You're Gonna Hear Us ROAR! November 22-24, 2013

[Prologue]
Dear Parents and Readers,
We decided to keep a blog of all our experiences this year in Diller and share with you the learning we undergo. This blog is dedicated to discussing our activities and expressing our opinions on the latest news and events in Diller. Enjoy, discuss, and feel free to share with your other family and friends!

The Dillers all met on Friday afternoon, where they all greeted each other and loaded the bus. Then the Bus Committee lead fun icebreaking activities like assigned seating partners and questions to discuss. When the bus finally arrived at Fairview Lake, the group unloaded the bus with their personal belongings and headed to their rooms to put their things away. After bundling up, the Dillers headed to the CIT center for a fun night.

Why did the Dillers cross the road? To get to the CIT center!!!

When we first got to the CIT center we lit the candles, a beautiful way to welcome Shabbat. The program planned by the Shabbat Rituals Committee was a really great way to start the Shabbaton! Shortly after, our amazing staff had a spectacular program planned for us. We all walked around silently reading parts of the Kabbalat Shabbat service. Under the Hebrew was a translation and then a question, designed to make us think about how the prayers relate to us. Then, the Dillers had a discussion about how we enjoyed the alternative Kabbalat Shabbat service. After some more activities the Dillers said Kiddush which was beautifully lead by Ross and Meredith, and dug into their Shabbat dinners. The night continued with programs run by Nitay, Juliet, Anais and Max. To end the night, the Dillers gathered together for Ma’agal Laila (Night Circle). The activity was meaningful to many; each person chose a Dr. Seuss quote and explained to the group why it was relative and meaningful to them. We also received amazing letters from Diller 6, imparting their wisdom and advice to us for the next 15 months together.

Back at the bunk, the Dillers sat together in the common room where everyone relaxed and snacked (what bonds teenagers more than food?) Then the girls and boys headed off to their separate rooms for a night of sleep.

I want to personally thank everyone who made the weekend so memorable, it was a weekend that I will never forget. Juliet and Nitay, you two are the best JC’s I could ever ask for I feel so blessed to have you in our group! Max, (AKA DJ KIASK DROP THAT BEAT) thanks for joining us this weekend, it meant a lot to have our great grand JC with us. Anais, your smile lights up a room and everytime I see you my mood is instantly lifted. Lastly, but never least: Leah, you are the most wonderful, special, kind, coordinator out there. Thank you for everything that you do for us. Oh yeah! How could I forget? My dear friends, this weekend I was nervous that we wouldn't get along. I was worried that it would be awkward and I would feel lonely. Thank you for alleviating those fears through your caring, warm, friendly personalities. You are a group of people who make me feel comfortable, loved and welcome. I love you all, and can’t wait for the rest of our year together.

- Meredith Weinerman

Saturday

Saturday morning we woke up and breakfast was waiting for us in the common room. Following that was a group meditation led by our phenomenal Israeli Staff Anais. She had all of us lie on our backs as she led us through a relaxing journey, one in which we were cognizant of the world around us but not fully present in the room. It was an incredible experience, and another alternative Shabbat experience (if you were lucky enough to stay awake that early in the morning, that is!). It put us in a different, more peaceful and united mental space for the day to come. After meditation Anais led us in another interesting activity where we paired up and had to feel our partner’s energy by looking deeply into his or her eyes until we could mirror each other without one being the leader. It was amazing and the beginning of a morning devoted to group bonding. 

We then bundled up and headed out of our new home to the field across the road, where we played a few games and were met by Elise. She led us through various trust exercises in the woods at the camp’s facilities. The first activity was a blindfolded walk, where your partner from earlier had to guide you along a path. This was relatively simple to start us off, (unless you were like me, i.e. dumbfounded when it comes to telling right from left!), but it eased us into relying on each other. Next, we headed over to a dual wire setup where we had to walk along these wires, one partner on each, and lean in to support ourselves as the wires got further apart. This required a lot more trust, and was a lot of fun. Most of us did well, but we were all shown up by Leah and Max when they tried after us! We then went to a clearing with two trees and a log about six feet up between them. It was our job to get the whole group over the log to the other side. Using our brawny Diller boys, we got everyone over safely - though I’m not sure I would say gracefully! This activity in particular created a lot more trust in the group, and helped us bond and support each other through embarrassing moments. The last stop was called an acid river, and we had to get across a patch of land walking only on cinder blocks and planks of wood. This required some creative thinking, and resulted in trios of us squeezing together on cinder blocks while planks were being moved. Forcing us to work together and lean on each other, these activities contributed to the trust in the developing bonds we were creating.

