Article by Tal Dimenstein (THS '20) featuring an interview with Rachel Sragovicz (THS '19)
If future circumstances permit, I and several other Torah High seniors plan to spend the upcoming school year in Israel before venturing off to college. From experience, I know that the process of deciding whether or not to take a gap year is daunting and confusing. I also know that the confusion only intensifies when deciding which program to attend. Personally, I applied to a record-breaking count of six seminaries before choosing the one I believed was right for me.
There is no doubt that this process poses greater difficulty to an out-of-towner. An unmistakable sense of distance exists between the remote beach town of San Diego and the information held by the Jewish hubs of the Tri-state area. I found myself desperately searching for any information that would reveal to me the ‘perfect’ seminary. I relied heavily upon the experiences of Torah High alumnae, including my friend Rachel Sragovicz (THS ‘19) who attended Midreshet Harova this year. Our WhatsApp correspondences provided me with real-life experiences upon which I based my decisions.
Her advice helped me so much in my seminary decision journey, so I decided to ask Rachel a few questions that I hope will help other Torah High students navigate this process.
Q: Why did you decide to take a gap year in Israel?
A: I felt that I needed a year after high school to reaffirm my religious identity in an academic setting. I also wanted a break from the traditional education setting to reevaluate my academic and career goals.
Q: Why did you choose Harova specifically? What are factors you think are important to consider when choosing a seminary?
A: I think the main factors in choosing a seminary are location, size, and hashkafa. I loved living in the Old City and being close to the Kotel and many other popular sites in Jerusalem. Being in one of the largest seminaries gave me a lot more freedom to experience the year at my own pace. I also liked that at Harova the learning was serious but there were many skill levels catered to simultaneously.
Q: How did your year in Israel impact you?
A: It's hard to make tangible conclusions from my gap year as a whole, especially since it was cut a few months short. I will say that it impacted me greatly in many areas. I was able to create a more personal connection to Judaism and live on my own in one of the most fascinating cities in the world. I had so many crazy experiences and was given the space to learn a lot about myself.
Q: How were you able to handle the social adjustment from a more sheltered high school environment? Is there an in-town and out-of-town divide?
A: I was very lucky to have made close friends and found the adjustment pretty easy overall. That being said, the beginning is always difficult when you don’t know anyone beforehand. The initial in-town and out-of-town divide is just a product of the awkwardness there is at the beginning of the year. I found that once everyone became more comfortable, they were open to meeting and being friends with anyone. There were also so many people that there was less pressure to be friends with everyone.
Q: What did your daily schedule look like?
A: Our classes started at 8:30 am Monday-Thursday and 9:00 am on Sundays. There were two morning classes, one was 1.5 hours and the second was around 3 hours. We had a lunch break from 12:45-2:45 and then three afternoon classes of 1.5 hours each. Dinner break was from 7:00-8:00, and then night seder was from 8:00-10:00 which was unstructured time to learn.
Q: Did you find the material difficult? What did the support system look like from your teachers?
A: I found some classes to be pretty difficult, especially those mostly in Hebrew. My Gemara class was an adjustment for me, having never learned Gemara before and being in a class all in Hebrew. It took some time, but all the teachers were incredibly supportive and attentive if you ever needed them.
Q: What was your favorite topic/class?
A: I really enjoyed my Chumash class. It was a more philosophical interpretation of the Torah and forced me to delve deeper into previous understandings of basic texts. I also really enjoyed my post-Talmudic history class because it was an era of Jewish History that influences the majority of the customs we follow and I had little previous knowledge of them.
Q: What did Shabbat/ Chagim look like?
A: One out of three Shabbatots was with the Midrasha and we were free to go anywhere during the other two. The majority of the Chagim were also free.
Q: Was there a specific experience you had during your year in Israel that impacted you?
A: The day I came back to Israel after 10 days in Poland and Ukraine was one of the most blissfully happy and inspiring days of my gap year. Only after seeing so much loss was I able to appreciate the beauty and power in having a Jewish state. It was a moving testament of Jewish resilience.
Q: Are there any tips you’d give a prospective seminary student?
A: Don’t force yourself into the learning right in the beginning. The pressure to change and love the learning hinders your ability to let yourself enjoy the experience naturally. Change isn’t always external- don’t worry if you don’t “look” more religious and allow yourself to just enjoy the immersive Jewish experience.
Q: Why would you recommend taking a gap year in Israel?
A: I think it's really important to question and understand your Jewish identity. It’s very easy to be passively involved in Jewish culture and observance without truly challenging your beliefs. A gap year is the perfect time to slow down and prepare yourself for the future. I highly recommend it and would be happy to talk to anyone with reservations about taking one.
If you have any other questions, feel free to email Rachel at rsragovicz@gmail.com
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