The end of Boneh is nigh!

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!

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!

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.

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)!

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 !!

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