Updates from Shnat 2010 [Updates from Shnat 2009]
2010-08-24T10:11:00.000-07:00
Kaveret & Poland
Hello parents and friends!
The Shnatties have wrapped up their stay on Kibbutz Revivim with their last days of work and ulpan, and throughout the last few weeks, many kibbutzniks specifically mentioned that they considered this group to be hard-working and great to have around. They also had a fun party by the pool with Revivim coordinators Goldie and Ofra!
They also left their mark visually with a few beautiful new murals around the kibbutz including this one painted by Misty on the Ulpan office:
From there it was north to the youth hostel in the historic Galilee village of Pekiin, where Jews, Arabs and Druze have been living together harmoniously for thousands of years, for their Kaveret Preparation Seminar. The Shnatties spent four days talking about the meaning of their group life in their new Kaveret houses and planning how they would like to shape this life as a community, choosing what
mesimot (educational project) tzvatim they will be doing in different Israeli communities and what approach they would like to bring to these projects, and how this all fits into the question of Zionism and their responsibility to the Jewish People. They also took a break from talking to tour the historic area of Pekiin, visiting the ancient synagogue, the cave where Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai is reputed to have hidden from the Romans for 12 years and written the Zohar, and the fountain in the village center, where they enjoyed Druze-made pita with labane, zaatar, and olive oil as a refreshment after climbing through the hilly village.
Historic building in Pekiin depicted on Israeli 100-shekel note
On Sunday, with great fanfare and excitement, moved their belongings
and themselves into their new houses in Carmiel and Acco:
Shnattie belongings in Carmiel:
The group in Akko:
After moving in they spent a day with their Kaveret rakazim (coordinators) touring their cities, both learning where useful spots like the grocery store, bank and post office are located, and hearing more about the history and socio-economic situation of the place where they will be living. Tomorrow they have a day to rest and pack their bags, and tomorrow night we will be taking off for Poland.
A thorough itinerary with contact details for the group whilst in Poland was sent to all shnat families. If for some reason you have not received the information, please contact Daniel or Jo. Please note that there will be no internet or mobile phone contact for shnatties while out of Israel. We will post another blog update once the group returns!2010-08-06T00:09:00.000-07:00
Update
Hello Shnat parents and friends! A lot has happened since we last wrote you. The kibbutz period has been flying by, with the chanichim learning Hebrew and working around Revivim in jobs ranging from dishwashing, to caring for toddlers, to bicycle repairs. They have been meeting kibbutznikim of all ages and have been very warmly received as a group, thanks in part to their big effort to reach out � including making greeting cards for every kibbutz family which they left in their mailboxes on Tu B'Av, the Jewish festival of love! They also participated in the "Chag Hameshek" celebration of the kibbutz's birthday which was a special festive evening for the whole kibbutz, and their presence and dancing greatly enlivened the party.
In terms of Shnat programming, the Shnatties have also been busy with a number of different seminars since the end of the Machon and Boneh blocks. The first was World Veida � which happens every 4 years and is the main ideological forum of the worldwide movement, with delegates participating from over 10 countries around the world, together with all the shnatties who happen to be on Shnat currently. For most of the shnatties this was an opportunity to make new South American friends and engage in intense discussions. A highlight was a tour of a new museum �Beit Telem Ha�Aroch� on Kibbutz Degania (the first kibbutz), highlighting 100 years of kibbutz, together with a tour of the kibbutz�s cemetery and hearing some of the fascinating stories of the founders.
Immediately following that, the shnatties participated in what is undoubtedly a highlight of every shnat year - the History of Habonim Seminar. This seminar gives the shnatties an opportunity to meet past bogrim from the movement who have made aliya, and to hear their stories of what the movement was like, and in what ways it has shaped their decisions and life choices. Many movement members are not aware of the invaluable contribution Habonim Dror had in building Kibbutzim in Israel. This seminar allows each shnattie to evaluate and challenge the direction they think Habonim Dror should be moving in.
