3 min read
Poor Daniel Sugarman. It sounds like he had an awful experience at yeshivah, as described in last week's JC . His powerful description of dirt, dogs, floods and tedium sounded like a cross between the Ten Plagues and a Dickensian nightmare.
The good news is that his experience is rare. As the United Synagogue's Israel rabbi, I make regular visits to British students on their gap years at yeshivot and seminaries as well as those on youth-movement programmes.
The overwhelming majority of our young people have a fabulous year. They enter university enriched by their study and inspired by their Israeli experience. Those who join our Tribe Israel Leadership Training Programme are prepared and committed to contribute to their home communities.
The key to a positive yeshivah or university experience lies in choosing the right institution. The Talmud asserts that people can only study successfully when they feel comfortable. (Avoda Zara 19a).
There is a wide range of options, so students can now handpick the yeshivah or seminary that best matches their personality.
It takes time for British students to adapt to life in Israel
Interestingly, the opportunities available for women are even broader than those for men. Some seminaries pride themselves on offering the highest levels of Talmud study, while those searching for a broader experience can find programmes that combine robust study with other activities. One particularly creative programme, Midreshet Emunah v'Omanut, was established by a friend of mine to offer high-level learning in the mornings with advanced study of the arts - music, sculpture and painting - in the afternoons. Other programmes complement learning with volunteer work in Israeli hospitals, old-age homes and kindergartens.
For men, too, there are options. In the elite Israeli yeshivot, peer pressure and a love of learning keeps students at their books for long hours. But for those who are not used to such a rigorous regime, there are intellectually robust programmes such as Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi, which was founded by teachers of mine to meet the needs of those who are new to study but eager to learn.
Other programmes cater to those who are still deciding whether Judaism is for them at all.
And, for those who find the concept of a full year in yeshivah overwhelming, in addition to their standard yeshivah tracks, Bnei Akiva offer a shorter programme of yeshivah study supplemented by opportunities to explore Jewish history, tour the country and serve in the army or ambulance service.
Whichever the programme, the opportunities to analyse Jewish texts can be exhilarating. I adored yeshivah. I loved being in a community of people dedicated to intellectual exploration, spiritual growth and the building of a religious, ethical society. It was a privilege to learn from outstanding scholars who were academically brilliant, pious, caring and compassionate.
One of the heads of my yeshivah was also a professor of English literature and most of my teachers held advanced secular degrees in addition to their outstanding religious credentials. I sat riveted through their shiurim. Even now, decades after my first year in yeshivah, I am still in close contact with many of them and I attend a weekly shiur given by my first Rosh Yeshivah, Rabbi Brovender.
As for living conditions, the Mishnah prescribes a modest lifestyle for the budding scholar (Avot 6:4), but it also warns that, without reasonable living conditions, there will be no study (Avot 3:17).
I studied at Yeshivat Har Etzion, which had a stunning campus with award-winning gardens, reflecting the rigour and dignity of our intellectual and religious pursuits.
This week, I visited a women's seminary in Jerusalem. As I entered the building, there was an audible gasp from British colleagues, astonished to discover that gap-year students were living in such lavish conditions. "Is this right," they asked. "Aren't we spoiling our young people? Won't they lose their idealism?"
Elsewhere, the competition for students is so fierce that even where the facilities are more modest, the food and accommodation is still more than adequate.
In every university, yeshivah or workplace, there will people who don't find their niche. Usually, it's just teething problems; it takes time for British students to adapt to life in Israel, an Israeli diet and a yeshivah regimen. I am proud that the United Synagogue Israel team provides an extra tier of support for all our young people; offering guidance in choosing a yeshivah, visiting British students at their different programmes and running events which bring them all together.
The United Synagogue is there to support every British Jew who embarks on this exciting journey to develop Jewish literacy, experience the thrill of Israeli Judaism and gain a lifetime of inspiration.
