Shnat 2008-9

Busy time in Israel!

2009-04-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

Dear parents,

It has been a busy busy April on Shnat! The month started off with the shnatties planning and running the pasechet english speaking camps all across the country. In conjunction with Hanoar Haoved, the shnatties were involved in 4 days of peulot, english teaching, hiking, and getting to know the youth of Israel from all over the country! They were involved with communities from Rishon Lezion, Hadera and Holon! The machanot were a huge success, and the shnatties had meaningful experiences and created strong ties both with the younger chanichim at the machane, and with their co-madrichim from Hanoar Haoved. Needless to say, it also provided the shnatties with some strong tools and leadership ideas to take back to their communities and machanot.

The Pesach chofesh period was a good time to relax and unwind for the shnatties before coming back for a busy and packed last month of the program. The last week and a half has been a truly Israeli experience, with Yom Hashoa, Yom Hazikaron, and Yom Haatzmaut all being big experiences for the shnat kvutsa.

For Yom Hashoa, the shnat kvutsa was given a guided tour around the newest exhibition in the Ghetto Fighters' Museum at the Ghetto Fighters' kibbutz. The exhibition details the history of the Dutch Jewish community, and the tragedy of the holocaust in Dutch Jewish history. The shnatties then stayed at the museum for the national tekkes (ceremony) that closes Yom Hashoa in Israel. and even though the tekkes was in Hebrew, we succeeded in finding enough translaters in the vast Habonim crowd to give the shnatties a good idea of what was going on!

Last weekend the shnatties got a great opportunity to mingle and get to know the new Southern Hemisphere (Australia/New Zealand/South Africa) kvutsot, at the english speaking seminar. The theme of the seminar was May Day, and concepts of Union and Solidarity in society today. There was strong discussion between the chanichim about the difficulties of creating union and solidarity in our societies today, and the movements' place in dealing with those challenges. The seminar was also a good starting point for the movements' participation in the annual May Day Rally, which will take place in Tel-Aviv tomorrow. And even with all the serious discussion, there was still plenty of room for friendly laughs, and some strong personal connections came out of the seminar. It was also a great learning experience for the shnatties to understand the other movements and how they function.

On Erev Yom Hazikaron, the shnatties attended a national tekkes at one of the most historic sites in the modern history of Israel, Ammunition Hill. The tekkes was attended by hundreds of other participants of MASA year programs in Israel, and was definitely a moving experience for all involved. To be able to understand the complexity of the state of Israel by standing side by side with Israeli society on a day such as yom ha'atzmaut was definitely a highlight of the year.

The following day was Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day, and a day of celebration for all. The shnatties had a chofesh day, so they were free to travel and engage with Israeli society on it's most celebrated holiday. And like all good Israelis, celebrate they did!

Today the shnatties did an educational siyur about the complexities of the separation fence, and the issues surrounding the arguments for and against. They examined the human elements of the conflict, and the impact of the conflict on the lives of everyday Israelis and Palestinians. It was an interesting experience for all, and definitely gave them things to ponder about the situation in Israel today.

The coming month is packed with exciting events for the Shnat kvutsa! They will be finishing up their messimot in the next 2 weeks, and as sad as it seems (well i guess except for parents who are awaiting their return!), the shnatties have started to prepare for the journey home. We will be looking at the impact of one of the great Zionists next week, Theodore Herzl, on national Herzl Day. We also have a final tiyul in the Golan Heights in 2 weeks, and then we will be heading off to sikkum seminar before flying out.

It's hard to believe that Shnat is coming to an end, but i have to say that, on a personal note, the Shnat kvutsa of 08-09 are an inspirational and wonderful group of young leaders. They have met every challenge thus far head on, and are a huge asset both to their communities, and to the movement, and I'm sure that the next 3weeks will be no exception.

Until next time,

Leon.

Security Update - February 21

2009-02-21T07:35:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Shavua tov to all. This morning there was an incident on the northern border where a rocket was fired into Israel from Lebanon. The rocket landed by a village in the Galilee, and two people were lightly injured. All of the shnatties are fine and accounted for, and there have been no changes in the security directions from the Israel Experience.

I know a number of you are still waiting for pics of your friends and children, and there should be some up through the week. I'll be in touch with more updates!