More recently the shnatties participated in Yom Habonim Dror on Kibbutz Sdot Yam beach. Participating were over 500 chanichim on long or short term Habonim Dror programs in Israel from the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Brasil, Canada, France, Holland, New Zealand, South Africa, Turkey, Uruguay, USA and the UK, together with bogrei tnua (movement graduates) who have made aliya. It was a really fun day in the sun, meeting up again with new South American friends.
Last week the shnatties had a Judaism Seminar. This is a new seminar on shnat, whose aim is to analyse and strengthen each shnattie�s connection to their Judaism and in the movement as a whole. They explored questions such as; What is Judaism? How do we practice it? Judaism as a civilization � breaking down the idea that it is a religion which fits into one corner of life, Reading many texts and analysing different streams of Judaism, In-depth chuggum (small group study) focusing on Shabbat. In addition, there were a number of speakers who came to the group � Barry Solomon, former Habonim Dror Olami mazkir; Irie Kassel, former executive director of the Reform Movement in Israel And Beit Tfila Israeli - a young, liberal, independent, participatory community in Tel Aviv, which offers a meaningful context and venue for Shabbat and holiday services, lifecycle events, and Jewish-Israeli Identity exploration. There was a siyur in the Old Trumpledor Cemetary in Tel Aviv, widely considered the �Pantheon� of Israel where stories of Nordau, Tchernikovsky, Bialik, Ahad Ha�am, Sharett, Brenner and others were discussed along with their connection to how they saw Judaism, as a renewal of the Jewish people.
Currently the shnatties are on the 3rd Poland preparation seminar. The first two were based on Revivim, over weekends, and this one is being held mainly at the Lochamei Hagetaot (Ghetto fighters) museum which is just north of Acco. The Kibbutz of the same name was established by many youth movement members who after making aliya post-Shoah have dedicated their lives to Shoah research and rememberance. You might remember that on Yom Hashoa the group went to the closing ceremony which was held at the museum. Some of the exhibits they will visit are: Janusz Korchak, Resistance, Righteous Gentiles, Warsaw, and Ghetto & Deportations.
The seminar continues through to Saturday evening, and the group then returns to Revivim for their final 2 weeks on Kibbutz.2010-07-03T06:01:00.000-07:00
Final Boneh update
The Boneh rakazim have been hard at work summing up and packing up this Boneh and attending as Labor Zionist delegates at the World Zionist Congress, but they have now sent over this final update:
After returning from the Jerusalem seminar, Boneh shnatties began the final module, Youth Movements. James Grant-Rosenhead came to speak about the concepts of childhood, youth, and adulthood, and about the origins of youth movements in general and Habonim specifically. He talked about everything from the world's first youth movement, Germany's Wandervogel to Habonim founder Wellesley Aron (who is also a distant cousin of Shnat Madrich Gabe Freund.)
James shared some of his expertise on youth, and his personal life was also of great interest to the Boneh shnatties. James is graduate of Habonim Dror UK and a member of Kibbutz Mish'ol, described briefly here in an article that appeared in Haaretz written by fellow Mish'ol-member and HDUK graduate Anton Marks:
This urban kibbutz, Kibbutz Mish'ol, is part of a wider movement of communities situated throughout the length and breadth of Israel which recognize that today's pioneering is living and working in the geographical and social periphery of Israeli society.
Boneh shnatties were excited to finally connect the Boneh content of Jewish history and Zionism to something really close to home: Habonim history. But what about Dror (which merged with Habonim in 1982)? Just wait for the Poland journey. (Hint: They will be visiting the museum at Kibbutz Lohamei Hagetaot and reading lots of stories from Zivia Lubetkin.)
A major portion of the final week of Boneh was spent reflecting on the process that Boneh shnatties went through--in shiyurim (lessons), ivrit, avodah (kibbutz work), siyurim (field trips), and everything else. They asked together how does the content of Boneh relates to their lives on shnat, on kaveret, and back home.
