Yad Vashem and Mega Evening

Today the Dillers visited Yad VaShem, the Holocaust museum in Israel. We had a very meaningful experience learning about the history. It was also really amazing to  hear about individual stories. We reflected on the importance of passing on our knowledge to our children so that another Holocaust doesn't happen. Then after our bagels, we headed to the mega event! It was amazing to meet all the North American and Israeli Dillers. It was awesome to have workshops with friends from all over the world. The best part is we all have one big thing in common, our love for Diller Teen Fellows. We discussed the importance of family (blood related or otherwise), and where our roots stem from. The night ended with a fun concert where many Dillers got up and danced on stage. It was a memory that we will never forget.
p.s. HAPPY 18th birthday Seth!

Desert Day

Hey everyone! Sorry we've been spotty with updates-wifi is a commodity and we haven't had access to computers while we're traveling. We will post about last shabbat soon, but here's a post about the day after, this past Sunday. More to come soon!!!


After being woken up at 4 am, we all struggled to get dressed and prepare for a long day ahead of us. We took a bus to Masada and hiked up a steep path, able to make it to the top just in time to watch the sun rise. It was moving and after taking plenty of pictures, we all watched in awe. The group learned about the history of Masada and then toured An Gedi later in the day. We were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery and swim in a small waterfall. Next stop- Dead Sea. Many complaints were made about the "burning sensation" that the water caused. But after much discussion, we came to a conclusion that it was a "good burn". A two hour bus ride later, we arrived in Jerusalem. Excitement is in store for what this magical city will bring for us. 

It's Finally Here

After months of anticipation and planning, Diller 7 finally boarded the bus to JFK full of excitement after we said goodbye to our parents. Once we arrived at the airport, the 18 of us went through the check in process, went through security and found the gate- with an hour and a half to spare! We split up to buy food for the flight- many of us decided to visit the friendly terminal Shake Shack for one last burger, others visited Hudson News for magazines or gum. The excitement was high as we boarded our El Al flight (and saw a menorah wishing us a Happy Hanukkah!) and got settled. Our flight didn't take off for a little while, which gave us the perfect opportunity to take lots of pictures. The flight was fairly uneventful- lots of movie watching,  eating, and  only some sleeping. As we began our decent into Israel, it finally dawned on us that we were about to embark on a journey we had waited so long to have- and the trip has yet to disappoint. At the airport we saw Shiri and Leah, and as we arrived at the Agaf (their federation) we were surprised to see Anais there waiting for us. And then, as we walked upstairs, we all started looking for closets. Now you may be wondering- why on earth would a bunch of jet lagged teens be looking for closets? It's because in April, when the Israelis came to the US, we surprised them by jumping out of closets. Well, we found one. And yes, our Israelis were inside. It was so nice to see them all again- and as soon as we reunited, it was time to go home with our host families for our first Shabbat in Israel. I'm writing this after being with my hosts for a few hours- if my whole trip is going to be this great, then I can't wait!

Shabbat shalom and we miss you all!
Micaela Kaplan/ DJ Kaplan Crunch


See the vlog from our first day here: http://cameo.tv/c/tEMicZZ0

The First Shabbaton: Through New Eyes

It was Friday at 2:16 when I was waiting patiently for my school’s dismissal bell to ring. I was so excited yet very unsure of what the upcoming weekend had in store for me. My father picked me up and we began our drive to the Federation building. My stomach was filled with butterflies. As many of you may know, I was just joining Diller so this was going to be the first time meeting everyone! Many thoughts were running through my mind at the time. Were they going to like me? Was I going to fit in? As I entered the federation building, I was greeted by so many friendly faces eager to meet me and my worries disappeared. I was now ready to begin my amazing weekend.

 

Everyone quickly piled onto the bus and began filling the bus with talk and laughter. It became instantly apparent to me that this was one amazing group of people. When we arrived we had to quickly change for Shabbat, which I can say was a pretty hard task for the girls! Although cold outside, together we made the weather and atmosphere warm.

 

I am not very religious so I was very curious of what the Shabbat service was going to be like. Surprisingly, that service was honestly one of the best I have ever experienced. Combined with everyone’s favorite poems, songs and prayers, all the Dillers sang and listened together. Our night wrapped up with a delicious Friday night dinner and then our first Maagal! Maagal means circle in Hebrew and before we would be able to get into the circle, all the Dillers had to take an extra-unique step. Blind-folded, we all walked out of the cabin holding on to the person in front of us. Through communication and trust we successfully completed that difficult task and were finally into our first Maagal.

 

We started the next morning with a beautiful morning prayer called Modeh Ani that focuses on being thankful for the day we have been given. We then spent our day discussing the situations other Jewish people face in different countries. We realized how grateful we are to have been raised here, where we haven’t faced such extreme forms of violence like others have to endure. As young Jewish leaders, we must represent the Jewish people and to encourage understanding and coexistence.

 

We then moved our way to a low-ropes course which focused on using team-work to accomplish different tasks. I learned that without an open-mind, these tasks would be impossible to accomplish. Our day concluded with our second maagal that really touched my heart. We all first shared an item that we each brought representing what we are most grateful for. From their objects I learned a lot about my fellow Dillers. We then opened the maagal where anyone could share whatever they wanted. This forum of trust and openness brought us closer as a group.

 

Sunday, we learned about our  self-management shabbaton which got many of us very excited. Most of the boys were already thinking about what food they wanted to bring and how many bags of twix they would need. When we got back to the Federation building, we were met by Dillers from cohort 7 who helped us record a video to introduce us to our Israeli counterpart. We sang and danced to a “Dillerized” version of Taylor Swift’s Shake it Off. We ended the weekend by having an open discussion with Diller 7.  We talked about their experience with the North American seminar and how they succeeded in their self-management shabbaton. Their experiences were really good to hear considering we will be embarking on the same journeys. I ended my first shabbaton being happier then ever. I couldn’t stop telling my parents my wonderful stories and the truly amazing friends I had made. I can’t wait for the rest of the year and to see the growth of the group and of every individual teen. Lillie wasn’t lying, Diller 8 is GREAT!

-Arielle Rosenberg