An End and A Beginning: From Community Week to Kennes - July 30. 2013

Today started with a big surprise. Michael (Israeli Mike) and I (Lindsey) lead a group activity without any staff! We were told there would be a surprise for both Americans and Israelis, but we weren't allowed to know what the surprise was. We found out this morning when we got to the Youth Department and that part of the surprise was that the staff wouldn't be there. We were given a task to watch a clip about Randy Pausch and his message to the world.  

Pausch discusses everything he wanted his children to know after his pancreatic cancer had taken his life. It includes stories of his childhood, lessons he wants his children to learn, and things he wants his children to know about him. He repeatedly stresses that one should have fun in everything one does, that one should live life to its fullest because one never knows when it might be taken. 

After the clip we had to find two envelopes telling us what we needed to do. The second envelope told us we had 2 hours left in Rishon ans we can chose what it is we want to do with it, along with some rules. We were told to meet back at the youth department at 11:30. After a long debate, MetroLeZion decided to split up into two main groups. One group went to a big park nearby, while the other group went to Yad Levanin, a museum that is dedicated the t fallen soldiers from Rishon LeZion. 

Later on in the day we started our journey to Kennes. We had an opening ceremony and met the different cohorts from North America. Many of us started to create new friendships and can't wait to meet and bond with many more people throughout Kennes and Congress, when the Israelis join us.

- Lindsey Blenden  

Surfs Up! - July 29, 2013

Today was a very exciting day as it was not only full of surprises but it also marks the end of the first half of our "trip of a lifetime" and the last day of community week. This morning we had to get up very, very early to catch our tour bus to Palchim, a private beach on a kibbutz near Rishon. The Dillers thought that a day at the beach was the suprise that Rotem and I had casually mentioned before but in reality our suprise was a day full of surfing, beach games, and fun! When we arrived at the beach we were all anxious because many of us had never been surfing before but soon after we talked to the instructors we were to be working with, all the anxiety melted away and was replaced with complete excitement. There were 4 stations to rotate between: beach volleyball, beach soccer, an intro to surfing on land, and then the real thing. It was so much fun to be out in our surf shirts riding the waves. After the half hour of trying to stand almost the whole group was successful in catching at least one wave. I was not that lucky but they were big waves and I'm a little girl, so riding in on my knees a couple times still felt like success :). After every group went surfing we tanned, had some lunch, and just hung out together on the beach. It was a really amazing experience that I feel privileged to have participated in, even though I'll probably be picking sand out of my hair for a couple weeks.

At around 2 we reluctantly gathered our belongings and headed back to our respective homes for some free time. After very sandy showers, most of the Dillers went shopping in different malls around Rishon to relax before our big farewell dinner with all the Israeli host families. We met again at 7:30 for food, friends, and goodbyes. We left the ceremony spreading gratitude to all the families for their wonderful hospitality as well as some Diller behind the scenes coordinators. It was an amazing week with new relationships that will hopefully last beyond the Israeli Summer Seminar and so many memories we will never forget.

- Lauren Goldman

P.S. Shoutout to the   Tobster, Gershon, Zachy and Grady I miss you guys tons xoxo

Check out the video from the closing ceremony made by out wonderful JCs!

                                 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAiLFOMLCcU&sns=em

The Experience of Others: July 28, 2013

Today was a very meaningful day to many of the Diller Fellows. We began the day at the Youth Center in Rishon and did an activity that posed the question of whether it is "easier" to be a host or a guest and explored the relationship between host and guest. We then read a passage from the Bible that had do with our discussion, and acted out the situation. It was a thought-provoking exercise that set the mood for the rest of our day where we learned about ourselves and how we should act as   a host and guest.  

After leaving the Youth Center, we traveled to the Children's Musuem in Cholon. Before enterig we did an activity similar to charades that demonstrated the importance of body language in communication and the ability to overcome obstacles using different forms of communication when the obvious means are not available to you.

