Boneh and Machon

On Kibbutz Ein Dor, the 10th Machzor of Boneh is off and running! The Australian and South African Shnatties have been getting settled in to their livings quarters, their Boneh classes and tzevet, their work on the kibbutz and the communal living experience as a whole. They started Boneh with an orientation week, including choosing their work placements, joining different va'adot (committees) for organizing their lives together, and splitting into different class groups for the Boneh core courses, hadracha class, Hebrew, and so on. They will be doing quite a wide variety of different jobs around the kibbutz, including vegetable gardening, working with horses, making cheese and dairy products, tending animals in a veterinary clinic, working in a factory and making food in the chadar ochel, together with kibbutz members.

Now they have completed their first regular week, on the topic of the Australian and South African Jewish communities, of course also including as guest speakers movement bogrim olim from those countries. This past week they also met up with host families from the kibbutz and spent some time with them before Friday night dinner. Hopefully these connections will continue through their time living on the kibbutz. One particular hit has been the Shnatties kitchen where they prepare breakfast every day and dinner a few times a week for their whole group - here you can see the talented chefs at work:

Making falafel

Meanwhile, at Kiryat Moriah in Jerusalem, the 122nd Machzor of Machon is also off to an exciting start. The Shnatties began with a two day Machon orientation, choosing their courses and splitting up into their chavurot. Then in order to bond with their chavura they set off on tiyul together, for three exciting days in the Judean desert, including a trip up Masada, and a dip in the Dead Sea.

Now they too have completed their first regular week of Machon, enjoying both the learning opportunities, and the sunny weather and good atmosphere at Kiryat:

Enjoying the sun

This past week they also signed up for their Meoravut (Community Involvement) placements, including volunteering opportunities like teaching English to kids in disadvantaged neighborhoods of Jerusalem, helping out in a center for disabled people, visiting different areas and sites in Jerusalem, going through a training course for Israel activism and running an after school club for Israeli kids. They have also been out and about in Jerusalem in the evenings, getting to know the city. And, last night they enjoyed the rock-soul sounds of Jerusalem area band Remedy in a special Machon concert! Judging by the dance floor, the concert was a success.