Final Day of IWS!

Cohort 5 Israel Winter Seminar
Thursday, January 1st
By Naomi Silverstein

Our first day of 2015 began with a loud rendition of Happy Birthday for a very special Emma Starr and a whole lot of yawning. At 5 a.m. all of the remaining cohorts (many had left to go home the day before) met outside their dorms at Sde Boker Kibbutz for a light breakfast. Some groups were leaving for the airport, but not us. We, along with the Baltimore cohort, made the almost 2 hour bus ride to Masada. When we arrived at 7:30 we had an interesting make-your-own-breakfast experience that included canned tuna and a whole cucumber per person. After serenading Emma for at least the fourth time that day, we began our climb. 

All of the cohorts made the climb together. We took the path that the Romans had built in the early 70’s CE. The trek took only 15 minutes but it doesn’t take long to travel back in time. As we walked under the arch at the end of the path it was like we were walking through history. Our guide led us in a discussion over the morality of the Jewish zealots’ actions. On the one hand, it was a noble action to choose to die by their own hands rather than the hands of the Romans. Looking from another perspective, the group of Jews living on Masada was known as the Sicarii, an extremist band. Perhaps the mass suicide was just another way to get attention. Whatever the reasoning, walking the pathways and looking over the view from the top of Masada inspired incredible and overwhelming feelings. 

Due to time constraints, people had the option to swim at Ein Gedi oasis or in the Dead Sea. I was among those who opted for the Dead Sea experience. While some people thought the water was cold, us New Englanders loved it. Floating was so much fun! We were so buoyant that we couldn’t get ourselves vertical to stand back up! Accidentally getting a drop of the water in my mouth made my lips pucker and one of the Baltimore boys managed to get water in both of his eyes! Once everyone had endured enough of the stinging we swam out to wash off and head over to the mud baths. There were four huge basins filled to the brim with mud and each of us was smothered with thick layers from head to toe. The cool mud soothed the stinging sensations from the extreme saltiness. After taking the customary mud-covered pictures, we went to rinse off under the sulfur showers. Once we returned to the locker rooms we had to hurry to shower and get dressed before it was time to go. After I bought some Dead Sea lotion and a “Life is Sababa” t-shirt, we boarded the buses for Jerusalem! 

Easing our way back into American culture, the Boston cohort went to a burger restaurant for dinner! Sharing one long table, we enjoyed our final sit-down together and once again serenaded Emma with Happy Birthday. Dinner ended and we were headed to Ben Gurion airport. Instead of waiting at the gate, I went around and bought as much Israeli chocolate as I could afford! The 13-hour flight to Philly and then the two hours back to Boston ended our Israel Seminar. In our programming we discussed what being a family meant. To me, it is a place where I can take refuge and relax with people whom I love and love me in return. Going into the trip we were a close-knit group of teen leaders and friends. Now, we are a family.

Day Two of North American Kennes

Cohort 5 Israel Winter Seminar
Wednesday, 12.31.14
By Emma Starr

Wednesday morning started off with a traditional breakfast of cheeses and eggs etc.  We all then walked to our color groups and were told to look for envelopes with our color sticker on it.  At first I felt weird looking around Ben Gurion's grave site for envelopes but then when the groups found them all and we opened them I was very intrigued.  Inside the envelopes were quotes that Ben-Gurion said and dates that were important in the state of Israel. We each read them aloud and discussed if we were inspired and if so why.  My color group had a serious discussion about the conflict and people shared some very insightful opinions.  The notion of a group of around twenty Jewish kids from nine cities coming together to discuss the future of Israel was such an interesting perspective on how different people from different places see the world.  After we concluded with how we are going to affect change in our homes we continued our program on the "Journey of our People."  We also had to think about the first Jew in North America and put on a play about it.  Then the leader spread out a map and we were all told to place stickies with numbers one to ten written on the places that we think had the most Jews.  My group started out with getting the first three stickies correct but then we got the rest wrong.  It was so interesting to see how the places we think didn't have a lot of Jews are on the list and the places we thought had a lot of Jews were the top five on the list.  Boston is the city with the 7th largest Jewish population.

The five legged table is a concept by Avraham Infeld.  He says that a table stands on israel, memory, family, covenant, and language.  He spoke so passionately that it was very hard to not be totally captivated with his words which he so eloquently spoke.

After we heard from Mr. Infeld we broke up into our color groups again and discussed the future of North American Jewry.

