Hi all,
Since returning from the Pesach break, the shnatties have plunged into the frenzy of national holidays in Israel. Thus far we have commemorated Yom Hashoa (Holocaust remembrance day), Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terror Attacks) and Yom Ha'atsmaut (Israel Independence Day).
On Yom Hashoa, all the Habonim Dror shnat groups from around the world gathered at Lochamei Hagetoaot, a kibbutz near Acco that was founded by fighters in the Warsaw ghetto and members of Dror, which also contains a very unique musuem [that we will visit as part of the Poland preparation process]. Every year the official ceremony to close Yom Hashoa is held at the Amphitheater. It is a very special and unique ceremony, often with a focus towards the Youth movements in Israel. This year the ceremony involved many different survivors, whose stories were both heartbreaking and fascinating. Before the ceremony itself, we held a small Habonim Dror remembrance ceremony which was prepared by the madrichim.
This past weekend, we held a joint Habonim Dror Olami english-speaking weekend, where all the shnatties from North America, England, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia met at Kibbutz Afikim near the Kinneret for an intense and fun weekend together. The aims of the weekend were both to learn historially about May Day, and look at what effect the gaps in society have on the relationship between individuals/governments. It ended with a look at solidarity and how Habonim Dror as a worldwide movement, can have a collective outlook for an alternative society. A highlight of the weekend was the viewing of a movie "Shvita" (Strike) which looks at the struggle of a group of workers in the South of Israel. One of the reasons it was so interesting was because of the very personal look it gave into people's lives and the unique socio-economic situation in the South of Israel. The weekend also gave everyone a great opportunity to discover more about Habonim Dror worldwide.
Monday night and Tuesday were Yom Hazikaron. On Monday the Boneh group had a special tour around Ein Gev with renowned historian and frequent guest lecturer Muki Tsur, who is also a member of the kibbutz. Ein Gev for many years was a border settlement and came under heavy attack in the '48, '67 and '73 wars in particular. It was really significant to link the place where the shnatties are living to events from history. The shnatties also participated in a tekes (ceremony) on the kibbutz.
On Tuesday both Machon and Boneh groups were at Har Herzl, the largest military cemetery in Israel, where the official ceremonies are also held. Afterward the Boneh group met with 2 soldiers who fought in the 2nd Lebanon war and lost members of their platoon, and heard their stories. Later in the day the Machon and Boneh groups went on a short walk - limmud beshetach (outdoor learning)- on the Burma Road - the road that was created during the Independence War and enabled Israeli fighters to get to Jerusalem and bring food and supplies. Throughout the walk, they heard stories of the battles that took place. The day ended with a short ceremony at the Machal monument (Machal - Overseas Volunteers who came to fight in the Israeli army) that signified the changeover between commemoration and celebration. Physically being in Israel at this time lends an extra special significance to these events and the meaning behind them.
On Tuesday night and Wednesday the shnatties enjoyed celebrating Yom Ha'atsmaut at various parties and events throughout the country, particularly in downtown Jerusalem, and the "RockAtzmaut" festival in Rishon L'tzion.
Tomorrow is May Day celebrations in Tel Aviv, which will hopefully prove to be an exciting and interesting experience for most shnatties, as they celebrate this holiday for the first time. There is a gathering in Kikar Rabin, and a short march through Tel Aviv streets, followed by performances, dancing and singing. This event is done together with a few thousand members of youth movements in Israel - Hanoar Ha'oved V'lomed, Hashomer Hatzair, and Machanot HaOlim.
Just a short note for any parents concerned about the cases of Swine Flu reported in Israel. Up to date there have been only two confirmed cases, and each has been very mild with no complications. The government at this time has not classified this as a serious public health threat and has stated that no preventative treatment is necessary. We will of course continue to monitor this situation and will update you all if there are any significant changes to protocol.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Boneh Update
This is an update from the Boneh staff. Unfortunately due to technical difficulties we were unable to post it during the chag. Enjoy!
Shalom Boneh parents!
I hope that this Passover finds you happy and full of delicious matza-based foods.
Here in Israel, the Boneh participants are discovering the unique aspects of Pesach in Israel – from the bread aisles closed in supermarkets to the many festivals taking place across the country, including a music festival at home on Ein Gev. And of course, all this chofesh is a good opportunity to let you know a bit more of what has been going on with them these past few weeks.
Three weeks ago, we wrapped up our look at the pre-modern era with a unit on Jews on the Christian world. We tackled the persecution of the Crusades and the Inquisition, [some other stuff] and also the unique culture of the Jews that developed during that time – including a look at the legend of the Golem. That week we also went out to Tel Aviv for a siyur in the Diaspora Museum, a museum that gives interactive expression to so much of what we talked about in Jewish history. Then just for fun we went down to trendy Rothschild Boulevard in south Tel Aviv for a photo-musical exploration of Israeli city culture.