Boneh Awes!2010-07-01T05:36:00.000-07:00
Settled in at Revivim
It's been a whirlwind month for our Shnatties! They finished up Machon and Boneh, got some days of chofesh in, and went on the AZYC's Hasbara Seminar with Stand With Us, Habonim Dror Olami's World Veida (Congress), the History of Habonim Hagshama seminar. I'll write soon and let you know more about all of those meaningful experiences, but for now I wanted to let you know that, they have moved successfully into their new digs on Kibbutz Revivim, including a beloved house in which many Habo groups have lived before them:
They are spending these days sorting out work placements on kibbutz, sorting into Hebrew classes and getting to know their new environment and community. I can already tell you now that the Shnatties are thrilled with the kibbutz, enjoying each other's company and managing to stay cool in the midst of the desert:
2010-06-12T14:37:00.000-07:00
Final Machon Update
Shalom for one last time from Jerusalem where the 122nd English speaking Machon has just ended. It has been a pretty packed final month with lots of highlights since I last wrote to you all. Continuing on from all of the special days and chagim that I spoke about last time such as Yom HaShoah and Yom Haatzmaut we continued on with Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) and Shavuoth in consecutive weeks. For Yom Yerushalayim the youth movements planned and ran activities for their own participants that reflected the way each movement views this day. Some had their group join one of the celebratory marches that take place around the city, some had a barbeque and some gave their people the time to explore Jerusalem as they individually wanted.
Shavuoth was really lovely at Machon, once again emphasising the crucial, high-quality role that peer hadracha has played with this particular group. The chavura that was organising the Chagim activities planned for the night before Shavuoth a lovely 'milky' buffet and some excellent study sessions followed by a late-night open-mike talent offering. The next evening was actually Shavuoth and, traditionally as well as being a time to eat lots of cheesecake, this festival is one where many people attend all night study events known as a 'Tikun Leil Shavuot' to commemorate the fact that Shavuot is traditionally about the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people. Most of the Machonikim stayed in Jerusalem and we offered to organise a meal for them with a local family if they wanted. About a third of them took us up on the offer and then afterward they, and many others, walked around the city attending some of the wide variety of study options that take place throughout the night. Finally, as is the tradition, a big group walked down to the Kotel for prayers at sunrise (or just experiencing the atmosphere for those who don't pray). A long lay-in was thus in order the next morning and then the rekazim (their madrichim) organised a special Shavuoth lunch for those who had stayed and had managed to get up.
Those two weeks also saw the last fortnight of regular studies. All of the classes and courses came to an end as we asked them to reflect on what they'd learned in each area and how, as a result, their thoughts and beliefs had changed. Siyurim (day trips) and special events in this period included a 'My Jerusalem' siyur in preparation for Yom Yerushalayim where they heard different personal stories from a variety of perspectives from people for whom Jerusalem means something very special and yet also very different. There was a Jewish Studies siyur where we visited different types of Yeshiva (some with the boys and girls going separately) to look at how varieties of more or less traditional Jewish study are undertaken here. Finally, probably their most enjoyable siyur was to Holon to a place called 'Dialogue in the Dark, which helps them understand in a really creative and experiential way, the experience of being blind. Many of them said how much it had affected the way they viewed their own sensory abilities.
The Sunday selection evenings consisted of a visit from Adi Nes, a very well known Israeli photographer and a performance from a duo called Bible Raps who write their own rap songs to Biblical themes. This was really enjoyable and the two of them then came back a few nights later for an optional follow up evening which 30 of them chose to do where they wrote their own rap and accompanying video about their time in Israel which was, again, one of their real highlight experiences of Machon. The finished version with video and music all edited together by the Bible Raps duo was screened at the last night final party to great acclaim.
