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36 Friday, January 3, 1986
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
EDUCATION
Americans in Tel Aviv
University's Overseas
Student Program use the
entire country as their
"classroom."
Israel: •
An Exhilarating
Setting For
College Study
.
Every year, about 1200 American
students study at Israeli universities,
where they can learn the country's
customs while still obtaining college
credit.
,
A few years ago, studying
knew little about the country
at a foreign university was
itself, and lacked any knowl-
considered an unusual under-
edge of the Hebrew language.
, taking. Now, an increasing
Tel Aviv University is
number of students utilize
large, with approximately
the opportunity to become fa-
20,000 students. Because
miliar with another country's
most of those enrolled have.
customs while obtaining col-
completed the mandatory
lege credit. Indeed, every ' military service and are over
year approximately 1,200
the age of 21, they tend to be
men and women from the
serious about their studies,
United States alone choose to
and with a mature outlook on
study for a semester or a year
life. American students ad-
at Israeli universities. Israel
mire the average Israeli stu-
reciprocates by providing an
dent, who dedicates himself
exhilarating setting for aca-
to about 30 credits per semes-
demic pursuits, with many
ter and thus may complete
dynamic programs available.
his undergraduate degree in'
In fall, 1984, exactly a year
three years' time. Tel Aviv
ago, I studied in Israel through
University offers a wide
my participation in the Tel
range of academic specializa-
Aviv. University Overseas
tions in both undergraduate
Student Program. Then a
and graduate programs.
junior at the University of
We began our studies at
Maryland, College Park, I
the university with a six
hoped to broaden my cultu-
week-long ulpan, an intensive
ral, social, and religious aware-
Hebrew class. For five hours
ness; develop leadership
a day, five days a week, we
skills; and enhance my gene-
struggled with this unfaniil-
ral education.
Aar language.
My Tel Aviv University
Those of us with no experi-
overseas group was predomi-
ence in Hebrew were placed
nantly composed of Jews
in the Absolute Beginners
from he United ,States and
class. There,' we attempted to
Canada, but there were also
form the curves and loops of
two American blacks, a
squiggly Hebrew letters.
young woman from China, a
Learning principles of Heb-
daughter of a Swedish am- • remotrammar, which at first
bassador, and a born-again
seemed to be composed of ex-
Christian. Many of us had
ception upon exception, was
never been to Israel before,
a triumph. We learned simple
.
BY TALI GRODZINSKY
Special to The Jewish News
U
phrases and expressions,
which enabled us to hold sim-
ple conversations.
Others of us. had more flu-
ency in Hebrew. At higher
levels, we began to peruse the
newspaper, read literature,
and understand excerpts
from textbooks.' We rapidly
scrawled from right to left
across the blue parallel lines
of a notebook page. Technical
vocabularies in the area of
medicine, law, and engineer-
ing were emphasized. We
practiced dialogues and tried
to perfect our pronunciation.
In the supermarket, bank
and post office, we twisted
our newly-found Israeli
tongues in an attempt at tru-
ly fitting in with the natives.
Many Israelis waited patient-
ly as we stammered ow re-
quests; some Israelis
interrupted, only too willing
to practice their English. But
slowly and only with stub-
born insistence on speaking
Hebrew at every available op-
portunity, we did improve.
Our regular studies began,
similar to all Israeli univer-
sities, after the High Holi-
days at the end of OCtober.
Classes for our program were
taught in English, and were
specifically designed for us to
transfer the credits to our
home universities. Some of
our professors had been edu-
.