Then we entered the exhibit that we were going to "view" which is called "dialogue in the dark." Individuals are led by blind or visually impaired individuals through an exhibit that is pitch black- nothing is visible. It was an interesting experience that has affected me in several ways. It has put into perspective the difficulties of the blind in an obvious and more realistic way. It has also showed me that blind individuals are no different than anyone else. My tour guide, Sarah, was very friendly and had a bubbly and outgoing personality. Although she has always had poor vision, she has not let that facet of herself become dominant. Her voice was resonant and powerful. It was very easy to trust her and let her guide me. At the end of the tour she said that "everyone has flaws – mine happens to be my sight." The statement supports the idea that those physically and mentally handicapped are no different than anyone else and that each and every one of us has a flaw, whether or not it is obvious at first glance.

After the tour in the museum, the group was given free time to spend in Jaffa. I had a lot of fun walking around the old city. The architecture is beautiful and the views of the Mediterranean Sea are breathtaking, to the point where I had a least 15 pictures of the same view. 

Later that evening we dined at Café Kapish, a small restaurant where the servers are deaf. It was an interesting experience and I was able to learn some sign language, including how to say thank you, bon appétit, and good bye. 

- Eric Kaden

P.S.: Shout out to my parents Ian and Monica who are currently in France. I hope you love it there!

The Rishon LeZion Experience – July 26 & 27, 2013

שבת שלום!

Rishon LeZion: before today all I knew was that it was one of the biggest cities in Israel and that it is where the other half of my Diller family lives.  However, today we learned more through an amazing race, a movie, and in a little shack in the middle ofRishon.  Translated into English, Rishon LeZion means the first to Zion.  It was the first Jewish settlement in the Holy Land in about 2000 years.  It was able to find water by digging a well deeper than 30 meters (100 feet), which was located in the little shack.  The Amazing Race had all 40 Dillers running around a historic part of Rishon. We discovered it was the birthplace of Hatikva, the Israeli national anthem.  Our race brought us to the first synagogue in Rishon where the first Hebrew school was established to create a Hebrew speaking society.  We even took a stop at the winery inRishon, the biggest in Israel, and crushed grapes ourselves as part of a task.  

After a very long, stressful week of running a kaytana (camp), running a seminar, and running around Rishon, the Dillers were looking for a much needed day of rest, which came in the form of Shabbat.  The Dillers were taken by their amazing host families to spend a Shabbat with them and to experience a Shabbat like an Israeli would, something that many haven’t done before.  On Saturday, many of us either slept in, went to temple, or went to an exciting place in Israel such as the kinneret, the beach, or Haifa.

After spending quality time with the host families, we were all excited to see each other again.  We met to go to a Mayumana show in Jaffa.  They created music not with just instruments, but by using the audience, beat boxing, or hitting their own bodies.  The Rishon coordinator Keren was even taken from the audience to be part of the show as the pretty woman.  It was a wonderful Shabbat and hopefully everyone got their much needed rest in order to have an incredible week ahead!

 

- Michael Paisner

P.S. I miss you mom and dad and everyone else back home!  Hope you are doing well!

P.S.S. Yes mom, I am wearing sunscreen!

From Talk to Action!!! - July 25, 2013

Today we woke up bright and early to get to our respective places, whether that meant Kaytana (Day Camp) or Seminar. After a long night of dancing at the headphone party, a good night's rest was definitely needed. Once we got to the Kaytana we set up everything for the chanichim (campers), and started the last day of the camp. We brought in a drum circle specialist to entertain and teach the chanichim about music. It was clear that the kids were enjoying the treat, and maybe some of the counselors a little too much. 

After the drum circle sessions, we had a giant dance party. Everyone had a lot of fun, and it was actually a great way to say goodbye to the chanichim. Then there was the closing ceremony, and just like that, the kaitana was over. It's a bittersweet feeling because however exhausting the work is, it's really an amazing experience and you can see the impact you make on these kids.

