Danya Belkin: An American Student in Israel (During Covid)

CBB’s own Danya Belkin is spending a gap year between high school and college in Israel. Today we are reposting an article she published as an intern at Isreal21c about her experience as an American Jewish student in Israel during the pandemic. -Ed.

“Are you crazy?” is what probably went through most people’s minds after telling them I’d be going to Israel on a gap year — in the middle of a pandemic.

I’m sure it seemed outlandish. Even one of my family members who is a physician in Israel advised me against coming, as he knew the cases of Covid-19 in Israel were rising. My parents, too, had their reservations.

Going to a foreign country alone for an entire year as a young adult is hard enough in a normal year. I would also be going with the expectations of not seeing any family or friends from home for an entire nine months due to travel restrictions and quarantine requirements.

Furthermore, knowing that Israel could go into lockdown at any time, my freedom would be limited.

Yet, I still decided to go. … Click to read the full article.

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