This week, Her Campus McGill sat down with Margot Frymel, a 22-year-old psychology student with a big personality and an even bigger passion for life. Any encounter with Margot is always a unique experience, comparable to taking a walk through her favourite city: Tel Aviv, Israel. Once you get past the hustle bustle, craziness, and insanity of it all, you realize that there is actually something very peaceful and deep laying beneath, waiting to be discovered. While her energy, enthusiasm, and laugh can instantly permeate through any room, one almost immediately comes to the realization that there is much more to her than just her effervescent personality. Her values and heart are right where they should be—with her friends, family and most importantly, the community in which she was raised. I recently took a few moments to catch up with her and get the details on the work she does both in Montreal’s Jewish community, and in her “adopted homeland” of Israel.
Given all of your involvement in different Jewish organizations, the Jewish community must have been a very important part of your upbringing. Tell us a bit about that.
I was raised in a family where Judaism wasn’t just a religion; it was a way of life. I think that my parents, my father in particular, emphasized being part of the community. His parents were Holocaust survivors and so both he and my mother wanted us to be a part of the growth and development of our community. They sent us to Jewish elementary schools and made sure we were involved in our synagogue and other things like that. All of these things have really shaped who I have become today, so I really feel the need to give back in whatever way I can. Whenever I’ve got extra time, I’ll volunteer at a clothing drive or a soup kitchen, or volunteer at the community’s elderly home. Right now, I am working at the Jewish Community Center. It just feels like my duty.
Do you feel that growing up within the community changed your perspective? Has it shaped the way you see the world as an adult?
I think that there are definitely certain pros and cons to growing up within asmall community. One thing that I can say though is that I always remember feeling safe and protected as a child. It was nice to be raised in a tight-knit community where there was support, and always someone there to lend a helping hand. If anything would happen, or if something would go terribly wrong, there was a mutual respect and understanding that we are all there to help each other. I have really taken this value with me into my adult life. There is a word that we use, tzedakah, which means charity. This is something that has remained important to me and which I try to practice in my everyday life.
What do you have to say about the role of community in modern society? Do you feel that young people today are lacking a real sense of community?
I guess I would say yes. Even in myself, I can sometimes see that I am so involved and caught up in other things that I don’t feel that I am even as involved as I could be. We are living in a time where emphasis is placed on the superficial—partying and other such things. I think that when one has a loyalty to their family, they also value community. It is definitely something that we are seeing less of these days though.
You have also done a lot of community work in Israel. Tell us a bit about your experiences there. How do they differ from your experiences here?
I can say that there is a very specific and special connection that I have to Israel. I feel like it holds a piece of my heart, and it feels like home. I understand how important Israel is to my people and I feel like I want to have a role to play in that. People there have to be enlisted in the army and are in life-threatening situations all the time. I feel like it is my duty to contribute to the country’s development as well, in whatever way I can. That is why over the past few years, I have taken every opportunity I can to help out. I have volunteered at a cancer ward for sick children, and in an immigration office—I really try to impact a lot of areas that I feel the country struggles with.
What advice do you have for people who want to give back to their communities, but do not know where to begin?
A good place to get started is at your school. It is easy to get involved with the student society at your university, for example. I think the best advice I would give though, is to simply ask around about where help is needed. You would be surprised how much you can do.