After all of the chanichim from the Kaytana left for the last time, we separated into volunteering groups together with the chanichim of the Seminar. Some of us cleaned beaches, while others visited children at a hospital, or sold Israel pins to contribute to children at risk. It was a very rewarding exerience, and we also managed to laugh a lot and have fun. It was even more special because for the last three days, the Ethiopian chanichim of the the Seminar spent the past three days talking about Tikun Olam with the Dillers, and now, all the talk was put into action. When we were done volunteering, we all came back to the matnas and went to enjoy the rest of the evening with our host families. I, personally had an amazing night at the Hapoel Tel Aviv soccer game!!

- Coby Bernstein

Sam's Section of The Super Summer Seminar - July 24, 2013

Hey all! Today was amazing. As a counselor in this seminar that teaches its participants about the value of Tikun Olam, I have much more respect for all of the current Diller counselors. Yes, the chanichim (campers) are a pleasure to meet, teach, and learn from, but attending to their needs along with the schedule has been taxing for all of us. As the seminar progresses, however, we are developing more intimate bonds with our wonderful chanichim and, in turn, learning about their backgrounds and values which precipitated from their childhood in Ramat Teleyahu (an underprivileged Ethiopian neighborhood in Rishon Le Zion). We are truly blessed to have this experience and we have all learned from this once in a lifetime opportunity! 

Aside from the physical interaction with the chanichim, all of us are enjoying the time we get to spend together as a complete Metro-LeZion cohort. It is truly refreshing to spend time with our Israeli counterparts, whom we have dearly missed, and to rekindle the relationships made approximately 100 days ago. It's truly amazing how much Hebrew we are all able to learn from being in this situation. That being said, the language barrier also presents an array of challenges which we creatively overcome in order to share with each other. I am truly astonished how this wonderful program opens my eyes to aspects of my world as a Jew, which are far from my home of New Jersey; the magnificent land of Israel.

Shout out to my parents, Amy and Loren Grossman! I miss you and I hope all is well in New Jersey. As you can see, I'm having a awesome time!!

- Sam Grossman

From Planning to Action!- July 23, 2013

Most of the Dillers, including myself, woke up very tired this morning because it was our first night at our host families, and who can go to sleep when your Israeli best friend is right there next to you? 

This morning all of the Dillers split up into two different groups for the camp or seminar. Both the Rishon-ers and the Metro West-ians have been working on either a children's camp or teenage community service based seminar/ camp for Ethiopian Israelis. 

Even with all the planning, there were some complications that we couldn't foresee for the day-camp which meant that we had to change  everything; location, participants and schedule. None the less, all went very well. The rest  the Americans and I were a little worried and clueless when we walked into tons of young kids running around and jabbering in Hebrew. It is obvious that the Americans couldn't have done this without the Israelis to break the language barrier, but even without talking, it was a lot of fun. The young Israeli kids were very intrigued with me and the rest of the americans. In broken English they had tons of questions about us and our life. 

Today at the camp we had America Day. There were stations where the campers took part in games relating to American sports, food, etc... and by lunch time, the camp ended and the kids went home. They were very excited for the next day, (at least they seemed excited.) The camp met up with the seminar at a location where the seminar is held and also where we are sleeping.  Soon after we had free time to hang out and have dinner. Today as a very fun, rewarding experience. As always, we ended the day with a ma'agal  lilah, (night circle) to reflect on our day.

- Seth Appel

P.S. Mom, stop complaining to Evan that I haven't called yet. 

The Reality of Israel and Welcome to Rishon! - July 22, 2013

Today was the most stressful but amazing day of the trip so far. We woke up this morning nice and late (8:00 AM) and we began our day. It started with a quick breakfast and then we left our hotel in Tel Aviv heading South, to a less nice area of the city - as the guide put it, "the wrong side of the tracks". The place we headed was a secular Yeshiva called Binah. Normally we assosciate Yeshivas with orthodoxy and a strict following of the Halacha, however this Yeshiva is quite unordinary. To begin, the Yeshiva does not have a Kosher kitchen and it teaches about Jewish law/philosophy from a non-Jewish perspective, using modern Hebrew (secular) texts, as well as texts from other religions. On top of that, the normal Yeshiva agenda is to encourage stronger faith and Jewish practices, whereas this Yeshiva's goal is to use Jewish morals to repair the community. Going off of that idea, the Yeshiva does a lot of Tikkun Olam service in the community, working with Darfurian, Sudanese and Eritreran refugees seeking political asylum. 

