As days have turned into weeks, many of you have probably wondered where I've been. I, the once dedicated blogger, had vanished from the cyberworld without so much as a goodbye. Lest you think I abandoned blogging and sharing my life with all of you without so much as a second thought, rest easy, I did not. I was often quite literally tormented by thoughts of the little blog I'd built, poured hours into, and then so surreptitiously left. I often told myself I would, I must, sit down and write, but never could muster the time, the energy, or the composure to write about a life that seemed so up in the air. What, you might ask, was I doing?
I have been working, in my mind and heart, and through countless hours of meetings, interviews, and research, on a project bigger, more exciting and more scary than anything I've done in my 19 years of life. It's something I am both crazy excited and a bit nervous about, something I want to do more than I've ever wanted to do anything, and have worked harder for than nearly anything else. It's a decision that is exhilarating, amazing, daunting and life-changing. And I feel so happy and so blessed to have been able to have reached this point, and so eager to share with you what I have been working on.
Without further ado, here's the big secret: I'm not going to college or university next year. I won't even be in America. Next year, I will be doing something called Sherut Leumi, (sheh-root leh-oo-mee) which is basically National Service (sherut=service, leumi=for my nation). It is an option for (primarily religious) girls in place of the army, and you can do either one or two years. I will be working in Ma'ale Adumim (pronounced mah-ah-leh ah-doo-meem), which is a gorgeous city 15 minutes from Jerusalem, about half religious Jews, and half traditional/non-observant Jews. I will be teaching in non-observant elementary schools about Judaism, along with planning community-wide activities and festivities centered around Jewish holidays for the non-observant community in Ma'ale Adumim. As a teacher, I will be teaching about all different topics in Judaism, depending on the age group, from famous Jewish personalities, Jewish holidays, Jewish symbols, Jewish stories, and the weekly Torah portion. It's an amazing opportunity for me to give something so near and dear to my heart, the religion with which I was raised, to children who have never had real exposure to it and likely know very little. I will be teaching in Hebrew (ahhh!), and at nights, I will be planning my lessons along with the other 10 girls who do this. The organization that runs these programs in schools has pre-prepared lessons and advisors to help us, but we are also given the opportunity to initiate ideas and activities. It's a pretty cool experience, and I'm really, really excited about it. As with all girls who do Sherut Leumi (they're called B'not Sherut), I will be living in an apartment in Ma'ale Adumim, and immersing myself in the community there. Luckily, I'll also be very close to Jerusalem, and have lots of friends and family to spend Shabbats with.
Many of you have probably heard snippets of this from my parents (who, I am very blessed, are extremely supportive, but also cannot kept their mouths closed about this because they're so excited for me), but here it is, straight from the source. When I think about what made me want to do this, there are so many reasons and factors, but once the idea came into my head, I couldn't shake it. I pursued the idea with all my heart, fighting a hard fight against Israeli bureaucracy (not a pleasant experience), and doing a lot of leg work on my own, but it was all worth it when I think about how excited I am for the future. When I look back on the year I've had so far, and my whole life really, I see so many amazing experiences and people who led me to where I am now-my Zionist school, my Zionist parents, my trip to Poland, and simply living in Israel this year, experiencing what it means to live the dream, in the Jewish homeland we are so lucky to have for the first time in two millennia.
What about after that? I honestly don't know. Maybe I'll do another year of Sherut Leumi. Maybe I'll come back to America. Maybe I'll go to university here. I really have no idea. I'm playing it year by year, trying not to jump in too fast, but I do feel strongly right now that my life is here now, and I hope to remain here, in Israel, to raise a family here and be a part of the future of the Jewish people.
That doesn't mean I don't love America and won't be coming back to visit all the time (I will be home March 22 for Passover, actually!), but when I think about where I'm supposed to be, I see myself here, as hard as that is. Thank you all for your support, and sorry for being such a horrid blogger. Please know that without my amazing family and friends to support and love me, I would never be where I am. As for the future of this blog, I'm torn about what to do. I feel it would be good to continue blogging through the end of the year, but after that, I'm not sure. Please let me me know what you think-should I blog next year, even if sporadically or less frequently? Miss you all, and cannot wait for March 22. Happy Purim, and all my love-Rebecca
Not everyone identifies strong passions at your age; congratulations for doing so - with your knowledge, skills, abilities and passions all engaged, you'll make a big difference in many children's lives!
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