I wish you all a safe and healthy week, and i will let you all know as to any security changes.

Regards,

Leon.

The Kaveret Train is in full motion!

2009-01-31T11:29:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

I figured it wasn't fair to give the devout blog fans only a security update for reading material in the beginning of their new week, so I am also going to give you all a bit of an update. The past few weeks for the shnatties have been full of excitement and adventure, as well as some new discoveries in their communal lives.

The Kaveret program has been going for about 4 weeks now, and most of the tzevetim (small groups of madrichim) are getting to be well established in their volunteering projects all over the centre of the country. The Shnatties are split up into 3 different volunteering projects, all with their own special rewards, and all with their unique demands.

For the Akko group - they have three tzevetim, of which one works in a school and after-school club in Haifa, one works in a school in Akko, and the third works in the co-existence tzevet, dealing primarily with Israeli Arabs in villages in the surrounds.

The shnatties have one tzevet who works in a school in Holon in the mornings, and an afternoon club for middle-school aged students in the afternoon. Another tzevet works in Tel-Aviv in a few different places, including one morning a week teaching English to Sudanese refugees, two days a week in a vocational school, and also in an afternoon club!

The third tzevet works in Hadera, which is a little further away from their home, but is definitely worth the ride! They are working in an elementary school in the morning, and in an afternoon club for children in years 4-9.

The group spends 3 days a week in the different volunteering projects, of which half a day is committed to a 'yom tzevet,' a time when they can sit down with the guides who are assisting them and partnering them through the experience, for learning and dealing with some of the more difficult questions revolving around their experiences with Israeli youth.

Hebrew has also started up again after the break, and it gives the shnatties another avenue to continue improving and raising their level of hebrew. Now that they are immersed within Israeli society, not just in their projects but also with shopping, travel, and other daily interactions, every bit of Hebrew can only help in their experience of Israeli life.

The group has also been going through an intense hadracha (leadership) theory course on Thursdays, and has delved into questions of what it means to be a leader, personal example, working as a group, as well as many other relevant issues in being a leader within the movement and machane.

The shnatties also had their first Poland preparation seminar a few weeks ago, and began to explore the Shoah and the way that we view and remember it today, both in the movement and within our home communities. They will be doing their second preparation seminar in the 2nd week of February, where the groups will be spending two days at the Ghetto Fighters' Museum near Nahariya, a museum that was built and maintained by survivors of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. It will definitely be a big highlight, and will deal with lots of questions and impressions of the Shoah and how we see it today. Of course it won't be long till we will be on a plane and off to Poland ourselves!

So that's where things are at the moment on Shnat. With the Gaza operation over, we are hoping that life will return at a slightly more non-exciting level and pace, but that the steam train that is Shnat 08-09 will continue rolling along at high speed!

I will endeavour to add some photos of the workshoppers in their living environments, both in their houses and in their volunteering projects, in the next blog update.

Until then i would like to wish you all a safe and happy week!

Regards,

Leon.

Security Update Junary 31

2009-01-31T11:27:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

I hope you have all had a relaxing and peaceful shabbat. I just wanted to update you all on some security changes in regards to the security outlines of the Israel Experience.

The Israel Experience has changed the security outline to what the measures were before the Gaza Operation. In regards to what that means, and how it changes the measures that were last published, the following changes have been made:

- The new 'buffer' zone that cannot be entered into around Gaza is a 7km Radius around the Gaza Strip. That area covers the city of Sderot, as well as a few kibbutzim in that zone.

- Participants are now free to travel to the boardwalk in Tel-Aviv at all time.

- It is free to travel to, and within, the old city of Akko

- Entry and travel to mixed (Jewish/Arab) villages, and Arab villages, is permitted under the new security outlines.

- The warnings that were established around travel to the old city still stand, with entry only allowed to the Jewish Quarter through the Zion Gate, and strong recommendations to not be at the Kotel (Western Wall) between the hours of 11:00 and 14:00 on Fridays.

The past month has not been an easy time for anyone in Israel, or anyone who has loved ones in Israel, but i want to sincerely thank all of you for your patience and understanding through this difficult time in Israel. With the current ceasefire, and with elections in Israel in just over a week, we are all hoping for a future filled with peace, tranquility, and dialogue.

