We started the morning early, taking a bus to Tzfat at around eight. We arrived close to nine. After arriving, we met our guide, a friendly, eccentric spiritualist with a full beard, a walking stick and a robe. Walking through Tzfat, we saw some of the old city, though much was destroyed during earthquakes. We visited a candle shop that carried both lovely Shabbat candles and a gigantic wax sculpture of Noah's Ark for a measly 10,000 shekels (oy vey!). Our guide then led us to the artists' quarter of Tzfat where we explored much of the beautiful artwork that the city is famous for. Some of us also snacked on Yemenite laucuch, a savory pancake filled with cheese, tomatoes, spices and herbs. While the laucuch is delicious, half the appeal is the show; owner/chef Ronen skillful flips Lauchuch while singing and calling over more customers. After stopping at a lookout to take in the incredible view, we got back on the bus and returned to the Rayman Center.
Once back in Karmiel, we ate a meatless pasta lunch in honor of the few vegetarians in our cohort. Israeli fellows Stav and Avigail then led an activity titled "What Is G-d to Me," in which we discussed how we connect (or don't connect) to G-d. Afterwards, there was a short song session for Shabbat, and we concluded with short Ma'Agals. We then went home for Shabbat dinner, many of us meeting up again at Ofek Har-Even's house for a pool party. Despite being exhausted, we swam and laughed late into the night, starting the Sabbath off on a high note.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
July 28, 2011
Another early rise and shine for the Diller Teen Fellows as they were awakened at 7am on the beautiful shores of Lake Kineret. Following breakfast, we all sprinted down to the waters for a few hours of fun in the sun. Everyone relaxed and had fun splashing, wrestling, playing, and even just floating there in the warm waters of the Sea of Galiliee. We then packed up our gear and took a relaxing bus ride back to the Rayman Teen Center in Karmiel, punctuated by music from Hila. At Rayman's, we had lunch, relaxed for a while, and then were led by the Junior Counselors in a Staff Activity. In the first part we all looked into the future and answered questions about where we would be and what we would be doing in ten years in relation to Diller and the Jewish community. The second part of the activity forced us to focus on the present to create and propose something that would greatly benefit the Jewish world today. We presented to a "Board of Trustees" who informed us that asking for 1.5 billion dollars for an education fund might be a little bit much. After the staff activity and group circles, we each went home to our Israeli's house for a few hours, relaxing, or in some cases shopping, before the Nevo Shachrur's birthday party! We all love Nevo and had a blast at his party where he personally showed off his amazing DJing skills. Another exhausting yet amazingly fun day for the Diller Teen Fellows.
dont judge
dont judge
July 27, 2011
This morning we met at the Rayman’s at 9 to leave for a rafting trip on the Jordan River. Emily and Blaine started a game of spoons, which is much like the game “assassin”. Each fellow gets a plastic spoon and a person that they have to “spoon”. You can only “spoon” someone if they don’t have their “spoon” in plain sight. If you “spoon” someone, they are removed from the game. You are assigned their target and the circle of elimination continues. The group is having a lot of fun with the “spooning” concept.
At the Jordan we split into groups and paddled the lazy river. There was a vague sense of Deja Vu among the Americans who all recalled their epic voyages rafting at Ohiopyle in early September. After a lot of falling out and dunking each other, we put on dry clothes and took a ten minute bus ride to the Majraseh for a hike in the water, whose level was often up past our waists. The amount of bees and everyone splashing one another had the group’s panties in a bunch but we finished right on time. We hopped back on the bus for a few minutes to get to a beach for some community service and some very enthusiastic trash cleanup. We filled so many bags!!! It was really important, mostly to the Americans, to give back to a land that is giving something to us as well. Again we got on the bus, this time to our final destination of Dugit Beach, on the eastern side of the Kineret. Our plentiful dinner was kindly prepared and served for us by a committed dinner staff of Israeli chanichim. We had our separate ma’agalim and slept in an open campsite. The end of the day was quite memorable, with everyone piled on top of each other. Some slept well, some didn’t, but the day was fun and the togetherness of collective calm heightened our spirit.
Asher & Orly
July 26, 2011
Today was a day that was both extremely enlightening and incredibly sad at the same time. We started our day today with a tour of an army base, Naura, which is located near Afula. We met a few soldiers who talked to us and gave us information about the IDF. Most of the Americans had never seen an army base before, so this was a really cool experience. We saw a bunch of tanks and artillery machines and even got to climb on top of them! Then two Israeli fellows, Yuval and Omri, led a discussion about the army and our opinions on Israelis being obligated to join the army. Through this discussion, we were able to hear how the Israelis felt about the army and the fact that they all had to go to the army in 2 years from now.
The military is something that is a huge part of every Israeli’s life. It is something that they think about when they are young, dreaming of which unit in the army they will go into. They all know someone in the army, whether it be family, friends, or members of their community. As Americans, we tried to put ourselves in their shoes, and this brought up many questions about whether we feel obligated to protect Israel as well, or if we would be scared knowing that we would be entering the IDF in two years. This activity made all of us think and consider what our life would be like if we lived in Israel.
Next we went to have lunch and then had a break for about an hour and a half. Following was a transitional game led by Shir and Nevo. The staff then led an activity involving the 5 legs from Avraham Infeld’s speech: Israel, Family, Language, Covenant, Memory. Also we talked about the speech given to the U.N. before the statehood of Israel took place. Following this a terrific family talked about their beloved son who passed away in the I.D.F. It was pretty much a question and answer activity. The night was over and every fellow went back to their respective homes.
