Sunday: Our Last FULL Day

Early Sunday morning, Diller 5 arose from their beds, ready to tackle Israel Day at Temple Sinai. The Israelis got to plan and execute a massive amount of activities for the kids to do, all pertaining to learning about Israel. The Americans quickly jumped on board to help out, and with our new knowledge about Israel and Israeli teens, we too were beyond excited to share with these kids. After sharing all morning and a lunch to refuel, we sat all of the freshman and sophomore students down to have a really special talk - a Diller talk. We spoke from our hearts about the Diller program that has and still currently is changing how we feel about Judaism, and the Jewish people. We tried as best we could to convince these kids that although now they may not have any type of opinion on Israel or Judaism in general, after being in Diller, they would. Even the Israelis, who live in Israel, formed new opinions on their own country after being a part of the Diller program. It was so much fun spending time with the students of Temple Sinai, but also spending time with all the Dillers. Each of us had our own special role, and it was really nice to be working together, as a group.

When we returned from Temple Sinai and back to the Federation, we separated as Americans and Israelis for a Ma'agal. As far as the American Ma'agal went, we discussed the NAS trip in its entirety: what we learned, what we were challenged by, and what we’re going to take away from this experience. To sum up everything about our Ma'agal? Amazing.

Shortly after ending, the Americans dressed their best to set up the farewell dinner, while the Israelis took a trip to the scouts.The farewell committee kept us on track while we folded napkins, spread tablecloths, set up center pieces, wrote out and organized place cards, and much, much more. The farewell committee did an amazing job, and we all hope we did their vision justice.

Just before the Israelis came back from their quick trip, something unexpected happened. The Americans and JCs went into a side room and played the games the Israelis had shown us on those first few days of the trip. And that’s the moment I realized that the Israelis made an impact on us. The fact that we were playing Israeli games without the Israelis, made me realize that the Israelis had taught us so much. From their language, to a basic day at school, to little games to keep us entertained, the Israelis had made their impact on us. And we loved every minute of it.

Before the Israelis arrived, and just as parents were starting to come in, the American Dillers decided it was the perfect time to do an Achim dance! The Achim Dance is definitely a Metro-Le'Zion trademark. The Dillers create one big circle, arms around everyone, and go crazy! We shout, we dance; it’s a true diller party! Afterwards, we gathered around the incoming Israelis who we hugged and kissed as if we hadn’t seen them in years, but really it had only been a couple of hours. We told them to quickly change, as we blocked the entrance to the farewell dinner we had so diligently prepared. We waited for our parents and our Israelis, and together, we entered the Farewell Dinner.

With Diller appearances by nearly all the Dillers, a quick, smoothly executed, text study, a slideshow, gifts to the host families, and Leah’s birthday, the farewell dinner was an overall success. Also, seeing the staff rock out to Leah’s birthday edition of “Glad You Came” was pretty hilarious. Thanks to the farewell committee for putting everything together and making our last dinner with the Israelis in NAS, an absolutely memorable, and amazing experience.

After the dinner, we were all invited to the Resnick’s home for one last Diller NAS party. We laughed, danced, and sang the night away, wishing it could last forjust a little longer. We loved the hosting the Israelis, and would do it all over again in a heart beat. We learned so much from them, and they truly made me realize what an important and amazing thing Israel is. I will never forget the times I spent with Yuval Dafadi, or any of the other Israelis. They all made a mark in me that I will never forget. At this moment, I feel so passionate about Diller. Diller has taught me, and my fellow cohorts what it is to be Jewish. It doesn’t matter your sect, how much Hebrew you know, or whether or not you live in Israel, but how connected you feel. The spirituality of Judaism extends far out of Israel, allowing Jews around the world to be Jews despite wherever they may live. Diller is a life altering experience that has put a new perspective into my life.

On the last night, Yuval Dafadi and I started talking. She asked me a question that I really had to take the time to think about. Would I ever make Aliyah/move to to Israel? After Diller, and everything I have learned, I thought hard about this question. Would I? Do I feel that this new sense of Judaism has pushed me to experience living in Israel? My answer is yes, and no. Yes, I’d want to live in Israel some day, (but don’t tell my parents, I think they’d be heart broken...), but no, it isn’t because I feel more or less Jewish by doing so. Although that realization may seem like nothing, it is truly everything. My entire Jewish life, I assumed that people made Aliyah to Israel because they were more Jewish, or it made them feel more Jewish. After meeting nineteen Jewish teenagers from Israel, I realized that this was not the case. Israel, like Diller, accepts Jews of every kind. Israel is a place like no other on Earth. It is the only Jewish state, and as a Jew, I am proud of Israel. I realized that after these Israelis had spent time in America, they too realized that Israel is a special place. I will never forget logging onto Facebook and reading Chen Wolfson’s status: “I love AMERICA! But my home is ISRAEL!” This stuck with me. The fact that these teenagers could feel such nationalism for their country amazed me. Like any other American, I’m proud to live in a place that accepts all people, and is a mixing pot of every kind of culture, but I definitely do not have the spirit for my country as the Israelis have for Israel. So, back to my original question, although the future is unknown and I’m not sure where it will take me exactly, right now, in this moment, after NAS. The Israelis changed me more than I ever imagined or expected. They are amazing, I love every single one of them, and I will never forget them. Party in Israel!! :)

Halfway through Diller, I feel as though an aliyah could be in my future.

Lots of Diller Love,

RB

Leah's Birthday Poem

To Leah:

Every time we come to Diller we hang with Leah,

It makes us so excited cuz we can’t wait to seeya,

Hangin with each other and learnin’ bout the Jews,

Ending each session with some time to schmooz,

And now we have Israelis for one more night,

Leah’s so excited - now she can sleep tight!

In addition to this, Leah’s laugh is so catchy,

With her sweet style, she’s always so matchy!

