Day 5: A Day of Good Deeds - March 17, 2013

Today, everyone had an amazing time at Good Deeds Day! It was an amazing day full of volunteering, eating, and just enjoying time with our Diller counterparts from half way across the world.  Every Diller went to volunteer with their family and their Israeli different places: such as the Jewish Relief Fund, planting flowers, painting a nursery, and much more.  It was exciting to be able to volunteer for the first time with our Israelis as it was something that we have never done together before!  For example; my Israeli, another Diller and his Israeli, and I packed boxes with food for Passover for families.  Then, after all the boxes were packed, the family went to deliver the food to a house.  It was a wonderful feeling to give the box to the household and to hear them say thank you for our deed.

Afterward, everyone met in the Federation at Whippany for a lunch celebrating Good Deeds Day with pizza, pasta, and salad.  All the parents and the Dillers had an amazing time just talking and eating and spending the free time that we have all together.  We enjoyed a small presentation that the Good Deeds Day staff put together and then we said good bye to our parents and other Good Deeds Day volunteers to get down to business in our Diller joint programming.  

We began our Diller programming with a Afternoon Ma'agal/Circle, and had a check in.  We talked about a rose, a thorn, and a bud: a positive experience, a challenge, and something that we are looking forward to.  A rose for most people were the connections we have made.  A thorn was stresses such as not being able to get our school work done.  A popular bud was our Shabbaton that we are all looking forward to next weekend and the Israel Summer Seminar! Israel is so far away, but actually it is closer than we all think.  Today, we already started making plans for our camp and seminar we are running during the summer! It is going to be an especially amazing summer as we are actually going to be running 2 summer experiences in Israel: A Day Camp for Ethiopian elementary aged children and a Overnight Seminar on Tikun Olam/Social Justice for Ethiopian middle-school aged kids. We were split into committees: Counselor, Enrichment, or Coordinators and Spirit. Thinking about the summer already has already gotten everyone excited for what is to come during the summer!As the last part of our workshop today, the Israeli Leader of the Day, Gal, ran a competition like Master Chef.  Together, we all made our delicious dinner: hummus, shaksuka, Israeli salad, and malawach.  The winner of the competition… durmroll please… was the salad group! After a long, amusing day with our fellow Dillers, it was time to go home with our Israelis until next time. 
- Michael Paisner