During the 1930s, young students from the Hebrew University embarked on a 'year abroad' at the American University of Beirut (AUB). Among them were individuals who after 1948 would later play significant roles in the development of Israeli Oriental Studies (Mizrahanut). While AUB, with its Protestant heritage and American leadership, predominantly conducted classes in English, subjects pertaining to Islam were taught in Arabic. For Jewish-Zionist students whose native language was not Arabic, the opportunity to study at AUB was invaluable for enhancing their practical knowledge of modern Arabic. Concurrently, these students, representing the second generation of Zionist Orientalists in Jerusalem, had to reconcile the disparities between their education under their philologically-oriented, German-trained professors in Jerusalem and the local academic methodologies encountered in Beirut. Moreover, that year marked their first experience studying alongside Arab peers, an uncommon occurrence at the nascent Hebrew University. In my paper, I will delve into the experiences of these students during their year at AUB, drawing insights from contemporaneous letters sent home and retrospective recollections. I contend that their time in Beirut significantly shaped their perceptions of Jewish-Arab relations, potentially influencing their views on the political significance of Arab-Jewish relations. However, their time at AUB was not primarily viewed as an opportunity for professional advancement but rather as a means to refine their language skills. Their academic mindset was deeply rooted in the German Orientalist tradition of their Jerusalem professors, leading them to perceive most of their Beirut professors more as language informants than as inspiring scholars.