Meet Ellie

Texas and Israel: My Homes

Though I have moved every few years because of my father’s work, I call Texas and Israel my homes. My father’s side of the family is fifth generation Texan. His family is a part of the “Ole’ 300,” which refers to the first 300 families to settle Texas. After every move, my family always comes back to Texas. I was born in Lake Jackson, Texas; soon after, we moved to Belgium, then Germany, and then came back to Lake Jackson. Later we moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and after a few years we moved to Beaumont, Texas.

I lived in Beaumont from fifth grade until completing 10th grade, which was the longest I had lived anywhere. In Beaumont, I went to school at Westbrooke Senior High School where I played on the volleyball and softball teams. At the end of 10th grade, my father was offered a great job in Israel, so my family and I packed up and moved.

In Israel, my three siblings and I attended the Walworth Barbour American International School, which was established in the 1950s to school the children of the embassy workers and international businessmen. My classmates hailed from every continent in the world; in fact, our student body represented over 120 countries. Going to school with such diverse people and living in Israel permanently changed me to be a more cultured and worldly person. As a part of the high school curriculum, I took International Relations, Middle Eastern History, and 20^th Century History, which taught me so much about the world around me. By graduation, I had learned the culture, history, and language of Israel as well as forging unique relationships with my friends who today are studying in college or serving in armies all over the world. Israel is the place where I came to know myself and made me who I am now.

Jewish Studies Brought Me to UT

During my senior year in high school, I didn’t feel ready to come back to the U.S. after experiencing life abroad. I had grown to call the culture, language, and history of Israel my own, and I was not ready to leave that. At application time I applied to a safety school back in the states and to two other universities in Israel. After getting into all three, I chose to go to one of the year abroad programs offered at Tel Aviv University. Being in Israel gave me the opportunity to see many new facets of Israel. My courses gave me a window into Israel that I was not familiar with. I learned about events in Jewish history that formed the feelings felt by most Israelis. Also, my newly fluent Hebrew made me able to further immerse myself into Israel’s culture. While in Israel last year I went to comedy shows, watched the news in Hebrew, and became friends with my Israeli neighbors in my apartment building. Understanding the language allows you to learn the social feelings of a country’s public and cultural elements. Aside from cultural immersion, last year I was able to travel to two countries I hadn’t imagined I would see in my lifetime. During winter break I traveled to Argentina to play for the Israeli National Softball Team in an international tournament, and for spring break I went on a trip to Poland to witness the Nazi death camps.

During the fall, I took courses in Geography, Middle Eastern Studies, and Philosophy, but the class I took on Judaism stole my heart. The Essence of Judaism, my first Jewish Studies course captured me, and then in the spring semester I took five Jewish Studies courses. The Essence of Judaism is what turned me into a Jewish Studies major and brought me to continue my studies at The University of Texas at Austin. That year, while looking at applying to schools, I only looked at places that offered a Jewish Studies major. When I was young, my parents bought the Texas Tomorrow Guaranteed Tuition Plan for me, which covered most of the tuition costs at Tel Aviv University and would completely cover my tuition at any public school in Texas. Looking at the tuition costs of other universities made me cringe, but when I found out that The University of Texas at Austin offered a Jewish Studies major, I knew it was meant to be, and I began applying.

Since I had taken 21 hours at Tel Aviv University and was planning on finishing the spring semester, I had to apply as a transfer student. I finished the application online and my essays, but the trouble came with transcripts. Mailing things from Israel and other overseas countries takes much longer than domestic mail, weeks longer. My transcripts arrived late both semesters; however, they were eventually accepted by the university.

Adjusting to the United States after Living Abroad

Israel is a very different place and the transition for me was difficult. In Israel, people live their everyday lives with the acceptance of the idea of a potential terror attack, which is something most people in America do not live with. In Israel, the public sphere is full of security. When going to a train station, neighborhood grocery store, movie theatre, restaurant, bus station, mall, concert, and work buildings, you must walk through a metal detector and allow a security officer to search your person or bags. Imagine doing that every day; it’s how people have to live there. They accept that there are people in this world that want to continually harm.

Another transition for me was the adjustment to the super-sized everything here. In America, grocery stores are gigantic and have so many products. Grocery stores in Israel are small and often serve a neighborhood of 1,000 people or so. They are the size of a cornerstore Walgreens and carry fresh food with maybe 10 aisles of processed goods. When I went to get groceries here for the first time since coming back I felt overwhelmed by the sheer immense size of Wal-Mart. I needed to pick up a few things, but the amount of goods there was just so great, I wasn’t prepared for it.

Cultural Differences

When I lived in Israel, I dove into the culture of Israel by learning Hebrew and living there for an extended period. Because there are people who have experienced everything from the Holocaust to wars for survival, the culture is very non-materialistic, outgoing, and straightforward. People there do not nearly have the luxuries that we are granted here in America. In the U.S., citizens are entitled to many freedoms, but most of all, freedom from the feeling of immediate threat of terror and war. Wars do not happen within America anymore, whereas in Israel, there have been wars and conflict every decade without fail.

Hope to Return to Israel

After graduating, I plan on earning a Master of Arts in Judaic Studies. After that, I am hoping on working in Boston or Miami for some time with a Jewish education institute, the Israeli Consulate, or a Jewish organization. When I have built up my savings, I hope to return to Israel and work at one of the Jewish Studies institutions there and start a family.

Send Ellie an e-mail at ellieagnew@mail.utexas.edu.