for college students by college students
Making A Difference
Living Real
HMD program associate connects students Jewishly.
During her internship, U-M student finds life
among Israelis to be amazingly authentic.
Rebecca Fishman } jewish@edu writer
Rebecca Soverinsky } jewish@edu writer
illel changed my life as a
college student.
It made Michigan State
University, a school with more than
50,000 students, feel like a small
community. Because of the powerful
experience I had at MSU’s Hillel, I de-
cided my next step was giving other
students the same great opportunities
I had experienced.
After I graduated, I was hired as
one of two program associates at Hil-
lel of Metro Detroit. Being a program
associate is an imperative job within
Hillel: We are the ones who interact
with students, help students feel
empowered, and grow and build the
connections between the students
and the university.
Reb ecca Fishman
Coming from Michigan State’s
Hillel, I had adjustment challenges of
my own. It took getting used to going
from a large university with an active
but two
base of students to multiple commuter
moments that stuck out to me were: 1)
schools with students from extremely
one student was focused on bringing
diverse socio-economic and Jewish
Krav Maga to Wayne State’s campus, and
backgrounds.
with her hard work and the bonus of a
Working on six different campuses is
beautiful spring day, she had more than
also a challenge because it brings me
200 students watch the Krav Maga and
to a lot of different kinds of students. A
capoeira demonstration, and 2) two of
medical student at Wayne State, an un-
our students who are very passionate
dergrad student at Oakland Community
about Israel wanted to organize an event
College and a student at Lawrence Tech
at OU that would bring a slice of Israel to
— each has different needs and interests all students on campus — not just Jew-
and different programming ideas.
ish students. They planned a wonderful
There are many successes that come
Colors of Israel event that brought Israeli
with being a program associate, especial- culture to more than 400 students at the
ly at Hillel of Metro Detroit. Helping new
university.
students find their passion for Hillel and
A successful program at Hillel is not
take on positions within the organization always about the number of students
is very rewarding.
who show up — it is often about what
At Oakland University, I watched one
the students take away from their experi-
student develop into a leader within
ence. When a student leaves with the
OU’s Jewish Student Organization. Be-
feeling that he/she has gained something
cause of Hillel, she now holds a position
from the event or feels inspired by what
on the board and just returned from the
he heard, Hillel of Metro Detroit has been
May Birthright Israel trip. She told me
successful.
that being involved with Hillel this year
Our programs are delivering Jewish/
and traveling to Israel have reconnected
Israel experiences to the students and
her with her Jewish roots.
impacting them as emerging leaders, and
When I work with students to plan a
I am proud to be a part of it. @
program they are motivated by and pas-
sionate about, I am especially reminded
of why I wanted this job. I have seen this
Rebecca Fishman of Bingham Farms is a pro-
multiple times throughout this past year,
gram associate at Hillel of Metro Detroit.
H
s it’s written in the dictionary,
unreal is defined as “so strange as to
appear imaginary; not seeming real;”
and when you’re dropped off in the middle of
Tel Aviv with a non-functioning phone, zero
understanding of the Hebrew language and a
not-yet-developed appreciation for the street
art that swallows the streets of Tel Aviv’s
Florentin neighborhood, unreal is the only
adjective to describe this kind of experience.
Navigating a new city’s public bus system
in a foreign language when I can barely figure
out how to get to the same doctor’s office I’ve
been visiting for the past 21 years of my life?
Unreal.
Working in an office that is a 10-minute
walk from my apartment and a 15-minute
walk from the beach? Unreal.
Watching a fellow intern swim in the
Mediterranean Sea on our lunch break and
witnessing the sun dry his clothing within the
hour? Unreal.
Strolling through the shuk on a Friday
afternoon and being handed seven-plus bags
of free chocolate pastries because the store is
closing for Shabbat and the man just wants
you “to have them”? Un-freaking-real. Seven
free bags of glazed dough is just not some-
thing one receives in real life — see what I
mean?
As much as this summer felt like anything
but reality, the people I encountered in the
country I called home for two months were
some of the realest people I’ve ever met —
because they’re are all too aware of some of
the world’s harshest realities. The things that
A
many of us fail to acknowledge, or perhaps
choose to ignore, because they make us
uncomfortable, they’re required to recognize.
This awareness means there’s no time to
be anything less than authentic, a character-
istic that we can all benefit from adopting.
Every day, I was reminded that genuine words
and actions shouldn’t be rarities, but rather
staple qualities. When you’re genuine, you
articulate yourself, and when you articulate
yourself, things get done.
There’s no room for interpretation because
you say what you mean, and you mean what
you say. It’s really quite simple, but it’s a lot
harder than it sounds, and the Israelis made
it look easy.
I could have spent my summer anywhere,
but no amount of words could completely
convey how thankful I am that I got to spend
this summer interning at a creative agency
called Xhibition in Tel Aviv. In two months, I
learned more about the workplace, this coun-
try and myself than any type of traditional
education has taught me.
Although my summer was unreal in the
sense that many days seemed too good to be
true, the connection I formed with the country
and the people I met there was so real, it can
only be compared to the likes of the coveted
Israeli authenticity.
Taking a page from their book, I speak only
with the most genuineness when I say, Israel,
I’ll be back for you soon. @
Rebecca Soverinsky of West Bloomfield is a senior at
the University of Michigan.
On the beach in Tel Aviv: Rebecca Soverinsky of
West Bloomfield, right, with fellow U-M student Mallory
Bodker of Kansas, left, and Brittney Franklin from the
University of Colorado-Boulder.
36 September 1 • 2016