Habonim Dror Shnat 2010

Safe and sound

2010-12-01T00:38:00.000-08:00

We are happy to report to you that Shnat 2010 came to a successful end, and all the Shnatties have returned home or continued on their travels, safe and sound!

Here are a few shots from the sikkum (concluding) seminar at kibbutz Shfayim, on the coast:

One on ones

Peer-led evening program

Closing tekes (ceremony)

Madrichim good-bye speech

Farewell pillow-case signing

It's been a great year! Best of luck to all the Shnatties, and we hope to see you here again soon!

Mesimot and Socio-economic Seminar

2010-11-14T02:41:00.000-08:00

As we start the final week of Kaveret, I'd like to share with you scenes from some of the mesimot that our Shnatties have been working on in the past three months.

First up is the after-school enrichment activities run by one of the Kiyum Meshutaf (shared existence) tzvatim (teams) in Sakhnin, an Arab-Israeli city in the north. The kids in these activities volunteered to stay after school in order to participate in these English-enrichment and activities run by Australians and New Zealanders, and the programmes are so popular that there's not enough space for all the kids that want to participate! In this programme, the kids made a "recipe" based on the different "ingredients" of their identity, which as you can see include family, Arab culture, friends, and Israel, and through this talk about how what dilemmas of identity they face and how they balance those different aspects.

Next is the Carmiel tzevet, which works with Jewish Israeli youth, both sabra and immigrant, in the Emda school in Carmiel - an amazing place for troubled teens that incorporates both small classes which try to strengthen the teens' formal education, and a lot of different informal activities including hiking and a new program of dog-training in a real kennel! On this day the school students were helping out in a work project to repaint their moadon (clubhouse) by the school, and the Shnatties were there working with them and having fun:

Another one of the Kiyum Meshutaf tzvatim, tzevet Tamra - an Arab village not far from Carmiel. The tzevet here spends the mornings teaching English classes in the local junior high school, and in the afternoons they run informal activities in the Hanoar Haoved ken next to the school - building up a deeper relationship with some of the kids from the school, including educational programmes about peace and coexistence, and sometimes just hanging out with the kids. Here they are in the Tamra ken (local chapter - equivalent to Habo House) waiting for the after-school activities to start:

Another mesima with Jewish youth is at the Dshanim School in Kiryat Ata (near Haifa), a school that takes dropout teens and gives them a smaller, more personal learning environment so they can try to overcome difficulties and succeed. The Shnatties tutor kids one on one in English, a subject usually considered to be hard and boring, but because our Shnatties are really cool and friendly, the kids all want to sign up for regular English tutoring with them! Some of the tutoring practices basic vocabulary, and some combines English vocabulary and important concepts for teenagers to discuss, like freedom of speech, equality, and responsibility. Here are two madrichim from the Dshanim tzevet in the school courtyard, during a break between classes:

Meanwhile, as the Shnatties have been dealing with some of the different populations within Israeli society and especially as they come into contact with its more troubled facets, they have also been learning through weekly courses about these different groups and what processes have led Israel to its current economic and social situation. The peak of that learning process was a two day Socio-Economic Seminar which dealt with the Zionist vision, the history of privatization, the current reality and the question of what their responsibility as Jews and Zionists is towards the issues they are meeting in their mesimot and in Kaveret generally. The seminar included a day siyur in Tel Aviv, both through some of the tougher neighborhoods of South Tel Aviv like the Shchunat Ha'argazim, Neve Sha'anan foreign workers' district, and the Hatikva Quarter:

As well as a visit to the posh Kikar Hamedina in North Tel Aviv, for a better understanding of the gaps:

The day concluded with challenging, very meaningful discussions of what their responsibility is for this situation, and for similar situations in New Zealand and Australia.

As a bonus, here are two of the Shnatties from the Akko house describing their culinary experiences on Kaveret:

Rabin Seminar and Rally

2010-11-01T03:25:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in the last post, one week ago the OZ/NZ Shnat group travelled to Nordia Hostel to meet up with Shnatties from Uruguay, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, the US, Canada, England, Scotland, and South Africa, and together to have a joint seminar about the legacy of Yitzchak Rabin: the meaning of peace in politics and in education, the difficulty of educating for peace in times of ongoing conflict, and the obligation of Habonim Dror to take an active role educating towards peace and against violence and extremism. This incredible world-wide seminar brings together Habo members from so many different countries with different perspectives and understandings, around shared content which is very important for all of them, and so it is always an interesting and meaningful experience. The seminar included programs in mixed groups (with the option of Hebrew, English and Spanish-language groups), a guest speaker, fun bonding evening between the different countries, and a final tekes to commemorate Rabin and discuss Habonim Dror's role.

Around 150 Shnatties from around the world

The amazing Shnat madrichim relaxing during a break on the seminar! (Gabe, Ea, Merose and Amos)

The final tekes of the seminar

This Saturday night, the Shnatties met up again in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square for the Rally, the 15th annual memorial event since the assassination. The speakers included President Shimon Peres, members of the Rabin family, and prominent writers and public figures, and there were musical performances by noted musicians including Mosh Ben-Ari and Avraham Tal. Some of our Shnatties in attendance:

The sign behind them reads, "Fighting for Peace"

The square was packed

You can read more about the rally in Ha'aretz.

Kaveret underway

2010-10-25T05:53:00.000-07:00

Since the last blog update, things have been busy here for the Shnatties! They enjoyed resting up after Poland and spending Rosh Hashana here in Israel with family and friends. After getting back from chofesh, the Shnatties settled into their new houses, to practice living independently – shopping on a budget, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, and enjoying having a space of their own to run activities or just hang out. Here you can see some of them hanging out around the house in Carmiel, and doing a cool crafts project:

Their first week was the beginning of their regular Kaveret schedule which includes mesima (volunteer projects), Yom Kvutza, Hebrew classes, an Israeli society course taught by their Kaveret rakazim (coordinators), and va’adot (committee) planning time where they meet in different committees that are responsible for different aspects of their life – from house maintenance, to budgeting and shopping, to planning cultural events for the group. They also have on most Thursday afternoons a joint State Time where the Akko and Carmiel houses meet and split up according to state to start their discussions about returning to their kenim and leading together.

That first week also featured the very meaningful “relationships seminar”, a unique Shnat experience where the group, which has now spent many amazing but challenging months together, tries to deepen their friendships and also challenge ech other on difficult issues. They do this by spending a two day seminar exploring the meaning of feedback, dialogue, barriers, communication and forgiveness. In both Akko and Carmiel this seminar was very successful and meaningful for all the Shnatties and really set the tone for them starting off living together for the rest of Shnat.

The next week was the Sukkot holiday, and on Shnat, Sukkot week also means the annual Yam L’yam (sea to sea) tiyul! All of Habo’s English-speaking Shnatties from around the world came together to explore the land of Israel on foot, starting from the Mediterranean beach in the west, all the way east to the Kinneret. This four day tiyul featured long days of hiking in mixed groups with the American, Canadian, British, Scottish and South African Shnat participants, through Crusader castles, past great Rabbis’ tombs, down river beds and up mountains (including the famous Mt. Meron, Israel’s second-highest peak) , preparing and eating food in our ‘field kitchen’, and running get-to-know-you activities in the evening. The grand finale was arriving at the Kinneret beach after four long days of hiking and jumping in the water for a refreshing swim! In all the Yam L’yam this year was a huge success, with great bonding between the different countries and a hard but rewarding hiking experience.

