After studying hotel management at Indiana University in Pennsylvania and working in the business for two years, Pittsburgh-native Ben Levine decided that he needed to take some time to explore his Judaism. "I knew that I wanted to start defining myself as a Jew. It had been pushing through my head during college," says Ben. "And I knew that if I wanted to go overseas, I had to do it before I got caught up in work."
Ben turned down a promotion at work and enrolled in WUJS Jerusalem Learning that includes Jewish and Zionistic studies taught in a pluralistic environment, weekly field trips, hikes, meetings with Israeli peers, and volunteer opportunities.
Though Ben attended Solomon Schechter Day School until the eighth grade, he had not been involved in Jewish life at college because of his busy sports schedule. With WUJS Jerusalem Learning, Ben was able to take courses in a variety of Jewish subjects, including Talmud, Kaballah, and the Arab-Israeli conflict, visit different parts of Israel he had never seen, including the Yemenite community in Rosh Ha'ayin, and experience daily life in Jerusalem. "On a short organized trip, it's all sight-seeing," says Ben. "But, in six months, we were able to live like Israelis--riding the bus and shopping at the market--and adapt to the culture."
His teachers, who Ben describes as "some of the greatest I've ever had," the WUJS courses and Jerusalem life helped Ben determine how he could live a Jewish life. "The program didn't push me towards any new religious nature, but it did show me how I might adapt myself to being the sort of Jew I want to be," says Ben.
Though Ben recently returned to the United States, he definitely sees a future for himself in Israel--be it through future visits or another extended stay. "The way Israelis interact is refreshing--like the sabra fruit, prickly on the outside and sweet on the inside," says Ben. "When I was in Israel, I met many families who treated me like a son."
