How will you spend your Thanksgiving break?
Ahlan from Tel Aviv!
This is the first time NYU has run an official program in Tel Aviv. The university prepared to begin the program last spring, but the launch was postponed amid controversy.
The director is Gal Levy, a professor at the Open University. The assistant director is Debra London Ben-Ami, formerly of the Taub Center for Israel Studies.
The program is housed at a youth hostel. Basically, everything runs from the hostel - dorm rooms, classes, administration - and the program itself centers around the city of Tel Aviv.
There will be some trips around Israel, but the focus is Tel Aviv as "the" city in Israel —a very New York attitude.
For anyone who's wondering: No, not everyone in the group is Jewish, and even fewer are Hebrew speakers. The program is a mix of juniors and seniors representing most NYU schools, with many majoring in politics.
First times can be rough, but we're generally coping.
