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!