She keeps us on track, all the time,

It’s so easy to talk about her, I can even make it rhyme,

She’s funny, she’s a diller, she’s a leader, she’s a friend,

Any problem we have, we know that she can mend,

The messages between us count to 284,

But this is just the beginning... there will surely be more,

You always check up on us to see how we’re doing,

Because when we’re together, you know something is brewing,

Hey wait a minute Diller, mesiba at Leah’s tonight?!

Just kidding you guys, she really needs her sleep, alright?

Leah’s so cool, we’re so glad she’s in our lives,

Everyday at Diller she’s feeding us good vibes,

At our magaal lilah with the candles fully lit,

And with you by our side, Leah, WE’RE DILLER AND WE KNOW IT!

Leah, we love you so much, and that’s all we wanted to say,

Oh and there’s something else... HAVE A GREAT BIRTHDAY!

Friday - March 30

Friday morning started bright and early at 8am in Whippany. Me and the other Israelis began the day with a Ma’gal boker, and a really fun activity! Even though it was so fun, we were all anxious to get on the bus to the Willowbrook Mall for some good American shopping. We immediately got in partners and ran around the mall going to as many stores as possible in just two short hours! We got back on the bus with pounds and pounds of clothes, shoes, and accessories, and headed to Lester Senior Housing where we ran Kabbalat Shabbat for the seniors there. Zohar and Adi planned great activities for us to do with them! We got into small groups and talked about how we celebrate Shabbat and shared our personal experiences.

Next, we played a great game where Bar, Zach, and Anais pretended to be famous Jewish people looking to ”get married” to the Shabbat Bride who was being played by one of the senior residents. Zach won in the end and was lucky enough to marry a senior woman! Also, each Israeli gave each senior a custom-made flowerpot, which we made last Sunday on Good Deeds Day!

After some quality time with the great seniors, we went back to the federation and surprised Dar with a birthday cake for her 16th birthday!! While all this was going on, I (Marisa) was preparing for my brothers bar mitzvah services! When Yuval got home around 4:30, we both got dressed up and headed to my aunt and uncle’s house for a Friday night dinner, and then we left for my brother Adam’s Friday night service! Yuval really enjoyed meeting my whole family, even though it was probably really overwhelming.

Friday was a great day for both of us, even though we didn’t get to see each other until later at night.

We are both soooo sad that the NAS is coming to an end in just one more day. It feels like it just started yesterday, and no one wants it to be over so soon. However, it is hard to be so upset when we talk about the amazing trip to Israel coming up this summer! The NAS was an amazing experience and we can’t wait to continue making new friends and memories this summer.

- Marisa Parnes and Yuval Moriah

Zoom Out: A Look at the Larger Community - Thursday, March 29

Millburn High School seems like a great place to attend school. It was crazy though with the amount of students and the hallways that all looked the same! Thank goodness I didn't get lost. First period, Nick and I had digital arts! It was very nice and a fun class. I wish we had something like that in my school. I than went to a math class with one of Nick’s friend. I was surprised how different it was to class in Israel. It was just like in the movies! I even took a picture of Nick's locker. We then went to volunteer at the Interfaith Food Pantry and packed bags for people who need supplemental food to take home with them. Dinner at Zack's house was fun and the falafel made Nick even more excited for Israel!! We want to thank him and his family for hosting the Diller's. As always it is nice to see all of the Israelis and Americans together hanging out!

- Nick Sarano & Peleg Kazaz

American Culture - The BIG Apple: Wednesday, March 28

Hey everyone! First of all, I'm really having fun here! It it is so great to be a guest blogger! Today we met by 8am in UJC and we had a Ma'agal Boker/Morning Circle. It was really nice! Then, we left Whippany for NYC: Time Square! It was such an exciting moment. Everybody (including me of course) was very anxious to finally get to NYC!!! When we arrived, it was like a dream! The view was amazing! The atmosphere was extraordinary!! We had some free time to walk around and shop. I walked around with Omer, Ori and Bar. We ate delicious hamburgers and then we went to the M&M store! It is an enormous store! After, we went to Hard Rock Cafe. It was very interesting! We went to a Broadway show named "Priscilla, Queen of The Desert". It was very impressive. The costumes we amazing and effects were out of this world! After that we went back home. During the evening, Omer and Noah came to our house. We ate a delicious dinner and ice cream. It was so great to spend time with our families!

-Peleg Kazaz

A Day in the Life of MetroLeZion - Tuesday, March 27

6:30am - Wakeup

7:00am - Breakfast… yum!

8:30am - Drop off at Golda Och Academy
“They’re all so cute…” -Michelle Resnick

9:00am - Minyan
Yoga Minyan for the win!

10:00am - Meet with Soferet Stam - we learned to use caligraphy that is used for writing a Torah!

12:00pm - Bus ride to Kushner

1:00 - Lunch
(מה זה cafeteria?)

2:00pm - Visiting classes
We take chemistry for the jelly beans ;)

4:00pm - Mincha
“It was nice.” -Peer Sagiv

5:15pm - Arrive at Federation
The best part of the day… obviously…

5:30pm - Work on projects for Yom Ha'atzmaut in Temple Sinai on Sunday

6:30pm - Dinner
“Deliciously amazing, or amazingly delicious, whichever you prefer…” -Julian Amkraut

7:15pm - Americans receive leadership ties
#SWAG

7:30pm - Torah Study of the 2½ Tribes story with Tal and Liat, the Directors of Diller Teen Fellows
Eric Lederman: The Future First Televangelist

9:30pm - #dillergoesdunkin

Monday: Who is a Jew?

Four days ago, The Israelis arrived in America. They went to the welcoming party which I could not attend and met all of my Diller friends. A few miles away, I was worrying about how I would deal with hosting a person of a different gender and nationality. The next day, all of the Israelis and Americans literally piled into a bus and went to a camp in the middle of nowhere. It was on that bus that everything changed. Fifteen minutes in and we were dancing to music as if we’d known each other for years. We only got closer at the shabbaton. By the time we got back I already knew all of the Israelis’ names and had conversations with most of them. The best part though, was that night I was studying for a test that I had the next day and Adi, the Israeli I was hosting, came and helped me. For the first time I actually had fun studying and I got closer with her at the same time.

