7 Reasons Why All Jewish Students Should Study Abroad

From the minute we begin applying to colleges, the words “study abroad” start floating around us. We hear it everywhere. Admission counselors boast about the large amount of unique study abroad programs their universities offer. Study Abroad offices blast us with emails about study abroad fairs and study abroad scholarship opportunities. Our Facebook newsfeeds fill with pictures of peers on “European adventures.” But is all the fuss around two words really worth it?

We’ll let you be the judge but...it looks pretty worth it to us!

In college, I faced the decision between choosing to study abroad or choosing to hold leadership roles within the Hillel, a Jewish student organization, at my school. Studying abroad, and being absent from my school for a whole semester, would have cut into leadership terms and made me ineligible for certain positions. Yet, looking back, I realize that my experience as a Jewish student leader did not have to be limited to my time on campus.

Rather, studying abroad enhances the ability for Jewish students to develop their leadership skills, have a once in a lifetime experience, and grow—all traits that make studying abroad worth it. In case you aren’t yet fully convinced that studying abroad is the right decision, below are seven reasons why you should definitely study abroad as a Jewish student!

Why study abroad as a Jewish student?

1. Gain Jewish leadership skills 

Studying abroad does not mean your involvement with religious life has to end. Instead, you have the opportunity to get involved with a local Jewish Student Union, synagogues, Hillel, or other Jewish group in your host country. Becoming involved with Jewish life in another country might give you fresh ideas for initiatives or programs you want to bring back to lead in your Jewish community at home.

While I spent the summer in Warsaw, Poland, I attended the Jewish Community Center’s weekly Boker Tov Brunch, which provides local Jews an easy, social way to meet up with friends every Sunday for cheap, unlimited, fresh food all day long. This is the type of idea that I learned about abroad, but would love to implement in my own Jewish community in the United States. Alternatively, if you are not so involved with Jewish life back home, your time abroad might help you figure out your connection to Judaism and think about Judaism in a new light. 

Jewish students will find lots of opportunities to explore their faith while studying abroad.

Many observant Jewish students might not feel they can study abroad because of a lack of Jewish communities to support them outside of Israel. But, this is a myth! There are plenty of observant Jewish communities in cities such as London, Rome, Buenos Aires, Sydney, and Melbourne, just to name a few. Studying abroad as a religious student is definitely possible, and observing Judaism fully while experiencing what the world has to offer is not an opportunity to be missed.

2. Increase your knowledge

Have you ever read something in a book about the Colosseum? Or, heard the news mention the Brandenburg Gate? How about relatives talking about their travels to the Jewish Community in Australia? After studying abroad and visiting such sites, these places won’t seem like foreign concepts.

[How to Find Community During Religious Holidays While Abroad]

Rather, you will have gained a whole new set of knowledge and be able to say “I was there! Did you know…?” and share a fun fact or tidbit you learned about fascinating places from all around the world. Studying abroad opens up whole new topics of conversation that you will be able to engage in. Upon returning from studying abroad, you will have a global mindset to help shape your beliefs and future. 

3. Learn from a new perspective

Some classes you take abroad might have topics similar to what you study at your home university. However, depending on your program, you may take these classes with students from all over the world, or be taught by professors from other countries. This on its own will provide you with a new perspective on education, and on topics you study back home. Studying abroad also gives you the chance to take classes about the study abroad location’s history and culture, or take an immersive language course. You will explore different cultural perspectives, and appreciate and understand other countries and others’ ways of life better. 

New perspectives gained during study abroad might change Jewish students’ lives for the better!

While abroad you will also learn about Jewish life from a different perspective. What does it mean to be Jewish in another country? Do Jews in your host country practice Judaism in similar or different ways than you do? Further, while studying about the local history of a country, you may actually have the chance to travel to various locations in the country that represent a period of time. You might, for instance, visit cemetaries or concentration camps as part of a course on the Holocaust. For Jewish students, there is no better perspective to gain than seeing places firsthand, and making the world your textbook.  

