Boneh Update

Boneh shnatties left the confines of Ein Dor this week for three days in Jerusalem. Based at the Agron youth hostel, in the heart of Jerusalem, they went through an intensive seminar in which they considered some of the biggest questions facing the Jewish people today. What does it mean to be a Jewish state? What does it mean for land to be holy? How do Jews come together to find answers?

We started with a tour of Har Herzl, the memorial and cemetery for political leaders and for soldiers killed in the line of duty. Next stop was the Supreme Court. Before we entered, we held a discussion on the relationship between religious laws and state laws. Inside, we admired the architecture and sat in on an actual Supreme Court case concerning the pre-trial detention of an accused murderer. Jeremie Bracka, a graduate of Australian Habonim, spoke to the shnatties about his role as an intern at the Supreme Court. Later in the day, Professor Gideon Shimoni, who was mazkir of Habonim South Africa in the 1960s, spoke about the meaning of Zionism in Israel today.

The second day began with a tour of the City of David, a site south of the Old City that archaeologists believe was the location of ancient Jerusalem before the construction of the First Temple. Shnatties had the opportunity to walk through Hezekiah's Tunnel, a dark and narrow passage which brings water from a spring outside what were the main walls of the ancient city to a well inside the city. Back at the hostel, shnatties considered the interpretation that is necessarily involved in archaeology. Why do we ascribe a particular meaning to a particular place? What are the implications of the fight to define the symbolism of the City of David?

The second day ended with a short walk to the headquarters of Bnei Akiva, where shnatties met with Anton Goodman, the educational coordinator of Bnei Akiva. Anton challenged shnatties' thinking about religious Zionists, about settlers, and about what it means to take responsibility. Shnatties deconstructed his comments heatedly for the rest of the evening.

Day three began with a walking tour of the Old City, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Hurva Synagogue, David's Tomb and the Kotel. (By chance, that was the same morning that Rahm Emanuel was in the Old City, but we didn't see him.) Back at the hostel, shnatties gained insight on the ultra-orthodox perspective from an American-born Haredi named Yehoshua. Later, Anat Hoffman spoke about her work in government and her current efforts for Women of the Wall.