Highlights from the rest of community week and Kennes

Highlights from community week: By Noah Baum

Friday - Judaism day

Friday morning began at alma where we discussed jewish people hood and Hebrew as more than a language. We read some interesting text to stimulate our discussion. After the discussion we went to lunch at ( where) and had chicken skewers with humus and salad and pita.

Sunday - Army and Zionism day

On Sunday I was dropped off at the Issac Rabin museum where we took a great tour.  The army day tzevet split us all into different groups of the army in order to add a fun competitive element to the day. After the museum we went to a local high school where we spoke to two idf soldiers, one from Los Angeles and the other from Australia. I think that this discussion and panel was really for people who were thinking about making Aliyah or joining the idf to ask about fears and hear first hand experiences. After the panel we were allowed have lunch on a nearby street. Most of us had schnitzel which was delicious. After lunch we met back in the room and had an activity about language led by our coordinator Sami. We then went to a park where we met two Israeli soldiers who did some fun physical "training" activities with us. 

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Welcome to Givat Haviva! After saying a temporary goodbye to Tel Aviv and our Israelis the LA teens joined the Baltimore cohort on a bus ride filled with naps and excited teens. Once we finally arrived in Givat Haviva we were finally split up into our tribes, I stood alone. I was the only teen from the Los Angeles cohort to be put into the Ephraim tribe. I gained so much knowledge about the history of the Jews, Mount Sinai, North American Jewry, and oh so much more!  Avraham Infield gave a great speech about the five legs of a stable table to be the basis for Jewish Peoplehood.  The five legs include memory, Israel, family, covenant, and language. I personally connect to family the most. His speech became the basis of Congress. I really enjoyed his speech and liked the way he incorporated jokes and meaningful thoughts. I am excited to see the Israelis tomorrow! I have had a great time getting to know the North Americans (shout out to Pittsburgh) and hope to continue to grow closer to them and create new friendships!

-Sadie Abergel