We concluded our evening with a maagal both silly and serious.  We screamed our new year resolutions while cracking our glow sticks and ran towards each other ready to embark on accomplishing them together when we go back to the states.   We put on hats and glasses and counted down with the other cohorts and thought about how lucky we were to be in this beautiful country with the most amazing people in the world.  We are one family full of people that care about each other and will do anything for each other.  We are so lucky to have embarked on this adventure together, our nineteen amazing fellows.

Goodbye Haifa and Welcome to North American Kennes!

Cohort 5 Israel Winter Seminar
Tuesday, December 30th, 2014
By Josh Geller

Blog 

As we awoke on Tuesday, the 30th the Boston Fellows realized a sad truth, it was time to leave our Israelis. Although there was some excitement about meeting all of the North American Dillers once again, a somber vibe filled the room as we arrived at Reut Middle School. We proceeded to take part in program led by Liana and Nitsan, which focused on memories, and what makes them important. We discussed how our memories play a large role in who we are as people, and as a collective group. We proceeded to discuss the top five most important events in the history of both Israel and America. We quickly came to the realization that the was no correct answer. Everyone had a different answer. The different ways in which we feel about certain events all stems from how we remember them. As a group of 17 and 18 year olds, some of us vaguely remember the events that took place on September 11, 2001. As a result of this scaring memory, many members found 9/11 to be on of the top five most pivotal moments the US history.  Our recollection of that day, and actually experiencing the effects of it, are what made the attacks on the Trade Center so important to us.

Continuing, we moved on to our Maagal Boker, which was led by Rachel, Amit and Shay. They led us in a game that truly made everyone feel special. They sat us in a circle and told us to close our eyes. After all eyes were shut, Yitzhak would tap people and tell them to open their eyes and walk into the middle of the circle. Then a question would be posed to the group of people in the middle such as, "Who has a contagious smile?" and who do you feel is a leader?" The fellows in the middle would proceed to walk around, and tap their peers on the head, if they were described by the question. Every fellow got to opportunity to stand up and anonymously, answer the question. I was tapped several times, and even towards the end of the twenty questions,  I got goose-bumps every time I was tapped on the head. It was a great experience because it let me know how people really feel about me. As someone who constantly wonders what other people think of me, it was great to find out. 

More emotions were to follow as it was finally the time that everyone was dreading. The bus arrived as we had to say a tear filled goodbye to our Israeli counterparts. Even though it is possible that I will never see some of those people again, I know that the connections I have made will last a lifetime. 

After a long three hour bus ride, we finally arrived at Sde Boker, where North American Kennes is being hosted. In the middle of the Negev everywhere you look is another breathtaking view. After some socializing with the cohorts from the other cities, we all met in the auditorium for a lecture on the history of the Jewish people. The one point that always sticks out to me when talking about Jewish history is the resiliency  exhibited by the Jews throughout thousands of years. After numerous exiles, and struggling through serve anti-semitisim, the Jewish people finally have a home, Israel.

The last program that we did was an emotional Maagal Lila led by our JCs Ilana and Yitzhak. After standing at the edge of a huge valley, and taking in the true beauty off the Negev we were handed letter that were written by our parents just before we were supposed to leave for Israel during the summer. These heartfelt, deeply emotional letters brought many of the fellows to tears. It was evident to most how much family means to us, and although we don't quite say it enough, we are very thankful. It was a great end to a very emotional day. 

Jimmy V, a very famous college basketball coach, who lost his battle with cancer said,  A full day is a day, where you laugh and cry in the same day. I think it is very safe to say, we all had a very full day.

Haifa Community Week: Part II

Cohort 5 Israel Winter Seminar
Haifa Community Week: Part II
By Isabel Feinstein

On Tuesday morning, the fellows woke up at their respective accommodations. We met at the Reut Middle School at 8:30 to kick off the day with a maagal boker, designed by Adin and Galia. They led a discussion focusing on how we would take advantage of our last full day in Haifa. After wrapping up the meeting, the Boston fellows traveled to the Gavrieli School for some relaxed volunteering. Gavrieli is an elementary school in Haifa with a student body comprised of many Ethiopian and Russian immigrants as well as children of Arab backgrounds. The group divided in half, as did the fourth graders we had just been introduced to through a very cute rendition of "What A Wonderful World." We were granted the distinct privilege of learning to play "House-Field" with the kids, which is a special version of baseball with impressively unclear rules. Nonetheless it was very amusing. We then played a matching cards game led by Ilana. It was interesting to see how a total language barrier affected my personal ability to engage with the fourth graders. My sister is in fourth grade, and I have a lot of little kids in my life with whom I am usually able to connect quite well. It was a lot harder in this situation due to the lack of a mutual language. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed the visit to the school.

