Masa Israel Journey Blog

A Prized Possession

Published : September 07, 2010

By Vicky Tobianah, Rothberg International School of Hebrew University

When I made my decision to study abroad at the Rothberg International School of Hebrew University, my home university, McGill, required me to attend a pre-departure lecture. At this lecture, they informed us of the basic protocol to arrange a study abroad program. Health tips, packing advice and room accommodations were all reinforced throughout the lecture. It was one thing, however, that stuck with me: You are embarking on a trip that not many students take, and that all students treasure. Keep a journal and record everything you do, see, learn and feel.

It sounds simple enough but it was only once I was actually in Israel that I realized how important this tip was. Even for a girl who loves writing, keeping a daily...

Searching for connection in a complex land

Published : September 03, 2010

By Daniel Rotman, Career Israel, Toronto, Canada

My first images of Israel are from TV clips during the Intifada in 2001: Israeli gunships were shown hovering over modern day ruins. This was all I knew of the land that my parents had defended in their teens and left soon after for a different life in Canada. Then, after over 25 years in Canada, re-living old fears, they second guessed our upcoming family trip. Too young to realize the impact of my statement, I told them, “If we don’t go now, we will never go.”

Growing up in Toronto, Canada, and raised by secular Israeli Jews, my identity was something of an enigma. My family was not a part of any Jewish community nor Canadian community. It wasn’t until my years at York University that I began to seriously inquire as to whom I was. I felt...