After Sukkot and Simchat Torah, the holidays finally came to an end and the regular routine finally kicked in. The Shnatties are doing six different mesimot this year: at the Dshanim school in Haifa, in Akko, on a Coexistence tzevet in several Arab towns in the area, in Carmiel, in Tzfat, and in Tiberias. They are running a variety of activities, from running English activities in schools, doing one-on-one tutoring, doing after-school enrichment activities, and even running peulot in the ken just like they have in Australia and New Zealand. One special project running for the first time this year, is the correspondence project with Australian Habo, where students in year 6 and 7 from several of the mesimot are writing English letters to year 6s and year 7s from Habo OZ, and they are going to correspond to practice their English and help connect the Habo kids to Israel!

This past week they Shnatties also travelled to a special encounter with the Chavot Hachshara - the Shnatties of Habonim Dror’s Israeli sister movement, Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed. This meeting was part of Shnat for a long time but hadn’t happened in the past few years, and so it was especially exciting to bring the two groups together as youth movement leaders from Israel and the Diaspora together who have a lot things in common and a lot of differences. They spent a full day together in the Chavot talking about how they understand their Jewish and Zionist identity, and how they see the role of their movements in their communities. Many interesting discussions came up and the Shnatties will see the Chavot again at the upcoming Rabin Memorial Rally in Tel Aviv.

In preparation for that rally, the group also visited a Yitzchak Rabin memorial exhibition in Carmiel this week, dealing with Prime Minister Rabin’s life, his term as Prime Minister and involvement with the peace process, the incitement leading up to his assassination, and the political climate in Israel today. They will also be attending a seminar this weekend with all the Habonim Shnatties from around the world, including Spanish and Portugese speakers as well as English, where they will learn together about Rabin’s legacy of pursuing peace and the state of that legacy in Israel and Diaspora communities today, as well as thinking together what Habonim Dror’s role should be in carrying that on.

Poland write-up

2010-09-07T06:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a write-up by two Shnatties to share with parents and friends what they experienced in Poland:

If you were to look up the word "Poland" in the dictionary, you would find "A republic in central Europe; the invasion of Poland by Germany in 1939 started World War II". In the Shnat dictionary you would find a very different meaning. The reality of Poland for us was a very intense journey in an emotional, mental and physical sense. We went to concentration, labour and death camps including Auschwitz, Berkenau Majdanek, Plaszow and Treblinka. Testimonies were read. Memories were honoured. We visited the ghettos of Warsaw and Krakow and relived history in Synagogues, Cemetaries and at the Tykochine Shtetl. At Mila 18 we learnt of our ancestory, the uprisers of the Dror Movement. Simply put, we slept a little and learnt a lot.

It was a very difficult experience for us to be at the actual sights of the holocaust, many of us for the first time. All the stories and education suddenly became tangible and real. A lot of us struggled with conflicting emotions and were very confused that sometimes the predominant emotion we experienced was not, in fact, sadness. After much discussion we decided that this was not a negative thing because there are more powerful and complex emotions which better equip us to act, rather than simply dwelling on the sadness.

The reason that the Poland journey is such an integral part of our shnat year is for us to see and experience some of the greatest evils the world has ever committed, in order for us to be empowered to strive towards greater good. Throughout the journey, a huge emphasis was placed on our shichvah (group). We learnt about Dror’s role in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and how their brave madrichim (youth leaders) had such an impact in revolting against the Germans. This enabled us to critically evaluate our place, as a shichvah and individuals, in the movement back home. We dissected what it means to be a leader in a movement and began to think about how we could effect change (although not quite to this scale).

We feel that it is this aspect which set our journey apart from the others. As well as uncovering the horrors of the holocaust we were able to be inspired by the work of our movement and others, and this has set us down our own path in preparation to rejoin our communities next year as bogrim (leaders).

Aleh Ve’hagshem

Jade (Melbourne) & Hayley N (Sydney)

Poland Journey 2010

2010-09-06T03:34:00.001-07:00

I am happy to write to you that the Shnat group has returned from Poland safely and soundly, having gone through a challenging but very meaningful experience there. The group visited extremely difficult places and also heard stories of hope and heroism, and went through it all together.

The first day was spent in Cracow, walking around the old Jewish quarter - Kazimierz - exploring the syngagogues and Jewish culture that existed for hundreds of years. Outside the Temple Synagogue there, Hailey read the story of her great-grandfather, a former president of that synagogue, whose name is still inscribed on stained glass window there:

The second day we traveled to Auschwitz and Birkenau, which was a long and intense day. At the close of the day, the first tekes (ceremony) of many that were planned by some of the shnatties was held:

The third day was spent mainly in Cracow, first in the Plashow labor camp outside the city, and then in the Jewish ghetto area, including the former youth movement apartment where resistance was organized inside the ghetto. In the morning of the forth day, we visited the Jewish cemetary of Lublin and talked about some of the Hasidic leaders buried there. Then we walked around what used to be Nazi headquarters in Lublin, and focused on some of the different groups involved in the Nazi party and Hitler’s regime. In the afternoon we went to the concentration and death camp, Majdanek, situated only a few kilometers from downtown Lublin.

We spent the fifth day, walking around the Ghetto area and learning about its history and different aspects of life inside the Warsaw Ghetto. By one of the last remaining pieces of ghetto wall, Tal read his great-grandfather's last letter from inside the ghetto:

We also visited the Jewish cemetary of Warsaw, a massive cemetary with an incredible number of different stories, from famous Yiddish writers, to Jewish communists, to Hasidic saints, to get an understanding of the great diversity of pre-war Jewish society.

The sixth day we visited what once was the shtetl of Tykochin, where Jews had lived peacefully for many hundreds of years before traveling to Lopochowa, the site of their eventual demise. The afternoon we were in another death camp, Treblinka.

The last day in Poland was spent in Warsaw talking specifically about the youth movements and how they responded to the situation around them. We visited the site of a “chava” (literally – farm, but equivalent to “Shnat”) and Dzielna, the site of the Dror commune in the ghetto. The afternoon was spent walking through the path of remembrance and heroism, learning and discussing the uprisings and other various acts that took place in the ghetto. We finished with a rainy but moving final tekes at the Rapaport monument:

We left Poland Wednesday night and returned to Israel early Thursday morning, starting the Rosh Hashana chofesh period. Hopefully they've gotten some rest since the flight. After chag and Shabbat finish Saturday, they will be starting their first days of Kaveret and mesima (volunteer projects) Sunday morning.

Kaveret & Poland

2010-08-24T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hello parents and friends!

