After finishing Be'er Hagolah, I went straight to Hunter College, my dream school:) It was tough formulating concrete impressions about the school at first, since I didn't have a reference point to any public institution. With time, I came to like Hunter for its diversity and the people I met there. I got involved right away. The first day of classes, my friend and BHI classmate, Alina Plotkina, and I headed straight for the Hillel to meet the other Jews at Hunter. We asked about a Jewish publication on campus and found out that one didn't exist! That was our call to initiate a paper ourselves - and so we did. We're in our 3rd year as editors of Hakol: The Jewish Voice at Hunter College (which, as you might know, translates as "everything" or "the voice"). The paper is a lot of work, but it's a truly satisfying experience. When you care deeply about something, and when it has provided you with so many answers to your own questions, you want to share those answers with others, in hope that they too will be touched. Thanks to BHI, we want to share our Jewish pride with the mostly unaffiliated Russian Jews at Hunter; Hakol has been our gateway to that goal.
Hunter does not have too many Jews, and the Jews that are here are not outwardly "Jewish". The no-pressure framework allowed me to evaluate myself within a diverse mix of people, and definitely strengthened my Jewish identity.
Currently I am a junior, double-majoring in Psychology and Media Studies. I became interested in Psychology in 12th grade, when I took a class with Mrs. Lebovic (although I ended up dropping it half way through). I did not realize then how popular the field was, but it definitely sparked an interest in me. My appeal to media studies also began at BHI, when I helped work on the BHI Insider. Later, serving as an editor of Hakol and my long-time interest in advertising, drew me to pick media as a major as well. Although it may seem that I am certain in what I like and want to do in the future, it is not so. I still have to pick a field of concentration for graduate school, but I haven't yet figured out what that will be. In general, my advice to people is: figure out what you really like - what are your interests, your passion - as soon as you can, and use them to guide you in making the right career choice for yourself.
My Fondest BHI Memories
I am ever-thankful for the Jewish education I received at BHI. I truly value the friendships I formed and I miss those friends a lot, because the reality is I don't keep in touch with as many people as I would like to. Twelfth grade was lots of fun - the Shabbatons, the graduation trip; even the daily boom box breaks, and the snack sales…
If Only I Knew Then
I wish I would have known as much about Israel in high school as I do now. I have learned so much about Israel's history and its controversial politics. I believe that these days a Jew is synonymous with Israel. I wish the history of modern Israel was taught in BHI just as much as religion was, because we are an extension of Israel and we should be knowledgeable about current developments just as much as past events.
A Message to my Fellow Alums
Discover who you are and what your true values are - it will make many life choices much easier.
