Another View: Leor Hackel

Yes, this is still Yoni in Israel. However, I want to post a few outside opinions, of people I know in Israel, about their experiences in the Holy Land and at yeshivot. I have already given you a taste, via the personal paragraphs on the American bios; these are fuller, longer compositions.
DISCLAIMER: opinions expressed in "Another View" do not necessarily represent the opinions of Yoni Bain. Well, they might. But might not, too.
CAUTION: may contain almonds.

Another View
By Leor Hackel

An Introduction: My yeshiva is, in some respects, the opposite of Yoni's. Rather than being almost all-Israeli, mine is pretty much all-American; rather than being in the middle of nowhere, it's ten minutes outside Jerusalem; Yoni's yeshiva has no theme song, whereas my yeshiva does have a theme song. (Visit the YSMZ website, www.mevaseret.org/ysmz to hear it or watch the music video!).

Generally: The location of Mevaseret-Zion means that I'm not distracted all the time by having a huge city right outside my Yeshiva, but that when I want to get out, I can pretty easily. Which has let me a) buy things when I need them, b) view the aspect of yeshiva life Yoni may not see as often from up north: the huge American social scene in Jerusalem. Every Friday, Yaffo and Ben Yehuda are packed with American yeshiva/seminary boys and girls. It's impossible to walk around without running into people you know. Or, whoever you're with will see someone they know, and if they're girls, you have to wait around while they catch up even though they go to the same seminary, and if they're guys, they nod or shake hands and move on with their lives. (I have come to wonder if perhaps the seclusion of Ma'aleh Gilboa is a wise choice. I'm fairly sure that the Israeli-ness of it is a better choice– I'm in Israel, and almost never have to speak Hebrew when I'm in yeshiva!)

Religiously: Have I been getting more religious in yeshiva? Certainly, and here's why. For the first time, I feel like I have total freedom to ask questions I have, explore what I want/need to in Judaism, and find what different things mean. And when I say freedom, I don't mean to say that in the past (i.e. high school) I would not have been allowed to do the above; I simply didn't have the time or resources. This year, I have no pressure, no stress, and no responsibiliy-- no grades, homework, bills-- and I have all sorts of Rabbis and books available to me. I like the Mevaseret philosophy--they want us to be serious, but it's a relaxed yeshiva, where they want you to be self-motivated. I have found that the freedom I have here has made me want to learn more, as I come to understand things in Judaism I had never even questioned before. It's a great religious environment.
Yes, I did find I had a lot lacking in my background when I came here. But so did a lot of other people. It's challenging at first, but you learn quickly. And I have found that everything I've learned here has just...well, made a lot of sense to me. A really nice aspect of my yeshiva is the balance between intellectual/logical religious pursuits, and spiritual ones. It's a very spirited place.

Regarding Israel: I love being here. Both as a Jew and a partial Israeli, I feel very much at home in Israel. And most of my family lives here. (Sometimes things here make me laugh, like when cab drivers stop to ask someone on the street for directions, or when a bus driver ran off a bus at a stop to use an ATM.) Oh, and we have tiyulim to see different parts of the land. I love this country, feel like I belong here, and know that at some point, I want to live here.

Being away from home: For me, leaving home for the first time has been a lot easier here than I think it would be to go to college. As noted above, I have so much family here, and so many friends who are studying here for the year, and I feel sort of at home in Israel. I have largely felt disconnected from the U.S., to be honest. But yes, I do sometimes miss Los Angeles, as well as the people in it, and the stability of my life in high school, now that I'm out on my own and don't know where this year will take me.

To conclude: I think that coming here was one of the best choices I've made in my life, both for the present and the future. For now, I'm having a great time as I learn things I want to learn before I start college. And for the future-- this year is giving me a foundation I think I will need to hold onto religion in college. Students who are unsure of whether or not they should come to Israel next year: the answer is yes. Also, I'm getting married next month.

That's all for now... please feel free to ask any questions if you have them, or email me at lhackel@ysmz.org.il. Los Angeles people, I hope all is going well with you. Drop me a line sometime.

Leor Hackel was born in Hawaii, then moved to Atlanta before settling in Los Angeles, where he attended Hillel Harkham Hebrew Academy, and graduated high school at Shalhevet High School. Hackel will attend Yale University following his time in Israel. He enjoys drama, cats, and moose-themed jokes.