Winter Israel Seminar Cohort 7: Post #3 Shabbat and Sunday

Shabbat in Jerusalem

By Hannah Rapoport

Our first Shabbat in Israel was truly special.  On our last traveling day and shabbat quickly approaching, we roamed the streets of Jerusalem.  We could feel the Shabbat sprit in the air from the time we left the hotel. 

We started out the day visiting the Hasidic neibornook of Ge'ula.  I loved getting to see a different side of Judaism that I had never seen up close.  We learned about their daily lives and customs.  I noticed big advertisements on the streets and asked our tour guide what they were. She said that they served as a communication devise because of the lack of Internet and television. 

After our tour, we went to shuk machaneh yehudah. On the busiest day at the shuk, the streets were crowded with people getting ready for Shabbat. I was amazed seeing the shuk for the first time. We shopped around and found a local bakery called marzipan, and ate the most delicious rugalach.  I bargained for necklaces and found myself immersed in the culture. 

 We returned to the hotel to get ready for Shabbat  and bundled up for a chilly evening. We were given the option to attend either an orthodox service or reform.  I loved my experience in the reform service and was surprised at how many people knew English.  After Shabbat services, we gathered together to walk back to the hotel. Despite the cold, it was amazing seeing the city of jurusalem at night and experiencing Shabbat in the amazing city. 

 On Saturday, we relaxed at the hotel and participated in a program about language. I learned about how our languages are connected and how we connect despite the language barrier.  The most amazing part of Shabbat was having havdallah on the roof, overlooking the old city.  The overwhelming sense of community is indescribable. I will always the remember my first Shabbat in Israel, and how special our Diller family is. 

Community week Day 1

By Benj Lester

Sunday morning was a little out of the ordinary. I woke up in a new home filled with a new family. Thankfully, I felt right at home - thanks to the warm and generous hospitality of the Shimon family. To start off the day, Ganir dropped me off at the station, where I met a few other Los Angeles fellows. We immediately took a bus to the heart of Tel Aviv, where we got split into two groups to take part in a scavengar hunt. The purpose of the scavenger hunt was to get to know Tel Aviv on a more personal level and interact with the people of the city. I had an amazing time because it was my first chance to walk through the streets of the city and to get a chance to talk to various people. My favorite moment of the hunt was when my team, the green team, walked into a convenience store and asked the cashier if he had a tattoo. Luckily, he did have the animal design tattoo that we were looking for but the way he presented it was very funny and even provocative. At the end of the hunt, the judge told both teams that my team, the green team, were the victors. Our prize was an Israeli chocolate bar with filling. 

Our next activity was Shuk Shopping. The group went to Shuk HaCarmel. I was especially happy to go shopping because I wanted a chance to buy some presents for people back home. I was very satisfied with the gifts I bought and the process of buying them were just as enjoyable. I liked the experience of bargaining with the merchants and looking at different styles of various jewelry. 

After buying jewlery, we immediately left the shuk and headed towards the meeting place of the Tel Aviv fellows. To end the night, we had our opening ceremonies where everyone got the opportunity to meet everyone's family while enjoying dinner. 

 

Winter Israel Seminar cohort 7: post #2

HBy Deena Levitan and Rachel Israilevich 

I think I speak for everyone when I say that we had a very interesting and educational day. We had the opportunity to go to places that teen groups do not usually go to. To start the day we went on a beautiful walk at Haas Promenade and got to see the beautiful city that is Jerusalem. It was amazing to see the entire city and the borders between the different territories. 

After our walk at Haas Promenade we took a bus ride to a stop along the Seam Line. We started with a view of the city and saw a part of the old wall that used to surround the Old City. We then continued along the Seam Line and soon stopped in front of the Notre Dame Church. It was absolutely stunning and we were very fortunate to see the Church when we did because being Christmas Day there were many people exiting and entering the church and the church grounds. 

We then continued our trek and ended up at Museum on the Seam, which is a museum that collects the artworks from artists around the world and tries to display them in a socio-political way. The pieces are contemporary and bring a lot of conflict and interesting viewpoints with them. 