As always, the security department continues to monitor any situations in Israel, and as any updates happen, I will keep you all informed.

Shavua Tov to everyone!

Leon.

Security Update - January 10

2009-01-10T06:47:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Shavuat Tov! I hope that you have all had a relaxing shabbat, and an enjoyable weekend thus far. I just wanted to fill everyone in on a couple of things that have happened in the past couple of days, both in terms of the security, and in terms of the shnatties kaveret house in Holon.

The security situation in regards to the current guidelines, as outlined in the post from last week, have not changed. Two days ago, on Thursday morning, 4 rockets were fired into Israel from Lebanon, and landed in and around the northern border town of Nahariya. There were no shnatties in the surrounds of those rockets, as all were in the centre of the country. There were some heightened security guidelines along the northern border during the morning on Thursday, but all of those warnings were eased by 12:30pm on Thursday, and travel is unrestricted in the North of Israel. As of today, that situation hasn't changed, although the security division of the Israel experience is keeping a strong eye on the situation.

In regards to the kaveret house in Holon where the group currently is, they are settling in very nicely to both their house and their new neighbourhood. The internet in the house was set-up on Friday morning, so the group now has an active Internet connection.
The group will begin their educational volunteering projects this week, and are all very excited. On wednesday last week, they went on a tour of the schools that they will be working with, and met up with some of the guides who will be aiding them in their time at the schools. I will post the educational projects during the week, to give all of you a greater insight into the exciting work that the Shnatties will be doing in the coming months.

I wish you all a happy, safe, and healthy week, and will be in touch again soon!

Regards,
Leon.

Secutiry Guidelines - January 3

2009-01-03T14:37:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

As some of you may be aware, the Israeli Defense Forces this evening launched a ground offensive in Gaza. At the present moment, the security stipulations for all of the Israel Experience programs has not changed from the outline which I posted yesterday.
As any and all changes take place, they will be posted at the earliest available possibility on the blog.

I would like to wish everyone a shavua tov, and a happy and healthy week.

Regards,

Leon

Current Security situation in Israel

2009-01-02T16:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents,

Firstly i would like to wish everyone a happy new year, and i hope that 2009 has thus far been healthy and safe for all of you. I wanted to address some concerns in regards to the current security guidelines of the program, in light of the ongoing operation of the Israeli Defense Forces in Gaza.

There are 4 concerns in regards to the new security guidelines that have been issued by the Israel Experience, and the guidelines reflect responses to these general topics:

1 - The firing of rockets from Gaza into the southern region of Israel.
2 - Demonstrations in the Arab sector of Israel, specifically in East Jerusalem and some northern areas.
3 - Warnings from Hamas of terrorist attacks within Israel.
4 - The possibility of a northern attack from the Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The Israel experience has certified a number of newer security warnings, as well as re-iterated a number of pre-existing warnings from the beginning of the program, to ensure that participants comply with those warnings at this time. The current security guidelines, in regards to potential risks, are as follows:

- Chanichim are not allowed within a 40km radius of the Gaza Strip. This area extends from Yavne to the west to Gedera in the east, and curves around south to Beer-Sheva. Travel to the south can be done via Road 6 until Kama Intersection, and then bypassing Beer-Sheva via the Arad road.

- No entrance to Arab villages in the North, including the Old City of Acco. Druze Hospitality is allowed in the Carmel region.

- No travel along Road 90 North (from Almog Junction to Beit Shean) or Road 1 West (Jerusalem to Almog Junction) after nightfall.
This is a guideline which has been in place since the beginning of the program. We do not currently allow any travel on this part of Road 90 or Road 1 West.

- East Jerusalem and the Old City: No travel to the Arab neighbourhoods in East Jerusalem, as stipulated in the beginning of the program. Entry to the Jewish Quarter of the Old City is via the Zion Gate only. No visiting to the Kotel on Fridays between 11:00-14:00 (again, this guideline has been in place since the beginning of workshop, due to infrequent examples of tension at the kotel during these times).

- Participants should not go to the malls in the following cities: Netanya, Kfar Saba, Hadera, Raanana, Petach Tikva. There has been no specific warning in regards to attacks, but there is a precautionary warning against malls in these cities.