The Shnatties have wrapped up their stay on Kibbutz Revivim with their last days of work and ulpan, and throughout the last few weeks, many kibbutzniks specifically mentioned that they considered this group to be hard-working and great to have around. They also had a fun party by the pool with Revivim coordinators Goldie and Ofra!
They also left their mark visually with a few beautiful new murals around the kibbutz including this one painted by Misty on the Ulpan office:

From there it was north to the youth hostel in the historic Galilee village of Pekiin, where Jews, Arabs and Druze have been living together harmoniously for thousands of years, for their Kaveret Preparation Seminar. The Shnatties spent four days talking about the meaning of their group life in their new Kaveret houses and planning how they would like to shape this life as a community, choosing what
mesimot (educational project) tzvatim they will be doing in different Israeli communities and what approach they would like to bring to these projects, and how this all fits into the question of Zionism and their responsibility to the Jewish People. They also took a break from talking to tour the historic area of Pekiin, visiting the ancient synagogue, the cave where Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai is reputed to have hidden from the Romans for 12 years and written the Zohar, and the fountain in the village center, where they enjoyed Druze-made pita with labane, zaatar, and olive oil as a refreshment after climbing through the hilly village.

Historic building in Pekiin depicted on Israeli 100-shekel note

On Sunday, with great fanfare and excitement, moved their belongings
and themselves into their new houses in Carmiel and Acco:

Shnattie belongings in Carmiel:

The group in Akko:

After moving in they spent a day with their Kaveret rakazim (coordinators) touring their cities, both learning where useful spots like the grocery store, bank and post office are located, and hearing more about the history and socio-economic situation of the place where they will be living. Tomorrow they have a day to rest and pack their bags, and tomorrow night we will be taking off for Poland.

A thorough itinerary with contact details for the group whilst in Poland was sent to all shnat families. If for some reason you have not received the information, please contact Daniel or Jo. Please note that there will be no internet or mobile phone contact for shnatties while out of Israel. We will post another blog update once the group returns!

Update

2010-08-06T00:09:00.000-07:00

Hello Shnat parents and friends! A lot has happened since we last wrote you. The kibbutz period has been flying by, with the chanichim learning Hebrew and working around Revivim in jobs ranging from dishwashing, to caring for toddlers, to bicycle repairs. They have been meeting kibbutznikim of all ages and have been very warmly received as a group, thanks in part to their big effort to reach out – including making greeting cards for every kibbutz family which they left in their mailboxes on Tu B'Av, the Jewish festival of love! They also participated in the "Chag Hameshek" celebration of the kibbutz's birthday which was a special festive evening for the whole kibbutz, and their presence and dancing greatly enlivened the party.

In terms of Shnat programming, the Shnatties have also been busy with a number of different seminars since the end of the Machon and Boneh blocks. The first was World Veida – which happens every 4 years and is the main ideological forum of the worldwide movement, with delegates participating from over 10 countries around the world, together with all the shnatties who happen to be on Shnat currently. For most of the shnatties this was an opportunity to make new South American friends and engage in intense discussions. A highlight was a tour of a new museum “Beit Telem Ha’Aroch” on Kibbutz Degania (the first kibbutz), highlighting 100 years of kibbutz, together with a tour of the kibbutz’s cemetery and hearing some of the fascinating stories of the founders.

Immediately following that, the shnatties participated in what is undoubtedly a highlight of every shnat year - the History of Habonim Seminar. This seminar gives the shnatties an opportunity to meet past bogrim from the movement who have made aliya, and to hear their stories of what the movement was like, and in what ways it has shaped their decisions and life choices. Many movement members are not aware of the invaluable contribution Habonim Dror had in building Kibbutzim in Israel. This seminar allows each shnattie to evaluate and challenge the direction they think Habonim Dror should be moving in.

More recently the shnatties participated in Yom Habonim Dror on Kibbutz Sdot Yam beach. Participating were over 500 chanichim on long or short term Habonim Dror programs in Israel from the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Brasil, Canada, France, Holland, New Zealand, South Africa, Turkey, Uruguay, USA and the UK, together with bogrei tnua (movement graduates) who have made aliya. It was a really fun day in the sun, meeting up again with new South American friends.

Last week the shnatties had a Judaism Seminar. This is a new seminar on shnat, whose aim is to analyse and strengthen each shnattie’s connection to their Judaism and in the movement as a whole. They explored questions such as; What is Judaism? How do we practice it? Judaism as a civilization – breaking down the idea that it is a religion which fits into one corner of life, Reading many texts and analysing different streams of Judaism, In-depth chuggum (small group study) focusing on Shabbat. In addition, there were a number of speakers who came to the group – Barry Solomon, former Habonim Dror Olami mazkir; Irie Kassel, former executive director of the Reform Movement in Israel And Beit Tfila Israeli - a young, liberal, independent, participatory community in Tel Aviv, which offers a meaningful context and venue for Shabbat and holiday services, lifecycle events, and Jewish-Israeli Identity exploration. There was a siyur in the Old Trumpledor Cemetary in Tel Aviv, widely considered the “Pantheon” of Israel where stories of Nordau, Tchernikovsky, Bialik, Ahad Ha’am, Sharett, Brenner and others were discussed along with their connection to how they saw Judaism, as a renewal of the Jewish people.

Currently the shnatties are on the 3rd Poland preparation seminar. The first two were based on Revivim, over weekends, and this one is being held mainly at the Lochamei Hagetaot (Ghetto fighters) museum which is just north of Acco. The Kibbutz of the same name was established by many youth movement members who after making aliya post-Shoah have dedicated their lives to Shoah research and rememberance. You might remember that on Yom Hashoa the group went to the closing ceremony which was held at the museum. Some of the exhibits they will visit are: Janusz Korchak, Resistance, Righteous Gentiles, Warsaw, and Ghetto & Deportations.
The seminar continues through to Saturday evening, and the group then returns to Revivim for their final 2 weeks on Kibbutz.

Final Boneh update

2010-07-03T06:01:00.000-07:00

The Boneh rakazim have been hard at work summing up and packing up this Boneh and attending as Labor Zionist delegates at the World Zionist Congress, but they have now sent over this final update:

After returning from the Jerusalem seminar, Boneh shnatties began the final module, Youth Movements. James Grant-Rosenhead came to speak about the concepts of childhood, youth, and adulthood, and about the origins of youth movements in general and Habonim specifically. He talked about everything from the world's first youth movement, Germany's Wandervogel to Habonim founder Wellesley Aron (who is also a distant cousin of Shnat Madrich Gabe Freund.)

James shared some of his expertise on youth, and his personal life was also of great interest to the Boneh shnatties. James is graduate of Habonim Dror UK and a member of Kibbutz Mish'ol, described briefly here in an article that appeared in Haaretz written by fellow Mish'ol-member and HDUK graduate Anton Marks:

This urban kibbutz, Kibbutz Mish'ol, is part of a wider movement of communities situated throughout the length and breadth of Israel which recognize that today's pioneering is living and working in the geographical and social periphery of Israeli society.

Boneh shnatties were excited to finally connect the Boneh content of Jewish history and Zionism to something really close to home: Habonim history. But what about Dror (which merged with Habonim in 1982)? Just wait for the Poland journey. (Hint: They will be visiting the museum at Kibbutz Lohamei Hagetaot and reading lots of stories from Zivia Lubetkin.)