The following week we looked into onset of modernity, and the new challenges and opportunities faced by the Jews at that time and still today. The coursework dealt both with Western Europe’s Jewish emancipation, where Jews first faced the question of choosing between different national identities, and Eastern Europe’s cultural changes among Jews in the face of continued and increased persecution. We then delved into many of the answers Jews chose in response, including the Reform movement, modern Orthodoxy, assimilation, immigration, communism and Bundism. That week we also did a project creating profiles on the website Facebook for intellectual and political figures from that era and chugim on the literature, music, and philosophy of this era. Below you can see a picture of a creative chug building a mock shtetl out of edible ingredients:
The last full module before chofesh was on another movement from that time, Zionism. The participants learned about the advent of European nationalism and how, along with the Dreyfuss Affair, that sparked a young Austrian journalist named Theodor Herzl to create a vision for a Jewish home in Israel. They then moved on to a look at the different streams that developed within Zionism – religious, cultural, political, revisionist and labor – and where those streams are today. Anton Marks of Kvutzat Yovel came to speak to the Boneh about the origins of Zionism, and they also watched a movie. The week’s project was to create children’s story-books which told the story of Jewish history from the perspective of the different Zionist streams. The books came out beautifully and the stories expressed a lot of meaning in a very creative way, as you can see here:
Finally we kicked off Pesach chofesh with two days of study about what is Passover, including Muki Tzur, renowned historian and former mazkir of the Kibbutz Movement, speaking with the shnatties about kibbutz Passover through the years. Then the shnatties split into different teams which created different elements of their own Passover seder using different media – written materials, songs, art, decorations, food, games and drama. Of course the big finale was the seder itself, which was beautiful, interesting and tasty! Have a look:
The shnatties have also been continuing on with the Hebrew classes, their hadracha (leadership) course, their jobs in different kibbutz anafim (branches) and their yemei kvutza (group days), as well as enjoying fierce games of ping-pong and foozeball around the house and finally getting to see Ein Gev in good and sunny weather. Also 20 of them traveled to Ramat Gan for the Israel-Greece World Cup qualifier and many others have been traveling on their weekends off. Finally now all are relaxing and enjoying the chofesh, and we will all be back together to start again next Sunday the 19th.
Shalom Boneh parents!
I hope that this Passover finds you happy and full of delicious matza-based foods.
Here in Israel, the Boneh participants are discovering the unique aspects of Pesach in Israel – from the bread aisles closed in supermarkets to the many festivals taking place across the country, including a music festival at home on Ein Gev. And of course, all this chofesh is a good opportunity to let you know a bit more of what has been going on with them these past few weeks.
Three weeks ago, we wrapped up our look at the pre-modern era with a unit on Jews on the Christian world. We tackled the persecution of the Crusades and the Inquisition, [some other stuff] and also the unique culture of the Jews that developed during that time – including a look at the legend of the Golem. That week we also went out to Tel Aviv for a siyur in the Diaspora Museum, a museum that gives interactive expression to so much of what we talked about in Jewish history. Then just for fun we went down to trendy Rothschild Boulevard in south Tel Aviv for a photo-musical exploration of Israeli city culture.
The following week we looked into onset of modernity, and the new challenges and opportunities faced by the Jews at that time and still today. The coursework dealt both with Western Europe’s Jewish emancipation, where Jews first faced the question of choosing between different national identities, and Eastern Europe’s cultural changes among Jews in the face of continued and increased persecution. We then delved into many of the answers Jews chose in response, including the Reform movement, modern Orthodoxy, assimilation, immigration, communism and Bundism. That week we also did a project creating profiles on the website Facebook for intellectual and political figures from that era and chugim on the literature, music, and philosophy of this era. Below you can see a picture of a creative chug building a mock shtetl out of edible ingredients:
The last full module before chofesh was on another movement from that time, Zionism. The participants learned about the advent of European nationalism and how, along with the Dreyfuss Affair, that sparked a young Austrian journalist named Theodor Herzl to create a vision for a Jewish home in Israel. They then moved on to a look at the different streams that developed within Zionism – religious, cultural, political, revisionist and labor – and where those streams are today. Anton Marks of Kvutzat Yovel came to speak to the Boneh about the origins of Zionism, and they also watched a movie. The week’s project was to create children’s story-books which told the story of Jewish history from the perspective of the different Zionist streams. The books came out beautifully and the stories expressed a lot of meaning in a very creative way, as you can see here:
Finally we kicked off Pesach chofesh with two days of study about what is Passover, including Muki Tzur, renowned historian and former mazkir of the Kibbutz Movement, speaking with the shnatties about kibbutz Passover through the years. Then the shnatties split into different teams which created different elements of their own Passover seder using different media – written materials, songs, art, decorations, food, games and drama. Of course the big finale was the seder itself, which was beautiful, interesting and tasty! Have a look:
The shnatties have also been continuing on with the Hebrew classes, their hadracha (leadership) course, their jobs in different kibbutz anafim (branches) and their yemei kvutza (group days), as well as enjoying fierce games of ping-pong and foozeball around the house and finally getting to see Ein Gev in good and sunny weather. Also 20 of them traveled to Ramat Gan for the Israel-Greece World Cup qualifier and many others have been traveling on their weekends off. Finally now all are relaxing and enjoying the chofesh, and we will all be back together to start again next Sunday the 19th.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Machon Update - April
hi everyone, as below is an update from the Machon. the next Boneh update will be posted shortly, as well as some updates on dates for the rest of the year.
