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Reflections on my time at Hebrew U
By Karen Goldstein, Toronto, Canada
I had been to Israel a couple of times and fell in love with the country, especially Jerusalem. I wanted to go back for an extended stay. Unfortunately, I was not able to go to Hebrew U while I was doing my undergraduate degree so I looked for other opportunities. I was thrilled to find that I could attend the One Year Program in 1985/86 as a “visiting student” two years after I graduated.
Since I did not have the pressure of being in a BA program I was able to take whichever courses I wished that were of particular interest to me. I loved every one of them. They were interesting, thought provoking and the professors were fantastic. I learned so much about history, culture, business and religion in and out of the classroom.
That year was one of the best of my life so far. I have been back to Israel many, many times since then (even making sure to visit my old dorm room on my first few return trips). The memories are still vivid.
I have remained close friends with people from Canada, US and Israel. When I returned I helped form the CFHU Alumni Committee and was Co-Chair of the New Leadership Committee for a number of years. This was the beginning of many years of volunteerism and involvement in the Jewish community in Toronto and the solidification of my love of Israel.