Where to begin? This trip has truly been amazing for each and every one of us. After traveling around Israel and spending time at our hosts’ homes, we have learned a trememndous amount about our history and Israeli culture today. We concluded the trip with surfing and kayaking in the Tel Aviv waters. It was a great day to simply relax and spend a little more time with each other. I wouldn’t say that I am a professional surfer but it was definitely a fun experience.
We then had our last circle together and we spoke about what we have learned over the course of Diller. We each explained how we would take what we learned back home. Many spoke about the independence they gained in Israel by being in a place without our parents there to guide us. Molly told us that she learned that leaders don’t have to be those who do things that make a huge impact. But leaders can be people who do small things to help make a difference, even if it is just a small one.
I learned that each of us connect to Judaism in our own way. Some connect to it religiously while others see Judaism as more of a culture. No matter how we connect to it, the fact is that we all do connect to Judaism in some way and we came together to learn and share our opinions. Everyone has definitely opened up to the group and found his or her voice. We all contribute to discussions which makes them so meaningful.
We have all had an incredible time this summer and it cant simply be described in a few words. It was packed with new lessons, experiences, friendships, and great memories that we will cherish. I don’t think any of us will ever forget this meaningful and terrific experience we had and I hope we will apply what we have learned to our daily lives so we can further become greater leaders in our communities.
Thanks everyone for making it the best summer of my life! You all brought so much to the group and I loved spending time with all of you. Keep in touch and share our amazing stories with others!
Love,
Yael
p.s. thanks to all the parents for sending us on the greatest trip!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The closing speech - Ari and Mor
Mor: Hello Ari Bernstein my first american friend!
Ari: Shalom mor filo my first israeli Haverah!
Mor:How are you ari?
Ari:Sababa egozim .How are you Mor Filo?
Mor: I’m great! It’s so amazing to be here after such an amazing year!
Ari: I could not agree more, this year has been beyond incredible! The Americans started out their year with high expectations to become the next generation of great Jewish leaders. We met countless times before meeting the Israelis ,and strengthened our bonds as Americans through weekend long shabbatons and intense conversations regarding Jewish identities. As a Jewish teen in Montclair, nj ,a town with a small Jewish population, I've Always struggled with my Jewish identity. The American cohort within itself has given me such pride to be Jewish in America, and has given me the privilege of being surrounded by such incredible teens who never fail to inspire me to go above and beyond.
Mor: Us Israelis started the year with a shabbaton in Jerusalem, clueless about what this program would eventually mean to us. We started with a discussion comparing our Jewish vs Israeli identities. This shabbaton was the beginning of our journey to find out who we are as individuals; a journey that technically ends today, but for us will never end. We did many tikkun olam projects around Rishon like a seder for Tu b'shvat for people with disabilities, selling pins for Yom ha'atzma'ut for the Elem organization for kids in danger, and collecting 250 groceries to donate to needy families for shavuot in our June seminar with dillers from all around the country.
Ari: The metro-lezion group met in NJ for the first time in April. With the aid of facebook, we were already able to identify each other during our initial meeting. We spent the 10 days taking care of our individual Israelis and even took them to school with us one day to show them how education works in America.
Mor: When we, Israelis arrived to New Jersey, we felt like home. They received us so well in the community and in our host families. We felt that pride of being Jewish, Israeli feelings that gets so strong when you're away from home. We prepared an Israeli day at a Hebrew school where we showed the children what is in Israel for us. We did kabalat shabat at a nursing home which soon became a Yiddish party! And of course, we participated in J serve - a huge community volunteer event!
Of course he was also a lot of fun! We visited New York, we did ice skating, watched a game of NBA, and more great things !!!
Ari: After the mifgash, it became real to us that we would soon be with our new friends in our homeland, Israel. The first week of our trip was just with the American cohort, and started off in the North with some great scenery and meaningful history lessons. Each night we'd have a "ma'agal lilah" to reflect on the day's events, which allowed us to take in all of our experiences and appreciate everything to the fullest. The following week was the Diller Congress, a four day long event with all the American and Israeli cohorts together. This congress provided us not only with great performances such as Avram Infeld and "The Shuk" band, but with heated debates regarding Jewish identity and what truly defines one's connection to Judaism.
The last week of our trip here in Israel was our Kaitana for children in the Ramat Eliyahu community. As an American who does not speak much Hebrew, it was extremely challenging to lead activities and control a group of young children who did not always behave themselves. After the first day, however, I was able to use my leadership skills that I learned from Diller to communicate with and lead my group of 8 year olds through various games and sports. It was such a nice feeling seeing the entire camp erupt in song when singing our "Shir haKaitana". By the end of the 5 days, I felt so accomplished to have successfully brightened some of these kids' summers. Our group bonded over the difficult task, and it was a truly amazing sight to see all of us working together doing community service while utilizing our leadership skills from Diller.