After enjoying the wonderful hospitality of the museum and its curator, we then went on a bus ride to the Old City. I was very excited and could not wait to see the holiest place of the Jewish people for the first time. As soon as I got off of the bus I immediately encountered different smells, sounds, and sights and it was an amazing experience. All of us eagerly got off of the bus, awaiting the tangible history of the Jewish people. Nirit, our guide, explained to us exactly what was in the Old City and what was waiting for us in the Jewish Quarter. Walking along the sides of the Old City, we saw the walls of the old City and were amazed that after such a long time they were still standing. We then walked to the Christian quarter of the Old City and we were very fortunate to be able to see the tomb of King David and the room where Jesus had the Last Supper. I was in shock for a little bit when we entered the room because I could not believe where I was. It is something that needs to be experienced and we did. 

After these amazing sights we started to walk to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. I was filled with excitement and disbelief as we were walking. Before reaching the Kotel, we went on a rooftop to see another beautiful view of Jerusalem. It was getting darker and colder towards the night, but nonetheless we loved to see it. As were were sitting in silence soaking in the beauty and spirituality of the Old City, the Muslim Quarter began filling with the sounds of their daily prayer. It was definitely an experience hearing the Muslim prayers and viewing the Golden Dome of the Old City. Finally, we were on our way to experiencing a moment at the Kotel. 

For many of us, this was our first time and it was definitely very emotional and spiritual moment. It was packed with people, tourists and Israelis alike, and we were surrounded by soldiers and their families who came for the swearing in ceremony. It was really exciting to be able to see this ceremony take place at one of the holiest sites to the Jewish people. Going to the Kotel and leaving a note in the cracks was extremely moving, and when I put my hands on the wall, I could feel the centuries of energy reverberating off of its surface, imagining the millions of hands that have touched this wall that managed to withstand against all odds. I got chills down my whole body, and just being surrounded by so many Jewish people (which is uncommon coming from LA) in this holy place was truly an experience I will remember forever. 

After several embarrassing requests to take pictures with the soldiers, we made our way to Ben Yehuda Street- the Israeli version of the Santa Monica promenade. Some of us met up with Israeli family or friends, and the rest of us walked around with our Tel Aviv friends and splurged on souvenir shops and delicious shawarma and falafel. It was the perfect end to a busy day.

Winter Israel Seminar cohort 7: Post #1

Travel and our 1st day:

by Leora Tolfer and Elana Muroff

We began our journey with a 10 hour flight to Zurich. This flight was interesting. At the Zurich airport we endured a seven hour layover. This was almost unbearable, but we were able to get through it by finding lots of food. After another four hour flight from Zurich to Tel Aviv, we finally made it to Israel!

After taking a short rest in our hotel, we got ready to meet up with the Tel Aviv fellows. We took our first drive in Tel Aviv (in daylight, at least) to the museum where we would be having our Mega-Evening in order to meet the Tel Aviv fellows before the event started. We played some ice breakers with the group and had a chance to reconnect after eight months apart.

The rest of the day consisted of our Mega-Evening with all of the North American and Israeli fellows (with the exception of Toronto). We were able to meet a few hundred Diller fellows and it was a fantastic experience to finally feel like a part of the larger Diller community! We’ve had a great start to our trip and we can’t wait to see more of this beautiful country.

Day 2:

by Becca Speyer

Our first full day in Israel was a very intense day. The day consisted of Yad Vashem and Mt. Hertzl. Yad Vashem is the Holocaust museum and Mt. Hertzl is the cemetery Israel’s greatest leaders and the fallen soldiers. The trip consisted of taking the path from the Jewish peoples’ worst experiences to learning about the creation of Israel through talking about the most influential people’s lives while walking through the cemetery. Mt Herzl ended with us walking through the “newest” part of the cemetery which was the most impactful and emotional part of the day for the fellows to endure because of how close in age the fallen soldiers are to us.

Then we headed to Ramat Rachel, our hotel, to meet up with the Israelis and eat dinner. After dinner we did a maagal lila consisting of the fellows choosing pictures that represented how their summer felt to them. It was really impactful to see the different experiences over the summer as two different communities dealing with the hardships that arose.  