- Participants should not travel to the Tel-Aviv boardwalk, between the Dolphinarium and 'Sites Square'. after the hours of 10pm.

I also wanted to explain some of the processes that the program is taking to ensure that the participants don't put themselves into a situation that could present possible risk or danger.

- All participants must be in contact with their madrichim (counselors) DAILY, by telephone. The madrichim have outlines of travel plans for all of the participants, so any potential risks need to be changed by the participants, at the discretion of the program co-ordinators in conjunction with the security guidelines. In addition, all changes in the participants' plans must be confirmed with their madrichim.

- The madrichim are contactable 24 hours through the day, and we are also insisting that the participants keep their phones ON for 24 hours, so that they are contactable if situations or security guidelines change.

- In regards to the warning on the Old city of Akko - up to this point there have been no reported incidents of tension or violence in the area, and the warnings are precautionary.

- In the case that the range of rockets extends closer to the centre of the country, specifically closer to the Kaveret house for the British group in Holon, we will assess the situation and move them to a more secure location temporarily. At this point in time, there is no indication that that will eventuate.

I understand any concerns you may have had over the past week in regards to the security situation in Israel, and i hope that these guidelines have given all of you a better understanding as to the extent of our security monitoring of the program through the Israel Experience. I will post any changes to the security situation in Israel as early as i can in the coming days, and as i receive them. I am attaching two maps of the security buffer zone surrounding Gaza at this time, to give you an idea of the 'No Go' Zone at this point in time.

A map from Homefront Command outlining areas which have guidelines
places on them surrounding Gaza

A map roughly outlining the restricted area for program participants

I hope that these outlines have given you a better idea of what the current situation is in Israel, and the extent of the security guidelines that we are making on the program. If you have any further questions or concerns, be in contact with Ilan Scorah, and he can forward on to me any further queries, which I would be happy to address.

I wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2009.

Regards,
Leon Schneider
HDUK Shnat Co-ordinator

The end of Boneh is nigh!

2008-12-02T13:42:00.000-08:00

Hi again everyone,

So it has been an action-packed month of activities in November, and it's hard to know where to start. The shnattie have gotten back into more of a routine after all of the chaggim experiences in October, but the hectic pace of Shnat hasn't gotten any slower.

The first weekend in November was spent with Habonim Dror Shnat participants from all over the globe, at Rabin Seminar in Nes Harim. There were shnatties there from EVERYWHERE, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and the North Americans of course. The seminar had mixed groups, with each group consisting of shnatties from up to 7 countries! It examined the concept of incitement and violence in democratic society, both at the time of Rabin's assassination and today, and also looked at the threats to democracy in contemporary Israeli society. The seminar was capped off by attending the annual Rabin memorial rally in Rabin square in Tel-Aviv. The guest speakers of the rally included the Labor Party leader and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and the Kadima Party leader and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

After the hectic weekend it was 'back to school' for Shnat 08-09, and Boneh rolled around for another few weeks. The following week from the seminar looked at the beginning of Zionism and some of the great Zionist thinkers. The classes looked at some of the great modern Zionist thinkers, the concept of modern 'chalutziut' (pioneering), the beginnings of Labour Zionism, and the beginnings of the 'aliyot' (mass waves of immigration to Palestine).
The group spent a day on siyur (tour) to Jerusalem during the week, and went to Israel's national cemetary, Har Herzl, as well as one of the famous sites in Jerusalem, Ammunition Hill.
The week was rounded out with the shnatties doing an activity based on the things they had learnt during the week, where they put together children's picture books based on some of the personalities that they had learnt of during their classes.

The following week the shnatties looked at Modern Israel, and the week after they looked at the roots and history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. They went on siyurim (tours) to the Golan heights, and examined the current border status of Israel with Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. They also spent some time in the ancient port city of Caesarea, as well as a guided tour to the Atlit Illegal Immigration Camp from the pre-state British Mandate. The camp was a detention centre for Jews who were caught as illegal immigrants, and holds hundreds of amazing personal stories.