Mor: Meeting the Americans again in Israel was great! We could show them our lives, our family, our friends, our Israel. Our volunteer together at the keitana in Ramat Eliyahu was enriching and amazing. It concluded our amazing year and everything we have been through. Each of us brought his powerful features and together we made an amazing survival keitana! There's nothing like the satisfaction you get when you act and do for your community and for the people around you!
Ari: Now we are here, a few hours from the Americans' flight home. We may never all be together in one place again, but our journey is not even close to being over. Yes, we may be leaving each other, but our shared mission remains, and that is to be great Jewish leaders in our respective communities, and to simply do good in the world. We will always be together in spirit, and are always here for each other when we may need a valuable leadership resource, or even just as good friends. I'm positive that we will all see each other again, especially now that all of us Americans feel such a strong connection to Israel, and feel the passion that will bring us back here many times in the future. We must not be upset that the Israel Summer Seminar has come to an end, but must appreciate the once in a lifetime experience that we were so fortunate to share together, and the existence of programs like Diller that bring Americans and Israelis together who share a common Jewish bond. I am so thankful that all of you here tonight are a part of my life, and have absolutely no regrets about anything these past 3 weeks. Thank you.
Ari: Shalom mor filo my first israeli Haverah!
Mor:How are you ari?
Ari:Sababa egozim .How are you Mor Filo?
Mor: I’m great! It’s so amazing to be here after such an amazing year!
Ari: I could not agree more, this year has been beyond incredible! The Americans started out their year with high expectations to become the next generation of great Jewish leaders. We met countless times before meeting the Israelis ,and strengthened our bonds as Americans through weekend long shabbatons and intense conversations regarding Jewish identities. As a Jewish teen in Montclair, nj ,a town with a small Jewish population, I've Always struggled with my Jewish identity. The American cohort within itself has given me such pride to be Jewish in America, and has given me the privilege of being surrounded by such incredible teens who never fail to inspire me to go above and beyond.
Mor: Us Israelis started the year with a shabbaton in Jerusalem, clueless about what this program would eventually mean to us. We started with a discussion comparing our Jewish vs Israeli identities. This shabbaton was the beginning of our journey to find out who we are as individuals; a journey that technically ends today, but for us will never end. We did many tikkun olam projects around Rishon like a seder for Tu b'shvat for people with disabilities, selling pins for Yom ha'atzma'ut for the Elem organization for kids in danger, and collecting 250 groceries to donate to needy families for shavuot in our June seminar with dillers from all around the country.
Ari: The metro-lezion group met in NJ for the first time in April. With the aid of facebook, we were already able to identify each other during our initial meeting. We spent the 10 days taking care of our individual Israelis and even took them to school with us one day to show them how education works in America.
Mor: When we, Israelis arrived to New Jersey, we felt like home. They received us so well in the community and in our host families. We felt that pride of being Jewish, Israeli feelings that gets so strong when you're away from home. We prepared an Israeli day at a Hebrew school where we showed the children what is in Israel for us. We did kabalat shabat at a nursing home which soon became a Yiddish party! And of course, we participated in J serve - a huge community volunteer event!
Of course he was also a lot of fun! We visited New York, we did ice skating, watched a game of NBA, and more great things !!!
Ari: After the mifgash, it became real to us that we would soon be with our new friends in our homeland, Israel. The first week of our trip was just with the American cohort, and started off in the North with some great scenery and meaningful history lessons. Each night we'd have a "ma'agal lilah" to reflect on the day's events, which allowed us to take in all of our experiences and appreciate everything to the fullest. The following week was the Diller Congress, a four day long event with all the American and Israeli cohorts together. This congress provided us not only with great performances such as Avram Infeld and "The Shuk" band, but with heated debates regarding Jewish identity and what truly defines one's connection to Judaism.
The last week of our trip here in Israel was our Kaitana for children in the Ramat Eliyahu community. As an American who does not speak much Hebrew, it was extremely challenging to lead activities and control a group of young children who did not always behave themselves. After the first day, however, I was able to use my leadership skills that I learned from Diller to communicate with and lead my group of 8 year olds through various games and sports. It was such a nice feeling seeing the entire camp erupt in song when singing our "Shir haKaitana". By the end of the 5 days, I felt so accomplished to have successfully brightened some of these kids' summers. Our group bonded over the difficult task, and it was a truly amazing sight to see all of us working together doing community service while utilizing our leadership skills from Diller.
Mor: Meeting the Americans again in Israel was great! We could show them our lives, our family, our friends, our Israel. Our volunteer together at the keitana in Ramat Eliyahu was enriching and amazing. It concluded our amazing year and everything we have been through. Each of us brought his powerful features and together we made an amazing survival keitana! There's nothing like the satisfaction you get when you act and do for your community and for the people around you!