A major portion of the final week of Boneh was spent reflecting on the process that Boneh shnatties went through--in shiyurim (lessons), ivrit, avodah (kibbutz work), siyurim (field trips), and everything else. They asked together how does the content of Boneh relates to their lives on shnat, on kaveret, and back home.

Boneh Awes!

Settled in at Revivim

2010-07-01T05:36:00.000-07:00

It's been a whirlwind month for our Shnatties! They finished up Machon and Boneh, got some days of chofesh in, and went on the AZYC's Hasbara Seminar with Stand With Us, Habonim Dror Olami's World Veida (Congress), the History of Habonim Hagshama seminar. I'll write soon and let you know more about all of those meaningful experiences, but for now I wanted to let you know that, they have moved successfully into their new digs on Kibbutz Revivim, including a beloved house in which many Habo groups have lived before them:

They are spending these days sorting out work placements on kibbutz, sorting into Hebrew classes and getting to know their new environment and community. I can already tell you now that the Shnatties are thrilled with the kibbutz, enjoying each other's company and managing to stay cool in the midst of the desert:

Final Machon Update

2010-06-12T14:37:00.000-07:00

Shalom for one last time from Jerusalem where the 122nd English speaking Machon has just ended. It has been a pretty packed final month with lots of highlights since I last wrote to you all. Continuing on from all of the special days and chagim that I spoke about last time such as Yom HaShoah and Yom Haatzmaut we continued on with Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) and Shavuoth in consecutive weeks. For Yom Yerushalayim the youth movements planned and ran activities for their own participants that reflected the way each movement views this day. Some had their group join one of the celebratory marches that take place around the city, some had a barbeque and some gave their people the time to explore Jerusalem as they individually wanted.

Shavuoth was really lovely at Machon, once again emphasising the crucial, high-quality role that peer hadracha has played with this particular group. The chavura that was organising the Chagim activities planned for the night before Shavuoth a lovely 'milky' buffet and some excellent study sessions followed by a late-night open-mike talent offering. The next evening was actually Shavuoth and, traditionally as well as being a time to eat lots of cheesecake, this festival is one where many people attend all night study events known as a 'Tikun Leil Shavuot' to commemorate the fact that Shavuot is traditionally about the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people. Most of the Machonikim stayed in Jerusalem and we offered to organise a meal for them with a local family if they wanted. About a third of them took us up on the offer and then afterward they, and many others, walked around the city attending some of the wide variety of study options that take place throughout the night. Finally, as is the tradition, a big group walked down to the Kotel for prayers at sunrise (or just experiencing the atmosphere for those who don't pray). A long lay-in was thus in order the next morning and then the rekazim (their madrichim) organised a special Shavuoth lunch for those who had stayed and had managed to get up.

Those two weeks also saw the last fortnight of regular studies. All of the classes and courses came to an end as we asked them to reflect on what they'd learned in each area and how, as a result, their thoughts and beliefs had changed. Siyurim (day trips) and special events in this period included a 'My Jerusalem' siyur in preparation for Yom Yerushalayim where they heard different personal stories from a variety of perspectives from people for whom Jerusalem means something very special and yet also very different. There was a Jewish Studies siyur where we visited different types of Yeshiva (some with the boys and girls going separately) to look at how varieties of more or less traditional Jewish study are undertaken here. Finally, probably their most enjoyable siyur was to Holon to a place called 'Dialogue in the Dark, which helps them understand in a really creative and experiential way, the experience of being blind. Many of them said how much it had affected the way they viewed their own sensory abilities.

The Sunday selection evenings consisted of a visit from Adi Nes, a very well known Israeli photographer and a performance from a duo called Bible Raps who write their own rap songs to Biblical themes. This was really enjoyable and the two of them then came back a few nights later for an optional follow up evening which 30 of them chose to do where they wrote their own rap and accompanying video about their time in Israel which was, again, one of their real highlight experiences of Machon. The finished version with video and music all edited together by the Bible Raps duo was screened at the last night final party to great acclaim.

The final three weeks where then, each in their own way, very different from the regular Machon weekly timetable format. The first of them was another week-long Tiyul (trip), this time to the North of the country. We visited Acco, the Kinneret, Tzfat and the Golan among many places and looked there at issues such as the early pioneers and Aliyot, our borders, past wars and future threats, our relationships with Lebanon and Syria, minorities in Israel, ecological issues and Jewish mysticism. Some special highlights of the tiyul were the visit to the Kinneret graveyard where many of the early Zionist heroes are buried, a hard hike which included a swim in a beautiful waterfall, rafting down the Jordan river, a mini-jeeps trek, some great food and a fantastic "chocolate workshop". The whole tiyul was done in partnership with the JNF (Jewish National Fund) who worked with us on the ecological, educational aspects and helped us fund it and the increasing partnership we are building with them is something we hope to really build on in the future.

In the penultimate week of the programme we moved into a special one week seminar entitled 'The Contemporary Jewish World' where we aimed to bring all of the Machon learning together and to leave them with some of the big questions about Israel, Judaism, Zionism and the Jewish People to take with them and to carry on thinking about during the second half of their programmes as they actually go out into Israeli society. Some of the highlights of this week were some great guest speakers who some of you may have heard of including Danny Gordis and David Horowitz the editor of the Jerusalem Post. There were also sessions on issues such as assimilation, anti-Semitism, the Jewish community and Israel-Diaspora relations. There was a fantastic session tracing the way Jews have been portrayed in Hollywood movies and how the issues they dealt with are still with us today and a final creative video activity where they were asked to envisage how they saw the Jewish People in 50 years time.

One other special event in that week was a huge simulation game called 'The Duma' which simulates the Russian Jewish parliament in 1905 and which explored in a very creative and fun format the different, competing options open to Jews at that point from Ultra Orthodoxy, to Zionism to Communism to moving to America and looked at how the same questions that underpin those choices over a century ago are still relevant for us as Jews today. All in all the week provided a very good way to conclude the content learning aspect of Machon.

Also in this penultimate week we finished the community involvement/volunteering aspect of Machon by holding a presentations afternoon where each of the small groups, using photos and video clips taken during the projects, showed the others what they'd been doing. It was really great to see how much the Machonikim had got out of getting out of the campus and being involved in Israeli society and helping others, even for this relatively short period of time, whether that was in Teaching English to disadvantaged kids, helping out in a centre for disabled adults, helping the community to build a community garden in a difficult neighbourhood, involvement in a variety of tzedaka projects including picking fruit and helping an organisation that collects second had clothes and furniture for the poor and running a fund-raising sleep out and consciousness raising evening on the theme of homelessness in Israel where they actually raised almost 5,000 shekels.

