Author Archives: zahava.bardavid

1) How did your community service work help the community?

I went with my family and two friends on Thanksgiving to deliver home cooked thanksgiving meals to the firefighters working in our community.

2) What were your initial reactions upon hearing that you would be engaging in a community service project?

At first i wasnt excited about it at all. I thought it was a nice idea to give the firefighters food because they were working and could not have their own thanksgiving meals with their families, but I did not want to part take, I would rather stay home and spend the day at my own house.

3) How did it make you feel to give your time and energy to others?

Once I was at the fire station and saw the reactions of the firefighters and how grateful they were, I felt great too. I no longer cared that I wasn’t sitting in my own house and felt good about myself to make their job of working during the holiday easier.

4) What did you learn about yourself, the people around you, and the service site?

I learned that I should not be selfish, and that I enjoy giving my time to others more than I thought i did. I learned that the people i was with, including my siblings and two friends have great hearts and even my ten year old sister enjoys not being selfish. I learned that the firefighters are the least selfish people, because not only do they also spend their time saving others, but they risk their lives for it as well.

5) What stands out as the best/ or most trying experiences that occured while engaging in your community service?

What stands out the most was the reaction of the fire fighters when they saw the food that we brought them, and how thankful they were for our kind gesture.

6) How did engaging in this project relate to your education and the larger issues in society?

Engaging in this project made me realize how special the firefighters are in our society and how we should appreciate them more.

7) How did your experience relate to the “Leadership and Service” session?

My experience related very much to that session, because the firfighters are the perfect examples of leaders and service. They dedicate their lives to serve as leaders in our community and serve to the people by saving them when they need help.

8 ) How has your community service experience changed your attitude, thinking, and actions towards yourself, others, the community, and community service work as a whole?

It changed my attitude and thinking a lot by converting the community service work as a whole from an annoying and time consuming one, into a heart filled and special one. It made me realize that doing community service doesnt only benefit the ones that you are trying to help, but it benefits you as well.

9) How has your community service experience impacted you personally? What is the most important thing you learned about yourself through this experience?

It impacted me personally because i felt much better about myself after I participated in this project. I learned that although I may think that i  enjoy being selfish more and worrying about myself, I really enjoyed caring for others and that made me even happier than worrying about myself.

10) Were you satisfied with your experience overall? Why or Why not?

I was definitely satisfied, and I think that the firefighters were as well.

11) Do you see yourself staying involved in community service during your college and adult years? Why or Why not?

I definitely want to stay involved and will make time for it, because it made me happy and made my day better as well as helping others.

12) Sum up your service-learning experience in a one-two sentence headline.

“Being Selfish is overrated: Helping others isn’t.”

A) Tell us how your experience at Baruch College has lived up to your expectations? Not lived up to your expectations? exceeded your expectations?

My experience at Baruch so far has lived up to my expectations. That is kind of easy for me to say because i didn’t have many expectations coming in. I assumed from what I heard from other Baruch students that it wouldn’t be so hard, I would be in and out all day, and i would hopefully enjoy my classes. I was more excited about moving to the city and living with two of my best friends from High School in an apartment near school. I did enjoy my first semester and made new friends and enjoyed some of the classes, and for the most part were not very hard.

B) How well do you think your first semester at Baruch College went?

I think it went pretty well. considering it was my first semester and I was adjusting to the school and teachers and fulfilling the work requirements at the same time, overall I did a pretty good job, and towards the end of the semester I got more used to it and comfortable here.

C) What would you do differently during your first semester if you could do it all again?

If i could i would have studied more in the beginning of the semester for Art History and Psych… thats about it, and tried being on time more often..

D) How have you changed since you started at Baruch College?

I think I became a little more outgoing and less shy in my classes than i used to be. I used to be afraid to voice my opinion more and speak in front of the class but I got a lot more comfortable doing that since the beginning of the semester.