Today all of us Israelis went to the JCC in West Orange. At first, we talked with Alan Feldman, the Director of the JCC, who explained to us a little bit about the jewish community in West Orange and about the different things that brings Jews together. I remember a sentence he said “What bring us all together are the experiences we share”, which is something that I will remember forever. After having a tour in the JCC, we set to eat lunch with the seniors who were really nice! We talked about many things, from their time in Israel, in the military, and their children. When we got back into the federation we had a Rabbis panel where we met with 4 different rabbis, each representing a different stream of Judaism. We were able to ask them questions and hear what’s their perspectives are on Judaism. That was really interesting and we learned a lot from it. Then, we headed to B'nai Shalom, the synagogue that Leah grew up in and met with the Rabbi. It was here that we really began to understand that syangogues in American are not just a place to pray, but a place of culture and celebration.
At the end we were all going to “cups” to eat a great ice cream, both Israelis and americans, and we had a lot of fun !

-Eric Lederman & Adi Shalom

Our feelings on the NAS:

March, 22nd, a Thursday, my life changed forever. Like every other day, the sun rose and the sun set, but today and for the next eleven days, Omer Kinor, would bless my household with his presence. It started of simple. After a quick drive form Whippany to Short Hills, Omer and I arrived at 22 Tioga Pass. Once introduced to my sisters, father, and mother, I showed Omer his room where he then proceeded to take a glorious shower after 19 hours of flight. Refreshed and ready to go, it was decided that the natural course of action would be to lie on the couch and watch t.v. Immediately Omer was engulfed in the family banter: Cara’s distress at not getting One Directiontickets, Cara’s distress at not having clothes, Cara’s distress at not having clothes orOne Direction tickets, the usual. Sensing Omer’s capacity to handle the “Cara-ness” was nearing its limits, I thought it would be a good idea to delve into some American history. We descended down into the basement where Tropic Thunder, the epic movie of actors portraying actors portraying Vietnam soldiers on a deadly mission, was playing. After a few good laughs and a long discussion of how even when America loses a war, we still win, the Dynamic Duo was told it was time for bed. Exhausted yet excited, both Dillers slept anxiously awaiting the coming retreat where even more time together would be had.

- Noah Lisser & Omer Kinor

The NAS Shabbaton!

Friday, March 23:

On Friday morning we did not know what to expect with the upcoming retreat, only knowing the Israelis for a few hours. While the Israelis spent the day exploring the Jewish Journey to America while visiting Ellis Island and picnicking under the Statue of Liberty, the Americans were in school wishing we were all together. Our wish came true when we all met up at the Federation in Whippany to go to the retreat. After a few awkward moments on the bus it was as if we have known each other forever. Music truly does connect people from two separate countries. After our long trek from Whippany to Fairview Lake we got settled in to our bunks, boys upstairs and girls downstairs. We then got changed into our White Shabbat clothing and participated in a prayer service overlooking the lake planned by the Shabbaton Committee. It was truly a “Kodak” moment. After prayers we had enjoyed our first Shabbat dinner together. We then separated into two groups, Israelis and Americans and had our first Ma'agal Laila/Night Circle of the NAS. During the night circle, we were able to process in a safe and comfortable space, the many feelings that we had. We then rejoined as one group back at our bunk, “Wickapeck”, hung out, played some very intense games of jungle speed and went to bed.
- Zach Broder and Rachel Scheckman

Saturday, March 24: Yes!!! The first full day with the Israelis had finally arrived!!! And us Dillers were ready for the best day of our lives. For the boys, the alarms started to go off at four in the morning, and, as for the girls, they got to sleep a little bit longer. But, By 8’ o clock everyone was downstairs for breakfast and once the clock struck nine, the Saturday morning service began. But this was not just any, regular service, this was very unique. Planned by our amazing JCs, Max and Aliza, we went through the meaning and purpose of each of the different sections of the Saturday Morning prayer service. After each section was explained, any Diller that wished to speak about anything pertaining to the meaning of that prayer stood up and spoke. We committed to understanding what each person said by saying "Amen" as a community, as one.

Following the service, Jim, our guide for the hike, lead us on a beautiful hike up to the third highest point in New Jersey. As we began our walk up the mountain, the cheering began too: “When I say diller you say 5!!!” Once we got to the top of the hill, Jim led us in some team activities. After having a monumental amount of fun and really working together as a team, we were led to the most amazing view ever. After looking at the expansive valleys and the beautiful lake, it was time for lunch and we all strode down the mountain to eat.
- Harrison Angoff & Bar Schwartz

After a much needed lunch, we had free time at the camp. We were given the choices to climb the rock wall, the flying squirrel swing (which Leah loved!) or just hang out with everyone, and play games. I used that time to relax by the lake at the camp, and had some nice bonding time with a few of the girls.

The next activity, was really great and got us all thinking about tough questions, many that we don't often think about and for some of us, questions that don't really have one answer. Some questions were,
- What is Shabbat?
- Does god exist?
- What is the torah?
For each question we had a discussion, and depending on the answer, took a colored bead for a bracelet, representing the answer we chose. During the discussion at the end of the activity we discussed what each color bead represented: a different sect of Judaism. We were surprised by the results because for many of us, our beads reprsented ourselves in a way that was very different than how we had seen ourselves. But we talked about how we really are one group of people with the same core beliefs, and have more ideas in common than we thought.
Our havdalah ceremony, ending Shabbat, was a special one. Together the Israelis and the Americans, sang together in a circle and exchanged thoughtful memories with each other.

Next was our bonfire! Even in a little bit of rain we had so much fun, singing, in hebrew and in English. But In our opinion, the best part of the day was the end when we returned to Wickepeck. We were all together in the center room, full with all of us, dancing and listening to music. It was amazing how comfortable we felt with a group of teens we just met one day before. Then, us girls talked until the wee hours of the night. All of us got so close over Shabbat, and bonded so much.