Cohort 8 Workshop 3: Fruit salad and the Journey of Milk and Cookies

By Blake Feldmar

What kind of fruit are you? The fellows of Diller Cohort 8 each found out the answer to this question last Sunday at a meeting where we explored different work styles and ways to accomplish goals. We began by taking a short personality test in which we had to rank different adjectives by how well they described us. When we finished, our results identified us as one of four fruits—either a grape, an orange, a banana, or a melon. Each fruit represented a different kind of work style, and had its own strengths and weaknesses when it came to working in groups. After meeting with others of our kind and discussing our similarities, we split up into mixed-up groups in order to compare and contrast our styles. We realized that many of us were hybrids of different fruits, and several people felt uncomfortable having to choose just one for themselves or were surprised at their identification. However, we also thought it was very interesting to see ourselves classified, and felt that it helped us all get to know both ourselves and the rest of the group better. In the end, it was great to see that we could all come together to form one delicious Diller fruit salad capable of accomplishing any task.

               During our break, we were able to participate in an event occurring at the Westside JCC. Fast-paced music played from a nearby room for "Chanukah Zumbakah," an event aptly named for its Hannukah-themed Zumba class. Most of the Diller fellows joined in on the fun, and while some of us felt a little awkward others really got into it. Either way, we all enjoyed ourselves dancing aerobically to Hannukah parodies before returning to our room to continue our meeting.

 

               Upon our return, we embarked on the "Journey of Milk and Cookies," a method for completing goals that we learned we would be using throughout the rest of our time in Diller. The Journey had four parts—Mission, Vision, Goals, and Objectives. After learning about this process in a classroom-like setting, we were able to put our new knowledge into practice by breaking up into groups to plan our second Shabbaton. While at first the steps were a little unfamiliar, it quickly became clear how easy they were to use and their efficiency at planning and executing tasks. Each of the groups seemed very excited about their plans for the Shabbaton, and I can't wait to see what we all come up with.

               Overall, our fourth meeting was a success. We learned a lot about working to complete goals, both in how we personally approach them and how to effectively and methodically plan them. I am looking forward to the next Shabbaton, and am eager to strengthen the bonds that we have all formed in the past few months as well as my skills as a leader, a community member, and a Jew.

Shabbaton 1- Cohort 8

By Claire Rawson-Dannenbaum and Emma Scheinbaum

The Shabbaton began with a blast in the parking lot of the Westside Pavilion at 2:15. The fellows boarded the bus and we were on our way! We got to know one another in a new light—in a way different than a Jewish classroom setting. After picking up the rest of the fellows in the valley, we made our way to Alonim, the place we would call home for the weekend.

Upon arrival, we grabbed our warm jackets and jumped on the bus again to the neighborhood Chabad, for many of us, our first time in this kind of prayer setting. We walked inside, and the strangest feeling fell over me. It was warm, and smelled delicious, the TV was unplugged and the family was all standing together, just enjoying each other’s presence. It was beautiful. But for me at least, it was a little uncomfortable. Right away, we were separated, boys to wrap tefillin and girls to light the shabbat candles, lead by the Matriarch of the Chabad household and our fellows, Emma and Ellie. This part didn’t seem right to me, because in my tradition, everyone is included in both parts, if they want to. After these prayers, we headed around back to the Chabad, and begun a new learning experience. In the shul, there was a mehitzah, something new and strange to me. As we went through the prayer service, the girls on my side were pretty clueless as to what was going on, since the majority of us were unfamiliar with the melodies and language. After the service, we walked back to camp, ate dinner, said the Shabbat prayers lead by Shane and myself, participated in some ice breakers lead by Talia, Adam, Gabi E and Emily, and held a Maagal Laila (night circle). This activity was led by the Diller Staff, and included several cups with questions and options, each option a different color jellybean that we would place in the cup. After all the cups worked their way around the room, we dumped them out and discussed our answers. It was a great way to get to know each other anonymously. After this activity, we went back to our bunks for some late-night bonding.