Ari: Now we are here, a few hours from the Americans' flight home. We may never all be together in one place again, but our journey is not even close to being over. Yes, we may be leaving each other, but our shared mission remains, and that is to be great Jewish leaders in our respective communities, and to simply do good in the world. We will always be together in spirit, and are always here for each other when we may need a valuable leadership resource, or even just as good friends. I'm positive that we will all see each other again, especially now that all of us Americans feel such a strong connection to Israel, and feel the passion that will bring us back here many times in the future. We must not be upset that the Israel Summer Seminar has come to an end, but must appreciate the once in a lifetime experience that we were so fortunate to share together, and the existence of programs like Diller that bring Americans and Israelis together who share a common Jewish bond. I am so thankful that all of you here tonight are a part of my life, and have absolutely no regrets about anything these past 3 weeks. Thank you.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
It's almost over...
Hi everybody!
After three days of no blog posts, I will be writing about all three of these days to fill the gap.
We left off on Friday, the 29th of July. The Dillers wrapped up the Kaitana on such a great note, with the entire camp up on their feet, belting the lyrics to our "Shir hakaitana" (Camp Song). After 5 days of dealing with some pretty amazing, and sometimes crazy kids, all of us were looking forward to our free Shabbat with our host families. However, before going off with our host families, we had a nice kabbalat Shabbat on the beach in Yafo/Jaffa. This was centered around a meaningful discussion about our journey on Diller, where it has brought us, and where it will bring us in the future.
I am staying with Sagi Damari, and his family decided to take me north to the Kinneret or Sea of Galilee for Shabbat. It took only 1 hour to drive to the Kinneret, and we unpacked the car which had been filled with a boat load of raw food ready to be cooked for a special shabbat BBQ. We cooked chicken, beef, kabbabs, and many other things I cannot pronounce, and grilled them in the most amazing spices I have ever tasted in my life. As we ate dinner that Friday evening, we had front row seats to the most amazing sunset over the mountains surrounding the Kinneret.
The next morning we woke up and headed down to the shore of the Kinneret and swam for about two hours on what may have been the hottest day of my life. Then it was time to get back in the car and head back down to Rishon. It was such a nice way to spend my free day in Israel, and I really got to experience family time, Israeli style. Sagi's family is so warm and welcoming, despite the fact that not one of them can speak english very well, excluding Sagi.
That night in Rishon, Saturday night, all of the Dillers reunited to see "Mayumana's Momentum" show, which is similar to "STOMP" but significantly "cooler" and more entertaining. It was really an incredible experience, and our junior counselor Darren even said to me "I think I just discovered my future job".
Today, Sunday, we all woke up and had a breakfast picnic in Park Hazikaron in Rishon. We ate Gachnoon, Shakshuka, Burekas (sorry for my spelling), and Chocolate milk! It was the most Israeli meal that anyone has ever had, I'm positive.
After breakfast, we headed to the beach in Bat Yam, and were greeted by windsurfs, surfboards, and kayaks. This was a surprise from the "Last day committee", a group of five Israelis who planned our entire last day here in Israel! We all had a great time in the sun, and truly soaked in our last day together as Diller Metro-Lezion before heading to the airport tomorrow.
Later tonight we have our closing ceremony, which will be followed by a party at Ofir's house.
It's so sad that tomorrow around this time I will be approaching JFK airport, but it calms me knowing that I have a family both in New Jersey and in Israel, all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. I am so thankful for everything this program has provided me with, and have absolutely no regrets about anything these past three weeks in Israel. Diller has been the most incredible experience in my entire life, and I am confident that we will all remain a part of each others' lives forever.
See you all soon! :) :(
-Ari Bernstein
After three days of no blog posts, I will be writing about all three of these days to fill the gap.
We left off on Friday, the 29th of July. The Dillers wrapped up the Kaitana on such a great note, with the entire camp up on their feet, belting the lyrics to our "Shir hakaitana" (Camp Song). After 5 days of dealing with some pretty amazing, and sometimes crazy kids, all of us were looking forward to our free Shabbat with our host families. However, before going off with our host families, we had a nice kabbalat Shabbat on the beach in Yafo/Jaffa. This was centered around a meaningful discussion about our journey on Diller, where it has brought us, and where it will bring us in the future.
I am staying with Sagi Damari, and his family decided to take me north to the Kinneret or Sea of Galilee for Shabbat. It took only 1 hour to drive to the Kinneret, and we unpacked the car which had been filled with a boat load of raw food ready to be cooked for a special shabbat BBQ. We cooked chicken, beef, kabbabs, and many other things I cannot pronounce, and grilled them in the most amazing spices I have ever tasted in my life. As we ate dinner that Friday evening, we had front row seats to the most amazing sunset over the mountains surrounding the Kinneret.
The next morning we woke up and headed down to the shore of the Kinneret and swam for about two hours on what may have been the hottest day of my life. Then it was time to get back in the car and head back down to Rishon. It was such a nice way to spend my free day in Israel, and I really got to experience family time, Israeli style. Sagi's family is so warm and welcoming, despite the fact that not one of them can speak english very well, excluding Sagi.
That night in Rishon, Saturday night, all of the Dillers reunited to see "Mayumana's Momentum" show, which is similar to "STOMP" but significantly "cooler" and more entertaining. It was really an incredible experience, and our junior counselor Darren even said to me "I think I just discovered my future job".