Our next stop was Or Hadash, one of the few Reform synagogues in Israel. We talked to the synagogue's rabbi, who told us a bit about his personal beliefs in regards to Judaism. Or Hadash is actually partnered with several Reform congregations in the greater Boston area, so the rabbi was enthusiastic about finding out to which temples the fellows belonged. We managed to eat lunch somewhere in between Or Hadash and Beit Hagefen, an institute dedicated to bridging the social and cultural gap between Jews and Arabs in Haifa. A friendly tour guide showed us the art Beit Hagefen has installed, both inside its residence and on the neighborhood streets. I love looking at art and I have a special appreciation for street art, so this part of the day was fun for me. Liana bought us falafel from "the best falafel in Israel" in the Wadi Nisnas Arab neighborhood. The owner's son even went to Brandeis!

Later in the afternoon, the Haifa fellows joined us back at the Reut School for an Israel program led by the JCs. This was an activity that every Diller group did, intended to expand the way fellows see Israel in relation to themselves. Although I was tired by that point, it was thought-provoking and the JCs did a great job. We then transitioned into prepping for the closing ceremony of Community Week. Everyone changed into nice clothes, ate a quick dinner, and socialized with each other while waiting for the parents to arrive. After a hectic hour, we began. Josh G. and Yarin were the MCs, and they were very entertaining. Several fellows, both Boston and Haifa, gave brief speeches on the past few days. After the ceremony, the fellows had a dance party on the stage, just like we did the last night of NAS. It felt good that we had a group tradition that we carried on, and after a lot of laughing and hugging, I went home with my host family for our final night together.

Haifa Community Week: Sunday 12.29

Cohort 5 Israel Winter Seminar
Haifa Community Week: Sunday, December 29th
By Hillel Maroun

This Sunday, all of the Boston Dillers met for the first time since the weekend and shared countless hilarious pictures and stories after not seeing each other for a couple days. After spending a free shabbat with our Israeli hosts, we returned to planned activities with Liana and continued to explore Haifa.

We started the touring off by visiting a Carmelite Monastery, which is a really cool example of the diversity Haifa has to offer. The fact that it was one of the highest buildings on the Carmel mountain exemplified how not only Jewish residents of Haifa have the best real estate and views, which we continued to realize after visiting the Baha'i Gardens.

A beautiful 18 terraced shrine for a Baha'i faith leader's tomb, the Gardens are situated in the center of the city and occupy a large swathe of very desirable land that could be used for stores or apartments. The whole garden is symmetrical, beautifully landscaped, and extremely peaceful. The Baha'i faith's values are well represented by the garden. We learned that they believe in the unity of all humans: equality and freedom for all.

This equality is extremely prevalent in Haifa. In the German colony, where we had a brief lunch and opportunity to shop, there are Arab villages situated next to the German area, next to Jewish homes and all next to the Baha'i garden.

Towards the end of the night, the Israelis Joined us, and we met with Liana's old professor at the University of Haifa, Yisrael Ne'eman. He gave a fascinating talk about the Israeli elections, operations in Gaza, and regional politics. He knew so many statistics, numbers, and facts, and could give detailed answers to any questions we asked.

Finally, we met with entrepreneurs who participate in the Boston-Haifa connection, who were building useful projects that were helpful to all sorts of demographics and companies. One of the projects was mapping real time air pollution in cities around the world and providing the data to help improve air quality for residents and to help educate the public about the pollution in their area.

Sunday provided us with a very eye opening view of Haifa, and helped us understand that Israel isn't only a "war-torn" country portrayed by the media, but rather a beacon for diversity and coexistence.

Going to Israel School: Three Experiences

Cohort 5 Israel Winter Seminar

Going to Israeli School: Three Experiences

By Micaela Furman, Oliver Shoulson, and Adin Feder

Micaela Furman:

Naomi Silverstein and we're staying and went to school with Orel Elhadad on Friday. She goes to Leo Baeck school with Yael Molcho Fisher. We were a little nervous at first to see what Israeli school was like but overall very excited. When we got there in the morning, we were overwhelmed with how nice and outgoing everyone was. Everyone wanted to know where we were from, why we were here, etc. The first class we went to was a Civics class in which neither me nor Naomi really knew what to expect. The teacher was hilarious and very loud while teaching about the Israeli government. He was so impressed that we were from the US he even started teaching the class in English and asked us to explain how the US government works in comparison to the Israeli one. All throughout the class we were a little shocked at how loud all of the students were compared to our own classmates back home. Overall, it was a very interesting experience and I'm very happy that I was able to see what kinds of environments the Haifa fellows learn in.