- Alex Reiss and Mai Eisenman

Sunday, March 25: Today was the last day of the Shabbaton at Fairview Lake camp and it started early. Many people woke up to sound of the famous "Boker Tov" cheer. We then had a Ma'agal Boker/Morning Circle. While they were separate from each other, Leah and Keren planned well and both the Americans and Israelis did the same activity: we each choose a card with a quote by Rabbi Nachman m'Uman that best represented our feelings, which led to some deep Diller discussion.

Afterwards, we got into teams and started planning for the Israel Summer Seminar in July. Everybody put a lot of great ideas on the table as to the best ways to run the camp that we will be running in “Rammat Eliyahu” for Ethiopian children in Israel. The theme of the camp will be Tikun Olam/Social Justice, a topic that we Dillers know very well. We spilt into five different groups. Logistics group will be in charge of leading the other groups and planning the logistics of the days we are there. The Counselors will be in charge of going around with the kids and helping them participate in activities. The Enrichment group will be in charge of planning activities for the kids to do. The Social group will be in charge of raising the camp spirit and planning morning ceremonies. Finally, the Volunteer group will be in charge of a volunteer event where the children will give back to the community. Today was a really special opportunity for the Israelis and Americans to work together on a project face to face rather than through the phone and through computers.

After Lunch, we partied on the bus ride home even though we all could have fallen asleep at any time. When we got back to the federation, we participated in Good Deeds Day, a day where people around the world do good deeds. The Dilller Alumni put together stations for us to do such as: writing letters to soldiers,making sandwiches for charity, painting flowerpots for an old age home, and talking about the genocide in Darfur and how it relates to Judaism. Good Deeds Day was very inspiring for several reasons. It was good to see past Dillers, who had already experienced what we are going through, and it was even better to see that they were still active members of the community. These Dillers benefited from the program, and now can still use what they learned to make a difference. This was inspiring for the rest of us. Hopefully, we will be as motivated to make a change even after Diller. Another reason that Good Deeds Day was enjoyable is because of the heartfelt and meaningful service that was planned out. The people running the program had clearly thought carefully about what they felt was important, and it was inspiring to see how they took their convictions and turned it into actions. Amazingly, we still had enough energy left to play some games as a group.Finally, we each wished another person a good week before we all went home after the long weekend. Everybody is looking forward to the week ahead!!

- Jack Greenbaum and Sara Rosen

Day 1: The Arrival!

Israeli Point of View:
After several weeks of preparation, including talking to our Americans through the Internet, the North American Seminar kicked off! When we got to Ben Gurion airport, we met as half a group on a quest to unite with our other half. After the excitement, we went through several long hours of flying and eventually landed in Newark. We met Leah and Noga, who greeted warmly and heightened our excitement for the trip, and we were off to the Whippany JCC. On the way out of the airport, the sight of yellow taxis and yellow school busses (which doesn’t exist in Israel) really helped us digest the fact that we were in America. It took us about 30 minutes to get to the JCC. We sat in pairs and we were furiously thinking about the families, and we talked a lot about our expectations. When we got there, the walk from the bus to meet the Diller seemed extremely long: we were there, but we still had a small journey to go (the JCC building is also very big). When we got to the entrance of their room, everyone tried to get in, curious to see the Americans in real life. From the corner of my eye, I finally saw my partner. At first, I was a little shy and overwhelmed by trying to meet all 20 Americans. However, I really opened up during dinner. Now that we’ve met the group and settled down with the families, we feel like the mission is accomplished and that the group is now whole.
- Chen Wolfson
American Point of view:
We have been waiting for this day to come since our first meeting in September. The suspense has been slowly building up the last few days, and it all culminated in the last few minutes before the Israelis arrived. Throughout the school day, I could barely sit still and I watched the clock tick by slowly until the day finally ended. When I got home, I rushed to clean my room in preparation for Chen’s arrival and then hurried out to Whippany. As a group, we were freaking out prior to the Israelis’ arrival. We frantically made “Welcome” posters and shared our intense feelings about the NAS. Some of us were extremely nervous (to the point of being stressed out), while others were too excited to hold it in, including me. When we found out that the Israelis were inside the building, the butterflies in my stomach exploded. We all panicked and attempted to stop ourselves from jumping off the walls. The seconds before the Israelis walked in were the long seconds of my life. Every possible thought seemed to rush through my head: will they be friendly? Do they really look like their facebook profile picture? Will I get along with my partner? Finally, the Israelis started to walk in and a huge rush went through my whole body: This is it! As they poured into the room, we greeted them with passionate applause. The first seconds were overwhelmingly filled with hugs, greetings, and an amalgam of emotions. As soon as I saw Chen walk through the door, I ran to him and greeted him. He said it was great to finally meet me in person after all this time. After that it was all a blur of Israelis bonding with Americans, which finally settled down when we got home. One of the most emotional parts of the NAS has passed, but there is much more to come!
- Nitay Caspi

The Journey of Water and Bread. Or. Bread and Water

Peoplehood. What is that? Walking into Diller on Sunday, we had no idea, but Max and Aliza had it covered. (Can we get a woosh clap?!) They asked us to decide what we thought was the most defining moment in Jewish history. At first, we were all a little lost. We had no idea what "peoplehood" was and we certainly didn't know what the most important moment in Jewish history was, but once we started talking with each other, we realized we could do this.

One discovery lead to the next when Leah showed us "The Journey of Bread and Water", or as Rachel G. would like to think, "The Journey of Water and Bread." These were the steps to success. Between our Tikun Olam Projects and the workshop, we couldn't forget about our Israelis! We're so excited for them to arrive! All of us Dillers spread out into groups, such as: The Welcoming Committee, who will, of course, be planning our initial meeting with the Israelis when they first arrive. The Israel Day Committee, who will be planning activities to be done at a local Temple to celebrate Israel. The Shabbaton Committee, who will be planning on organizing activities for us to do woth the Israelis during our weekend back to the cabins in Fairview Lake. And, The Farewell Committee, who will be organizing our final hoorah with the Israelis in the North American Seminar. After splitting up, we begged Leah to tell us who would he staying with us, but her lips were sealed.