The final three weeks where then, each in their own way, very different from the regular Machon weekly timetable format. The first of them was another week-long Tiyul (trip), this time to the North of the country. We visited Acco, the Kinneret, Tzfat and the Golan among many places and looked there at issues such as the early pioneers and Aliyot, our borders, past wars and future threats, our relationships with Lebanon and Syria, minorities in Israel, ecological issues and Jewish mysticism. Some special highlights of the tiyul were the visit to the Kinneret graveyard where many of the early Zionist heroes are buried, a hard hike which included a swim in a beautiful waterfall, rafting down the Jordan river, a mini-jeeps trek, some great food and a fantastic "chocolate workshop". The whole tiyul was done in partnership with the JNF (Jewish National Fund) who worked with us on the ecological, educational aspects and helped us fund it and the increasing partnership we are building with them is something we hope to really build on in the future.
In the penultimate week of the programme we moved into a special one week seminar entitled 'The Contemporary Jewish World' where we aimed to bring all of the Machon learning together and to leave them with some of the big questions about Israel, Judaism, Zionism and the Jewish People to take with them and to carry on thinking about during the second half of their programmes as they actually go out into Israeli society. Some of the highlights of this week were some great guest speakers who some of you may have heard of including Danny Gordis and David Horowitz the editor of the Jerusalem Post. There were also sessions on issues such as assimilation, anti-Semitism, the Jewish community and Israel-Diaspora relations. There was a fantastic session tracing the way Jews have been portrayed in Hollywood movies and how the issues they dealt with are still with us today and a final creative video activity where they were asked to envisage how they saw the Jewish People in 50 years time.
One other special event in that week was a huge simulation game called 'The Duma' which simulates the Russian Jewish parliament in 1905 and which explored in a very creative and fun format the different, competing options open to Jews at that point from Ultra Orthodoxy, to Zionism to Communism to moving to America and looked at how the same questions that underpin those choices over a century ago are still relevant for us as Jews today. All in all the week provided a very good way to conclude the content learning aspect of Machon.
Also in this penultimate week we finished the community involvement/volunteering aspect of Machon by holding a presentations afternoon where each of the small groups, using photos and video clips taken during the projects, showed the others what they'd been doing. It was really great to see how much the Machonikim had got out of getting out of the campus and being involved in Israeli society and helping others, even for this relatively short period of time, whether that was in Teaching English to disadvantaged kids, helping out in a centre for disabled adults, helping the community to build a community garden in a difficult neighbourhood, involvement in a variety of tzedaka projects including picking fruit and helping an organisation that collects second had clothes and furniture for the poor and running a fund-raising sleep out and consciousness raising evening on the theme of homelessness in Israel where they actually raised almost 5,000 shekels.
In this very final week we started with a 2 day special tiyul, again planned by one of the chavura groups. They organised and ran a brilliant 'Amazing Race' style game in small groups across the country which involved clues, creative tasks and dealing with both the locals and with the Israeli public transport in different cities in order to win the race. In the evening they slept out on a beach near Netanya and then continued on with the race the next morning and, as with the real thing, had staggered starts for the groups according to how well they'd done the previous day. The whole tiyul was finished off with a fun outing to a water park and everyone arrived back very tired but fulfilled from an excellent fun and group bonding start to the final week.
On their return back to Kiryat Moriah, the final group's peer led activities took place, run by the chavura who had organised a range of fun and nostalgic ways to reminisce on their last four months on Machon including organising a Yearbook, the obligatory t-shirts and a final group photo. These final few days were taken up with various sikum (closure) activities including among other things: a final Chavura session with again time for reflection on how they've developed individually and as a group through both the group chavura time and through regular individual one-on-one conversations, a big fun quiz to see what elements of Machon they've really taken in (both educationally and socially) and then the final last night activities which consisted of a nice meal out, together with a show made up of some live acts and a great couple of videos put together by some of the group and then a final party. All in all the whole final evening took place in a really lovely atmosphere.
That took us to the final morning earlier today where there was an early wake up to do all the final packing and the room check-outs and then the traditional Machon closing tekes (ceremony). In closure, we hope that you have appreciated these update letters and that your children have enjoyed their Machon experience educationally, socially, spiritually and in terms of their personal development as much as we've enjoyed working with them.
