AMIT in the News
Lauren Freudenstein Is Loving Midreshet AMIT
Lauren Freudenstein Is Loving Midreshet AMIT - https://jewishlinkbwc.com
By Tzvi Silver/JLBWC Israel | November 16, 2017
Lauren Freudenstein is studying at Midreshet AMIT in the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem. She grew up in Scarsdale and attended Westchester Day School for elementary school and SAR for middle and high school. Her family davens at the Young Israel of Scarsdale.
Her next stop? University of Maryland.
Why did you choose to study at Midreshet AMIT?
I chose this seminary because I felt it was the perfect balance of learning and chesed for me. I knew that it would be the best environment for me to grow and push myself.
What kind of goals do you have for the year?
I came to Israel with many goals, including being able to learn books of Gemara and Tanach on my own, being able to understand and connect more to tefilah, making brachot a habit.
What have been some of the highlights of your year so far?
The most exciting and fun experiences of the year so far have been the tiyulim we’ve had as a group. The most meaningful experiences have probably been my one-on-one conversations with some teachers. They really helped me speak about hard and complicated topics and think about them more in depth.
What kind of challenges have you faced coming to Israel?
The biggest difficulty of the year is probably not being fluent in Hebrew. It has been hard not being able to speak well to the Beit HaYeled children.
How has your year been different from your expectations?
I think I felt prepared coming to Israel since I’ve been here countless times, and most of my relatives live here.
Where is your favorite place to go for weekends/Shabbat so far?
I love going to my relatives for Shabbat. I also just went to Ra’anana and I loved the community there, so that was a pretty great experience.
Who is a teacher at Midreshet AMIT whom you connect especially well with so far?
A teacher who I connect very well with at AMIT is Nili Besimcha, who I have had very meaningful conversations with and has helped me to think in different ways.
What is one of your favorite classes at Midreshet AMIT?
One of my favorite classes at AMIT is Halacha and Medicine. It goes through the controversies that come between Halacha and medicine, and we review many sources in order to try to arrive at conclusions.
What are you most looking forward to for the rest of the year?
I look forward to learning a lot and growing overall as an individual. I already feel more independent, so I can’t wait to see how I am at the end of the year.
(l-r) Lauren and Ariella Herman after Vatikin at the Kotel. (Credit: Lauren Freudenstein)