Currently, the shnatties are nearing the end of the renowned History of Habonim Hagshama (actualisation) seminar. The seminar has taken them to see some of the vatikim (veterans) of the movement, and has given them the chance to hear some of the inspiring personal stories from movement members who made aliya and built up the state of Israel. The workshoppers visited Kfar Blum, Kfar Hanasi, Ammiad and kibbutz Tuval, and will also get a chance to meet members of the newer urban communes in Israel. The seminar will give the shnatties a great opportunity to understand where the movement has come from, and to challenge the ways in which they want to shape it on their return to the UK.

So, come next week we will be in the last week and a half of the Boneh program, and already within three weeks the shnatties will be in their new home in the centre of the country. The chofesh period starts on December 23, and all shnatties need to be back to start on January 3.

Until next time,

Leon

A huge crowd showed up again for the annual Rabin Memorial Rally

Hikes, classes, and all round fun!

2008-11-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

Hi again everyone!

So firstly let me apologise for being a little tardy in response time on the blog. The last few weeks have been an exciting time for Shnat 08-09, and i guess with all that excitement comes a bunch of work to keep me busy too. Nevertheless, the chaggim are now behind us, and boy oh boy did we have some memorable experiences on Shnat.

It all started three weeks ago with our 3 day tiyul through the harsh and unforgiving terrain of the Judean desert. The shnatties hiked together, cooked together, ate together, and slept out under the stars together. The group walked about 25 kilometres over the three days, from the beginning of a beautiful valley in the judean desert hills, through Masada, and finally ending on the beach of the Dead Sea. The tiyul was shared with the North American workshop group, and was a straight hiking and camping experience in the serene Judean Desert hills. That's right - no buses or hostels! And while everyone was fittingly exhausted by the end, and in desperate need of a shower, the group had a fantastic time and gained an intimate understanding of the desert beauty of Israel.

The following week, the shnatties were back on Ein Dor for another week of classes on Boneh. The week's general educational theme was based around the diaspora history of Judaism, from the Bar Kochba revolt to the period of global enlightenment and Jewish 'haskala'. The classes examined such topics as the Bar Kochba revolt and the beginning of modern religious Judaism, the enlightemnent period in general, the French revolution, Jewish European emancipation, the beginning of the Reform movement of Judaism, and 19th century Judaism and it's challenges in Russia. The shnatties also got a chance to plan and run chuggim (creative workshops) for themselves and the North American workshoppers during the week, which was a great avenue for them to take ownership of the educational and experiential content of their week, and empowered them within the community of Boneh. Some of the chuggim for the week including a re-telling of some of the famous stories of the village of Chelm, Rikudei Am (Israeli dancing), and a special viewing of 'amazing things that cats can do' (with special help from the youtube website).

The week ended with the Boneh project time, and the task that befell the shnatties this week was to create a 'facebook' profile for one of the famous historical figures that they learnt of through the week (for those unfamiliar with facebook - it is an internet website for personal and social networking). Shnatties were split into groups of 3 and were given a character to research and create a 'profile' page for. Then all of the characters were put together in a group, aptly named the 'Habo Workshnat Shtetl." Some of the characters include Bar Kochba, Moses Mendelsohn, the Baal Shem Tov, Shalom Aleichem, and even Tevya the Dairyman from Fiddler on the Roof. The activity gave the Shnatties a really strong insight into the fundamental changes and revolutionary ideas that have been a part of Judaism for the past 2,000 years, and continue to influence Jewish life today.

For a final treat for the week, the chanichim went on a siyur (guided tour) to the Diaspora museum in Tel-Aviv university. The museum traces back the history of rituals, expressions, and geographical influences of world Jewry over the past 3,000 years. It includes the backgrounds on many acts and concepts that are prevalent in the day-to-day lives of the shnatties in their communities, in a vibrant and dynamic visual way. Needless to say, it really solidified the educational understandings that they had discussed over the previous week.

Arguably the most memorable event of the past few weeks (although i guess on Shnat every event is memorable!) was Yam le Yam, Habonim Dror's annual walk from 'Sea to Sea' during Sukkot. The tiyul started at Achziv beach, slightly north of Nahariya, with the opening tekkes, and the filling of the ceremonial bottle of water from the mediteranean sea (the first of the two seas in 'yam le yam'), before heading off to park Goren to begin the actual hiking. The shnattie were joined throughout the tiyul by not just the North American workshoppers, but also the Shnatties from the Australian, South African, and New Zealand Habo movement. We had over 100 hikers, not even including the tzevet!