            My name is Zahava Bar-David, I am nineteen years old and a freshman here, obviously.  I went to a Jewish private school for High School, and then spent a year abroad in Israel last year. It is a common thing in my High School and in other Jewish High Schools to spend a year in Israel after graduating and before going into College. It was a really hard decision for me to make, I did not want to go and did not think there was a reason for it. The reason that many kids do it is because it is supposed to be a year of growth, religiously and independently.

            There are so many schools and one year programs available for the Americans that come, and the first step is deciding which school to go to. Some are coed programs, some are single sex schools and they are each different religiously. Some more strict, with more rules and some with less rules and a lot more freedom.

            Before I went to Israel for the year, I was not very involved with Judaism. I did not feel a strong connection to my religion and thought of it in a negative light. It seemed like a set of rules about things I couldn’t do. I couldn’t eat milk and meat together, I couldn’t drive on Saturdays because we keep a sabath, and the thought of going to a religious school in Israel for a full year made me nasueas. I wanted to just be a regular high school graduate and go to college the next fall. I thought I was ready for it, and wanted to live in the city and party every weekend. My older sister went for a year 3 years before I did, and when she came home she kept a strict dress code and did not wear pants anymore. That scared me and turned me off to it as well. I fought with her over it, and did not understand why she was becoming “more religious” and it changed our relationship in some ways, which hurt me as well.

            I made the decision to go anyway, mostly because all of my friends were going and I had nothing to lose. I was going to a school with two of my best friends that did not have such a strict schedule and was known for giving the kids a lot of freedom. This was the best decision I have ever made. It wasn’t easy leaving my family, and leaving New York, and my boyfriend who was staying in the city, but all of these challenges helped me grow as a person and mature every day that I was gone. For the first time, I was living on my own with friends in a different country, with tons and tons of other Jews. I began to love it and by the end I learned enough about the positive aspects of my religion and no longer thought of it as a set of rules. I found that the rules and the customs were not meant to restrict me from having a regular life, but to help me maintain a balanced mindset and be a good person. We did community service once a week, stayed at strangers houses for the sabath and met tons of new friends. We had tons of fun also, the drinking age in Israel is 18 so we were able to party on some weekends too. I realized that I could be connected to my religion and also remain a regular college aged kid.

This experience for me was life changing and although now I’m starting college a full year later than I should be, I grew and matured over the year that I was away much more than I think I would have in a year of college in the city. I didn’t come home wearing only skirts or obsessed with praying, I’m still the same girl just with a much greater appreciation for life and for religion.

1. Who do I think I am?

My name is Zahava, I am a Jewish American, from a half israeli and half american background. I am a daughter, a sibling to three other kids in my family, a friend and a student. I am a social and fun girl who is always up to having a good time, but also love relaxing on my own and doing my own thing. I love going out, but also love coming home. I’m living in the city now and I love it. I have always been a city girl and now i can take full advantage of it. My biggest hobby is dancing, I have been dancing for years and hopefully will continue for a while.

2. What are my top 3 concerns about my freshman year?

a. my biggest concern is not being able to keep up. I think I am a good worker and don’t get too overwelmed but i am very nervous for midterms and finals.

b. my next concern is not being able to decide what i want to do and what i want to major in

c. my last concern is not registering for good classes second semester! I have no idea which classes to take..

3. how is college different from high school so far?

I went to a Jewish High School, and had a double carriculum. I started school at 8:15 and didnt finish untill around 5:30 everyday. I had all the regular english subject and also Hebrew and biblical studies. In college i have so much free time and not as much work! The work in college is more important and feels like it matters more, but I feel like i have so much time to do it which is awesome. College is also different because i met so many people from different backgrounds and ethnicities, and in my High School everyone had simiar jewish backgrounds. I love that i am able to meet different kinds of people and learn more about different values and customs.

4. How will college change me?

Its hard to answer so early in my college experience, but I am hoping that College will give me a very clear idea of exactly what I want to do, and teach me to work hard until I get there. I hope to meet a lot of people and help me learn how to adjust to all different situations and people. I want to keep growing and maturing and am excited for the experience.