Julia DePalermo is a junior Political Science major with minors in human rights and French. She is currently studying abroad in Israel this semester at the University of Haifa! Julia reflects on her first Shabbat in Israel below. You can follow her entire journey by following her blog on the link below.

“I spent the sabbath with my new friends in Netanya, a suburb of Tel Aviv. They graciously invited my into their home to experience a “real shabbat”. I have never seen a kosher kitchen before. Marcelle, my host for the weekend had two ovens, microwaves, sinks, and two sets of cups and silverware. One for meat and one for dairy. Every Friday night is like Thanksgiving…Everyone I meet opens their homes to me, and cares for me like their own family. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by such a resilient and kind people…”