Author: j.berger1

I have always had a tremendous passion for sports. When there is a ball and a game in progress, I am there

Whether it is basketball, hockey, football, baseball, golf or tennis, I enjoy each sport each and every time I play

I have always liked one more than the other….. that is hockey

I grew up playing all sports but I have excelled in one

I don’t know what it is. The adrenalin pumping, the competition aspect of the game, and of course…. the actual fun involved in the sport itself. There is nothing like it in the world

I have always been a competitive person for good and bad

Hockey has always brought out my best attributes as a person

The sport is aggressive but that is not how I chose to play

My aggressive side is not brought out as much as my competitive side and I play along the rules because I like to be the best on the rink under the fairest circumstances

Hockey gets chippy therefore aggressive play is inevitable, aggressive does not mean dirty, that is crucial to know……

Sports always help me let off steam from a bad day

A fight with a friend or relative, a bad grade on a test, or even just those bad days that everyone has, hockey has always been right by my side to help me get through my struggles

 

 

 

For my second blog post I decided to visit the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. My mother has always loved this museum because of the way it is designed and laid out. It is structured for the most part the same way it has been for the last 150 years. Of course, many key parts have been restored in order to continue allowing the building to house a museum with constant people inside. While walking around I really felt like I was getting as good of a glimpse of the past as possible. Just staring into each living space and trying to imagine how supposedly 7,000 people were in one building was just a horrifying thought to me. It was then I realized why my mother is such a big advocate of the museum. Aside from the visualization aspect of it, there is also an educational component. I learned about the harsh living conditions of immigrants in the late 1800’s- early 1900’s. These immigrants all had different backgrounds and came from different parts of the globe and came here for one common goal, freedom. I think this is a very special museum and anybody who has a chance should definitely check out the Tenement Museum.

The Hillel at Baruch is probably the single most important aspect of Baruch to me. Hillel clubs, nationally, are in most universities to give Jewish people on campus a sort of home base. They offer kosher food everyday, daily afternoon prayer services, and most importantly, it is a social meet up spot to meet and hang out with some other Jews on campus. Having the ability to walk into a club and be greeted with open arms to talk about anything whether it is academics, religion or social struggles you may be encountering is amazing. I have heard nothing short of excellent things about Hillel at Baruch and I wanted to check it out for myself. When I first walked in, I immediately saw four familiar faces. I then proceeded on to meeting two or three new people. I became pretty good friends with one of them as well as study in depth about our religion with him once a week after school. When I have a long break in between classes, I will almost always go to the third floor to see if I recognize anyone going towards the Hillel. The Hillel at Baruch is unique and inspiring for Jews who come to Baruch. The feeling you get knowing you always have a place in the building to eat, socialize, pray and just chill is always heartwarming.