The first of September and the first of Elul coincided this year with the first day for Nishmat’s Class of 2020. Over 200 students, most living on Nishmat’s Dr. Monique C. Katz Campus, are a diverse group. 30 American and European Shana Ba’Aretz post-high school students will study together with 100 Israeli National Service and IDF veterans, enrolled in Nishmat’s Maayan Bridge-to-College, Shiur Aleph, and Shiur Bet—Educators for the Next Generation. How will they get to know each other? They share dorm rooms, the bet midrash, and classes every morning. For this past Shabbat, as is traditional at Nishmat, the Israeli young women invited the newcomers from across the globe to join them at their homes.