In this very final week we started with a 2 day special tiyul, again planned by one of the chavura groups. They organised and ran a brilliant 'Amazing Race' style game in small groups across the country which involved clues, creative tasks and dealing with both the locals and with the Israeli public transport in different cities in order to win the race. In the evening they slept out on a beach near Netanya and then continued on with the race the next morning and, as with the real thing, had staggered starts for the groups according to how well they'd done the previous day. The whole tiyul was finished off with a fun outing to a water park and everyone arrived back very tired but fulfilled from an excellent fun and group bonding start to the final week.
On their return back to Kiryat Moriah, the final group's peer led activities took place, run by the chavura who had organised a range of fun and nostalgic ways to reminisce on their last four months on Machon including organising a Yearbook, the obligatory t-shirts and a final group photo. These final few days were taken up with various sikum (closure) activities including among other things: a final Chavura session with again time for reflection on how they've developed individually and as a group through both the group chavura time and through regular individual one-on-one conversations, a big fun quiz to see what elements of Machon they've really taken in (both educationally and socially) and then the final last night activities which consisted of a nice meal out, together with a show made up of some live acts and a great couple of videos put together by some of the group and then a final party. All in all the whole final evening took place in a really lovely atmosphere.

That took us to the final morning earlier today where there was an early wake up to do all the final packing and the room check-outs and then the traditional Machon closing tekes (ceremony). In closure, we hope that you have appreciated these update letters and that your children have enjoyed their Machon experience educationally, socially, spiritually and in terms of their personal development as much as we've enjoyed working with them.

All the best,

Haggai & the Machon tzevet

Boneh Update

2010-05-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

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.

Machon Update

2010-05-06T01:21:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Shalom again from Jerusalem where the Machon is entering its final month and it's time for our third update letter. Everyone returned from the Pesach holiday refreshed and hopefully raring to go and they spent much of the first day sharing their different holiday experiences with us and with each other, whether that was for example a very different kind of Seder night than they were used to, a lovely few days spent with their Israeli family, an energetic camping trip or involvement in one of the two laid back dance and music festivals taking place at this time, Boombamella which many of them went to, and Zorba which attracted a slightly smaller group.

We were soon getting them back into the atmosphere and routine of their regular classes where a new set of choices began for certain of the classes, including the 'Story of the Jewish People' topic, the Hadracha specialisations and a new set of Electives. Some of these Electives courses are repeats from the first round as they were so popular ('Intro to Arabic' and 'Israel Advocacy') and some were new such as a philosophy based course with the short and snappy title; "My parents wanted me to be a Doctor, they think a man accomplishes himself through his profession! Is that true?!"

For the first two weeks back after Pesach however the regular classes took a bit of a back seat to the special feeling created because of this period of specifically Israeli Chagim; Yom HaShoah (Holocaust memorial day), Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day for Fallen Israeli Soldiers) and Yom HaAtzma'ut (Independence Day). On the Sunday evening and Monday of the first week back it was Yom HaShoah and we introduced the topic with a special seminar day on the Sunday which included looking at the way the Holocaust had influenced Israeli society and how Shoah related issues were treated today in Israel. The next morning there was a moving tekes (commemorative ceremony) prepared and run by a group of the Machonikim and then, after the tekes finished, we all walked down the road to one of the local busy junctions to listen to the commemorative siren and to see the response of Israeli society where everything comes to a halt and most people stop their cars and get out to observe the minute silence.

The middle of the following week was, as noted above, Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzma'ut and here too there were various special programmes. On the afternoon just before Yom HaZikaron came in, we walked some of the Burma Road with them, the site of one of the key incidents of the War of Independence. From there we went straight to Ammunition Hill where, on Yom HaZikaron eve, we together with the South American Machon, as well as thousands of young people on gap year programmes in Israel, all attended a special MASA tekes. It was very moving, especially when one of the Machon staff, ex-Director Sharon Almogy, spoke about Nir Cohen, a Machon madrich who had died in the second Lebanon war just a couple of months after the Machon group he had worked with had ended.

The next morning we took them up to Mount Herzl to see how Israeli families who have lost loved ones deal with this difficult day and we gave them time to be able to wander around the graves and reflect on what the day meant to them as well as to Israelis. Though it was for many a very moving morning it also gave many of them a sense of being somewhat more of an outsider to Israeli society than they are usually used to feeling as this is perhaps the most "Israeli" chag of all.

For the evening and day of Yom HaAtzma'ut we gave them the day off and encouraged them to go off and explore how Israelis and different parts of Israel celebrate Independence Day here. For most that consisted of parties in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on the evening and barbeques and a carnival atmosphere kind of fun in the city centre on the day itself. Again, many of them were able to reflect on the very different ways that Israelis celebrate Yom HaAtzma'ut here as compared to how this is done and what they are used to in the Diaspora.

These days have of course taken up much of the focus of the time since the Pesach holiday but, apart from their regular courses and classes, there have also been a number of other special events and highlights. There were siyurim (outings) to the West Bank to visit both Hebron and Tekoa and to look at the issue of the settlements and the settlers, a "three religions" tour of Jerusalem where they met representatives from both the Christian and Muslim religious leadership in Jerusalem and reflected on the issue of Jerusalem as a holy city to all three monotheistic religions, a full day trip to Tel Aviv exploring some of the more difficult social issues that Israel is dealing with today, such as poverty, foreign workers and refugees and finally a trip to the Bar Kochba era caves in Beit Govrin for Lag B'Omer where some of the group performed a special play about Yochanan Ben Zakkai down in the caves themselves.

There have been a number of special Sunday evening programmes; one a film about modern neo-Nazism for Yom HaShoah and a meeting with top Israel photographer Adi Nes. Last Saturday night was the evening of Lag B'Omer, a time traditionally marked in Israel with bonfires. The Machon decided not to run anything that evening in order to encourage Machonikim to attend bonfires with the Israeli friends and see how Israeli society celebrates this day but then the next evening, a committee of the Machonikim organised their own such bonfire with pitta making (as someone put it, "for Lad B'Omer"!) which was a really lovely group atmosphere. One of the most difficult challenges they faced was hiding/guarding the wood they had found so that it wasn't taken by the thousands of other Israeli children who were spending the few previous days seeking out any spare wood for their own fires the night before. Other special programmes run by us include two optional Beit Midrash sessions run on the Wednesday evenings, which about a quarter of the group attended, one on the theme of Memory and the other on the 'Harry met Sally related theme of what Jewish sources have to tell us about whether men and women can indeed have successful, Platonic relationships.

In addition to the above mentioned Chagim related activities things run by small groups of the Machonikim, the peer-led element of Machon has continued apace. On three of the Wednesday evenings there have been big peulot (programmes) run by the three chavurot who hadn't yet had this chance. One was a huge Super-Mario games competition, one was a reality show television evening where Machonikim got a chance to compete in their own special versions of such shows as Fear Factor, Project Runway and Extreme Machon Makeover, and the final one was a huge wide game which took place all over the campus. In pairs they have also continued to run peulot in their hadracha groups including some on the themes of memory and independence for Yom HaZikaron and Yom Haatzmaut and others on the theme of such issues as poverty and Israeli music.

That's about it for this update. I hope that you too had a good time celebrating with Israel over Yom HaAtzma'ut wherever you were and, until next time, best wishes,

Haggai Kimmelman and the Machon staff

Another Boneh update

2010-05-05T06:21:00.000-07:00

Shalom from Boneh!
The past two modules we have been through here on Ein Dor have been Socialist-Zionism, and The Dilemmas of Nation-Building. These modules deal with the theory and the history of Socialist-Zionism, the different aliyot to Israel before the state was founded, and the politics of the British Mandate period internally among the Zionist community as well externally with the neighboring Arabs.