When we met up with our parents, Leah explained what the week with the Israelis is going to be like, and although our parents seemed a bit concerned with our hectic schedules - between sports, clubs, homework, juggling (shout out to Rachel Scheckman,) music, and whatever else our talented Dillers do - it's going to be, to say the least, a bit hectic. But, as Aliza said on Sunday, it's been done before, and it can be done again. And as Diller 5, the most swagged out Dillers ever to hit Metrowest, we know that we can pull this off. We can't wait until the Israelis get here, and although our lives by then will be a bit crazy, as the saying goes, nothing worth fighting for in life, is easy.

#DillerSolutions #OurOvernight

I’m going to assume the general public reading this blog, isn’t a twitter buff, unlike the majority of Diller 5, and, due to this, you’re probably wondering why I used a pound symbol in the title and grouped all my words together. No, it wasn’t a typo, but twitter vocabulary which inevitably was part of our discussions over the course of the weekend. Each phrase of words represents something that is ‘trending.’ A trending topic could be something like #QuestionsIHateAnswering, or #ThingsParentsSay. By putting these in your ‘tweet’ you allow the world to see what you think about these things or what you’re saying about them, and in response, you can also view what others are saying about the same topic. For example, I might tweet “My Mom is always like ‘This is my house!’ but as soon as it becomes time to clean it suddenly becomes my house too #ThingsParentsSay”. And, after posting this to my twitter, I could easily scroll through and find other tweets about people saying things about what their parents do, and so forth, but that’s an explanation for a different blog.

Now, you’re probably sitting and staring at your computer, wondering why the blog committee has decided to write about that foreign thing celebrities use called twitter. Well, apparently Diller 5 is filled with tweeters and tweet readers, and before the weekend was over we’d have our own Diller slang as such:

1. #DillerGirlSwag - This can be used to show the girls of Diller are way cooler than the boys of Diller, (which is also totally true). For example, “Man, the Diller girls are so smart and pretty! I wish I could be a part of their secret group #DillerGirlSwag”

2. #DillerBoySwag – This is something that lives in the hearts of the Diller boys. Here is an example of how this trend might be used, “We get the room with all the windows? Probably because of that #DillerBoySwag”an, the Diller girls are so smart and pretty! I wish I could be a part of their secret group #DillerGirlSwag”

3. #DillerGirlsAndBoysSolutions - This is usually around the time just after the ever continuing argument over Diller girls vs. Diller boys has gotten old. The solutions are usually a compromise that each side is pretty good, and this is how it might be used, “Without both the Diller girls and the Diller boys... it wouldn’t be the same. I love all of you!! #DillerGirlsAndBoysSolutions.”

4. #[insert name here]Problems - This trend is referring to an individual person in Diller to describe something that is a typical problem of that person. Usually it makes the rest of the group laugh, and they’re extremely fun to make up, for example, “I have to write the Diller blog by Wednesday, but I also have to study for my AP Bio test on Friday #RachelFormanProblems”

Other than twitter, our weekend was filled with bonding, birthdays, and the building of our Tikun Olam projects:

To begin the sleepover, we watched a movie entitled My Australia, which described the lives of two young Jewish brothers, named Tadek and Andrzej, and the story as they make Aliya and moved to Israel. Their Jewish heritage was unkown to them as they grew up in Poland, being taught to hate Jews until their mother moves them to Israel, and teaches them of their real Jewish roots. The youngest, who was told they were

moving to Australia, and not Israel, is absolutely outraged at the idea that he is a Jew, which he had so despised previously. Both brothers have an interesting journey in finding themselves through their new found Jewish heritage.

As a group, watching this movie brought in some mixed emotions. Most of us had never seen someone resent moving to Israel or learning about their Jewish life. It was a new turn on an old conversation, and really was able to spring forth topics such as Jewish Identity as well as Jewish life in college.

As the night continued to move past us, we spent the hours playing different games that continued to bring us closer together. The first ice breaker was lead by Noga, who lead us through a game where a ball is passed from one Diller to the other. Sounds easy right? Well, we then had to pass the ball through the same order many more times and see if we could beat the clock! (We’re so talented - you can bet we beat the clock!)

At some point around midnight, the birthday committee surprised our January birthdays, Nitay, Julian, and Ben, with a Facebook wall filled with signatures from their fellow Dillers, and some amazing birthday singing.

Afterwards, we had a second game lead by Max. Using his talents in film, he gave us an exercise he usually does with his friends to warm up. The exercise involved pretending to love something we actually hate, or pretending to hate something we actually love, while the rest of the group would egg us on to keep going, until Max would say, "Next".

Some of the lines were “I love that disgusting feeling you get when you’re sick,”, “I hate that my teachers don’t give me enough homework,”, “I love it when people ask me about my future and college,”, and “I hate that the Yankees are so attractive!”

After this, the Diller girls and boys said good night to each other, and with that, started the beginning of Ma’agal Laila/Night Circle separately for boys and girls, and a time of building a bond of trust that will last forever, and memories that will last a lifetime.

After only getting roughly four and a half hours of sleep, Dillers sleepily awoke from their beds to eat breakfast and start a new activity. This one specifically was our Tikun Olam Projects. We began discussing our projects by watching a video of inspiring teens, our age, who have taken it upon themselves create Tikun Olam projects that are larger than one would think a teen could do. These teens created projects that deal with the water issues in Ethiopia, education issue in Liberia and the genocide in Darfur. Watching these teens forced us to think bigger than we thought we ever could. After being given a partner who had similar ideas to us, together we planned out a project we’d like to work on for the next several months. Personally, after meeting with my partner, I was extremely excited to begin our project!

We then had a guest come and teach us some Hebrew. After a quick lesson on learning how to say things like “He/She/You want the apple/plum/peach” in Hebrew, and with one last game of Jungle Speed, it was unfortunately, time to say goodbye. With the promise to see each other soon, the time we spent together this weekend truly made us grow even closer to each other, and definitely made me have a feeling of completeness, to know that I’ll always have my Dillers to lean on.

