Where to begin? This trip has truly been amazing for each and every one of us. After traveling around Israel and spending time at our hosts’ homes, we have learned a trememndous amount about our history and Israeli culture today. We concluded the trip with surfing and kayaking in the Tel Aviv waters. It was a great day to simply relax and spend a little more time with each other. I wouldn’t say that I am a professional surfer but it was definitely a fun experience.
We then had our last circle together and we spoke about what we have learned over the course of Diller. We each explained how we would take what we learned back home. Many spoke about the independence they gained in Israel by being in a place without our parents there to guide us. Molly told us that she learned that leaders don’t have to be those who do things that make a huge impact. But leaders can be people who do small things to help make a difference, even if it is just a small one.
I learned that each of us connect to Judaism in our own way. Some connect to it religiously while others see Judaism as more of a culture. No matter how we connect to it, the fact is that we all do connect to Judaism in some way and we came together to learn and share our opinions. Everyone has definitely opened up to the group and found his or her voice. We all contribute to discussions which makes them so meaningful.
We have all had an incredible time this summer and it cant simply be described in a few words. It was packed with new lessons, experiences, friendships, and great memories that we will cherish. I don’t think any of us will ever forget this meaningful and terrific experience we had and I hope we will apply what we have learned to our daily lives so we can further become greater leaders in our communities.
Thanks everyone for making it the best summer of my life! You all brought so much to the group and I loved spending time with all of you. Keep in touch and share our amazing stories with others!
Love,
Yael
p.s. thanks to all the parents for sending us on the greatest trip!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The closing speech - Ari and Mor
Mor: Hello Ari Bernstein my first american friend!
Ari: Shalom mor filo my first israeli Haverah!
Mor:How are you ari?
Ari:Sababa egozim .How are you Mor Filo?
Mor: I’m great! It’s so amazing to be here after such an amazing year!
Ari: I could not agree more, this year has been beyond incredible! The Americans started out their year with high expectations to become the next generation of great Jewish leaders. We met countless times before meeting the Israelis ,and strengthened our bonds as Americans through weekend long shabbatons and intense conversations regarding Jewish identities. As a Jewish teen in Montclair, nj ,a town with a small Jewish population, I've Always struggled with my Jewish identity. The American cohort within itself has given me such pride to be Jewish in America, and has given me the privilege of being surrounded by such incredible teens who never fail to inspire me to go above and beyond.
Mor: Us Israelis started the year with a shabbaton in Jerusalem, clueless about what this program would eventually mean to us. We started with a discussion comparing our Jewish vs Israeli identities. This shabbaton was the beginning of our journey to find out who we are as individuals; a journey that technically ends today, but for us will never end. We did many tikkun olam projects around Rishon like a seder for Tu b'shvat for people with disabilities, selling pins for Yom ha'atzma'ut for the Elem organization for kids in danger, and collecting 250 groceries to donate to needy families for shavuot in our June seminar with dillers from all around the country.
Ari: The metro-lezion group met in NJ for the first time in April. With the aid of facebook, we were already able to identify each other during our initial meeting. We spent the 10 days taking care of our individual Israelis and even took them to school with us one day to show them how education works in America.
Mor: When we, Israelis arrived to New Jersey, we felt like home. They received us so well in the community and in our host families. We felt that pride of being Jewish, Israeli feelings that gets so strong when you're away from home. We prepared an Israeli day at a Hebrew school where we showed the children what is in Israel for us. We did kabalat shabat at a nursing home which soon became a Yiddish party! And of course, we participated in J serve - a huge community volunteer event!
Of course he was also a lot of fun! We visited New York, we did ice skating, watched a game of NBA, and more great things !!!
Ari: After the mifgash, it became real to us that we would soon be with our new friends in our homeland, Israel. The first week of our trip was just with the American cohort, and started off in the North with some great scenery and meaningful history lessons. Each night we'd have a "ma'agal lilah" to reflect on the day's events, which allowed us to take in all of our experiences and appreciate everything to the fullest. The following week was the Diller Congress, a four day long event with all the American and Israeli cohorts together. This congress provided us not only with great performances such as Avram Infeld and "The Shuk" band, but with heated debates regarding Jewish identity and what truly defines one's connection to Judaism.
The last week of our trip here in Israel was our Kaitana for children in the Ramat Eliyahu community. As an American who does not speak much Hebrew, it was extremely challenging to lead activities and control a group of young children who did not always behave themselves. After the first day, however, I was able to use my leadership skills that I learned from Diller to communicate with and lead my group of 8 year olds through various games and sports. It was such a nice feeling seeing the entire camp erupt in song when singing our "Shir haKaitana". By the end of the 5 days, I felt so accomplished to have successfully brightened some of these kids' summers. Our group bonded over the difficult task, and it was a truly amazing sight to see all of us working together doing community service while utilizing our leadership skills from Diller.
Mor: Meeting the Americans again in Israel was great! We could show them our lives, our family, our friends, our Israel. Our volunteer together at the keitana in Ramat Eliyahu was enriching and amazing. It concluded our amazing year and everything we have been through. Each of us brought his powerful features and together we made an amazing survival keitana! There's nothing like the satisfaction you get when you act and do for your community and for the people around you!