4. Meet people you would otherwise never meet

While studying abroad you will attend school and live with students from your host country. On a daily basis you will meet new people from all around the world. To grow your global Jewish relationships, KAHAL Your Jewish Home Abroad can connect you with Jewish host families around the world!

Whether through being hosted by a local family, attending events at a local Hillel, or sitting next to students from three different countries in classes, Jewish students studying abroad will really get to know people and create lifelong friendships. Plus, there is nothing better than knowing later on in life that you will have plenty of places to stay around the world, and people to meet up with to show you around.

5. Discover more about yourself

It may sound cliche to say that traveling abroad helps you learn who you are. I’m sure you have met friends who return from studying abroad and comment on the ways that the experience changed them. But the truth is...it does! Traveling abroad requires a lot of responsibility and independence. When something goes wrong you won’t be able to instantly call your support system across the ocean, due to the time difference. When traveling, there won’t be time to see everything and you will have to choose the places that are most important to you. 

[7 Things to Know Before Studying Abroad as a Jewish Student]

How do you act when suddenly faced with situations you have never encountered before? You might become a better decision maker, find a new passion, discover your inner social butterfly, learn how to prioritize, or gain a better understanding of what is most important to you in life. When you are far away from home, and unable to do things exactly the way you always have, living in a different Jewish environment might give you the chance to really think about your own Jewish beliefs and practices. Or, for some students, you might find that being abroad connects you with your Jewish identity for the first time.

You’ll have no idea what studying abroad will reveal about yourself until you try it out.

6. It will benefit your career

Interviews can feel uncomfortable. You are asked big questions about moments in your life and feel unsure about a way to respond. Jewish students who study abroad are bound to find answers for all types of interview questions, since studying abroad provides you with many life experiences to draw from. Beyond improving your interview responses, you will also pick up a variety of international skills that will come in handy for graduate school and job applications. (New language skills, anyone?)

7. Unlimited opportunities await you 

Some Jewish students don’t study abroad because they think it will prevent them from graduating college on time. However, there are many ways to study abroad and stay on track with your graduation plans! Speak to an advisor before ruling anything out. A lot of programs provide students with the opportunity to take classes abroad that will help them fulfill the requirements for their majors. If not, students can always opt to fulfill general education requirements during their time abroad instead. 

Jewish students who study abroad can choose which way to go—taking classes from your major so as to experience the thrill of studying abroad while simultaneously staying on track to graduate; or, taking classes that might not be offered at your home university, or that you otherwise might not have time for when you are back home. It’s fun to dabble in something different every once in a while, so use your time abroad as a chance to give it a try!

You’ll love study abroad!

Your window to study abroad in a small one. Seize the day, decide where to go, and make it happen!

The reasons all Jewish students should study abroad really are endless; for personal, academic, career, and religious reasons, studying abroad will prove to be a worthy adventure. It is not every day that you have the chance to get on an airplane, fly out of the country, and spend quality time living somewhere you never dreamed of, so take advantage of studying abroad while you can. 

As Jewish students, studying abroad can feel daunting. Not only does it involve figuring out academics, it can include figuring out what it means to be Jewish abroad as well. Go ahead and take that risk. Look at it as a challenge. You don’t have to choose being Jewish over going abroad or vice versa—they can work together. Discover ways to engage with the Jewish community while abroad, and at the same time, have the time of your life that returnees from studying abroad always talk about! Trust me. They aren’t just constantly talking about studying abroad to annoy you. Studying abroad really has many perks that are worth discovering for yourself.

Get Matched with 5 Study Abroad Programs for FREE!

KAHAL Your Jewish Home Abroad is a non-profit organization which connects Jewish students studying abroad to Jewish opportunities, resources, and connections abroad. KAHAL aims to create meaningful Jewish experiences for study abroad students, allowing them to interact with local Jewish communities and deepen their Jewish identities. Wherever students travel, KAHAL arranges chances to attend Shabbat dinners, meet Jewish students, attend holiday meals, volunteer and advocate, and provides grant funding and travel assistance.