Thanks to Leah, Max, Aliza, and Noga, for organizing an amazing overnight, and my fellow Dillers for always bringing the laughs and a good time! Love you all!

See you at the Super Bowl!

RB

Diller 5 Does Chanukah!

Last Wednesday, Diller 5 had yet another excuse to leave the house, (aka the mounds of homework sitting on my desk that I probably should’ve attended to earlier...) and hang out with each other. How much better could a Wednesday night get?

But then again, us Dillers always have something up our sleeves, don’t we?

The evening began with Yossi Katz, a teacher from the Alexander Muss High School in Israel, and in addition, truly a brilliant speaker. Yossi spoke about heroines; specifically, Jewish heroines. He discussed the idea that there weren’t enough women recognized for the work they’d done for Judaism and with that, he began his story. Yossi spoke about Hannah Senesh, a girl who grew up during the Holocaust. Hannah transformed from a care-free fourteen year old girl living in Budapest, Hungary, to a nineteen year old Zionist who felt it was her duty to make Aliyah (move to Israel). Coming from a city, you’d expect Hannah to maybe move to Tel Aviv, yet instead she learns to be a farmer and decides to work in a Kibbutz. While in Israel she writes countless poems and prayers in her diary about what she was going through. In turn, those poems prayers are known and taught throughout Israel and North America.
Here is one of her most famous poems, entitled Eli, Eli:

Oh Lord, My G-d,
I pray that these things never end,
The sand and the sea,
The rush of the waters,
The crash of the heavens,
The prayer of the heart.

Hannah was a true Jewish heroine and exemplifies the leadership that Diller is all about. While on the Kibbutz, Hannah wanted to defend Israel and become a paratrooper. And despite the fact that she was met with uneasiness from those around her, Hannah persisted, and through this persistence, Hannah would land a spot among thirty two other paratroopers. (One hundred applied, and only thirty two were selected. Of the thirty two, only three women, including Hannah, were chosen.)

Hannah and her team parachuted into Europe and would save over a thousand pilots. One night, Hannah wrote one last poem that she would give to a fellow paratrooper. He read the poem called Blessed is the Match. He begged Hannah to be more hopeful and with that, he tossed the note into the bushes. But something, who knows what, made him go back to the bushes later that night. He found the poem, flattened it out, and put it in his pocket. That paratrooper would go on to survive the war, bring the poem back to Israel, and allow the poem to become a prayer instilled into Israeli school children’s minds to this day.
The following is the poem Hannah wrote that night:

Blessed is the Match
Blessed is the match, consumed in kindling flame.
Blessed is the flame that burns in the heart's secret places.
Blessed is the heart that knows, for honors sake, to stop its beating.
Blessed is the match, consumed in kindling flame.

In Judaism, most consider the flame to be blessed, the candles to be blessed, or things like the challah to be blessed, but Hannah, considered the match to be blessed. In giving off the light we use in so many ways, it gave its own life, by be being consumed in the flame. She compared this to her own life, and came to the conclusion that to save others, she must be consumed in the flame, just as the match, by giving up her own life.

If you’d like to learn more about Hannah’s life, the documentary film Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh, can be found and watched for free at: http://www.hulu.com/watch/191667/blessed-is-the-match-the-life-and-death-of-hannah-senesh
As for the rest of the evening, it was filled with fun and games, along with pressing questions such as how we deal with stress, how we celebrate the holiday, and by far the most pressing question, how do you spell [C](h)an[n]*ukk?a(h)?

We met with Diller alumni from Diller 2, 3, and 4, and it was truly an amazing evening. We even got a special video from Dillers from from Rishon Le'Zion from all 5 cohorts (see video below)! The main activity of the night was splitting the entire group into two circles; one circle on one side of the room, and the other on the opposite side. While one group passed around questions to be answered by group members, the other passed around a present, whilst singing their favorite holiday tunes, to be slowly unwrapped to reveal questions and chocolate gelt (coins).

At the end of the night, when only one more layer of wrapping paper was left on the present, the two groups came together, were asked once more to sing a holiday tune, and whomever the present landed on, was asked to finally open the present. Our own Diller 5 fellow Nitay was the lucky Diller to open the present, which revealed personalized Diller Dreidels for each of us!

It was an amazing night to which we will all look back on fondly. With that being said, a big thank you goes out to the Hanukkah Committee for putting together a wonderful night filled with joy, and the true spirit of Hanukkah.

Lastly, I’d like to thank all the Dillers who came. Without all of you, it wouldn’t have been as amazing, as fun, as... well, I’m running out of adjectives to describe how great the night was, but you all are so awesome and I’m so happy that this program and all of you are a part of my life! Oh... and HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOAH!!

The Chanukah Video all the way from Rishon!