The first night was spent in the camping area of park Goren, and the shnatties revisited one of their most memorable meal options from the Judean desert tiyul two weeks earlier - the poike!

After a solid night sleep under the stars, the shnatties spent the next challenging day of hiking climbing up Israel's second highest mountain, Mt Meron. Har Meron is one of the most significant and symbolic sites in the Galil area of Israel, so to not just learn about it's history, but also conquer it, was a huge achievement for our up-and-coming hiking professionals!

That night they slept out in The Amud stream camping area, and all of the campers were treated to a big medura (bonfire), full of singing, talking, and something which no bonfire would be complete without - Marshmallows!

Our final day of hiking had the shnatties hiking down from the Amud Stream down to Ginnosar Beach, which is on the kinneret (the second sea in 'yam le yam'). After a heavy morning of walking, the group finally arrived to the beach, and had lots of fun eating together, and then swimming together in the beautiful and tranquil kinneret sea.

But all good things must come to an end, and at around 4pm on the final day we had our closing tekkes, which included the transfer of mediteranean sea water to the kinneret as a symbol of our huge tiyul achievement. The shnatties said goodbye to their new made southern hemisphere friends, and got back on the bus. Of course, no Habo event would be complete without some kind of souvenir, so now every shnattie can proudly display their own 2008 'yam le yam' t-shirt, as a sign of their fantastic and unforgettable tiyul experience.

I feel like i have already bored you all, but as you can see, the Shnat 08-09 journey is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. This time I guarantee to write again sooner, and you should all be hearing from me next week.

Next weekend all of the shnatties will be taking part in the 2008 Rabin Seminar, which is going to be attended by all English speaking Shnat groups (North America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa), as well as the Spanish speakers (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico). That's going to be over 170 participants! And the seminar will be rounded out by attending the annual Rabin memorial rally in Kikar Rabin in Tel-Aviv, which is usually attended by anywhere between 70,000 and 100,000 people. It's going to be an awesome experience for the shnatties in understanding Israel and the society of Israelis.

Until next time,

Leon Schneider

Shnatties soaking up the Judean Desert sun

Shnat 08-09 - what a feeling!

Shnatties enjoying the view from Masada

The world famous spinning chickens of Yam le Yam!

The Shnat show continues!

2008-10-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hi again everyone!

So the last couple of weeks have been a great balance of learning, experience, creativity, and relaxation. The shnatties started off two weeks ago with their second week of Boneh, and expanded on some of the topics which they started in their first week of classes. The classes took in-depth looks at a range of topics, including the changes in ritual and expression of Judaism after the destruction of the second temple and beginning of the exile. The shnatties examined the creation of modern elements of Judaism and their beginnings, such as the bet knesset (synagogue), the hagaddah, and prayer books. The shnatties also spoke about the division of chaggim according to religious and national lines, and focused on the national holidays of Israel, and their Zionist influence on Jewish communities around the world. In wrapping up the first two weeks of the program, the group discussed the concept of creating traditions in Judaism, and the impact of Jewish traditions in their lives and in the movement.

In the chuggim for the week, the shnatties had a smorgasbord of great discussional and creative chuggim to choose from. Some of the group chose to learn about the biblical and post-biblical history of one of the most famous sites right by Ein Dor, Mt Tavor, while some chose to participate in an in-depth analysis of the upcoming American elections. Some of the group chose to make festive magnets, in a magnet-making chug, to decorate the fridges in their rooms, while we also bought a special guest, who is an expert on organic foods, to explain the ability to 'live off the land,' literally giving the chanichim tools for recognising how to forage foods, and edible fruits and berries that grow openly in the wild in Israel.

To round out their first two weeks of Boneh, and to mark the beginning of Rosh Hashana, one of the neighbouring workshop kvutsot was responsible for planning and running a 'Rosh Hashana' seder. The activities took place on the day before Rosh Hashana started, and began with a morning of introspection which gave the opportunity for all the participants of boneh to look back over the past year, and all of the experiences and changes that have happened. The workshop kvutsa that was responsible for the day also made a special festive Rosh Hashana lunch, which was a great range of salads, soups, and spreads - all vegetarian! With an abundance of tofu, pita, and hummous as well, it was a great healthy alternative for everyone!