Today, Sunday, we all woke up and had a breakfast picnic in Park Hazikaron in Rishon. We ate Gachnoon, Shakshuka, Burekas (sorry for my spelling), and Chocolate milk! It was the most Israeli meal that anyone has ever had, I'm positive.
After breakfast, we headed to the beach in Bat Yam, and were greeted by windsurfs, surfboards, and kayaks. This was a surprise from the "Last day committee", a group of five Israelis who planned our entire last day here in Israel! We all had a great time in the sun, and truly soaked in our last day together as Diller Metro-Lezion before heading to the airport tomorrow.
Later tonight we have our closing ceremony, which will be followed by a party at Ofir's house.
It's so sad that tomorrow around this time I will be approaching JFK airport, but it calms me knowing that I have a family both in New Jersey and in Israel, all the way across the Atlantic Ocean. I am so thankful for everything this program has provided me with, and have absolutely no regrets about anything these past three weeks in Israel. Diller has been the most incredible experience in my entire life, and I am confident that we will all remain a part of each others' lives forever.
See you all soon! :) :(
-Ari Bernstein
Friday, July 29, 2011
Day 17: Mazgan
It's hard to believe that today was our fourth day of camp. Working at the kaitana has been an unbelievable experience. Besides getting to know my campers, I have particuarly enjoyed exanding my limited Hebrew vocabulary. Today's word of the day is mazgan (air conditioning), which I appreciate more every day we spend in Israel.
After the camp, the Dillers had a discussion to wrap up what we learned at the congress this past week. Of the five legs of Avraham Infeld's table that we studied at the congress (covenant, family, Israel, language, and memory), we discussed our strongest leg, and another leg we would add if we could. Family received the most votes for strongest leg, and our sixth legs ranged from culture, to pride, to tzedakah, to tikun olam.
After dinner we set out to the IDF'S Home Front Command base. We heard from the commander about the rescue squad. Israel's aid to other countries is incredible and admirable. Since its inception, the rescue squad has traveled to Turkey, Kenya, and Haiti, among other countries. Israel's aid is invaluable, and the work of the rescue squad is exceptional. All the Dillers are proud to stand behind such a generous and strong nation.
Time to get some rest and gear up for our last day of camp!
xox
Aliza..
If you would like to know more about the IDF'S rescue aid , check this youtube.
After the camp, the Dillers had a discussion to wrap up what we learned at the congress this past week. Of the five legs of Avraham Infeld's table that we studied at the congress (covenant, family, Israel, language, and memory), we discussed our strongest leg, and another leg we would add if we could. Family received the most votes for strongest leg, and our sixth legs ranged from culture, to pride, to tzedakah, to tikun olam.
After dinner we set out to the IDF'S Home Front Command base. We heard from the commander about the rescue squad. Israel's aid to other countries is incredible and admirable. Since its inception, the rescue squad has traveled to Turkey, Kenya, and Haiti, among other countries. Israel's aid is invaluable, and the work of the rescue squad is exceptional. All the Dillers are proud to stand behind such a generous and strong nation.
Time to get some rest and gear up for our last day of camp!
xox
Aliza..
If you would like to know more about the IDF'S rescue aid , check this youtube.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Day 15: "Speak the Language of the Hebrew Man"
most other days in Israel, was a long, but exciting and meaningful day. It began in the camp, and was a little bit easier than yesterday, and a bit more organized. That is, until the different groups had pool time and went a little bit crazy. But after a little while of the Americans trying to communicate with them and the Israelis yelling as loud as possible, everyone could have good, safe fun in the water. Afterwards, the kids had time to play sports, and by the end of the day everyone was singing and dancing along to the camp song. From the camp we boarded a bus and headed to Tel Aviv, Israel's New York. There, we had time to walk around, experience the city, and of course, buy things! Nachlat Binyamin street was crowded by vendors, and it was so interesting to see all of the different things they were selling: soap, art, sheep, belts, cold drinks, grains of rice with your name on them, bling, etc. I personally had a lot of fun watching an older man over his blowtorch, shaping glass into any animal you can think of (including the mythical ones too). Close by was the Shuk HaCarmel, the Carmel Market, which Ofir, my stylish Israeli brother, refuses to enter because he claims, "It is dirty!!!".
At night we went to an amazing place in Yafo called "Na Laga'at" (Please touch). Na' Laga'at is a cultural center that has a theatre, cafe and restaurant where all the employess are deaf, blind or mute.There, we were served by waiters and waitresses who were deaf and taught us sign language, which is apparently different in Israel than in America. After a delicious meal we headed to the other side of the building, where we were in for a treat. Immediatley upon entering the theatre, we saw a group of people, who we later found out were deaf, blind, or both, kneading dough. Throughout the show that they put on for us we learned about each of them, and they showed us that there is much more to them than their disabilities, the basic bread of their lives. By the end, the bread that they were making was ready and we were all invited to join them on stage and share it with them. Everyone was simply speechless. I thought that it was amazing to see them communicate with eachother. They would make signs on each others' palms with their fingers, pass signals down the line they were in, and even reach out to touch each others' faces.What we saw from the day as a whole was that words are not necessary to communicate. In the camp, we might not be able to tell the kids, but they know by our tone of voice and body language that they're misbehaving, although they might not really care either way. Even though most of the performers we saw could not speak or see us, they were still able to send us a profound message. Even in the shuk, I didn't need to tell the man that I wanted orange juice, because pointing to it was all that was necessary (but I did anyway just to practice some of my new Hebrew words!). As we go into our last week in Israel this is something that we should keep in mind. And speaking of the last week in Israel... Mommy and Daddy, I might not come home when I'm supposed to!
