“I chose Zionism as my area of study for National History Day, and just recently we finalized our class discussion on Theodor Herzl, the Zionist Congress, and European reactions to the potential of a Jewish state. My main take-away from our in-class “Zionist Congress” was that for any group, such as the Jewish people, there was never a consensus reached about whether to support or not support the early Zionist movement. For example, some saw immigration to a Jewish state as the only way to be unrestrained socially, economically, and religiously, while others— who considered themselves more “assimilated” into their home countries— opposed the notion. Overall, I learned more about the modern day controversies surrounding the state of Israel and where those arguments come from. I hadn’t previously looked into this in as much depth, but feel it is crucial for me to educate myself on both sides of the argument and see how my identifier as a Jewish woman plays into that.”Margaret shared that the class has been “working very hard to recreate the spirit of our class on Zoom.” On AFS Everywhere, Ruby said, “I extremely happy that in my history class and other classes, we are able to maintain the positive energy and continue to learn in abstract ways—even if it has taken some getting used to. All of my teachers have been incredibly supportive of me and my peers during this unpredictable time, and I admire their dedication to give AFS students the best learning experience possible amid trying circumstances.”