Now that I have been here in Israel for a month, I have come to realize that there are so many differences between Israel and America, some very small differences such as there are falafel stands all around the country, and some huge differences. One huge difference that really stuck out to me is what it means to be Jewish. While the answer to this is of course different depending on who you are talking to, I noticed that there are many different “norms” in America, and in Israel. In America, I lived in a very Jewish area so I am quite used to seeing many other Jewish people and having many friends that are also Jewish. Yet, if I were to go into a supermarket Friday afternoon, when I would check out, I would make sure to say “Have a nice weekend”. In Israel, I would say “Shabbat Shalom”.

My first week at Alexander Muss, my core teacher Yossi decided to tell our group why he had decided to come to Israel. He told us stories about when he was in high school. He said that in high school, he was one of many Jewish people, yet he was the only person who celebrated Shabbat and liked to be considered Jewish. When a war broke out in Israel, he wanted to go to a protest, and he even had his parent’s approval, yet the principal (who was Jewish) told him he was not allowed to go. Yossi bravely went anyways, and the principal wanted to get him into trouble, but the superintendent (who was not Jewish) told Yossi he supports Israel and he would not be getting in trouble for going to that protest. The point of the story is that he had to choose between being considered normal and being considered Jewish, which isn’t something that someone should have to do. In Israel, it is considered normal to be Jewish, which is something that I noticed right away. That’s something that is very unique and special to Israel.

In addition to this, I noticed many other differences. The way that I’m learning here in Israel is extremely different than how I learned back home. Here, the emphasis is a lot less on what grade you get and having tests constantly, and more about learning the material. This makes school a lot less stressful, and more relaxed, yet I am still learning just as much as I would be back in the states.  In America, everything we learn in a unit is geared toward a specific test. Here, my teachers will teach me useful and interesting information that isn’t always specifically geared toward a test at the end. Another interesting cultural difference that one of the madrichim told me about is how in Israel you generally know most of your neighbors, and talk to them a lot. There is more of a community in Israel than in America. Back at home, I couldn’t even tell you the names of a few of my next door neighbors. Overall, there are so many differences between America and Israel and more that I have yet to discover.