In addition to the regular Boneh programming, the past few weeks have been full of exciting siyurim (excursions) and special programming for Israel's national holidays. On April 8, Boneh shnatties hiked all the way to the peak of Har Tavor from Kibbutz Ein Dor. Har Tavor is just a few kilometers from Ein Dor, but reaching the peak is no small feat given the steepness of the trail.

Boneh shnatties observed Yom Hashoah at a ceremony on Ein Dor April 11 and also a ceremony at Kibbutz Lochamei HaGetaot April 12. Lochamei HaGetaot is a fitting location for the ceremony because it was founded by some of the leaders of the Warsaw ghetto uprising. Recalling their extraordinary rebellion and leadership gives hope and inspiration on a mostly somber day. Later that week, Boneh shnatties learned more about the first and second waves of Zionist immigration covered in shiurim (lessons) by traveling to Zichron Yaakov and Kibbutz Yifat. Because it was one of the major destinations for olim of the 1880s and 1890s, Zichron Yaakov is home to the First Aliya Museum. Kibbutz Yifat has reconstructed an interactive version of some of the early labor Zionist settlements typical of the second and third aliya.

On Yom Hazikaron, Boneh shnatties went to Har Herzl, the military cemetery in Jerusalem. Har Herzl is the site of the main memorial ceremonies of Yom Hazikaron, lasting almost the whole day and flowing into the festivities for Yom HaAtzmaut. After a brief visit of Har Herzl, Boneh shnatties went on a short hike near Jerusalem. The hike was through a part of the Burma trail, which was opened as an alternate route to Jerusalem during the blockades of the War of Independence. Throughout the hike, the shnatties heard some of the stories surrounding that important historic event. That weekend, all of the English-speaking shnatties from both the northern and southern hemispheres convened for a seminar in preparation for Chag HaPoalim (May Day). This was a great opportunity for the Machon and Boneh groups to mix, and to meet formally all the other shnatties from North America, England and Holland.

The following Thursday (April 29), Boneh shnatties went on a siyur in Haifa, focusing on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the British Mandate period. Stops included Wadi Nisnas, the Madatech (formerly the Technion), the Istaqlal Mosque, and the old Turkish Market.

One final note: the Boneh Gan (garden) continue to blossom and grow! Here you see two Boneh-niks presenting their freshly picked harvest of sweet peas:

Boneh Return from Chofesh

2010-04-11T02:01:00.000-07:00

Boneh shnatties returned to Ein Dor from Pesach chofesh this week. I am confident that many used their free time to contemplate the meaning of freedom, inspired by the Boneh Seder on the Sunday evening before they left. What made the Boneh seder special? I'll let the shnatties answer for themselves, from the Haggadah they prepared:

Mah Nishtana?
Why is our Seder different from all other Seders?

On all other nights we sit with our families; and now, we sit on the other side of the world in our moadon on a kibbutz in the middle of nowhere, and we enjoy the company of our friends.

For the first time we sit around a table at a seder prepared and designed by us. We are in an environment created to ensure that we find meaning in our seder through analysis and questioning of our traditions and our beliefs.

For the first time it isn't our mums and grannies cooking our food. We have prepared our own meal; food cooked with our own hands, with produce from our own garden, in our year in Israel.

This Seder is different from all other Seders because all other seders we go back to our house and our cousins go back to theirs. This seder we are all here and we are together enjoying the night, helping each other gain as much as we can from it, until we pass out and wake up next to Gary.


Boneh Yud Seder - click for more photos

The Haggadah they prepared mentioned produce from their own garden. Here are two photos of the garden. The first is from before the shnatties arrived, and the second is from this week:

Before

This week

Boneh pre-Pesach update

2010-03-27T04:24:00.000-07:00

As Pesach approaches, we can all look forward to the questions we ask ourselves on the holiday celebrating the exodus from Egypt. (Why is this night different? Etc.) Boneh shnatties will be ready, having been asking themselves related questions over the past two weeks.

Last week Boneh finished up the module on antisemitism. In classes, we looked at modern antisemitism, the connection between antisemitism and criticism of Israel, the historical conditions that contributed to the development of antisemitism, and the forms antisemitism has taken. On Sunday we screened the film Gentleman's Agreement, in which journalist Philip Green writes a story about antisemitism by posing as a Jew. To my delight, I just discovered that it is possible to watch the whole movie on youtube. See this video at 7:58 to 9:42 or this one at 0:44 to 3:10 for a few of my favorite clips. Ari Levy, a graduate of Habonim Dror North America and founder of Hechalutz, spoke with the shnatties on Tuesday evening about antisemitism and exile. We explored the traditional kibbutz principle of self-reliance and self-labor through a few facilitated cleaning sessions in the shnatties' rooms, moadon and kitchen and we are happy to report they are taking more and more responsibility over this area of their lives.

This week we moved through the first Zionism module and began the Peoplehood module. (We will be discussing Zionism again in later modules.) In classes this week, shnatties discussed Zionism in the context of European nationalist movements of the 1800s, the need for a Jewish safe haven, and Zionism as a movement for a regeneration of the national character. Muki Tzur, a historian and former secretary of the kibbutz movement, spoke with the shnatties on Tuesday evening about Zionism. On Thursday, the shnatties went on a siyur to Tzfat, Tzipori and Ein Yizrael. At each location, we focused on a particular period in Jewish history. We learned about the Sephardic and Ashkenazic synagogues in tzfat, the Greek and Roman influences on the home of Judah HaNasi, and the story of King Saul's demise on Mount Gilboa while we were looking at Mount Gilboa. We asked how Judaism has endured over such a long time period, and what defines that Judaism.

Chag sameach to all!

Boneh - Southern Tiyul

2010-03-22T02:24:00.000-07:00

The Boneh Southern Tiyul was an amazing desert experience! The Boneh-niks were seriously challenged by the intense hikes, but that challenge in the end created a real sense of accomplishment and pride, shared by the whole group, that they will look back on for a long time. And all of that in the beautiful and very unusual scenery of the Judean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea, for four days.

The first day the group hiked down the Tamrur Cliff and through the Bokek Riverbed (now dry, but still green with plants and flowers from the spring rains). When they arrived at the campsite, they got their first taste of the tiyul “routine” – get some hot soup from the all-Habo-graduates kitchen staff, set up their tents before nightfall, start chopping vegetables for dinner, make a fire, eat and chill under the stars for a while. Then in the morning, rising with the sun, break camp, and set off on their way.

The next day they hiked the Rachaf Ascent and through the Kanaim Stream, a rocky downhill path that required a lot of mutual support and looking out for each other. Then they climbed Mt Elazar, which overlooks Masada, and then went up the Roman Ramp to Masada itself, touring the ancient Jewish fortress and hearing its famous story. Then it was down the Snake Path to the campsite.