Oliver Shoulson:

This Friday I had the distinct privilege of going to school with my wonderful host, Amit Peretz. Amit goes to the public high school in his close-knit town, Kiryat Chayim, which is a small neighborhood a few minutes outside of Haifa. Most of the roughly 1300 students, Amit included, walk to school in the mornings, which may have contributed to my first impression of the school as being one of utter chaos. Having gone to private school my whole life, I don't have much of a frame of reference against which to compare the craziness of large public schools, but this environment was like none I had ever seen. Students, it seemed, only attended class when the humor struck them, and when they did manage to drag themselves into the crowded, chaotic classrooms it's difficult to imagine they were absorbing any of the information that the teachers were spitting at them in the fastest Hebrew I've ever heard. Teachers seemed hardly bothered that a whole crowd of 15-17-year-olds were making their way through packs of cigarettes behind the cafeteria during lunch. The school also now declined to provide toilet paper in the bathrooms because, as I was informed, students were known to stick wet wads of it to the ceiling. Of course I can speculate as to the reason for this remarkable apathy, but mostly I am reminded by the experience how privileged I have been in my own schooling experience, and hope to appreciate the order and commitment that the teachers and students at my school display even more when I get home.

Adin Feder:

Israeli school was an interesting culture shock. The classes were much less formal and the Israeli teachers had quite a loose tongue. Students regularly skip class without repercussions and smoke cigarettes at school. However, the culture is very relaxed and is great in terms of the social opportunities it provides students. An interesting experience was when I was asked to teach a politics class in hebrew about American politics with no preparation. It was interesting to compare the American and Israeli political systems and share with them the political atmosphere in America around issues like racism and inequality.

Heading North

Cohort 5 Israel Winter Seminar
12.25.14
By Izzy Gleckman

Our last day of touring began with a 7:45 am wake up call. After a traditional Israeli breakfast provided by the hotel, we headed to our first program of the day. Led by the staff, the Guest and Host program made us look deeper into the responsibilities and obligations of a host vs. those of a guest. We were given a passage which detailed the interaction of Rabbi Yannai and his house guest who he invited after spotting him on the street. This story started a conversation about the appropriate means of hosting and the expectations of being or hosting a stranger in your house. Then, when asked whether we think of ourselves as either a guest or host of Judaism, the response was split nearly 50%. I, for one, consider myself a guest of Judaism- not because I can't lead conversations or initiate religious activities, but because I feel as though Judaism itself is the host and all jews are its guest. This analyst ion and discussion really made me consider my place in Judaism.
       After a quick break, we began our next seminar called "The Parent Circle". The idea behind this program was to have a Palestinian and Israeli, both of which have lost a loved one due to circumstances involving the "other side", and talk through past occurrences and realize that most civilians just want the same thing. Peace. Emotionally challenging and mentally stimulating, both presenters told the storied of their late family members- the daughter of an Israeli and the husband of a Palestinian. After they shared their stories we were able to ask them questions regarding the past events, the current atmosphere, and the future of Israel. The theme that kept on being mentioned was the importance of communication with the "others". When they left, we had the opportunity to reflect as a smaller group and further discuss what needs to happen in the future in order to attain peace. The contrast between the ideas of the Americans and the ideas of the Israelis was very evident. As an American, it is easy to dream of a perfect situation- they would both just talk through it and get all of the civilians to tell the governments that the war is not contributing to a progressive society. Some of the Israelis, however saw things differently, from the fist hand perspective. A few agreed that conversation is the only way they can move on, but some realized that conversation hasn't worked in the past so a new method needs to be tested. Running an hour over the expected time of departure, conversations were arising and thoughts were racing. Even while we were on the bus to lunch, everyone was still discussing and reflecting on our earlier program.
          We had a "pizur lunch" (pick our own lunch) time on Rothschild Street in Tel Aviv, a bustling, commercial hub. After a two hour drive, we arrived at Yemin Orde, a school for immigrant students whose parents either live in or out of Israel. This school provides them an opportunity to thrive and learn in the most accepting atmosphere possible. Three of our Boston-Haifa peers attend this school and we had a chance to understand their lives and hear their stories of moving to Israel.
          We left the school- after taking many pictures of the incredible sunset- and set out for Haifa, where we met up with all of the host families. We had a nice opening program where we all met our new families! We did an activity led by some of the Haifa Fellows where we answered different questions and had discussions about our seminar so far and about our own lives with the families. We met the Haifa supervisor, Ilana Trock.
         Overall, it was an amazing day filled with insight and new experiences.