Ari: Now we are here, a few hours from the Americans' flight home. We may never all be together in one place again, but our journey is not even close to being over. Yes, we may be leaving each other, but our shared mission remains, and that is to be great Jewish leaders in our respective communities, and to simply do good in the world. We will always be together in spirit, and are always here for each other when we may need a valuable leadership resource, or even just as good friends. I'm positive that we will all see each other again, especially now that all of us Americans feel such a strong connection to Israel, and feel the passion that will bring us back here many times in the future. We must not be upset that the Israel Summer Seminar has come to an end, but must appreciate the once in a lifetime experience that we were so fortunate to share together, and the existence of programs like Diller that bring Americans and Israelis together who share a common Jewish bond. I am so thankful that all of you here tonight are a part of my life, and have absolutely no regrets about anything these past 3 weeks. Thank you.
Ari: Shalom mor filo my first israeli Haverah!
Mor:How are you ari?
Ari:Sababa egozim .How are you Mor Filo?
Mor: I’m great! It’s so amazing to be here after such an amazing year!
Ari: I could not agree more, this year has been beyond incredible! The Americans started out their year with high expectations to become the next generation of great Jewish leaders. We met countless times before meeting the Israelis ,and strengthened our bonds as Americans through weekend long shabbatons and intense conversations regarding Jewish identities. As a Jewish teen in Montclair, nj ,a town with a small Jewish population, I've Always struggled with my Jewish identity. The American cohort within itself has given me such pride to be Jewish in America, and has given me the privilege of being surrounded by such incredible teens who never fail to inspire me to go above and beyond.
Mor: Us Israelis started the year with a shabbaton in Jerusalem, clueless about what this program would eventually mean to us. We started with a discussion comparing our Jewish vs Israeli identities. This shabbaton was the beginning of our journey to find out who we are as individuals; a journey that technically ends today, but for us will never end. We did many tikkun olam projects around Rishon like a seder for Tu b'shvat for people with disabilities, selling pins for Yom ha'atzma'ut for the Elem organization for kids in danger, and collecting 250 groceries to donate to needy families for shavuot in our June seminar with dillers from all around the country.
Ari: The metro-lezion group met in NJ for the first time in April. With the aid of facebook, we were already able to identify each other during our initial meeting. We spent the 10 days taking care of our individual Israelis and even took them to school with us one day to show them how education works in America.
Mor: When we, Israelis arrived to New Jersey, we felt like home. They received us so well in the community and in our host families. We felt that pride of being Jewish, Israeli feelings that gets so strong when you're away from home. We prepared an Israeli day at a Hebrew school where we showed the children what is in Israel for us. We did kabalat shabat at a nursing home which soon became a Yiddish party! And of course, we participated in J serve - a huge community volunteer event!
Of course he was also a lot of fun! We visited New York, we did ice skating, watched a game of NBA, and more great things !!!
Ari: After the mifgash, it became real to us that we would soon be with our new friends in our homeland, Israel. The first week of our trip was just with the American cohort, and started off in the North with some great scenery and meaningful history lessons. Each night we'd have a "ma'agal lilah" to reflect on the day's events, which allowed us to take in all of our experiences and appreciate everything to the fullest. The following week was the Diller Congress, a four day long event with all the American and Israeli cohorts together. This congress provided us not only with great performances such as Avram Infeld and "The Shuk" band, but with heated debates regarding Jewish identity and what truly defines one's connection to Judaism.
The last week of our trip here in Israel was our Kaitana for children in the Ramat Eliyahu community. As an American who does not speak much Hebrew, it was extremely challenging to lead activities and control a group of young children who did not always behave themselves. After the first day, however, I was able to use my leadership skills that I learned from Diller to communicate with and lead my group of 8 year olds through various games and sports. It was such a nice feeling seeing the entire camp erupt in song when singing our "Shir haKaitana". By the end of the 5 days, I felt so accomplished to have successfully brightened some of these kids' summers. Our group bonded over the difficult task, and it was a truly amazing sight to see all of us working together doing community service while utilizing our leadership skills from Diller.
Mor: Meeting the Americans again in Israel was great! We could show them our lives, our family, our friends, our Israel. Our volunteer together at the keitana in Ramat Eliyahu was enriching and amazing. It concluded our amazing year and everything we have been through. Each of us brought his powerful features and together we made an amazing survival keitana! There's nothing like the satisfaction you get when you act and do for your community and for the people around you!
Ari: Now we are here, a few hours from the Americans' flight home. We may never all be together in one place again, but our journey is not even close to being over. Yes, we may be leaving each other, but our shared mission remains, and that is to be great Jewish leaders in our respective communities, and to simply do good in the world. We will always be together in spirit, and are always here for each other when we may need a valuable leadership resource, or even just as good friends. I'm positive that we will all see each other again, especially now that all of us Americans feel such a strong connection to Israel, and feel the passion that will bring us back here many times in the future. We must not be upset that the Israel Summer Seminar has come to an end, but must appreciate the once in a lifetime experience that we were so fortunate to share together, and the existence of programs like Diller that bring Americans and Israelis together who share a common Jewish bond. I am so thankful that all of you here tonight are a part of my life, and have absolutely no regrets about anything these past 3 weeks. Thank you.
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