To really show us how tough life in this area is, our guide, Moshe, showed us around the local park where there were many homeless people, and the local mall/bus station resembled a ghost town. He explained to us the history of the area, and how ever since the community was founded in the 1920's, it has been struggling, and despite the city's greatest efforts, it continues to struggle today. Another interesting topic that we addressed today at the Yeshiva was the idea of giving thanks to G-d. We studied chapter 26 of Deuteronomy, where it explains what to do with the first harvest of the year. We learned that the common belief is that we give thanks and sacrifice our fruits to G-d, but in fact, we are meant to share the food with those who cannot provide for themselves, including the strangers and priests among us. The reason behind this is that the priest cannot own his own land, and the stranger cannot own his own land, and we are sharing our crop with them because it reminds us that like our forefather Abraham, who was not only a stranger in the land of Canaan, but he wasn't permitted to own land, we can also be the stranger and the one in need. Thus, we are empathetic to those around us and share our food with the Levite and the Stranger to remember Abraham and our roots. 

After this activity we headed back on the bus to go to Rishon! The 20+ minute car ride felt like it was hours because we were all so excited to see our Rishonim. When we first got to the bus stop where they met us, we hugged and shouted and took pictures, and really ticked off some old lady waiting for the bus. 

Then we headed to the Youth Center and we had a short party/snack break. After that, we went straight to work. Both the Seminar and the Camp staff had a lot to do in order to prepare ourselves for tomorrow (Tuesday). We were updated on some complications with the camp and we learned the life lesson that things don't always go as planned and you just have to pick your feet up, regroup, reorganize, and make the best of it. We had to put our heads together and re- plan in a mere 2 hours. It  seemed impossible, but hey, we're MetroLezion and we can handle anything. After what I believe were the 2 most stressful hours of the trip/Diller year, we got picked up by our host families and went home for dinner. Then later that night, many of us went to the beach to see a light show for Tu B'av - Israeli Valentine's Day - where we had fun on the beach, got ice cream, and got marveled at for our American accents. Over all, this was not only an extremely thought provoking day, but it also was loads of fun and very exciting. Personally, I can't wait for tomorrow to see how the camp goes and I'm looking forward to really making an impact in this community!

- Josh Cohen

P.S. Choch, I'm doing fine and Leah is the best!

P.P.S. Michal says "Hi!"

Happy Tu B'Av (Israeli Valentine's Day). Leah!

From Tragedy to Hope - July 21, 2013

We set out bright and early for what was bound to be an emotional day. It began with Yad Vashem, Israel's national holocaust memorial. Our tour began with what was a surprise to many of us- rather than the traditional tour guide telling us about the righteous gentiles (Non-Jews who saved Jews during the Holocaust),  Rebecca Bonder told us the story of her Grandfather who had been saved by one during the war. She told us that just a few years ago, her grandfather and the man that saved him were reunited and how special of a moment that was. It was an uplifting and emotional story to hear how in times of great despair, there were people who stood up for what is right. We then continued our journey through Yad Vashem, bearing witness to the horrors of the Holocaust and the bravery of those who fought back. Yet the museum ends with a touching sight. It leaves people with tears that are not only of sadness, but also of joy and pride over what we have accomplished. At the end of Yad Vashem, you find yourself looking out onto the city of Jerusalem, the ancient architecture surrounded by the newer modern buildings, with Israeli flags one can just make out. This sight captures the true essence of the Jewish journey through oppression and persecution to finally having a homeland that we can call our own and stand up and fight for...together.

