Question: When is a rabbi not a rabbi? Answer: When he is still a student, in his most formidable years, studying what it means to be a Jewish leader and establishing a relationship with Israel.

For Rabbi Jonathan Infeld, spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Israel, that special time in his life was when he studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1993/94.

In his third year of university at the time, Jonathan says his time at Hebrew University provided him with a much clearer vision of his future as an educator.

“I took part in a program sponsored by the Jewish Education service of North America that inspired me to want to go into the field of Jewish education,” he said. “Hebrew University had a significant impact on my life.”

Aside from his professional accomplishments, Hebrew University also introduced him to his wife Lissa Weinberger. “We actually met at a Hebrew University orientation in Philadelphia a couple months before school began,” Jonathan clarified. “We began to date after we graduated from university when we were in Pittsburgh for the summer and we were married two years later. If it were not for Hebrew U we would never have known each other.”

Jonathan and Lissa both felt strong connections to Israel before their year at the University. But their experience taught them both a lot more about what Israel means to them.

“I really learned first-hand what it meant to live in Israel and saw a lot of Israel that you don't get to see or experience in a short trip,” Lissa said. “This helped me to understand the complexity of life there and really understand why Israelis are so passionate about [their home].”

“That time at Hebrew University was our first real experience living in Israel,” Jonathan continued. “It gave us a feeling of Israel on a personal level and went from being another country to one of our homes.”

Jonathan did research for his senior thesis on the history of the education of Ethiopian Jews while Lissa took courses that fit in with her religious studies major. Between them they also found time to travel around the country, Kenya, England, France and Spain.

Jonathan also spent some volunteer time teaching English to Ethiopian immigrant children.
Since graduation, the couple spent two additional years in Israel. For one of those years Lissa interned at the National and University Library at Hebrew University, Givat Ram Campus.
“I came home with a much clearer definition of the complexity and beauty of the Jewish community both within and outside of Israel as well as having a greater understanding of where I fit into this spectrum,” Lissa said. “I also made many close friends. Many of whom I still keep in touch with today.”

“By spending a semester or year at Hebrew U a young person can begin to internalize the impact that Hebrew U and Israel has had on the Jewish people today,” Jonathan added. “It is exciting to be in a place where the Jewish community is so large and meaningful.”

Jonathan and Lissa will be returning to the school again this summer when they lead Beth Israel’s Israel trip.