Journalism by Jewish college students, for Jewish college students.
Despite the area’s controversial standing, a kibbutz in the Golan Heights was my favorite part of Israel. On the kibbutz, the air was damp and sweet with the scent of clay. Sun-baked mountains surrounded us and a few were even dusted with powdery-white snow. Each morning we would rise from our beds and walk through…
I never had a genuine snow day before I came to college. My school district prided itself on never delaying the power of education because of wind or weather. My childhood found me schlepping to school in spite of the whirling white flakes. So, you can imagine my girlish delight when it was declared that…
Over the last two weeks Knox has become an incubator for what we jokingly call “The Knox Plague.” Everywhere you turn, noses are red and stares are vacant — the indicators of a supremely nasty cold. Despite my constant consumption of vitamin C, I joined the ranks of wheezing classmates, making for a particularly nasty…
At five o’clock in the morning arose crabby, sleep-deprived teenagers. Hair dream-tousled and expressions vacant, the group made its way to the table with instant coffee and little slices of cake. Dressed to hike, but clearly not ready to, they slumped in the plastic chairs at the pre-hike rendezvous point, grasping at last moments of…
I know that this isn’t typical blog style, submitting poetry where a story ought to be, but after a long weekend of “drunk-sitting,” I feel that this poem best encompasses my experience. Let the record show that I do not disapprove of social drinking. However, it was unsettling to watch some of the brightest young minds…
In Judaism, when we pray, we always turn our bodies so that we face Jerusalem. The reason for this is that within the walls of her old city resides The Kotel. The Kotel, more commonly known as the Western or Wailing Wall, is the last remaining wall of the destroyed temple in Jerusalem. Its oldest…
“I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We…
I grew up learning about the horrors of the Holocaust. Since I can remember there have been school trips to Holocaust museums and independent events where speakers told their stories. It has been touched on in almost every history class I have ever taken. Additionally, my grandpa is a survivor, and I have recorded his…
There is no denying it; the temperature of college dorms can be as unpredictable as the weather in Chicago. One moment it’s exceptionally hot, the next, no blanket is warm enough. For the heat, I have no suggestions, but for the cold, I have one word for you: Snuggie. Yes, that’s right, I said Snuggie….
Attention patrons of New Voices. You be pleased to know that I have finally figured out how to keep from going crazy in this time vacuum that is Skokie, IL. As much as I love my hometown, the prospect of being away from my beloved Knox is unbearable without some way to channel my energy….
The end of fall term is upon us at Knox College. Classes are over and finals are coming to a close. A muggy combination of relief and stress fills the air. The hours pass like odd day dreams, as certain members of my reality disappear back to this place called “home.” As I walk down…
Last weekend my cousin Arielle became a Bat Mitzvah. She chanted beautifully and my heart swelled with pride. When Arielle’s portion of the service concluded, she bounded off the Bimah and plopped down in the seat next to me. She then raised her right hand and curved her index finger like a pirate’s hook, and…
Bullies. We’ve all experienced them — in the lunchroom, on the playground, and even in the workplace. Though they may not all fit the stereotypical image of a tyrant, they are still pretty easy to identify because of the confident way in which they carry themselves. That’s why I didn’t see this one for who…
I have faced depression. It has come for me in the middle of the night and under cheery classroom lights. I have sat numb and watched the world pass me by. But I have also conquered depression; squashed it with happiness, with music, and friends. I chased it away, and for me, it will never…
October’s chilly fingers creep into coat collars, and a rainbow of falling leaves spirals down from the trees. Students cradle steaming mugs of coffee and walk close to one another. It is a lovely image. Lively, beautiful, and inviting, worthy of entire volumes of poetry, but it is not what I have chosen to write…