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Reflections on our time at HU
By: Nicole Shuckett
Avi and I met on the first March of the Living trip in 1988. I was from Winnipeg and Avi was from Toronto and on that trip our commitment to Israel was cemented. In the years following that trip we kept in touch with late night phone calls and letters although we infrequently saw each other.
During one of our calls we both expressed interest in going back to Israel for the One Year Program and we both ended up in Israel at Hebrew University in late July 1990. We were lucky enough to take advantage of all that the year in Israel had to offer with interesting classes, special holidays, memorable hikes, travel, and great friends. It was a pretty incredible year for both of us and we met friends that we still have today. It was also the year of the Gulf War so it made for an extra interesting and unique Israel experience.
After coming home from Hebrew U as happens, we each went back to our respective lives but our commitment to Israel and friendship with each other continued. We separately went back to Israel, I worked for a summer in a lab as a nutrition student at the University and Avi spent a summer as a tourist. After I attended the One Year Program, my mom, Margaret became very involved in the University and she is currently on the Board of Governors for the Hebrew University.
Avi and I eventually got together and got married in May 1999 after getting engaged in Israel the year before. Since then we have built a great life together in Toronto with 2 boys, Lev and Ezra. We have been back to Israel twice as a family and this past year we spent Yom Haatzmaut in Israel to celebrate the 30th anniversary since we met. Israel continues to be a huge part of our lives and we continue to carry on the love of the land that we got living there during the One Year Program.