Unfamiliar with the American school system, sixteen Israeli exchange students roamed the Whitman hallways, overwhelmed by the amount of lockers and the constant movement of students to and from classrooms.

Israeli exchange students, along with two teachers, from Or High School in Tzur Hadasa traveled to Bethesda Sept. 29 to learn about American high schools and culture.

In past years, the program was centered on coexistence work, including a mixture of Israeli Palestinian and Israeli Jewish students. Even though no Palestinians went on the trip this year, it continued, instead focusing on American culture.

Israeli student Shai Baskin said she came to America to help spread understanding of Israeli culture.

“I felt like Americans don’t know enough about Israeli life, and I think it’s important for them to realize that our life is different,” Baskin said.

Since this wasn’t her first time in America, Yael Yosephy decided to go on the exchange program to meet new people, see a new place and gain new experiences.

Yosephy said that her school does not offer as much course selection. “You have mandatory, which is history, literature, bible studies, Hebrew, English and math,” she said. “Then you choose two classes—so I chose biology and theatre.”

Israeli teacher Tal Gabay-Kelman said one major difference at Whitman was that teachers have their own classrooms—at her school, students remain in one class while the teachers move classrooms for each period.

Gabay-Kelman also said that herself and the other Israeli teachers don’t like to give a lot of homework, so they were surprised at the amount of homework Whitman students receive. Students in Israel spend more time with their family because they receive minimal amounts of homework, she said.

Because the Jewish holiday Shabbat occurs every Friday, the Israeli students don’t attend school on Friday. Instead, they go to school on Sundays.

The Israeli students had the opportunity to tour D.C.’s famous sights, giving them a deeper appreciation for American history and culture.

The exchange students visited the Capitol, the Holocaust Museum, the Newseum, the American History Museum and many memorials, and participated in a bike tour of the monuments.

In addition to touring historical sites, they also shared their plans following high school graduation with American students.

Unlike in America, where students usually go to college after graduating high school, Israeli students go to the army after graduation. Women are required to be in the army for two years, while men are required to participate for two and a half years. Following their service, the students plan on going to university.

History teacher and trip coordinator Robert Mathis said he believes travel is healthy for students.

“There is something very special about going to another school and seeing another family,” Mathis said. “And even though it’s only for a week or so, to see another culture firsthand, you can’t get that in a book or on the internet.”

Video by Matthew Farr, article by Allie Lerner.