After looking out to Jerusalem, and swelling with pride over our ability to overcome and prosper, we are confronted with the stark reality of the price of such accomplishments. Outside Yad Vashem, we began our ascent of Har Hertzel, the national military cemetery and burial place of Israels' greatest leaders. At the top of the hill lies Theodor hertzels grave, the father of modern Zionism. A little lower down rest Israel's greatest leaders from Yitzhak Rabin to Golda Meir. The rest of the cemetery holds soldiers who died in defense of the state of Israel. Along the way we stopped at Hannah Senesh's grave where we sang one of her poems, "Eili Eili- Oh Lord My God' who inspired us with her words of looking for the good in life and the beauty of the world around us no matter what. We also stopped at Michael Levin's grave, an American from Philadelphia who actually snuck into an army base multiple times, fighting to be allowed into the paratrooper unit in the army (who continuously fights to be allowed into one of the most intense army units in the army?!). Michael Levin was killed while fighting for Israel in the Second Lebanon war and his mother's words at his funeral said it all: "This is where he wants to be, this is who he is, no regrets". It really hit home that Israel  is our country to see the grave of someone who grew up so close to our homes who was so committed to the preservation of the Jewish state.

Having taken a glance at the price we must pay for a Jewish state, we traveled to its foundation. We visited  independence hall in Tel Aviv and listened to David Ben Gurion's voice declare the Jewish State of Israel while sitting in the very room it happened in. As the recording continued we began singing Ha'tikvah, and our voices joined with those of the people who had stood there 65 years before, tears barely held back, creating a single harmony.

Lastly, we did a scavenger hunt through Tel Aviv, one which forced us to navigate the city, talk to its people, and explore it from a century old cemetery to the thriving Dizengoff mall. This was a fun and exciting way to get to know Tel Aviv through its people and places. 

Like every day before it, today was absolutely amazing, and I can't wait for the rest of the trip!

Hope everyone is doing well in North America!!

- Julian Biller

Sights, Smells and Tastes of Jerusalem on Shabbat -July 20, 2013

Saturday morning, there were two options for progrmmaing: A feminist orthodox synagogue  or a sightseeing tour of Jerusalem with Lior, our tour guide. I chose to do the tour since I've never been to Israel before. Seeing all of these famous buildings that I've seen in countless textbooks in person is so surreal.  Lior pointed out all of the holy places for different religions, it truly is the holiest place on this planet. We had a map that Lior drew on to show us border changes and stuff. He pointed out how close we were to the Rafiah Crossing (where Israel, Egypt, and Gaza meet). He said the only real danger in that spot is being peed on by someone in Gaza, some comic relief. We then walked back to Kiryat Moriah to do a workshop on Language. It was so cool to see how many different words can stem from the same root, definitely something interesting, especially since I want to learn the language. After our free time we walked about an hour to see the alleys of the city. I thought it was so cool how many different layers there were to the city. Just when you thought you were at ground level, there were staircases to go deeper. There is life everywhere. We got to the top layer, and where we were was where all 4 quarters of the city meet. Oh, and us Israel first-timers (Lauren, Josh, Annabelle and I. The others didn't want to hold hands) walked together into the city for the first time. 

It was really special to share that experience with them! We then made our way to the Western Wall, yet another breath-taking experience in one day. The most holy place in the world for Jews. All the Jews in the world were praying towards where I was. Before that, we had havdalah led by yours truly and Eden. We each had our own candles to keep and use to remember all of the amazing times we had. 

Then we walked to the Wall itself. I wrote a note to stick in the wall, I got so close to the wall. It was truly amazing. It was probably the defining moment in my Jewish life. We ran into the Pittsburgh Dillers there to find out we were sharing a bus ride to Ben Yehuda street. Did some bargaining, my grandma would be proud. It was by my favorite day even though it was one of the first. I love this country.

PS- love you mom! Miss you and see you soon. Tell Sara I say have a great time at camp. 

PSS- MISS EVERYONE ELSE!!!