1988-1989 Rothberg Yearbook

GOING HOME
If ever there w as a tim e in my life I w as afraid of leaving friends, fam ily, or a beautifu l city, it is now.
Thoughts of th is past year pass through my head — thoughts from my heart. So as I w rite , I rem em ber
the in itia l fears I encountered w hen I arrived to this, th e greatest of all places on earth. H ow it is
d iffic u lt to im agine leaving a city w h ich has offered so m uch to so m any young, aspiring students.
Often, these students joke about th e ir year as being a One Year Party. Perhaps th is is true to some
extent. However, th is year has provided us w ith so m uch more than a sim ple party.
Like a single, burning flam e, 650 strangers came together and shone for perhaps the most
rew arding tim e of th e ir lives. Each w ith his ow n story, each w ith his ow n unique background,and each
w ith so m uch to offer. That one year couldn't possibly be enough tim e to express him self fully. Yet,
during th is tim e, enough w as shared to create a single u n it of love and friendship. As w e reflect upon
our firs t days in Jerusalem , it is im portant to rem em ber all our accom plishm ents and the dream s w e
made real. For everyone adapted and lived in th is not-so-strange culture, and made the m ost of
enhancing th e ir tim e in th is very special place.
Upon your a rrival home, do not dw e ll on the sorrow of a year's end. Each one of us is part of a group
th a t can never be replaced in our hearts. As th e tears begin to w ell in your eyes, th in k not of the year
past, but of th e experiences th a t allow ed you to grow and become a com plete individual. W hen you
attem pt the im possible of explaining your year to those at home, do not feel frustrated because no one
understands. S im ply rem em ber th a t there are 650 others w ho w ill alw ays understand. As I bid
farew ell to the fa m ily I have created, I w ill not say good-bye, but rather, good-day. For f am confident
th a t som e day w e w ill m eet again and say “ S halom ":
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