All the best,
Haggai & the Machon tzevet2010-05-29T14:21:00.000-07:00
Boneh Update
Boneh shnatties left the confines of Ein Dor this week for three days in Jerusalem. Based at the Agron youth hostel, in the heart of Jerusalem, they went through an intensive seminar in which they considered some of the biggest questions facing the Jewish people today. What does it mean to be a Jewish state? What does it mean for land to be holy? How do Jews come together to find answers?
We started with a tour of Har Herzl, the memorial and cemetery for political leaders and for soldiers killed in the line of duty. Next stop was the Supreme Court. Before we entered, we held a discussion on the relationship between religious laws and state laws. Inside, we admired the architecture and sat in on an actual Supreme Court case concerning the pre-trial detention of an accused murderer. Jeremie Bracka, a graduate of Australian Habonim, spoke to the shnatties about his role as an intern at the Supreme Court. Later in the day, Professor Gideon Shimoni, who was mazkir of Habonim South Africa in the 1960s, spoke about the meaning of Zionism in Israel today.
The second day began with a tour of the City of David, a site south of the Old City that archaeologists believe was the location of ancient Jerusalem before the construction of the First Temple. Shnatties had the opportunity to walk through Hezekiah's Tunnel, a dark and narrow passage which brings water from a spring outside what were the main walls of the ancient city to a well inside the city. Back at the hostel, shnatties considered the interpretation that is necessarily involved in archaeology. Why do we ascribe a particular meaning to a particular place? What are the implications of the fight to define the symbolism of the City of David?
The second day ended with a short walk to the headquarters of Bnei Akiva, where shnatties met with Anton Goodman, the educational coordinator of Bnei Akiva. Anton challenged shnatties' thinking about religious Zionists, about settlers, and about what it means to take responsibility. Shnatties deconstructed his comments heatedly for the rest of the evening.
Day three began with a walking tour of the Old City, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Hurva Synagogue, David's Tomb and the Kotel. (By chance, that was the same morning that Rahm Emanuel was in the Old City, but we didn't see him.) Back at the hostel, shnatties gained insight on the ultra-orthodox perspective from an American-born Haredi named Yehoshua. Later, Anat Hoffman spoke about her work in government and her current efforts for Women of the Wall.2010-05-06T01:21:00.000-07:00
Machon Update
Dear Parents,
Shalom again from Jerusalem where the Machon is entering its final month and it's time for our third update letter. Everyone returned from the Pesach holiday refreshed and hopefully raring to go and they spent much of the first day sharing their different holiday experiences with us and with each other, whether that was for example a very different kind of Seder night than they were used to, a lovely few days spent with their Israeli family, an energetic camping trip or involvement in one of the two laid back dance and music festivals taking place at this time, Boombamella which many of them went to, and Zorba which attracted a slightly smaller group.
We were soon getting them back into the atmosphere and routine of their regular classes where a new set of choices began for certain of the classes, including the 'Story of the Jewish People' topic, the Hadracha specialisations and a new set of Electives. Some of these Electives courses are repeats from the first round as they were so popular ('Intro to Arabic' and 'Israel Advocacy') and some were new such as a philosophy based course with the short and snappy title; "My parents wanted me to be a Doctor, they think a man accomplishes himself through his profession! Is that true?!"
For the first two weeks back after Pesach however the regular classes took a bit of a back seat to the special feeling created because of this period of specifically Israeli Chagim; Yom HaShoah (Holocaust memorial day), Yom HaZikaron (Memorial Day for Fallen Israeli Soldiers) and Yom HaAtzma'ut (Independence Day). On the Sunday evening and Monday of the first week back it was Yom HaShoah and we introduced the topic with a special seminar day on the Sunday which included looking at the way the Holocaust had influenced Israeli society and how Shoah related issues were treated today in Israel. The next morning there was a moving tekes (commemorative ceremony) prepared and run by a group of the Machonikim and then, after the tekes finished, we all walked down the road to one of the local busy junctions to listen to the commemorative siren and to see the response of Israeli society where everything comes to a halt and most people stop their cars and get out to observe the minute silence.