At night we went to an amazing place in Yafo called "Na Laga'at" (Please touch). Na' Laga'at is a cultural center that has a theatre, cafe and restaurant where all the employess are deaf, blind or mute.There, we were served by waiters and waitresses who were deaf and taught us sign language, which is apparently different in Israel than in America. After a delicious meal we headed to the other side of the building, where we were in for a treat. Immediatley upon entering the theatre, we saw a group of people, who we later found out were deaf, blind, or both, kneading dough. Throughout the show that they put on for us we learned about each of them, and they showed us that there is much more to them than their disabilities, the basic bread of their lives. By the end, the bread that they were making was ready and we were all invited to join them on stage and share it with them. Everyone was simply speechless. I thought that it was amazing to see them communicate with eachother. They would make signs on each others' palms with their fingers, pass signals down the line they were in, and even reach out to touch each others' faces.What we saw from the day as a whole was that words are not necessary to communicate. In the camp, we might not be able to tell the kids, but they know by our tone of voice and body language that they're misbehaving, although they might not really care either way. Even though most of the performers we saw could not speak or see us, they were still able to send us a profound message. Even in the shuk, I didn't need to tell the man that I wanted orange juice, because pointing to it was all that was necessary (but I did anyway just to practice some of my new Hebrew words!). As we go into our last week in Israel this is something that we should keep in mind. And speaking of the last week in Israel... Mommy and Daddy, I might not come home when I'm supposed to!
-Jason
Monday, July 25, 2011
Day 14: Potatoes and kids
Hello friends,
Today has been a crazzzyyyy day. If you are not aware (this should be all of you) today is the first day of the camp. Moran, Jake, Darren, Leah, and I all went to volunteer at the Hazon Yeshaya soup kitchen. At the soup kitchen, we learned about the different populations in Rishon, packed food and peeled potatoes. It was exciting and fun to be a part of something bigger.
Everyone else at the camp has been running around all day doing what they can to communicate with the campers. For the Americans, they have been attempting to talk the kids, who only speak Hebrew. I observed one of the Diller Americans, Jake, try to talk to the kids and they were telling him funny words and since Jake don’t know Hebrew he kept on saying “ken” and agreeing to whatever the little kids said. As for tonight, we explored Rishon Lezion and went on a scavenger hunt through out the city, an activity prepared by the Israeli Junior Counselors Amit and Amir.
Last night was the first night we stayed as guests at the Israeli’s houses. I know that everyone enjoyed their first night and that we are all looking forward to spend the rest of the week with our host and their families. For all of you worried parents, all of the kids are breathing.
Love you always,
Ethan <3
If any of you would like more information on the amazing soup kitchen we volunteered in or would like to donate please go to http://www.hazonyeshaya.org/
Today has been a crazzzyyyy day. If you are not aware (this should be all of you) today is the first day of the camp. Moran, Jake, Darren, Leah, and I all went to volunteer at the Hazon Yeshaya soup kitchen. At the soup kitchen, we learned about the different populations in Rishon, packed food and peeled potatoes. It was exciting and fun to be a part of something bigger.
Everyone else at the camp has been running around all day doing what they can to communicate with the campers. For the Americans, they have been attempting to talk the kids, who only speak Hebrew. I observed one of the Diller Americans, Jake, try to talk to the kids and they were telling him funny words and since Jake don’t know Hebrew he kept on saying “ken” and agreeing to whatever the little kids said. As for tonight, we explored Rishon Lezion and went on a scavenger hunt through out the city, an activity prepared by the Israeli Junior Counselors Amit and Amir.
Last night was the first night we stayed as guests at the Israeli’s houses. I know that everyone enjoyed their first night and that we are all looking forward to spend the rest of the week with our host and their families. For all of you worried parents, all of the kids are breathing.