The next morning, after breakfast, we took part in some ice breakers lead by Justin and Noah, where we literally supported each other and made a circle that could not be supported if one fellow left. After this, we split into two groups—those returning again to the Chabad and those going on a spiritual walk/hike (me!). As we walked along one of Alonim’s several paths we stopped several times to say a prayer, sing a song or just appreciate our surroundings. Eventually, we came to the end of the walk, a campfire area thought to be once used by the Native American peoples in the area. Aki, our walk guide/leader, pointed out some rocks she thought were used by the Native Americans for storage. Slightly ahead of schedule, Sami gave us the ok to climb the mountain and check out the rocks. We scaled the mountain in about 10 minutes, and sat in the ancient storage units. The view was incredible. After a few minutes of sitting in awe, we realized that we were running behind schedule (again) and ran down the mountain and back to camp. I loved this tefilah. It was new to me, and as a Reconstructionist Jewish camp kid, prayers in nature are common, but this felt different. I’m not sure if it was because of the new group of people, the new surroundings or the peace and focus of the group, but this is a new holy I had yet to experience.

Back at camp, we took part in more ice breakers, this time lead by Maddie. She lead us through a human knot exercise, which took us a few tries, but after a few minutes of scrambling through each others arms, we finally found ourselves in a circle. After Maddie’s ice breaker, Sami lead us in a musical memory game, which we continued to play throughout that weekend.

After lunch on Saturday, two of our fellows, Blake and Micah, led everyone in the Dvar Torah.  They handed each fellow a piece of paper with a different image on it.  It was our job as a group to put the pictures in the correct order so they could tell a story.  After we had successfully put our pictures in order we had about an hour and a half break.  Most people walked around the camp, exploring the soccer field and basketball courts.  After our break, everyone came together again for our first Jewish Identity program.  We walked in the room and noticed pictures all over the floor.  Some were generic pictures of families and others were landscape pictures of Israel, symbols for holidays, and even some empty ones.  We were each asked to pick four pictures that represented our Jewish Identity.  Then we were given different color post-its which each represented something different such as: community, family, and history.  After we placed the post-its on the pictures we thought they corresponded to, we were put into small groups to discuss.  We went around and shared the reasons why we picked each picture and which post-its we attached to it.  It was really interesting to listen to what other people chose and how their Jewish identity differs from mine.  

After our Jewish identity program and a short break, we all walked over to the Havdalah garden to begin our Havdalah ceremony led by Natan and Grace.  Personally, Havdalah is my favorite part of shabbat because of my experiences from camp.  

Shortly after Havdalah ended, we went to meet the Alonim staff to play some bonding games.  For one of the games we were put with a partner.  One person was given a pad of paper while the other was given a picture of several shapes which formed a confusing image.  The person with the picture couldn’t show their partner what it was so they had to describe the image and the other person had to draw it.  This activity was difficult for some and not so difficult for others.

 

Later that night after dinner and our last ice breakers led by Hanah, we had our second Jewish Identity program.  This program was more of an individual activity than the others.  There were several sheets of paper taped around the room, each with different aspects of Judaism such as God, Torah, Israel, and women’s roles.  Each paper explained the topic and then had spaces for people to draw their anonymous symbol under the category which was closest to their belief.  We later learned that these categories represented Jewish denominations such as Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist and Secularist.  This program was controversial throughout our group.  Some fellows said they didn’t like being put into a box or classified and there should have been more options, while others said they understood that the program was showing us how we can connect to several of these labels and agree or disagree with certain aspects.  

Shortly after we ended our program, our junior counselors, Rachel and Leora, led us in a bonding program.  We were all very confused when we were told to get blindfolds and line up.  We were then escorted to a grass area where we were able to remove our blindfolds.  We were each given 2 glow sticks which we were not supposed to break until we had all gone around the circle and said what we were looking forward to and a fear we had.  Most people were really looking forward to bonding even more than we already had during the weekend and for our trip to Israel.  A common fear was that we would lose some of the bonds we made because we wouldn’t see each other until the next meeting, a month later.  After we all shared, it was time for our campfire led by Liv and Gabby.  We walked up to our campfire area and made s’mores, sang songs, and played games.

The next morning we found out that we would be volunteering at the camp by painting an area to make it look nicer.  This reminded me of my camp where we work on a project every session to give back and enhance the beauty of our camp.  I believe that it’s very important to give back especially to a place that has affected you in such a positive way.

Our Shabbaton was coming to a close and we all came together one more time to evaluate the weekend and give our positive and negative feedback.  Overall, the weekend was a success and we all had such an amazing time.  Everyone bonded so much and we are all looking forward to our next meeting and the rest of our time in Diller!