what do seminary girls do for Pesach vacation?

slushiemom

Fri, Dec 28 2012, 12:58 am

I pretty much moved in with close family friends for three weeks. I think the dorms were open before and after pesach but not on pesach itself.

I loved that three week break from school and being around a hundred girls every day, I was very lucky to have a family close enough to move in with. I think most girls stayed in the dorms for the vacation part and floated around to friends and relatives for chag and chol hamoed.

oatmealcookies

Fri, Dec 28 2012, 7:30 am

I went on a Poland tour before pesach, the whole week tour cost the same as a ticket wouldve cost. Then I worked at the Jerusalem Pearl with a few friends. It was quite fun! I wanted to spend the shalosh regalim in Israel.

amother

Fri, Dec 28 2012, 7:40 am

During vacation before and after Pesach:

I helped out my family I always helped out
Sem took us on a trip or 2.
Went on trip with friends (cost money)
Walked to the kosel

During Pesach:
- I had no family in Israel - first days - slept in dorm and ate out - sedarim were arranged by the school
- chol hamoed - school supplied utensils and food for breakfast and lunch - suppers were catered by the school
- last days - went along with a friend to her relatives - last day ate at meals organized by the school

Some things were hard but I enjoyed it so much and was so happy I stayed. I definitely spent more money that month then I normally spent.

busydev

Fri, Dec 28 2012, 7:59 am

my dorm was open the whole pesach break and had a pesach kitchen which we kashered.

I went on a tiyul with sem and a couple more tours with friends.

I helped at my aunt's esp since my uncle was sitting shiva till a couple days before pesach. I would have helped anyways, but I prob would have also signed up to help another family or two.

I did go one day and help another family who had recently had a baby and the father broke his leg and wasnt able to get around.

pesach I was by my aunt, tho I went back to the dorm for c"h and the last day (sem had meals and a 2nd seder too)

enjoyed having time in israel without having to worry about school work. went to the kosel more often as well.

Fox

Fri, Dec 28 2012, 8:24 am

This is a huge problem with the grande tour that is seminary in EY. Most seminaries assume that everyone has relatives or close friends with whom to stay in EY. It's just inconceivable to them that there could be girls without such connections or girls whose extended family simply aren't able to host them for extended periods.

Some seminaries are better than others when it comes to making arrangements, but there are plenty of horror stories. There is a movement among some seminaries to compensate the families in EY who host girls for Yomim Tovim. While most obviously do it for the mitzvah, many families in EY live very close to the edge, and an extra mouth to feed over Yom Tov really does make a difference.

There is also the issue of supervision. Obviously, many girls use the time productively, but visits to any of the "hang-outs" will reveal plenty who don't. True, these girls would probably find other opportunities to push the envelope of safety and acceptability, but even the most docile teenager is capable of breathtaking lapses in judgment.

This is part of the reason that DH and I decided that seminary is not for our family. Extended time in Israel? Yes. Yomim Tovim on a catch-as-catch-can basis? No.

anotherima

Fri, Dec 28 2012, 12:05 pm

Pesach is not easy for sem girls. for one daughter we went to Israel for pesach, for another daughter we brought her home. I am glad they did seminary in Israel but getting places for meals for shabbos and yom tovim is an issue.

ray family

Sat, Dec 29 2012, 9:04 am

before pesach I helped a number of families by either cleaning or caring for their kids.
I hung out w/ my friends who also stayed for pesach. toured a bit.
I loved being in Israel for pesach. I got to experience how different families host their seder from ashkenazi to sephardic to chassidish. (I was here for more than one year) it was unreal! I really learned a lot. I'm glad I stayed and didn't forfeit those experiences.

Isramom8

Sat, Dec 29 2012, 10:06 am

Are you talking about one specific girl? Maybe we can work out an arrangement where she helps us out before and during Pesach, and spends it with us. We're in central Israel, Chareidi, a family people like to visit. Smile

shabbatiscoming

Sat, Dec 29 2012, 10:44 am

Is there Tochnit Nisan anymore? This was something that a few girls from my sem did. (My grandparents wanted me home so I went. To this day, 15 years later, I still wish I would have stayed in Israel)

Tochnit Nissan is a program where students can volunteer on a kibbutz for the few weeks before the chag and then the kibbutz places you with a family (if you need to be placed) for the seder.
The girls in my sem who did this said it was an amazing experience.

Other than that, other students did touring/chilling out time together. And our dorms were closed.

lech lecha08

Sat, Dec 29 2012, 11:10 am

Before Pesach, we had a tiyul which was a lot more fun since about 2/3 of the school had left already.
As someone who had no family in Israel, I went with my friend to her aunt and uncle who found a neighbor making second Seder for us.
During Pesach, the dorm was open but there was no food being served. You were on your own. Those who stayed found or organized activities and trips. If I'm remembering right, one girl had family visiting who rented an armored bus and whoever got permission from their parents went to Kever Rochel.

c.c.cookie

Sat, Dec 29 2012, 12:00 pm

Isramom8 wrote:

Shucks! You beat me to it! If it makes a difference - we're in Yerushalayim.

shirachadasha

Sat, Dec 29 2012, 7:39 pm

It strikes me that you say "girls who can't afford to go home". When I was in seminary, you couldn't have paid me to leave for yom tov. The fact that my parents couldn't afford to have me come back was irrelevant. Yom tov is a special time in eretz yisrael. I hope your daughter (or whomever you're writing about) is able to see it that way.

MaBelleVie

Sat, Dec 29 2012, 7:50 pm

I stayed because I wanted to. It was almost a better experience than the rest of the year put together! I spent a lot of time helping one particular family. I also got a chance to relax and really enjoy being in israel, without the pressure of a school schedule and tests. My friends and I had enough family and friends who were happy to host us for a meal or two. We brought along our own matza (and wine?) so the financial burden on them wasn't as great.

oliveoil

Sat, Dec 29 2012, 7:55 pm

shirachadasha wrote:

Yom tov in Eretz Yisroel is special, but if you have nowhere to spend it it very quickly becomes decidedly UNspecial.

amother

Sat, Dec 29 2012, 9:43 pm

oliveoil wrote:

shirachadasha wrote:

Yom tov in Eretz Yisroel is special, but if you have nowhere to spend it it very quickly becomes decidedly UNspecial.

This. It is hard to see people as a family enjoying Chag and not having family/ friends around and wishing you were with your family. B'H I have family in Israel but when I did a year abroad in a place I had no family (in a city full of frum ppl) as an exchange student Shabbat and Chaggim were a nightmare- noone invited me ever or even knew abt me- and almost pushed me to go completely OTD.

ruth

Sat, Dec 29 2012, 10:17 pm

shirachadasha wrote:

I am sure she wants to stay in EY. (I should have said that.) I wanted to exclude posts with this suggestion and to point out that we don't have the money to put out for a program.