Love you always,
Ethan <3
If any of you would like more information on the amazing soup kitchen we volunteered in or would like to donate please go to http://www.hazonyeshaya.org/
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Day 11: Why I am thankful
Waking up this morning felt like a pretty typical congress day. Get up shivering because our A.C. is amazing, throw on whatever is on top of your suitcase and listen to lectures about being leaders. After my daily 3 hour nap (highly useful as Erica noted), I was awoken by Zoe who informed me it was time to get ready for Shabbat and, as usual, I was running late. I jumped in the shower, threw on my white dress and ran down the stairs, because before Shabbat began we took pictures of all the Diller Fellows. I felt a little bit stressed, emotion that I don't enjoy during the week, let alone on Shabbat, but then we participated in a Shabbat parade, filled with singing and instruments (played by many of the Rishon-Lezion Dillers), and came to a field where we all sat in order to do Kabbalat Shabbat. The coordinator for Tel Aviv got up, and taught as a song where someone in the audience got up and gave thanks for something in their life, after which the rest of the audience sang "And for this, I am thankful." It was truly a great way to get me out of my whiny mood and into my calm Shabbat mood. One-by-one kids got up and began giving thanks. With my fear of public speaking I was not planning on standing up. However, I would like to share with all of you from the comfort of my bed what I am thankful for. I am so thankful for Diller. It has truly changed my life in ways never imaginable. It has taught me to stand up for my opinions and beliefs, and that there is no one right way to practice Judaism. I have learned to accept the way I connect to Judaism, a lesson that I believe only Diller could teach me. I am also so grateful for the family I have gained. Daphna, Leah, Jess and Darren are not only amazing people to have as role models but also are easy to talk to and know how to have a good time. The Israelis are like our wild and crazy counterparts, with whom there is never a dull moment. And of course, thankful to my fellow MetroWest Dillers who have truly become my brothers and sisters. We cry, whine and laugh together. We have learned how to work as group, be each others' support team and, more than anything, be each others' friend and for that I am forever grateful. Last but not least, I think I speak for the entire group when I thank all our parents for the amazing love and support and for sending us on this amazing journey. We love you and miss you all!
-Molly Dickman
-Molly Dickman
Day 10: How To Survive Diller Congress
1. Stay away from the following foods at mealtimes in order to maintain a happy stomach:
-the oddly watery and crunchy scrambled eggs
-the undercooked spaghetti and meat sauce
-the spicy pickles
-the sweet ketchup
-the orange "juice"
2. When the Israelis from your partnership arrive with water bottles-turned-noise makers filled with peas and rice, make sure to shake them up as loudly as possible in order to show the other cities how MetroWest dominates.
3. When you split up into your color groups, which are now integrated with Israelis and other North American communities, be yourself and let your personality shine. It also helps to have a block of ice to break.
4. When your color group is presented with a giant floor map of the world, bear in mind that Israel is not, in fact, bigger than Africa, and Mexico does still exist.
5. Test out your Hebrew skills at all times possible: when ordering an iced coffee, saying hello to teens taking a stroll, and chanting along with friends.
6. During your lengthy afternoon break, make sure to take a nap so you will have enough energy to keep up with the Israelis and all the activities that will ensue.
7. At Maagal Lila (Night circle), be sure to clearly explain your day in the form of a sandwich: you start by sharing a good part of your day which resembles a slice of bread, followed by the not so good part of your day as the kosher meat of the sandwich, and then topped with another good aspect as your top slice of bread.
8. When Baltimore arrives at the dance party at night called Teen Zulla chanting in togas, do not be alarmed, they are just expressing their intimidation from the mighty Metro-Lezion.
9. Try to get a few hours of sleep so you'll be ready to do it all again tomorrow morning!
-Erica Brecker
P.S. We're all having a blast and we miss and love you all !
-the oddly watery and crunchy scrambled eggs
-the undercooked spaghetti and meat sauce
-the spicy pickles
-the sweet ketchup
-the orange "juice"
2. When the Israelis from your partnership arrive with water bottles-turned-noise makers filled with peas and rice, make sure to shake them up as loudly as possible in order to show the other cities how MetroWest dominates.
3. When you split up into your color groups, which are now integrated with Israelis and other North American communities, be yourself and let your personality shine. It also helps to have a block of ice to break.
4. When your color group is presented with a giant floor map of the world, bear in mind that Israel is not, in fact, bigger than Africa, and Mexico does still exist.
5. Test out your Hebrew skills at all times possible: when ordering an iced coffee, saying hello to teens taking a stroll, and chanting along with friends.
6. During your lengthy afternoon break, make sure to take a nap so you will have enough energy to keep up with the Israelis and all the activities that will ensue.
7. At Maagal Lila (Night circle), be sure to clearly explain your day in the form of a sandwich: you start by sharing a good part of your day which resembles a slice of bread, followed by the not so good part of your day as the kosher meat of the sandwich, and then topped with another good aspect as your top slice of bread.
8. When Baltimore arrives at the dance party at night called Teen Zulla chanting in togas, do not be alarmed, they are just expressing their intimidation from the mighty Metro-Lezion.
9. Try to get a few hours of sleep so you'll be ready to do it all again tomorrow morning!
-Erica Brecker
P.S. We're all having a blast and we miss and love you all !