After having 4 days of chofesh for Rosh Hashana, the shnatties returned to Ein Dor for a shabbat b'yachad (Shabbat together). The second workshop group was responsible for orchestrating a number of activities during the shabbat, which included a kabbalat shabbat service, a special 'Oneg Shabbat' (shabbat play), discussional chuggim groups, musicale, and a special havdallah service.

Tomorrow the group is leaving kibbutz at the bright and early time of 6:30, and will spend 3 days roughing it out on tiyul (hike) in the Judean Desert. The tiyul will test the camping spirit of the shnatties, who will hike, cook, and camp together, and will finish it all with a nice dip in the Dead Sea on Tuesday.

Also - a reminder that tonight (Saturday October 4) at 2am, daylight savings ends, so the clocks in Israel will go back an hour.

That's all for this week. I would like to wish everyone a shana tova and chatima tova.

Chag Sameach!

Leon.

2008-09-20T02:18:00.000-07:00

Hello again everyone!

Well we have finally reached the end of the first full week of the boneh component of Shnat. And what a wonderful and positive week it has been.

The week started off with the first classes of Boneh. Both this week and next week the shnatties will be looking at chaggim (holidays) in Judaism, from a variety of different themes and angles. Some of the topics that they looked at in their classes this week include:

- The Jewish calendar and yearly cycle - covering the progression of months in Judaism, the times of the year where the Jewish holidays fall, and the impact of the lunar cycle on 'Rosh Chodesh' (First day of the month).
- The 'Shalosh Regalim' - examining the original three chaggim in Judaism - Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Discussing the place of the commandments and moral fibres of ancient Jewish society, and the role of the pilgrimage festivals in the shaping of that society.
- The meanings of the Chaggim - looking at the original meanings, themes, and values based around the Jewish festivals that we celebrate today, as well as the everyday expressions and rituals that you could imagine to see in Jewish communities all over the world.

As you can see it has been a busy week. And that's only the classes!

Hebrew has also started this week, and the shnatties have approached their ulpan classes with much enthusiasm and motivation. By the time the group leaves kibbutz Ein Dor in 3 months, they should be speaking hebrew like naturals!

The group also had a special guest speaker come to address them on the first full day of Boneh. Silvio Joskowitz, the world Mazkir of Habonim Dror, came to talk to the group on Sunday evening, and wish them great successes and experiences for their shnat year to come.

In conjunction with the general educational theme of the week, chaggim, the shnatties also watched a movie on the big screen (well - on a projector, but it's like the real thing) on Tuesday night. The Israeli movie, 'Ushpizin', examines the Sukkot tradition of inviting guests and strangers into your home and taking responsibility for their hospitality. The film gave the shnatties a great insight into both the ancient Jewish tradition, and into modern Israeli society.

The shnatties also engaged in some chuggim (choice-based small educational groups), both educational and art & craft based, on common lines and themes of the week. During the discussion chuggim, the shnatties were able to choose between topics, including an in-depth discussion about Jewish traditions around the world, and a look at different Jewish legends and folk tales.

During the creative chuggim, the shnatties were able to choose between activities, including finger-painting a mural of the ten plagues, learning traditional songs of the chaggim, creating and writing Rosh Hashana greeting cards, and even a tree-hugging activity to commemorate Tu B'Av.

To cap off the week, the whole of Boneh was invited to a regional kabbalat shabbat on Friday night in the museum at Ein Dor. Members of kibbutzim from all over the Jezre'el Valley came to participate, and everyone was excited to see such a big and energetic group of young people involved. It could become a regular fixture on the Boneh calendar!

So as you can see, it has been a big week for the Shnatties this week, and this is only the beginning! Below are some pictures from the opening ceremony of Boneh last week, and there will be more to come soon. Stay tuned!

Until next time,
Leon

Gaby & Sara sharing a joke on the grass

The Shnatties & workshoppers untying the 'human knot'

The shnatties & workshoppers waiting on the grass for the ceremony to begin

All of Boneh in their new chultzot (movement shirts)!

