<p>thanks thats good to hear. i checked the mail today still didnt get here......but i guess orange county, CA is a long ways from waltham. : (</p>
<p>Your class rank is in the range of 80% of Brandeis students and your SATs are above the Brandeis average.</p>
<p>Based on that alone I'd say your chances are "very good" (bordering on "excellent").</p>
<p>If you had a good interview and showed a lot of interest, I'd bet that you are in.</p>
<p>Everyone at Brandeis it seems spends a year in Israel. Boring.... And it makes the entire college atmosphere rather homogeneous. See the Carter episode. More Jews would do better to spend a year in the Gaza Strip than in a propagandized experience elsewhere in the region. I think it's irresponsible to show an impressionable young person only one side of the story. </p>
<p>In any case, it's nice to see another Southerner with interest in Brandeis- I'm a first year from Georgia and too few Southerners seem to attend (which may help you for being outside of Massachusetts or Long Island)! You seem to be fine on all counts and have a pretty good chance. The best of luck to you!</p>
<p>Oh, yes, Silver Clover,</p>
<p>That's much more responsible. From now on, I'll suggest American Jews all go to Gaza (and come back dead) instead of spending a year in their ancestral homeland. </p>
<p>Did you notice there are no more Israelis in Gaza now?</p>
<p>Speak for yourself.</p>
<p>I'm an American Jew and Israel is not my "ancestral homeland."</p>
<p>Yea, I don't think Carter meant for students to spend an entire semester in Gaza. A day trip should suffice. If you can think objectively, going to Israel can teach you a lot about the situation, without having a "propagandized experience." I guess it is unfortunate that many people only want to understand one side of the story, but Gaza is much more dangerous, especially for Jews, than Israel is. Visiting Gaza sounds good in theory, but I think it's impractical.</p>
<p>Soze - isn't it technically your ancestral homeland? And wouldn't every American Jew think differently about it? Shouldn't people who wanted to visit but are afraid to because of perceived danger be encouraged to go?</p>
<p>hopefulbob:
You ask three interesting questions:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>No, it's not technically or otherwise. My family came here from various places in Europe and if anyplace could be called our "ancestral homeland" that would be it. One could carry the notion of "ancestry" back to the claim that we are all "Africans" because that's where mankind first emerged. That makes about as much sense to me as any claim that I have Israeli ancestry.</p></li>
<li><p>Of course, it's a free country and I'm quite sure opinions vary on this subject. My issue with paying3tuitions is that s/he is attempting to paint all "American Jews" with the same brush.</p></li>
<li><p>I take issue with your premise that the danger is merely "perceived." It's very, very real. I think my analogy is a good one. Encouraging travel to Israel is akin to encouraging sky diving or polar bear hunting. They are all high-risk and potentially rewarding activities, but very dangerious nonetheless.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I was responding to Silver Clover who dismissed Brandeis students who chose to spend a period of time in Israel as having done something "boring." If you were to ask them about their travels and experiences, probably not "boring."</p>
<p>My European countries of recent immigrant ancestry staged pogroms that drove my grandparents to these shores, so I don't hold those European countries very close to my heart. Given a choice of returning to a place where my great-grandmother was raped (in a pogrom, which is an anti-Jewish riot in Russia around l900), versus exploring the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebeccal, Leah and Rachel, well..speaking for myself, I'd rather walk where those ancestors trod, and eat felafel.</p>
<p>
[quote]
travel to Israel is akin to encouraging sky diving or polar bear hunting. They are all high-risk and potentially rewarding activities, but very dangerious nonetheless.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>The safety risks are much higher in something like Polar Bear Hunting than going to Israel.</p>