1987-1988 Rothberg Yearbook

Health
If you don’t have at least one intestinal crisis, you’ve wasted your year. Too much stomach
medicine is not enough. Let it be a social thing, dispensing Pepto-Bismol. And cherish the rare
moment when it all runs smoothly.
For more serious afflictions, don’t worry! You’re right across the street from the finest medical
institution in the Middle East. Just bring a book when you sit in their emergency room. Like War
and Peace.
Safety and Insurance
What do you want? Mob riot coverage? Make sure that your policy covers rocks thrown both by
Palestinian insurgents and by Ultra-Orthodox Jews.
Packing
Take everything you own. Completely disregard all airline restrictions. Remember, if you forget
anything, Uncle Jack and Aunt Bessie can always bring it over when they come with the Hadassah
group. They’re staying at the Hyatt, don’t you know, so you’ll see them plenty. And did I tell you
about their new house? Like you’ve never seen! And I heard from Sadie that ...
Climate
God resides in Jerusalem, so when you complain about the parching heat in summer He takes it
to heart. That’s why the winter is much colder than you planned, with plenty of wind and rain.
You’ll never figure out how this city ran out of water in a siege. You’ll probably be travelling in
Europe in both October and April, when the seasons switch, so you’ll be completely disoriented
when you return.
Planning Your Trip
Getting There
Chanting “Dov Friedlander is God,” the throngs of eager American students swarmed the El A1
747 fully prepared for the gruelling transatlantic flight. Three hours later, still on the ground at
JFK, the intrepid overseas-students-to-be had been Jewish Geographied to exhaustion. Revived
by pillowfights, impromptu Hebrew classes, and gourmet airline cuisine, we settled back to
thoroughly enjoy the 12-hour flight. Some reminisced of home; many thought of the year ahead;
all wrestled with the profound issues before them; to sleep or not to sleep? After hours of sheer
bliss, the altitude-fried denizens of Economy Class disembarked, senseless, into the glory that is
Ben Gurion International Airport. The joy of our arrival was made complete by the appearance of
large trucks to carry our battered, bruised, and identically colored duffel bags to the University.
In the buses to our well-appointed dorms, we each mouthed a silent prayer thanking the Hebrew
University for looking after us so well. We settled into our seats and, wired to the gills,
contemplated the exciting year to come.
David Pemstein