Hi, for those of you who don’t know me, my name is Avishai Marcus. I am very honoured to be one of this year’s Yoni Jesner Scholars.
As one of the things I hope to do this year with the Yoni Jesner Foundation, I will be making a vlog/blog to update people on what I am doing in Yeshiva. Very often, it is a mystery as to what people do in Yeshiva, the main part of the day is learning, however there is so much more to my year off which I would like to share with you all!
Arriving in Yeshiva was an overwhelming experience. It started with me losing my passport at Heathrow which is an ‘interesting’ way to kick off the year. Luckily a very good Samaritan found it in WH Smiths, 10 minutes before the flight was due to take off - so fortunately, I got myself to Israel.
You step off the plane and only then does it hit you that you won’t be stepping back on the plane home for a whole year. You immediately have to become accustomed to a new home, a new rhythm, a new ‘family’ and a new way of life.
After the first few days of Yeshiva I started to settle into life in the Old City - which offers a constant buzz, fantastic noise, a wide array of tourists, pretty decent eateries and ceaseless walking tours which somehow, always manage to ‘get in the way’ (in the nicest way, of course) After I overcame the initial culture shock, I started to experience some incredible highlights in my first three weeks of Yeshiva which I would like to share…
1. Shabbat in Chevron: Chevron is a City located in the West Bank, 30km South of Jerusalem. It is a City which is holy to both Jews and Muslims due to its link to Avraham – and it incorporates the burial place of the Avot/Imot (patriarchs/matriarchs) at the Cave of Machpelah. 97% of the population is Palestinian with relatively few Jews residing there. There are flare ups and troubles, and some devastating history to Chevron, however, having met and spoken to residents and seen it for myself, there is an extent to which the communities are able to live peaceably with each other. It was fascinating to observe how societies, divided by faith and politics – make the effort to be ‘next door neighbours.’ It made me reflect on the importance of tolerance and inclusivity, values which were integral to Yoni.
2. The buzz of the old city: I believe that I live in one of, if not the best location in the world. Living in this cosmopolitan city gives me exposure to both the tensions and pleasures of the Middle East. For sure, it is easy to focus on what divides us rather than what unites us – but if you look, you can find togetherness here. I am passionate about politics (planning to study it at university next year) and so perhaps I have a particular interest with this…..
One of Yoni’s quotes has been ringing in my head during the first three weeks of Yeshiva. In his beautiful writings, Yoni writes that “There’s always something to complain about, so just try and be happy - although it is important to strive for perfection, until you get there, you may as well make the most out life”. There are certain aspects of Yeshiva that are challenging, the beds are quite hard, the food isn’t up to my Mother’s standards and some air conditioning in my room would be greatly appreciated. It is important to take a step back and look at the bigger picture, I am living the dream, learning in the Old City of Jerusalem, being exposed to a brand new, exciting life style. It can be tough, but the striking words of Yoni have resonated with me since arriving here.
I am looking forward to taking you with me on my journey, a journey that would not be possible without the generosity of the Yoni Jesner Foundation.
Please enjoy the video attached!
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