Super Sunday - Super Diller

Have you ever wondered how you could take one thing and apply it to another? Like adding new rules to a game? Or making something work for a group of people who really need it? Well, us Dillers used our creative minds this past Sunday, and did just that. During the course of our Diller year, we will be creating our very own Tikun Olam (community service) projects, and after speaking with Diller 4, we gained some insight as to what we could possibly do to benefit our community. But, we were going to need help getting started, and our workshop last Sunday proved to be extremely beneficial.
First, we started out with two dice. One die had various games, such as Jungle Speed, Red Light Green Light, Charades and so forth, while the other had things like “Add Candy”, “Add a Ball”, and “Add a Hula-hoop”. Both dice were rolled, and with the results, we’d come up with a way to combine the two things to make a better game. For example, we tried using a Hula-hoop to play charades, and candy during the game “red light, green light”. We were even allowed to change the rules of the game completely!
After this warm up, Leah changed our dice. In front of us were two completely different cubes. On one cube were things like “Children”, “Special Needs” and “The Environment”. On the other die, we now had things like “Giving Time”, “Creating Awareness”, and “Building Bridges. As the dice were thrown, ideas were shared about how to incorporate the two words that were rolled – “Awareness” with “Special Needs”, “Give Time” with “Children”, and “Donation Drive” with “Elderly”. And as more and more ideas were shared, we truly started to understand the meaning of these Tikun Olam projects. After leaving the workshop, we found ourselves excited to begin a project that would suit our own ideas and interests, and in addition, most importantly, make a difference.
We all then marched down the hallway showing off our new Diller t-shirts (#swag), on our way to what turned out to be a gathering of many teens in addition to us, all waiting to hear Yossi Katz, an educator from Alexander Muss High School in Israel. Yossi told us a funny and touching story about how a man is rewarded by G-d granting for his good deeds. The main character learns an important lesson about not being quick to judge others.
After being pumped up by Yossi Katz, it was time for us start the talk for Super Sunday, in hopes of raising money for MetroWest’s annual United Jewish Appeal (UJA) campaign by soliciting donations from members of the MetroWest Jewish community. Many of us had never volunteered at Super Sunday before and did not know exactly what to expect. We arrived at the room and were struck by the frenetic activity and loud buzz of people talking on a huge array of phones. I have to admit that I, and I think many of us, were a bit nervous at first. We didn’t want to flub our lines, say something embarrassing, or not know how to answer a question. After making our first few calls, we all relaxed and had fun together while we pursued our common goal. The money that we were trying to raise was in an effort to help the UJA assist people who are in need, such as those experiencing economic or personal struggles, those with special needs, and the elderly, both here and in Israel. Some of the people we called make pledges yearly, some donate inconsistently, and for some of the people we called, our goal was to convince them to make their very first donation. Whenever our phone calls resulted in pledges we would proudly wave our mini Israeli flags in the air in order to be credited with a raffle ticket. At the end of Super Sunday, some great prizes were raffled off to the volunteers, such as a watch, a signed New York Giants poster, and the grand prize of a new Dell laptop.
After hours of dialing and feeling the excitement of successfully recording some pledges, Super Sunday was coming to a close. To the delight of everybody, the raffle was about to take place. Participants dug through their pockets to collect all of the tickets they earned, hoping they would have the winning ticket and be able to claim one of the coveted prizes. As it turned out, Noga, the young emissary, drew a winning ticket that belonged to a Diller fellow: Congratulations to Rachel Scheckmen- she won a brand new watch!This happy result marked the close to another great afternoon of bonding with our Diller family! We came away from Super Sunday feeling proud and elated that we had participated in raising funds to help our Jewish community both locally, and globally.

We’re Diller and We Know It! - Workshop #2!

We haven’t seen each other in two weeks, (feels like forever), and I know that each and every one of us secretly wondered if our first meeting after the Shabbaton might be awkward. Well, rest assured, it wasn’t. If anything, we picked up where we left off; joking, laughing, and all together having a great time. First, the Swag Committee split us into groups to see who could design the best t-shirt to represent our Diller swag. Each group designed different shirts, but somehow they were all similar. Each shirt included everyone in Diller 5, swag, and the idea that we represent New Jersey, and Israel. We all had an amazing time creating the shirts that we will wear to represent our group on Super Sunday!

In addition to this, last Sunday was the Global Day of Jewish Learning which is a day that is practiced by Jews all of the world and is dedicated to celebrating Jewish foundational texts and philosophy. As part of the day, Leah, our coordinator, presented us with a discussion about our names; where they came from, who we were named after and the meaning behind it. We discussed how even our family names can tell us a lot about where we come from and our Jewish heritage. Leah also prepared a page for each of us with our Hebrew names and their meanings to see if they had any relation to us and as a way to look deeper into our Jewish identities. What was shocking to me was that during the Shabbaton, I learned I was a visionary, so I was shocked to see that my Hebrew name actually refers to someone with the personality trait of a visionary! It was really cool to feel a that spark; that moment of connection to me as a person and me as a Jew. The two are innately connected.

During lunch, we were visited by Diller 4. It was cool to watch as they entered the room. They were hugging and laughing as if they’d been best friends for forever and it was just yesterday that they were all together, like us. There was one thought that ran through my head, and I know it ran through everyone else’s too: that’s going to be us before we know it. Loud, excited, and enthusiastic, they joined us and offered there wise words of Diller wisdom in order to help us with our year ahead. They worked tirelessly to help develop, direct, and produce anamazing video that was created and sent to our sister and brother Dillers in Rishon Le'Zion as a way to introduce ourselves to them. For the basis of the video, we used a contemporary song by LMFAO, except we changed the lyrics to, “We’re Diller and We Know It”. Overall, it was a really fun time, and we were happy we got to spend time with the Dillers before us.
We ended our time together with something taught to us by Diller 4 - The Achim Dance. Achim means 'brothers' and it was the perfect way to end the visit from Diller 4, our brothers. This time I left with an aching feeling in my chest. I couldn’t believe our time together was already over. The four hours passed so quickly that it was hard to believe it was over. I missed everyone as soon as I pulled away from Metrowest and I can’t wait until we all get to see each other again. Excuse me, social committee? Let’s get on that. Love you guys!

- RB and Daniela :)

Our First Shabbaton: Swag

[Prologue]

Dear Parents,
No need to worry about asking your teens what’s happening in Diller. Daniela, Coby, and I, (RB) are the Blog Committee and we are here for you. 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 message us if you’d like to know more. :)
Sincerely,
Daniela, Coby, and RB

Our First Shabbaton: Swag

We’re Jews. We’re teenagers. We’re stuck together for a weekend. And none of us could’ve imagined the relationships we’d form in just forty eight hours.
After an awkward hug goodbye to my mom, her parting words of “don’t do anything stupid”, still ringing in my ears, I enter a bus full of kids, most of whom I’ve only known for about five hours. I’m greeted by friendly faces and shouts of “Hey! I’m so excited for this weekend!” quickly followed by whispered questions of, “I’m sorry. I’m so bad with names. What’s your name again?” Shortly after our mini reunion, the bus pulled away from Metrowest, officially beginning our first Shabbaton. We talked amongst ourselves, and I soon realized that this wasn’t an average group of kids, and I wasn’t going to have an average kind of weekend.

