On My Own in the Middle of a War With Iran May 19, 2026

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I have done most of the semester on Zoom, so my perspective may be unfair, but the academic offerings were EXTREMELY limited and not exactly what I was looking for. In order to get full credit for the semester (which I opted not to do, so I will only be receiving 12 Brandeis credits) we were asked to choose 4 classes (besides Hebrew). In total, we were given 4 actually doable options. So, basically, no choice at all. If I had stayed on campus and not had to evacuate, most of my credits would have been taken up by Hebrew Ulpan, and I would only have needed 2 other classes. Even in that scenario though, the Rothberg class options were extremely limited, and the other Hebrew U English classes went much to far into the summer to be reasonable to take.

On-site administration of your program

There was not really any program administration. I showed up to the student village on the first day (after organizing my own travel from the airport), and it seemed like no one had any idea we were arriving. It took me an hour to figure out where to go to get my keys, and the housing staff seemed confused why I was there. There wasn't much programming besides for a couple of volunteer trips (one of which our madrich left us to find our way back to French Hill alone after having only been in Israel a couple of days). There was also, ironically, very little Jewish life available. There was really only one staff member who was consistently helpful when we had issues or questions, which was frustrating. When the war began, we were left to fend for ourselves, and had to request to have a madrich walk us to the grocery store after a week of subsisting on pantry staples. If you want a program where you get a lot of independence, this might be for you, but if you want any sort of guidance and/or social life, this might not be the move.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

It was just me and my roommate from Brandeis living by ourselves in a 5 person apartment. When we arrived, the previous resident's garbage was still in the fridge and all over the apartment, and we had to clean it ourselves (after requesting that a cleaning crew come). However, once we did that, the actual living arrangements were not bad. We had singles and two bathrooms, plus a shower. Just beware that where you live is very far from anything "fun" happening in Jerusalem, so you'll have to take the light rail and busses to anything you may want to do off campus.

There is no meal plan so you need to buy your own kitchenware and cook your own meals or go out. Can be good or bad depending on what you prefer, but it can get frustrating to need to plan and pay for your own meals every day.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

We were very far from the parts of Jerusalem where interesting cultural things happened, so it was hard to feel integrated.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I didn't personally have any issues, thankfully, but another Brandeis student did and was given very little help from the program. The madrich on call refused to take him to the hospital, and he spent days searching for the right kind of care before being told by another student where the English-speaking hospital was. Though it was not my experience, it made me worried what might happen if I needed emergency care in the future.

There is lots of security everywhere, but because the program is in East Jerusalem, you can make one wrong turn and be in an area that is very dangerous for Jewish students. And, obviously given that our program ended due to the war, I can't give safety full marks.

I did have fun in Jerusalem when I went out on my own, but the program itself really was not what I expected. The only other American students were also from Brandeis. Though it was nice to spend time with them, I had really been looking forward to meeting new people and having new experiences. While my friends in Europe were traveling the continent, I was stuck in French Hill and then at home. Even if the war hadn't happened, the program was just not what any of us expected. It was more that we all happened to be studying in Israel for a semester, and did not feel like a standard study abroad program.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Because there is no meal plan, most if not all of your money will be spent on food

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

While there, we were encouraged to speak Hebrew on transportation and at restaurants, but it was generally simpler for everyone to just speak english

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• Dorm

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• Americans

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• Americans

• Restaurants in other areas of Jerusalem
• Being located right near a Masorti/Egalitarian congregation
• The one trip they took us on to Tel Aviv

• More help from the university in every way (understanding that we're American students in a new country, not Israelis who are older and have been through army service)
• Better Jewish life options around French Hill
• More students