"The first few days are get-to-know-you days and
the rest are make-new-memories days and by the end no one wants to
leave."
-- Sarah Steinberg, Highland Park, NJ |
Goals
Students at Drisha form into a warm bonded group of friends. Although
girls come from different backgrounds and with different life experiences,
they are united by a love of Torah and a deep respect for each other's
perspectives. Summer memories are recorded in a yearbook and relationships
continue to grow through internet listserves and mid-year shabbatons.
Many students credit Drisha with finding them life-long friends.
Personal Reflection — Mitzi Steiner,
Los Angeles, CA (Drisha High School Summer Program 2004
and 2005)
Certain experiences in life stay with you forever. Drisha is
one of these experiences. After attending Jewish schools all my life,
I was longing to expand my religious studies beyond the classroom.
Drisha seemed the perfect place, in a city known for its Jewish population
and culture. Former Drisha participants assured me I would make
friends for life and gain a new perspective on Talmud Torah. They
were right.
Still, I never anticipated the incredible group of people I would meet
from all religious and geographic backgrounds. Our teachers were
wonderful and enthusiastic about getting to know us and be our mentors.
Whether we were studying Talmud, Midrashim, or Tanakh, our teachers helped
us see the texts through new eyes and learn how to learn.
Outside of class, we developed relationships with those less fortunate,
and volunteered to help the surrounding community, giving food to the
homeless, painting a mural in a Harlem hospital, and visiting the elderly.
One of the remarkable things about Drisha is that you never truly leave.
You always have a group of peers and mentors to rely on. On a summer
visit to the East Coast, I met with several of my Drisha alumni
and often stayed at their homes for lunch or Shabbat. On my class
trip to Israel, I visited with friends from Drisha who had either made
aliyah or come for a visit, and I spent my free weekend at the apartment
of my former teacher.
Drisha has truly become my family, and opens its doors to nourish the
love of learning in Jewish women around the world.
|
