We are so excited for you to meet our South African Mechina alumnus, Yonatan.
As he arrived on his first day of Mechina in October 2018, Yonatan felt expected anticipation and a fair bit of nerves, still unsure of whether he was truly ready to study in Hebrew. “By the end of my first Hebrew class with Shlomit (one of our lovely teachers) all of the nerves had been replaced with a sense of excitement over the incredible year that lay ahead of me.”
He studied in the Humanities track, taking courses such as Sociology and Psychology and much to his dismay, he even managed to achieve his highest grade in Statistics.
“Apart from the academic rigour that the mechina provided, it also proved the perfect breeding ground for close friendships that I have no doubt will last a lifetime. Whether it was the friendly banter just before class, or going out on the weekend with my new friends, I enjoyed every aspect of the social life that the mechina gave me.”
Yonatan said he could not have wished for a more ideal location, being situated in the heart of Jerusalem and being immeresed in so many different cultures. He worked throughout his year at Rothberg as a waiter and really got to know the locals while simultaneously living like one, tasting new cuisine and broadening his horizons all at the same time.
As a current Law student, Yonatan says he owes the smooth transition into such an intensive degree and immense skillset he possesses today, largely to the Rothberg Mechina. “Having made Aliyah from South Africa with English being my mother-tongue, I did not yet feel ready to dive into a degree that would be so Hebrew intensive. As a result, I chose to first complete the Hebrew U mechina and in hindsight I can safely say that it was the best decision I could have made for myself.”
“I look back on my year at the Rothberg Mechina fondly and highly reccommend it to anyone who may be interested”
We loved having you here Yonatan and we are excited to see all the wonderful things you will continue to do and achieve!