2008-09-16T09:14:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone!

So the Shnatties have now been here for almost two weeks, and they are settling in as if they have been here for far longer! It has been a time of excitement and new meetings, serious discussions and the start of meaningful (and lifelong) friendships.
The group arrived on Wednesday morning and from there went directly to the quaint setting of Bet Shmuel, situated right in the heart of Jerusalem. They became acquainted with their madrichim very quickly, and made the most of their initial time together to get to know each other more intimately and set goals for the coming year.
On Friday morning the group went on a special activity to the Ben Yehuda strip mall, the center of Jerusalem, to get to know Israeli society and the Israeli way of life. They were split into smaller group and had to achieve a number of different missions, involving speaking hebrew, buying israeli products, and even having their pictures taken with everyday Israelis! The morning was rounded out with their first lunch out in an Israeli city, where much falafel and shawarma was had by all.
That evening they trekked the short way to the holy kotel, to start their first shabbat together at the most religious and spiritual place in all Judaism, the kotel. It was highly inspirational and uplifting experience for all of the Shnatties, and gave them a great understanding of the uniqueness of shabbat the western wall.
After a relaxing shabbat together and a time for reflection, the group made their way to the Bet She'an youth hostel on Sunday morning. They continued their seminar there for the next two days, where one of the highlights was certainly the pool that they had, which gave the shnatties a great chance to cool off in the heat of the day.
The orientation seminar was rounded out with plenty of time for the group to discuss some of the elements of the coming year together, specifically how they want to structure their kuppah and how they want it to function, as well as the all important rooms division for the 3 month periond on boneh, at ein dor.
By the time Tuesday morning came around, the shnatties had a real sense of ownership and understanding of their roles in creating and shaping their year to come together. So when they arrived to Ein Dor for their 2 day Boneh orientation seminar, it gave them a great chance to integrate and get to know their new neighbours for the next 3 months, the North American Habonim Dror shnatties. These 2 days were spent examining some of the serious elements of their time on kibbutz Ein Dor during Boneh, such as work and the value of labour, hebrew, and interaction with the kibbutz community. The shnatties also had a chance to spend time on different tzevetim (teams) planning some of the elements of Boneh, such as hitkansut boker (which takes place every morning), Kabbalat shabbat, and their opening ceremony for the end of the seminar, and the beginning of Boneh proper. They were also given ample time to divide their workplaces for the duration of Boneh. The workplaces where they will be working are as follows:

The horses - maintaining and caring for the horses on the kibbutz.
Etz Dor - the kibbutz factory, where they are responsible for creating cable drums and rolls.
Laundry - general washing, folding, and drying the kibbutz laundry.
Kitchen - cutting, preparing and cooking food for the kibbutz cheder ochel.
Ofakim - the local school, shnatties will be responsible for teaching english to the young children of the community.
Tavor Hospitality - the name of the guest house area of Ein Dor - shnatties will be responsible for cleaning, gardening, and general maintenance of the area.
Computers - working in the maintenance of computer hardware with a specialist on Ein Dor.
Chinuch - preparing educational materials and working with young children on the kibbutz.
Museum - Working at the archaeological museum on Ein Dor, and being responsible for the maintenance of the museum.
Dorly - Working primarily with a woman on the kibbutz who makes dolls, and being involved in the creation process

As you can see, there is a wide and exciting range of possibilities for all tastes and capabilities, and the shnatties were able to satisfy all requests in designating their future workplaces.

So when the weekend arrived, it gave the group a great chance to relax and unwind after such an intense and busy start to their workshop year. The Boneh element of workshop officially started on Sunday, and i will post more about the current classes, ulpan, work, and everything else when I next post on the blog.

This shnat kvutsa is an amazing collection of motivated, passionate, and inspring young people, who are immaculate representatives both of their communities, and of Habonim Dror United Kingdom. I look forward to seeing their progress through the year, and to being in touch with all family and friends in England and Scotland through the blog. Stay tuned for more summaries and pictures!

Leon Schneider
Workshop Co-ordinator

Arrival !!

2008-09-05T02:15:00.000-07:00

The shnatties landed safely on Wednesday morning, and are currently in Beit Shmuel hostel in Jerusalem. Shabbat Shalom!