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