From these activities we truly were able to take our previous knowledge a step further. In the first staff activity we all developed standpoints on certain items. For example a picture of a baby reading a prayer book made us all have different opinions and because of this we all learned more about our Jewish identities. After this meaningful experience for all, we listened to Arbel Reich’s parents. Arbel died in the I.D.F. This experience showed us all how parents of soldiers feel; the good and the bad. This connected with Omri and Yuval’s discussion from earlier. With both of these similar activities in a short time, the Diller cohort was able to reflect and see the risk soldiers must take. The day was truly inspirational and left us all wanting to learn more.
Monday, July 25, 2011
July 25, 2011
Our first day of home hospitality opened with four great volunteering opportunities. Each fellow went to one place and completed the assigned task. The places we went were an immigration center, a foodbank/goodwill, a school supplies center, and a farm. Every person had a unique and valuable experience whether it be playing with a foreign child or picking tomatoes. As the blog writer for the day, I think I can speak for everyone when I say how lucky we are to live in such a wealthy and thriving environment where we have people to talk to and food to eat every day.
Later on we returned to the RayMan Youth Center for lunch and discussion
After lunch, the day took a more serious turn. The fellows welcomed Sigailt, who came to give us an unbiased history of the Israel-Arab conflict. After some history and questions, Iman, an Arab woman who lives in Madgdal Krum, an Arab village near Karmiel, came to speak to us. Both the American and Israeli fellows were bursting with questions, and everyone was disappointed when she had to leave. To most of the fellows, this was an incredibly unique experience, unlike anything they had ever done before. Everyone had grown up around different opinions of Arabs, which made the program even more intriguing. Some fellows were completely at ease, while some Israelis were uncomfortable at first. The Americans had a lot of questions for the Israeli fellows regarding how they view Arabs and how society views them. After Iman's session, we tried to have a group discussion of the topic, but it proved difficult because of the large number or people (and opinions!) and because some Americans were not completely educated on the issue. Because of this, Steve talked to us and gave us a lot of information about the history of Israel's borders and conflicts with them. Speaking to some of the American fellows, this was very helpful and gave them a more educated opinion on the issue. After this, the fellows had a short break with a snack and a quick game of Wah to ease the mood. Then, we divided into four groups to discuss everything we had heard and our opinions regarding the issue. Each group was given a discussion question: Do you think Arabs do have equal rights as Jews in Israel, and do you think they should? Although the groups did discuss this, everyone veered from this topic to discuss their opinions on a huge variety of issues connecting to the Arab conflict in Israel. Some opinions clashed, which led to heated conversations, but everyone learned a lot. We ended the day with an evening ma'agal, where we wrote letters to ourselves that we will open on our final event. Lastly, we returned to our host families for another fun-filled night! I think it is safe to say that everyone, especially the Americans, learned a lot today and were exposed to a variety of opinions and issues. We can't wait for tomorrow!
By: Hannah Busis and Felicia Tissenbaum
Sunday, July 24, 2011
July 24, 2011
Good afternoon parents,
Today was an invigorating and challenging final day of the Diller International Congress. We woke up at 7:00, bright and early, in order to prepare our luggage for the bus ride. After a hearty breakfast of french toast, eggs, and cottage cheese (the latter two seeming to be a common theme in Israel) we attended our final Congress session in our color groups. We entered into deep discussions about our connections to Israel, the land and state, which often erupted into arguments between Israelis and Americans over the importance of each community's role. A general conclusion was that Israeli Jews serve as protectors of the Jewish homeland while Diaspora Jews serve as advocates to the international community about the Israel's perspective.
Next, we had a crucial feedback session in which we worked with the Junior Staff of Diller to provide constructive criticism about our Congress experiences. After lunch, we attended a session about Diller follow-up opportunities, such as becoming a Junior Staff member or enrolling in a Massah program (Massah means Journey in Hebrew). For all interested parents, these programs include gap year, half year, and semester abroad sessions with focus on hands on connection to Judaism and involve studying topics related to your area of career interest.
Afterwards, we took a look at our memories from Congress with a special presentation shared by the Junior staff and said goodbye to our new friends from the other ten cohorts. It took us approximately an hour bus ride to reach our next destination, Misgav, where we took a tour of the village Ya'ad. Ya'ad is the oldest modern village in Misgav and is where the Israeli fellow Shir Ribon lives. Next we took a tour of Karmiel itself, led by Noy Fridman.
Finally, we made our way to the Rayman's, Karmiel's version of the JCC, and had an amazing welcome ceremony. All of the host families arrived while we were discussing our day in a Maagal (which also involved an activity prepared by us. Go friendship bracelets!). After the most unique dinner most of us have probably ever had, consisting of ethnic foods provided by each host family, we listened to welcoming speeches from Partnership Together (the new name of P2K), the Youth Committee of the aforementioned organization, Ilai Cohen, who represented the Israeli fellows, Hila, Steve, and us (Lizzie and Alex).
Ultimately, we were whisked away to our respective hosts' homes, exhausted but satisfied, and so here we are now. And as respresentatives of the group as a whole, it is safe to say that we definitely feel at home.
With much love and much excitement, Diller Home Hospitality Week begins!
Lizzie Shackney and Alex Josowitz
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