It is a beauty that makes Jerusalem unlike any city in the world. Living in the dorms at Hebrew U has opened my eyes to that beauty. Over the past two weeks, the kfar hastudentim has become my home, and I am excited to see what the future brings.
