In Hebrew, the word “shalom” means three things: hello, goodbye and peace. With my time in undergrad coming to a close in less than two weeks, I could not think of a more apt word to describe my time at The Post.
My time at The Post began with a letter to the editor. I occasionally go back and read it to see the ways I’ve grown and the ways I’ve stayed the same. My letter allowed me to rediscover my love for writing, something that I seemed to have forgotten. I used to be a writer for my high school’s politics-based publication, but I lost touch with that passion when I left high school. I have written 53 articles for my column Haddy the Hebrew, with this being my 54th. Some have been good, some have been silly, all of them have been 100% true to who I am. On Friday, I will write my 55th article, my final Dvar Torah. With that, my writing career with The Post will officially come to an end, so this is goodbye, or shalom, to “Haddy the Hebrew.”
Writing about current events in the Jewish world, or holidays, or anything I want to that concerns Judaism, has been nothing short of a blessing. I have cherished every opportunity I have had, every deadline I’ve dreaded, every time I got to interact with another Postie. All of my experiences with this publication, whether I felt it at the time or not, have helped me become a better writer and have allowed me to express myself. This was an outlet I didn’t realize I needed until I had it, and it is one that has shaped my college experience. I credit The Post for being the creative endeavor I so desperately craved. In other words, The Post has brought me peace, shalom.
This is an ending, this is a goodbye, so how can it live up to the third meaning of shalom, hello? With my impending graduation, I will be launched into the “real world.” I will have a full-time job, I will be married in a short while, I will act like an adult even though I don’t yet feel like one. With my graduation, I will be released of everything that being an undergrad student entails. Gone will be the busy class work, the exams, the late nights in Alden. But I will also have to say goodbye to living within walking distance from my closest friends, Fest season and the relative ease of life in Athens. It is truly bittersweet.
But I refuse to look at this as primarily a goodbye. Instead, it is a hello, a shalom, to a new life. One that I will find beauty and hardship in, one that will make me appreciate the time I had at Ohio University, one that I do not have a definitive end date on. It is in this new life that I will carry all of my experiences. May 6, when I am all dressed up in my cap and gown, I will think of all these experiences, but my time with The Post will rise above as one of the most memorable and positive.
Shalom, The Post. Shalom as in goodbye, shalom as in peace, shalom as in hello to my new life. I will miss you dearly. Thank you for giving me a voice.
Hadass Galili is a senior studying political science pre-law at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Hadass by tweeting her at @HadassGalili.