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Day 9 :Rak Po (Only Here)
The first day of the North American Kennes opened with an activity in our mixed groups about the different organizations in our community. One discussion we had began with Steve, the coordinator of my color group, telling us that a meteor from space hit Earth and that only 10,000 people survived, 200 of which were Jewish. He then proceeded to tell us that we had to choose 10 Jewish organizations or institutions to establish in order to create a Jewish community. Some of our choices were JCC, Jewish Federation, Jewish History Museum, Jewish Funeral Home, synagogue, and Jewish Youth Movement. In our discussion we spoke about how a part of Judaism is keeping our history and memories alive. We do this by educating the generations to come. We also discussed how a part of being Jewish is being a community. Although we don’t all practice the same form of Judaism and apart of different youth movements and groups we are all working towards the same goal, of becoming a unified Jewish community.
We were also lucky enough to have an amazing guest speaker, Avraham Infeld, the former president of Hillel.He spoke about Judaism and leadership through his humor and sarcasm. We learned that in order for one to be a leader, he or she must be passionate, and cannot lead alone. He also taught us that in order for people to follow you, you need to reach into their hearts, get them in the gut, and move the feet for them.
Our treat of the day was a show by Robbie Gringrass, an English Israeli entertainment speaker. He shared with us some of his personal stories and experiences living in Israel. He also integrated some of his favorite Israeli songs in between. “Rak Po”, by HaDag Nachash is a song about all of the ironic qualities of Israel. When an Israeli hears about a terrorist attack in Israel, they race back home. Also, in Israel, soldiers with big guns are comforting, whereas in American and other parts of the world, they are avoided. The show ended with Robbie telling us that Judaism is a song that everyone dances to, but that each person dances differently.
We ended the day with our nightly Ma’agal Laila, where Israeli soldiers spoke to us about what it’s like to be in the IDF. They explained how at age 21 they were placed in charge of their own platoon and given the great responsibilities they hold..
Being with all of the different Diller groups of North America has truely brought us closer. I can’t wait for all of the Israelis to come tomorrow so that our Diller community will be completed and the fun can really start!
(shout out to mommy and abba-- love you!)
-Carmelle
We were also lucky enough to have an amazing guest speaker, Avraham Infeld, the former president of Hillel.He spoke about Judaism and leadership through his humor and sarcasm. We learned that in order for one to be a leader, he or she must be passionate, and cannot lead alone. He also taught us that in order for people to follow you, you need to reach into their hearts, get them in the gut, and move the feet for them.
Our treat of the day was a show by Robbie Gringrass, an English Israeli entertainment speaker. He shared with us some of his personal stories and experiences living in Israel. He also integrated some of his favorite Israeli songs in between. “Rak Po”, by HaDag Nachash is a song about all of the ironic qualities of Israel. When an Israeli hears about a terrorist attack in Israel, they race back home. Also, in Israel, soldiers with big guns are comforting, whereas in American and other parts of the world, they are avoided. The show ended with Robbie telling us that Judaism is a song that everyone dances to, but that each person dances differently.
We ended the day with our nightly Ma’agal Laila, where Israeli soldiers spoke to us about what it’s like to be in the IDF. They explained how at age 21 they were placed in charge of their own platoon and given the great responsibilities they hold..
Being with all of the different Diller groups of North America has truely brought us closer. I can’t wait for all of the Israelis to come tomorrow so that our Diller community will be completed and the fun can really start!
(shout out to mommy and abba-- love you!)
-Carmelle
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Day 8: What a long day!
After a beautiful night in the Bedouin tent we were woken up at 4 in the morning to Jason Roth and Sagi Damari, our leaders of the day, playing loud music. In a zombie like fashion, we all went through the motions of getting ready so early in the morning while enjoying the Bedouin’s trademark tea to help wake us up. Although exhausted, at Masada all of us Dillers really pulled through and made it to the top without too many complaints! For people who were experiencing Masada for the first time, like myself, the view was spectacular and watching the sun rise surrounded by friends was indescribable. After shouting out to the world and singing many songs through echo of the barren mountains of Masada, we departed Masada via tram, which was a fun way to make fun of all the other groups hiking down the snake path.
Beautiful Ein Gedi was next on our list and we were more than happy to swim in the cool water. The beautiful refreshing water transformed into an invigorating seaweed fight and Aliza even touched a frog!
With a two hour bus ride ahead, we took the opportunity to sleep, only being waken up to eat lunch and temporarily say goodbye to our Israelis. Desperately needing showers, we all ate lunch quickly enough so that we could get to Givat Haviva early and have time to shower before meeting the 120 other Dillers at the Kennes. A bit overwhelmed by the amount of new people and how tired we were, we stuck together and supported one another. But our day wasn’t over yet! We were then divided into color groups, being mixed with kids from all the other North American Diller groups, and proceeded to ice breakers where we realized the other North Americans aren’t so bad!
When our night circle came around we were all a little too tired to hold any conversations without cracking up but, as usual, we pulled through like champs and finally got to go to sleep! JUST KIDDING! Teen Zulah was up next which was for all the teens to hang out and, not wanting to be anti-social and desperately wanting our laundry done, we all reported to the grass field where we socialized and ate for as long as we could keep our eyes open. Then finally we all reported to our beds and sang the tune of zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Looking forward to another great day of Diller,
Meital
Beautiful Ein Gedi was next on our list and we were more than happy to swim in the cool water. The beautiful refreshing water transformed into an invigorating seaweed fight and Aliza even touched a frog!
