The IDC

RAPHAEL RECANATI
International
FOREIGN STUDENTS TAKE ON VOLUNTEER ACTIVITIES
the rAPhAel recAnAti internAtiOnAl schOOl reJects
the cOnventiOn Of seeing isrAel As A fOllOwer
AnD invites stuDents tO cOme tO iDc herZliyA tO
leArn hOw tO BecOme leADers – As scientists, As
entrePreneurs AnD As custODiAns Of A uniQuely
humAn glOBAl envirOnment
42 < IDC Winter 2010
Jonathan Davis, Head of the Raphael
Recanati International School
“this yeAr there is A
greAter PArticiPAtiOn Of
rris stuDents in PrOgrAms
thAt integrAte All
stuDents thrOughOut the
schOOl”
- Jonathan Davis, Head of the Raphael Recanati International School
when Detroit native Hillary Rubin came to IDC 3 years ago,
she had fanciful ideas of what Israel would be like. It therefore
came as quite a shock when life wasn’t the smooth sailing she
had imagined, and she found herself neither embracing nor embraced by
Israeli society.
“Integrating into Israeli society is not easy - especially when you don’t
know the language,” Rubin told the Herzliyan. “I found however that one
of the best ways to really assimilate into society was to get involved in the
society.”
Having volunteered in the US at animal shelters and as a chapter leader for
B’nai Brith, Rubin decided to try the same activist approach in Israel, to
make her transition easier. She first approached Netanya Loves Animals,
a nonprofit organization that places abandoned animals in loving homes.
So far Rubin has fostered 5 dogs, giving them the affection they needed
until they could be placed with families (one lovable scamp named Sparky
ended up moving in permanently).
In addition to her work with animals, Rubin tutors a young neighbor
in English, and recently became involved with the local community
center. She and the center’s director are now creating a program aimed at
integrating IDC students with their neighbors. “It’s very hard to live in a
neighborhood when you don’t know the people who live among you - you
don’t feel a sense of community,” explained Rubin. “Do you know that 1
in 3 Americans who make aliyah leave within a year? If I can integrate my
fellow students into society and make them realize that there are people
they can count on as reliable neighbors and friends, then hopefully they
can build ties to this country and it can make their transition easier.”
Rubin is just one of over 1,000 students at RRIS this year, hailing from
over 73 different countries. For many of these students, this is also their
first time living away from home and volunteering helps keep them busy,
leaving little time to think about missing home. Instead, they end up
finding new ways to give of themselves.