Upon arrival to Wickipeck, the bunk we’d be staying in for the weekend, we all helped unload the massive amounts of suitcases that took up more than half our bus, (someone tell me how I’m going to bring just one suitcase to Israel?!). We chose our beds and settled in our stuff, but there wasn’t much time for talking as we all needed to get ready for Shabbat dinner and prayer!
Dressed and ready, we made ourselves comfortable in the common room, (which, by Saturday night, we’d be begging to return to), and, after walking to where we’d hold almost all of our activities for the weekend, we were finally given our first opportunity to truly bond with each other.

Leah, prepared with prayers galore, (we’d soon learn that, despite massive snow storms that knock out power, Leah would be planned and prepared for just about anything), gave each of us a chance to choose our favorite prayers to sing to. After some shuffling through prayer books, someone picked a song that most of the group knew. And, after singing, we sat down the Shabbat table and went around by index cards, discussing how we observe and how we do certain customs, if we did them at all.

At first when asked, my group fell silent in answering questions about religion and customs. Personally, I felt completely unsure of what to say. I definitely consider myself observant, I mean my family and I observe each holiday and practice ‘normal’ customs of these holidays, but compared to the kid next to me, who attends Shabbat every Friday with his family, I must seem completely ‘un-Jewish’. But, despite all these thoughts flying through my head, I said something anyway. And as soon as I said something, it was understood, and then it was someone else’s turn. Simple. What had I been afraid of? Judgement? If there was one thing I was going to learn that night, it would be that in Diller, there’s no such thing as judgment.

And, as soon as I’d thought that I had figured out this no judgment thing, I was able to confirm my belief. Leah and Max gave each of us something that I personally find amazing. Wait, I’m kidding. Diller 4 gave us something truly amazing that, I’m sure throughout this experience, we will all keep close to us. On their way back from Israel, Diller 4 wrote us letters, specifically, letters of advice. My letter gave me three pieces of advice:

1. Speak your mind: He talks about being shy at first, but in Diller, he learned that no one judges you.
2. You will become one big family: At first, he said he felt that they were “cliquey”, but by the end they were in fact, just one big family.
3. Enjoy your time during the North American Seminar: He says to take complete advantage of the time I spend with my Israeli while they are living with me here.

Oh, and he told me to tell Coby Levine “Hi” from him, which, don’t worry my Diller 4 friend, I most definitely did.

Friday night, we became this “Diller family” that my Diller 4 friend had described in his letter. Of course, we most certainly will grow even more as the year goes on, but that night I, along with all my fellow Diller 5ers, got a taste of something much bigger than ourselves, and something I had not expected to feel. I felt okay. I felt like nothing was wrong in the world. And I felt like I was surrounded by amazing people who I could trust, and grow extremely close to.

Saturday morning, we woke up and managed to get up, get dressed, and meet in the famous common room. We began our day with “Meditation with Max”, led by one of our great Junior Counselor’s, Max. After this, we went outside and did outdoor team bonding... in the flurries. Despite the freezing temperatures and the loss of feeling in my hands, we all looked back and thought, “Wow. I can’t believe we did that.”, because without each other, we wouldn’t of been able to complete anything.

Sadly, during free time the power went out, as in most of New Jersey, and stayed out for the duration of our time on the Shabbaton. And there was also a good foot of snow on the ground. We sadly had to move bunks to one that was powered by the generator. So we schlepped the things we needed for the night across camp into our new bunk. The cabin was warm, but it didn’t feel like ours. We spent one night in Wickipeck and felt totally fully tide to it, so leaving was sad.
We then all decided to have the bonfire that was planned for the night despite the snow and cold. We told some bonfire stories, sang some bonfire songs and roasted some marshmallows. We all then returned to the warmth and sat by a fireplace. We sang, we danced, we played, and overall, we had a great last night.

And then we had to leave. And our first Shabbaton was over. And all of us couldn’t stop telling each other we were going to miss each other. We even joked to have a Diller reunion in the next two hours, but as our parents pulled up to get us I was wishing that it wasn’t a joke and that we actually were going to see each other two hours later, and not two weeks later.

It was forty eight hours that truly made me fall in love with this program, and everyone in it. I absolutely can’t wait for every event coming up if it means I get to be with these people and do great things, like what we did last weekend. On behalf of all Diller 5, I’d really like to say thank you to Leah and Max for dealing with our craziness the entire weekend, I’d like to say thank you to all the kids in Diller 4 for their wonderful words of wisdom, and I’d like to say thank you to Aliza and Noga, who, although unable to attend, left each of us with gifts on our beds on the first night to help us feel more comfortable, (we missed you two!).

I’d also love to take this time I have to thank the rest of Diller 5. Without you guys, this trip wouldn’t have been the same. You all keep me laughing and it’s a sure thing that when we’re together we’re going to have a fantastic time. In the spirit of taking a journey together, I leave you all with a poem about journey, and I can’t wait until we see each other again.

Journey to Be
I think I’ll journey out some day to wondrous lands afar,
Or even chart a journey to a distant blazing star.
But rest assured that when my journey begs to take its cue,
Always know that when I go, this journey takes you too.

We’ll start our journey out from here by horse and cart of old,
The seaside docks - and journey pauses - where we shall behold
A noble schooner for the journey primed to launch as planned:
To sail with dolphins cross the seas then journey back on land.

And so our journey goes by foot to conquer mountains tall:
A chapter hence the journey reached, with scenes that should enthral.
But when we tire, let's rest our journey, stretched in fields of flowers,
And bathe atop the mountain from the journey – autumn showers!

Refreshed, our journey takes a turn - we'll venture back for home,
But first we'll let the journey take a tangent just to roam.
And in the winding route, this journey's bound to bide content,
But most of all take heed - let's make our journey life's event.

Love you all,
RB