With a two hour bus ride ahead, we took the opportunity to sleep, only being waken up to eat lunch and temporarily say goodbye to our Israelis. Desperately needing showers, we all ate lunch quickly enough so that we could get to Givat Haviva early and have time to shower before meeting the 120 other Dillers at the Kennes. A bit overwhelmed by the amount of new people and how tired we were, we stuck together and supported one another. But our day wasn’t over yet! We were then divided into color groups, being mixed with kids from all the other North American Diller groups, and proceeded to ice breakers where we realized the other North Americans aren’t so bad!
When our night circle came around we were all a little too tired to hold any conversations without cracking up but, as usual, we pulled through like champs and finally got to go to sleep! JUST KIDDING! Teen Zulah was up next which was for all the teens to hang out and, not wanting to be anti-social and desperately wanting our laundry done, we all reported to the grass field where we socialized and ate for as long as we could keep our eyes open. Then finally we all reported to our beds and sang the tune of zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Looking forward to another great day of Diller,
Meital
Day 7 - desert!
A week has passed, and we had a very relaxing day today which was really needed. First of all, it was our awesome medic Rafiki’s birthday who just turned 23. Mazal Tov Rafiki, we love you! Anyway, we woke up to a bunch of cats and some ibexes roaming around, ate breakfast, and then did a workshop about the upcoming summer camp that we are planning. After a few hours passed, we left for a very nice hotel on the Dead Sea. When we arrived, we ate a much needed meal. Then, we got changed and hopped into the Dead Sea, which was truly amazing. At first when we got in it stung a lot, but we got used to it. The salt makes your skin feel oily and soft. Some of us even took mud baths. What is even more amazing is how you float on top of the water with out even trying and if you try to touch the bottom of the sea, you rise right back up. Don’t forget that the dead sea is the lowest place on earth, and it was extremely hot- about 115 degrees farenheight, making the water in the sea really warm as well. After swimming and relaxing, we were off to the Bedouin tent in the Negev for the night. When we arrived, we settled into the village and then rode camels and donkeys. It was a very interesting and exciting experience, and definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity. Next, we leanred about the Bedoiun culture and drank amazing tea and horrible black coffee. We also danced while our host played a Bedouin instrument. The dinner we ate was a classic Bedoiun meal and spent the rest of the night under the beautiful Negev stars talking about how far we have come as a group and our hopes and dreams for the future. I feel greatly honored to be a part of such a great Diller group, and all of the kids are truly inspiring. I know that we will all be close for a very long time, and will all succeed in our own way!
It has been a great experience so far as my time in Israel, and I am looking forward to the next two weeks.
Jake
P.S: Mom and Dad, I miss and love you! Say hi to the pups for me.
It has been a great experience so far as my time in Israel, and I am looking forward to the next two weeks.
Jake
P.S: Mom and Dad, I miss and love you! Say hi to the pups for me.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Day 6- Tour of the old city and reuniting with the Israeli Dillers
Today we traveled to the Old City in the heart of Jerusalem. In the morning we visited the walls of the old city, which Baruch, our tour guide, told us were built by the Romans. We entered through the Jaffa gate and Baruch shared more about the history of the Old City. We discussed the history behind some of the most famous temples in the world and the different religious groups that surrounded them. In the Jewish Quarter we had time to shop, and I bought my sister a bazooka bubble gum t-shirt in hebrew.......so cool!! It’s fun being a ‘tourist’. After we stopped for lunch in a corner of the Old City, we were SUPRISED once more by the amazing Israeli Dillers. There were hugs and excitement as we were reunited. Adam, who’s birthday was today, was given a very tasty cake by Dor. (The cake was super good!)
After we reunited, we walked down to the water tunnels in the City of David. As we descended into the tunnels, it gradually got colder and wetter. The water would rise and fall, as would the height of the walls (which is very inconvenient considering I’m 6’ 1”). In the tunnel, which was a half a mile long, we all turned off our lights and a had a dance party in the space we had.........it was super fun. After the water tunnel we made our way to the Kotel and the Kotel tunnels. Later, when we had our dinner and headed off to Ein Gedi, we knew we were in for a treat. After we got our roomates and settled in we were treated to a bonfire and music by our talented Diller musicians. It was amazing seeing us all come together as one and have an amazing time.
-Isaac
After we reunited, we walked down to the water tunnels in the City of David. As we descended into the tunnels, it gradually got colder and wetter. The water would rise and fall, as would the height of the walls (which is very inconvenient considering I’m 6’ 1”). In the tunnel, which was a half a mile long, we all turned off our lights and a had a dance party in the space we had.........it was super fun. After the water tunnel we made our way to the Kotel and the Kotel tunnels. Later, when we had our dinner and headed off to Ein Gedi, we knew we were in for a treat. After we got our roomates and settled in we were treated to a bonfire and music by our talented Diller musicians. It was amazing seeing us all come together as one and have an amazing time.
-Isaac
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