Down the Snake Path

The next morning they crossed back across Masada, including a quick ride up on the Cable Car! The group hiked through a long hot stretch of desert, seemingly dry and barren, but when they arrived at the Tze’elim Stream bed they found hidden pools of water still remaining from the last rains, and had a great swim that made the hot desert seem delightful.

Hidden pools

Tze'elim Stream

From there it was all the way down the stream to the camp site. The next morning, the tired Shnatties finished their hiking on a short path through the David Stream to the famed oasis of Ein Gedi, where they played and splashed in the waterfalls. They also visited the kibbutz of Ein Gedi, and to cap off their trip went to the Dead Sea beach for some floating, mineral bathing and relaxing. And then it was back to Ein Dor to relax after an intense, incredible week.

Boneh update

2010-03-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

Hello friends and families of shnatties from Down Under, my name is Ben and I'm a Boneh rakaz (coordinator/educator). Boneh shnatties have done a lot since the last check-in and I'm sure you're eager to hear about it.

The last week of February was full of anticipation for hiking Har Tavor that Thursday. The trail is quite steep, so we postponed the hike due to threats of rain (and some actual rain), but even so it turned out to be an exciting day. The Boneh shnatties met some of the northern hemisphere shnatties (Americans, Brits, Canadians, Dutch) at a Masa event in Tel Aviv. The Masa event included a workshop with Etgar Keret, a well known Israeli author whose stories you can read here. The vocalist from the band Monica Sex was also a part of the workshop, and you can hear some of the band's music in this youtube video for the song maka afora or this one for the song od pa'am. The culmination of the evening was a live performance by the Israeli hip hop artist Subliminal.

"Maka Afora" by Monica Sex

The following day, boneh shnatties were invited to the official purim party of Kibbutz Ein Dor. Not only did they attend, but a group of them actually performed at the party a dance to Ke$ha's "Tik Tok". I can't say I'm a big fan of the sentiment of the song, but I admit it is catchy. The creativity and effort by the shnatties showed itself in their performance, which was well received.

The first week of March included a gracious appearance on Boneh by Janet and Ezra, two members of Kibbutz Ein Dor who were passengers on the hijacked Air France Flight 139 in July 1976. To prepare for meeting Janet and Ezra, the shnatties watched the movie that dramatized the events surrounding Operation Thunderbolt (a.k.a. Operation Entebbe a.k.a. Mivtza Yonatan). Janet told us the powerful story from her point of view as a passenger and then hostage more than three decades ago.

That Thursday, we hiked to a village near Ein Dor and visited the village museum. The village is called Kfar Tavor, and it was founded in 1901 by immigrants who came as a part of the First Aliya. Kfar Tavor from Ein Dor is about 2 kilometers as the crow flies and about 5 kilometers as the shnattie hikes. The famed palmach commander Yigal Allon was born in Kfar Tavor, as we learned from our captivating museum guide Tali.

The South African, Australian and Kiwi Habos on Machon visited Kibbutz Ein Dor that weekend and met Ea, the fourth of the organic madrichim for Australian/Kiwi Shnat.

This past week Boneh shnatties went on a tiyul in the Judean desert, but I'll leave the description of that for another blog post.

Shavua tov!
Ben

Israel - New Zealand relations

2010-03-05T02:22:00.000-08:00

The 5 New Zealand shnatties, together with one of their madrichim, Gabe Freund, and Mr McCulley.

As some of you might know, the Foreign Minister of New Zealand, Mr Murray McCulley is visiting Israel at the moment. Together with help from a caring expat, we managed to have the 5 Habonim Dror Aotearoa New Zealand shnatties invited to attend a special event at the King David Hotel held in honour of McCulley. A small crowd of dignitaries were invited by the Australia and New Zealand Israel Chamber of Commerce to hear Mr McCulley speak and to celebrate the forthcoming reopening of the Israeli embassy in Wellington. Eight years ago Israel closed its New Zealand embassy and diplomatic relations between the countries soured significantly after the passport incident in 2004. The importance of Mr McCulley's visit--the first in his official capacity--and the reopening of the embassy signal a significant shift in relations between the countries and an earnest mutual desire to strengthen ties. The Shnatties were privileged to meet personally with Mr McCulley and to explain to him Habonim Dror's important work for the Jewish communities of New Zealand as well as talk to the Israeli Ambassador Designate to New Zealand. Perhaps the most inspiring person they met though was the man who was Mazkir of Habonim New Zealand and sent the very first Garin l'Aliyah from the land of the long white cloud.

Machon update

2010-03-03T01:54:00.000-08:00

This is an update we received yesterday from the director of the Machon:

Dear Parents, Shalom,

Well, it is now about three and a half weeks into the programme and, as the Director of English Speaking Machon, I just wanted to write to let you know how things are going from our perspective and to share with you a few of the highlights from this opening period, though hopefully your children also have been keeping you up to date with what is happening on the programme from their point of view.

It seems to us that the Machon is in general going very well so far, the atmosphere among the Machon community seems really good and most of them seem to be really enjoying the programme and the early stages of the learning. In the very first week, straight after getting them settled into to their new home at Kiryat Moriah, we took the whole group on a 3 day desert-based tiyul (trip/hike) down to the Massada and Dead Sea area of Israel. The main aim, apart from seeing that area, was a group bonding one where people could start to get to know and make friends with people in from the other youth movements with their very different ideologies (we have 5 movements on Machon, Habonim Dror, Hashomer Hatzair, Netzer, Betar and Hineni), as well as those from other cities and countries (we have Australians, South Africans and New Zealanders on this Machon).

In particular we also wanted them to get to begin to bond within their chavura, the small group framework that the Machon is structured around. To that end much of the desert activities were done within these chavurot including various desert hikes, a navigation exercise and a blindfold 'trout' walk. As a whole group we slept out under the stars for both nights, there were evening bonfires and a lovely barbeque on the beach by the Dead Sea and we did a great early morning climb of Masada to be there for the sunrise. The tiyul was really successful and their feedback showed how much almost all of them had enjoyed it, especially the hiking and the bonding elements.

The week after they came back from the tiyul we started to move into the various lessons in earnest. There are 5 basic areas of learning on Machon – Judaism, Israel/Zionism, Hadracha (youth leadership), Hebrew and the Story of the Jewish People, which is an overview of Jewish History. In each area the Machonikim have various choices of courses, some based on different content and some based on the style of learning that they most wanted. Some classes are more lecture-based while others use more interactive programmes. As well as the classes in these main areas there are a couple of other slots in the week when they can choose from a range of sessions covering a whole variety of different topics. To give you some idea, some of the more popular options for this first part of Machon included such courses as Israel Advocacy, an Introduction to Arab culture, the 19 letters of Samson Raphael Hirsh, Drama and Israeli society through music.

After they gave all their choices on the second day just before the tiyul, the team worked out who could do what and in almost all cases most people were able to get either their first or second choices. Within the first week or so of lessons anyone who really thought they were in the wrong place could ask to swap classes and we tried to allow that whenever possible. Things have now pretty much settled down and we as a staff team are pretty pleased with the level of participation and learning going on.