The middle of the following week was, as noted above, Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzma'ut and here too there were various special programmes. On the afternoon just before Yom HaZikaron came in, we walked some of the Burma Road with them, the site of one of the key incidents of the War of Independence. From there we went straight to Ammunition Hill where, on Yom HaZikaron eve, we together with the South American Machon, as well as thousands of young people on gap year programmes in Israel, all attended a special MASA tekes. It was very moving, especially when one of the Machon staff, ex-Director Sharon Almogy, spoke about Nir Cohen, a Machon madrich who had died in the second Lebanon war just a couple of months after the Machon group he had worked with had ended.
The next morning we took them up to Mount Herzl to see how Israeli families who have lost loved ones deal with this difficult day and we gave them time to be able to wander around the graves and reflect on what the day meant to them as well as to Israelis. Though it was for many a very moving morning it also gave many of them a sense of being somewhat more of an outsider to Israeli society than they are usually used to feeling as this is perhaps the most "Israeli" chag of all.
For the evening and day of Yom HaAtzma'ut we gave them the day off and encouraged them to go off and explore how Israelis and different parts of Israel celebrate Independence Day here. For most that consisted of parties in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem on the evening and barbeques and a carnival atmosphere kind of fun in the city centre on the day itself. Again, many of them were able to reflect on the very different ways that Israelis celebrate Yom HaAtzma'ut here as compared to how this is done and what they are used to in the Diaspora.
These days have of course taken up much of the focus of the time since the Pesach holiday but, apart from their regular courses and classes, there have also been a number of other special events and highlights. There were siyurim (outings) to the West Bank to visit both Hebron and Tekoa and to look at the issue of the settlements and the settlers, a "three religions" tour of Jerusalem where they met representatives from both the Christian and Muslim religious leadership in Jerusalem and reflected on the issue of Jerusalem as a holy city to all three monotheistic religions, a full day trip to Tel Aviv exploring some of the more difficult social issues that Israel is dealing with today, such as poverty, foreign workers and refugees and finally a trip to the Bar Kochba era caves in Beit Govrin for Lag B'Omer where some of the group performed a special play about Yochanan Ben Zakkai down in the caves themselves.
There have been a number of special Sunday evening programmes; one a film about modern neo-Nazism for Yom HaShoah and a meeting with top Israel photographer Adi Nes. Last Saturday night was the evening of Lag B'Omer, a time traditionally marked in Israel with bonfires. The Machon decided not to run anything that evening in order to encourage Machonikim to attend bonfires with the Israeli friends and see how Israeli society celebrates this day but then the next evening, a committee of the Machonikim organised their own such bonfire with pitta making (as someone put it, "for Lad B'Omer"!) which was a really lovely group atmosphere. One of the most difficult challenges they faced was hiding/guarding the wood they had found so that it wasn't taken by the thousands of other Israeli children who were spending the few previous days seeking out any spare wood for their own fires the night before. Other special programmes run by us include two optional Beit Midrash sessions run on the Wednesday evenings, which about a quarter of the group attended, one on the theme of Memory and the other on the 'Harry met Sally related theme of what Jewish sources have to tell us about whether men and women can indeed have successful, Platonic relationships.
In addition to the above mentioned Chagim related activities things run by small groups of the Machonikim, the peer-led element of Machon has continued apace. On three of the Wednesday evenings there have been big peulot (programmes) run by the three chavurot who hadn't yet had this chance. One was a huge Super-Mario games competition, one was a reality show television evening where Machonikim got a chance to compete in their own special versions of such shows as Fear Factor, Project Runway and Extreme Machon Makeover, and the final one was a huge wide game which took place all over the campus. In pairs they have also continued to run peulot in their hadracha groups including some on the themes of memory and independence for Yom HaZikaron and Yom Haatzmaut and others on the theme of such issues as poverty and Israeli music.
That's about it for this update. I hope that you too had a good time celebrating with Israel over Yom HaAtzma'ut wherever you were and, until next time, best wishes,
Haggai Kimmelman and the Machon staff
For more information about Shnat, please contact us.