34 August 22 • 2019
jn
for college students by college students
August 22, 2019/21 Av 5779
F
ollowing my bat mitzvah, my
parents gave me a choice: con-
tinue my studies in religious
school or stop my studies. I chose to
stop, to integrate into a more mod-
ern, less religious society after grow-
ing up in a rather conservative home.
However, what I did not realize at
age 13 was that I would sacrifice a
connection to my faith and a con-
nection to the people of the diaspora.
While taking a course at Michigan
State University focused on the
Jewish people and anti-Semitism, I
had my eyes opened to the hatred,
the hurt and the loss the Jewish peo-
ple have faced over time. In learning
about different pieces of history through-
out the biblical period, enlightenment,
the Holocaust and now, I decided I need-
ed to connect with the people I felt I once
sacrificed my connection to.
To do so, I decided to go to Israel. I
had never done a teen mission or gone
on Birthright, so I decided to jump right
into the Israeli experience. Onward Israel
Hillel Tel Aviv brought Jewish students
from all over the United States to live
and work in Tel Aviv. I lived there for
two months and worked in a law firm,
assisting the head attorney with day-to-
day tasks.
While many chose to hang back in Tel
Aviv, I decided to depart for a few days to
really get in touch with the land and my
Judaism.
One of the first places I traveled to
was Jerusalem. As I stood in front of the
Western Wall with several other Jewish
women placing prayers into the wall, I
felt a deep connection to the land, the
history and those standing next to me.
Next was Masada. Hiking up and
learning its history, I felt a deep sense of
loss and pride as a Jew, knowing Jewish
people were forced to take their own lives
there.
After Masada, I visited Akko, a place
where the Crusaders tore through the
land. Standing as a Jewish woman where
the Crusaders once made a fort made me
feel powerful.
Then, I visited Tiberias, one of my
favorite cities. Apart from the natural
wonders, like the waterfalls and the
Sea of Galilee, Tiberias was full of
Jewish history. We visited the tombs of
Rachel and Rabbi Akiva.
In the mystical city of Tzvat, I met
many wonderful artists who loved to
craft beautiful jewelry, canvases, ham-
sahs, mezuzahs, etc. For many, these
items of art carry a story.
Back in Tel Aviv, I made friends. I
made a family, and I made a home. I
felt comfortable moving around the
city, being with the people on my
trip and living daily within the city.
However, what was important to me
was that I saw as much of Israel as pos-
sible in order to connect with the Jewish
state and reconnect with the Judaism I
had lost touch with over the years since
my bat mitzvah. Being on Onward and
living in Israel this summer made that
very possible for me. @
Mara Soverinsky of West Bloomfield is a senior
in James Madison College at Michigan State
University.
S
ince I was a young child, I’
ve
had a reputation in the Jewish
community. Being the only
blond youth (aside from my young-
er brother, of course) at synagogue
made me an easy target. Every
Sunday morning, I could be found
climbing out of any Shaarey Zedek
window trying to escape being held
captive by my Hebrew teachers. Since
those days, I’
ve exchanged windows
for doors. This time, they are all
entrances rather than an exit.
Although I grew up attending
Shaarey Zedek Hebrew School and
Tamarack Camps, my connection to
the Jewish community was purely
because of my parents. My mother
often took me to Saturday services
on top of my Sunday mornings spent
in Hebrew school. It was crucial to
them that I was raised Jewish and
was involved, but it wasn’
t until later
that I realized how truly important
Mara Soverinsky } jewish@edu writer
Onward Israel
MSU student reconnects with Israel, her roots and Judaism.
Mara Soverinsky and friends at the Sea of Galilee and Tiberias
Emily Rosberg } jewish@edu writer
Emily Rosberg with Elaine and Eugene Driker
Windows and Doors
Rosberg’
s essay about her Jewish life earns Driker award.
continued on page 36