jewish@edu Get Better Faster for college students by college students Over 90% Success Rate. MLS LASER THERAPY Your First MLS Laser Treatment is Free • Reduce Pain • Restore Mobility • Painless • Relieve Inflammation • Non Invasive a Liad Lehavy of Ann Arbor and Danielle Riffer-Reinert of South Haven in Israel on Young Judaea Year Course. • FDA Cleared LEDERMAN rJWARTOWITZ Life In Israel Center for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine LKOrthopedics.com 248.669.2000 Gap-year program brings an eye-opening experience before starting college. 2300 Haggerty Rd., Ste. 1110 • West Bloomfield, MI 48323 By Danielle Riffer-Reinert *Offer excludes evaluation and diagnosis. jewish@edu Staff Writer 1828910 here are you going to college next year?" This was the most common question I was asked during my senior year of high school. This was also the most frustrating question for me to answer. I knew that the people asking wanted a simple reply, and I didn't have one for them. "I'm going to Kalamazoo College," I would respond, "but I'm deferring my acceptance to travel to Israel on a gap-year program called Young Judaea Year Course. I will be taking classes, but it's really a year of immersing myself in the culture and volunteering in Israeli communities." This semi-automated response was able to satisfy the question, but it was not able to begin to describe the journey on which I have embarked. I have been living in Israel since the beginning of last September and will be here until early June. By the end of my program, I will have lived in three different locations: Yemin Orde, Jerusalem and Bat Yam. Each place offers a different part of Israeli life, and each place presents different opportunities for volunteering, depending on what the local area needs. While in Yemin Orde, a youth village in the north of Israel, I was able to volunteer as a teacher's assistant with a diverse population, helping students learn English. This village takes in immigrants and refugees from all over the world, most of whom are from Ethiopia, Russia and the Darfur region. This coexistence of cultures is a beautiful sight, especially in an area of the world too often known for having turmoil between its people. W 71 April 25 • 2013 Second, I was in Jerusalem; this is the aca- demic part of the program where we engage ourselves in formal Jewish education. I took classes relating to Israeli and Jewish culture. Some of my classes were Hebrew, Jewish art and a siyur (field trip) comparing the three major monotheistic religions of Jerusalem: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Living and taking classes in Jerusalem, the epicenter of Judaism, helped me develop my Jewish iden- tity and spirituality. In March, I moved to Bat Yam, a suburb of Tel Aviv. This section is a mixture of aca- demia and volunteering. I get to choose my volunteering option where I will go for a few hours several times a week; and I continue taking classes, such as Hebrew and Zionism. I'm very excited to finish off my year so close to a major city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Year Course was the best decision of my life. I have had so many experiences I could never have had in a college setting. I have become more independent, and the memories and the friends that I have made will stay with me forever. I have also gained a greater sense of knowledge about inter- national culture and issues. I will never have this opportunity again, and I'm proud to say that I did not let this life-changing experi- ence pass me by. @ Danielle Riffer-Reinert, 18, is from South Haven, Michigan, and will be attending Kalamazoo College in the fall. For h e ,ng is„ Tea Garden 7410 Haggerty Rd., West Bloomfield, MI 48322 (N.E. corner of 14 Mile & Haggerty Rd; across from Hiller's) Widows Group Every Wednesday, 11am! Open Daily for lunch • High Tea all day long • We sell loose tea Reserve a table for 5-10 guests during the week for your special event! Mon & Thurs 1 lam-5pm Tues, Wed. & Friday — 1 lam-3pm Saturday's Reservations Only (248) 788-4250 *Tea Events Avallable14 Buy one get second one • HALF OFF (Sandwich or Salad only) - excludes lobster & high tea* *With this ad. Reservations Suggested. Please present s coupon to server when ordering. Expires 5/30/13 You have many questions. Let Dave Potts begin to address them at a no charge meeting. Call Dave Potts...before your spouse does. 248 594 4999 www.davepottsjd.com information on Young Judaea Year Course, go to www.yearcourse.org. 600 S. Adams, Suite 100, Birmingham AV Rated Attorney April 25 • 2013 71