We went on to have lunch at the CIT center and do a few activities, including acting out the week’s Torah Portion in groups. The Torah Portion being the story of Joseph being deserted by his brothers, our acting and attempted accents resulted in the addition of funny Italian and Australian characters to the story. We discussed the forgiveness of Jacob’s brothers and had some fun before we headed back to our cabin for some free time.

We had time to relax, do homework, or play games back at the cabin and it was one of the highlights of the weekend. Max brought out a game called Jungle Speed, which resulted in hilarity as it intensified. Everyone was playing cards, snacking, hanging out and warming up while we bonded. We were already very comfortable with each other, and our budding friendships gave us a glimpse into what the future would hold for us as a group. Before we left the cabin to head back over to CIT, it began snowing and we ran out to greet the snow together as a new Diller family.

- Claire Singer

Saturday Night and Sunday

After dinner we all went outside and took part a very spiritual reciting of havdala. This is where everything got a little crazy. We were told to put our coats on, and then we were each  handed a blindfold, one of Leah’s scarves-that hopefully she got back. Then we were put into a single file line, and told to hold onto the shoulders of the person in front of us. What ensued after that was simply amazing. We were marched into the forest in the freezing cold and snow. We couldn’t see anything in front of us; all we had was trust in each other to keep us safe. After about 15 minutes of blind walking we arrived at our destination. We were sat down one by one, and each given two glow sticks. After everyone was seated but still blind, we were debriefed by Nitay and Juliet on what was about to transpire. The first thing we would do was remove our blindfolds. Then each of us had to shout out our deepest fear, and after that we each cracked one of our glow sticks. After everyone shared their fears, we then individually shared something that defines us as people and cracked the second glow stick. This activity was truly a unifying experience, and really made everyone share something with the group that they usually wouldn't share at this time in their relationships. For me personally, I know I will never forget this part of the shabbaton, and I’m sure it was meaningful to everyone else as well.

We then headed back to the bunk, and had free time before curfew. This time was spent laughing, with Anais playing guitar and singing, all of us hanging out, and the evening ending with the Diller Mitzvah song which everyone got a kick out of. Overall, we were creating strong bonds for the upcoming year.

When it was time for curfew, the boys and girls headed back to their respective parts of the bunk. Little did everyone know that the boys had no intention of going to sleep for a few hours. The boys became deeply engrossed in conversation, and this was no quiet conversation. The girls were up talking and bonding as well in their room, but they managed to do so quietly. The boys were then warned multiple times by Juliet, Nitay, and Anais. After a while they realized the boys were too busy bonding instead of sleeping.. Though this might have been a strenuous process for our Staff, it made for some great laughter and long lasting friendships.

On Sunday to start the morning off we had feedback on the Shabbaton, and committee placement. The general consensus on the Shabbaton was very positive. When the bus finally arrived we piled on quickly as it was extremely cold. As we arrived at the federation we had a great surprise in store for us, it was Diller 6!! It was amazing to see how close they were with one another after going through the entirety of the program. Hopefully our group is like that also. 

We had a brief meeting with the Tzameret Gap Year Program in Israel which made everyone think for a second about after high school plans regarding a gap year in Israel and college. Then we all participated in the creation of a music video that will be sent to our Israeli cohort. Thank you to Diller 6 for helping us with that!! It will also be the first time our Israeli cohort sees us, so hopefully it makes a good impression!

- Greg Artman

Watch the video we made for our friends in Rishon LeZion!