Isreality

For those of you who have forgotten where exactly I am in Israel or what I am doing with my life these days, I have been exploring the entire country looking at various masters/post college programs. At times, I have been impressed with the international M.B.A programs but disappointed at the costs and certain language stipulations. The general rule of thumb is if the program is in ivrit (Hebrew) it’s totally covered by the student authority since I am an oleh chadash (new immigrant). If the program is in English or any other language, than the program is only covered up to 3,000 a year by the student authority. Keep in mind the price of education is drastically less in Israel, as in most parts of the world, than compared to the cost in the United States. Most international business or law schools use English as the prominent language since many foreign and Israeli students speak English, want to learn English, or expect to use English as a global marketing tool.

Although Hebrew University is in a great location, Jerusalem, the only school I saw was Rothberg which struck me as one of those hippy-dippy Judaic studies departments for study abroad undergrads. Tel Aviv was ok. The international M.B.A was decent, the school has adequate student services, and I’d have a lot of fun in Tel-Aviv, but I still wasn’t impressed. Haifa University was disappointing, other than the drop-dead gorgeous view over looking the Mediterranean Sea and the foothills to the Golan, the presentation was lacking. Ben Gurion University, located in Be’er Sheva, might have been a real find, but the administration refused to speak to us in English. Now, you won’t find anybody who wants to learn Hebrew more than I do. I think classes should be taught in Hebrew, but the freakin tour of the school, where impressionable American students are meeting faculty, should be in English. They could have spoken English and won us over with their culturally rich student body and snazzy city, but their stubbornness came off poorly. Besides, Be’er Sheva is in the beautiful Negev (desert), and although there is a vibrant student life, I personally find the city is in the middle of nowhere.

I felt Bar Ilan was the finest public school out of the entire bunch, and I could see myself studying in their international M.B.A. program. IDC, don’t ask me what it stands for, offered by far the most interesting Master’s programs with the best student services. Located in a beautifully, newly built campus in Herzilya, IDC had the usual M.B.A’s in English but 2 unique Master’s in Counter-Terrorism/Homeland security and diplomacy/international strategy. The Master’s degrees in governmental tactics and policy are internationally focused and are only 13 months long! The campus is brand, spanking new with state of the art computer labs, and I even think housing is available on campus. I noticed many Americans, Israelis, and Europeans meandering about on campus which added to the cultural diversity. As I sit here in a Jerusalem coffee shop, my mind races with the creative possibilities of what a Master’s in counter-terrorism and homeland security, combined with an English, Hebrew, and French background, could offer in these highly volatile and uncertain times. PATRIOT ACT!!!!

A quick little anti-Semitic story to tide my adoring fans over: I was leaving my program and checking out of my hotel on Saturday, after a rainy Shabbat in Jerusalem, when I noticed dozen and dozens of Russian speaking Christians running around the hotel. One older woman was flashing like 300 US dollars. I looked at her, not to be noisy, but to kind of warn her against flashing that kind of money around. She saw me glance at her money, took out one of the biggest, fattest wooden cross, shoved her money away, and give me the worst don’t steal my money you dirty Jew look ever. You Borat lovers would have laughed so hard.

On Sunday, I woke up at 7am , prayed at the Western Wall (always a very emotional experience) and then had the craziest day in a long time. Please, keep in mind that Sunday's are regular business days in Israel. Afterwards, I taxied over to the Nefesh B'Nfesh offices way over in Western Jerusalem for my Teudat Zehut (Israeli ID card), bused back to the Mercantile Bank (Will Smith in the Pursuit of Happiness style), opened an account and probably got ripped off. Don't worry, you're not Israeli until the banks take advantage of you. It's part of the absorption process. In the afternoon, I went to the Lishkut Haguiys (army draft board), but they told me to come back when my Hebrew was better (You can relax mom and dad; I haven't gone all Full Metal Jacket just yet). In the evening, I purchased a cell phone plan which took over an hour. This was by far the most frustrating task of the day, but the clerk was really cute, very helpful, and she spoke English fairly well. At night, I met Suzy, an old friend from Boston, for dinner. I haven't seen her in over 2 years. I was delighted to hear her exciting tales of life in rabbinical school here in Jerusalem.

As previously mentioned, I have a new cell phone number, and just like the army, I signed my life away to a 3 year mobile phone agreement. Feel free to email me if you're interested in my number. I know you're just dying to pay international long-distance rates!

I spoke French a lot today, my Hebrew is getting better, and slowly my English is worsening.

Tomorrow President Bush visits us!!

L'hitarot,

David