Two to three times a week we get them out for educational experiences in places other than Kiryat Moriah. Once or twice a week we have half or full day trips to important sites around and near Jerusalem. So far these trips have included a visit to different sorts of communities in and around Jerusalem including an Ultra-Orthodox community, a Mechina (a pre-army gap year leadership programme for young Israelis) and a couple of "alternative" communities. We also did a tour of the Old City including the fascinating Kotel Tunnels tour, the tunnels that run under the Western Wall.

On Wednesday afternoons everyone is involved in some form of 'meuravut kehilatit' (community involvement) experience. The idea is to get off campus and become involved in some way in the community of Jerusalem. Many of the options involve some kind of volunteering or hadracha experience that gives them a sense of involvement in, and commitment to, different aspects of Israeli society though there are also some non-volunteering choices as well. This time we have 9 options that are running, more than ever before which is very exciting. In terms of volunteering style activities, a large group are helping teach English to disadvantaged Israelis, some are working on the creation of a community garden in a deprived neighbourhood, a small group are working with disabled adults at an organisation called 'galagalim', a group are teaching after school activities such as music, dance and media at a local school in a difficult area, a large group are involved in a social justice project where they must research an area of social need and then plan and run a small scale project that can help with their issue, a few are running an English speaking fun club at Kiryat Moriah for local children and finally some are involved in practical tzedaka work including a rotation of different activities such as picking fruit and vegetables for an organisation called 'Table to Table' which provides food to families living below the poverty line and helping renovate houses for ex-soldiers in need.

On the non-volunteer front, a group of 13 do "Jerusalem Journeys" where they visit and walk around less well known neighbourhoods in Jerusalem and also learn some basic guiding skills while others are getting out into Jerusalem in order to practice their Hebrew out and about in the city. It is of course very early days but already after the first couple of weeks many have talked about the satisfaction they are getting from these activities and a feeling for many that they are not just taking and learning but also giving something back as well.

There are also a couple of other special elements throughout the week. On Sunday evenings we have a slot called 'Sunday Selections' which is optional but where we bring in to Machon, among other things, some exciting guests including contemporary Israeli artists. The first week we had a band called Remedy come in which was a very up-beat start to this series of events. Tuesday afternoons is time they spend in their separate youth movement groups with their own movement madrichim and Wednesday evenings is a special programming evening, some of which later in the programme will be run by them for each other, some will be run by us and some will be a Beit Midrash style informal Jewish texts study evening which will be optional. So far we have had a Movements Ideology presentations evening and a Machon Idol group singing competition. We also took them last Thursday evening to a special MASA organised Israeli arts evening which consisted of a concert by the group 'Subliminal' and a chance to take part in workshops with famous Israeli artists such as the renowned writer Etgar Keret and the famous Bat Sheva dance company. This was also a great chance for them to see their many of friends who are on other MASA programmes.

Every other Thursday morning we have a new slot called Open House. Most of the education on Machon is organised in courses lasting anything from 4-12 weeks but on this morning we bring in some interesting outside people and offer a fascinating range of one-off sessions that they can do without needing to commit to a whole course. We try to cover different content and methodologies and for the first week some of the sessions offered included: the history and future of Zionist Youth movements, Israeli Folk Dancing, Kabbalah and Mask Making for Purim.

Most weekends they are free from Thursday evenings until we start classes again on the Sunday morning. They can of course stay at Kiryat Moriah if they wish but this is also a great opportunity for them to go off and explore other parts of Israel and see family and friends around the country. When the weather becomes a bit more certain, many will also no doubt choose to go hiking and camping on their weekends. We certainly encourage them to make the most of their time here and to do such things and are always available to give help and advice about places they might visit if the need.

Finally, earlier this week it was of course Purim. Being in Israel during the Chagim (Jewish holidays) is one of the great experiences of Shnat and Machon. On Saturday evening when it is Purim in most parts of the country but not in Jerusalem, many of them spent the evening in Tel Aviv to experience the street parties and clubbing scene that goes on there during Purim and of course alcohol played its part since it is one of the Purim mitzvas!.

Then on Sunday afternoon some of the group ran a masquerade activity for everyone else to help them get into the Jerusalem Purim spirit. We the Machon then offered a choice of classes looking at different aspects of the Megilla and then there was an option of different going to listen to different Megilla readings around Jerusalem for those who wanted. In the evening there was a joint Fancy Dress Purim party and competition together with the South Americans which took place at a club that we had hired out for them. There are almost 200 South Americans on the Spanish Speaking Machon and thought there class time contact is limited by language we wanted to give them the opportunity to start to meet a few of them at least and to be able to start to get to know them in their non-class time.

For Shushan Purim itself on Monday morning there was a joint fun Purim drama style activity, again with the South Americans, and in the afternoon they were free to go off into different neighbourhoods around Jerusalem as they wished, to experience Purim in the city. In particular, those that, instead of staying at Kiryat Moriah or going to the more touristy spots, made the effort and went and found unusual neighbourhoods to join in the street parties and atmosphere really got a lot out of it

I think that is all for now and I hope that I have been able to give you a small flavour of the programme thus far and what has been happening. We the staff are very much enjoying working with the Machonikim, both individually and as a group. I hope to write again in a month or so, just near to the Pesach break, to give you another Machon update.

Until then, best wishes to you all and we hope you all had a great Purim whatever you were doing.

Haggai Kimmelman and the Machon staff team

Boneh and Machon

2010-02-22T01:03:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-02-15T00:56:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from the shnatties orientation :)

Habo Orientation

2010-02-07T03:39:00.000-08:00

This past week has been an intense one for the new Shnatties! They spent seven days together as a group, first on beautiful Kibbutz Ravid overlooking the Kinneret:

and then in the youth hostel at Tel Chai which has a view to the currently snow-capped Mt Hermon, Israel's highest peak.

The week has been all about group bonding, both fun, get-to-know-each-other activities, and more serious discussions with the madrichim and one another about their goals for their Shnat year and the values they want to live by. They talked about equality, about wiping away prior stigmas and about how to be creative and active during this year and make the most of this unique experience. And on Thursday on their way from Ravid to Tel Chai, they stopped in Kiryat Shmona for a few games of bowling! Of course, they also found plenty of time to enjoy the sunshine and to chill together:

This morning the Shnatties went on their way, the Machon group headed to Jerusalem and the Boneh group to Kibbutz Ein Dor, where they will start to hear about the programs they are embarking upon and starting making choices and plans for the coming months. We'll let you know how that goes and what they are up to again soon!

Greetings from Israel!

2010-01-28T13:44:00.000-08:00

We are happy to report that all of our Shnatties from Australia and New Zealand have arrived safely to the country, and are together on the AZYC Seminar along with all Australia and New Zealand Shnat participants. Here you can see a picture of our tired but happy Kiwis during their nighttime arrival:

The Shnatties are spending these few days seeing the country, including traveling in the Negev, meeting with soldiers, touring Tel Aviv, and spending Shabbat together in Jerusalem. Then on Sunday morning they will head north to Kibbutz Ravid for the start of their Habo orientation. Their madrichim, Gabe Freund, Hadas Dinerman and Merose Haran are hard at work planning the seminar.