Dear Parents, Shalom,
I hope this letter finds you well. It is now very nearly the half way point of the Machon programme and, I wanted just before the Pesach break to write to you again to let you know how things are going since I sent the last letter. Overall our feeling is that Machon continues to go really well and that in the main the Machonikim are having a great time and learning a lot but that, given the intensity of the programme, they are also looking forward to their holiday.
The regular courses are all continuing and are mostly going very well and one measure of that for us is the relatively small number of Machonikim who have asked to change their classes, something which we allow them to do in the first week or so of each course.
The weekly siyurim (trips out) have included a couple of afternoons where they got to explore some of the more difficult social issues in modern Israeli society; a visit to 'Retorno' which is a very special drugs rehabilitation programme where they got to meet some of the residents and a second visit to Tel Aviv, this time with a social justice focus to see to look at the issue of foreign workers and refugees. We also offered an optional tour of Hezekia's tunnels a unique feature of the Old City in Jerusalem that some Machonikim had already been to on previous Israel tours but not everyone. Even though this was on their one free midweek evening, some 35 of the 50 of them signed up for this which took place a couple of days ago.
The optional Sunday selection evenings have continued to draw people even after a long day including the weekly siyur. The three sessions since I last wrote have been an improvisation workshop by the Jerusalem Theatre company, a meeting with the 'Three Faiths Forum, where we explored the issue of Christian/Muslim/Jewish dialogue in Israel and a meeting with 'Maagalei Tzedek' an organisation that coordinates various volunteering and social; justice projects in Israel.
We also had a special guest speaker coming in to our regular Israel Update class which focuses on political and other current affairs in Israel. Uri Bank is one of the few an Anglo-Israelis to stand for the Knesset in the last election. Of American origin, he stood for the right-wing National Union party and just missed out being elected by one seat. He came and spoke very eloquently about his idea of a peace plan that did not involve a two state solution and I think the Machonikim found it most challenging. After Pesach we will be inviting in for that same course a left wing speaker from Peace Now to put an opposite perspective. This is just one of many examples of our commitment as the Machon to presenting a plurality of views from across the Jewish-Zionist spectrum, whether that be religious or political, and encouraging the Machonikim to question, debate, to challenge and be challenged by the material.
A week or so ago we had a week-long desert based Tiyul down the South of the country. Just some of the highlights from this really successful and enjoyable tiyul included a 7 hour hike through the Ramon Crater (one of the world's unique geographical features), a meeting with the Black Hebrews community in Dimona, a night camping out under the stars, a desert bike ride and a snorkelling activity and a disco boat evening in Eilat – very tiring but very worthwhile.
In addition to these elements of the formal programme are of course the things the Machonikim organise for themselves. Again, in the last couple of weeks, there have been a number of events within Israeli society that many of them have attended in their own time. Two weeks ago over 150 of them, including South American Machon, organised to go to the Israel v Greece World Cup Qualifying soccer match in Ramat Gan. Though the game was not the most exciting ever, and though Israel could only draw, the atmosphere, especially during the singing of the Hatikva at the start of the game, we something very special for them. This last weekend quite a number of them spent the weekend in Tel Aviv, many attending a special mock Seder Night for refugees which looked at the meaning of freedom in a modern Israeli context and others attending concerts and other events that took place as the start of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of Tel Aviv as the first Hebrew city. In similar vein, many of them are planning to attend the popular camping and music festival Boombamella which takes place during Pesach.
Overall we the staff find them to be bonding well and generally operating as a very close community with very few cliques. You can see this in all kinds of ways.
In the last week we have also had a couple of Machonikim who have needed to spend a few nights in hospital and it has been great to see their Machon friends, especially from their movement, rallying round to visit them and speak to them on the phone regularly and we really hope that they are both out and fully recovered in time to enjoy their Pesach break.
Finally, the last couple of weeks have seen the clocks go forward to summer time and finally some sustained nice sunny weather in Jerusalem and some of them have now taken to going for a regular morning jog to stay fit. Given that classes start at 8.00am this is certainly impressive!
If any of you are visiting Jerusalem in the coming weeks please do be in contact and feel free to come up to Kiryat Moriah and say hello to us here in the Machon offices.
Best Regards and Chag Pesach Sameach,
Iris Gazit
Director, English speaking Machon
Dear Parents, Shalom,
I hope this letter finds you well. It is now very nearly the half way point of the Machon programme and, I wanted just before the Pesach break to write to you again to let you know how things are going since I sent the last letter. Overall our feeling is that Machon continues to go really well and that in the main the Machonikim are having a great time and learning a lot but that, given the intensity of the programme, they are also looking forward to their holiday.
The regular courses are all continuing and are mostly going very well and one measure of that for us is the relatively small number of Machonikim who have asked to change their classes, something which we allow them to do in the first week or so of each course.
The weekly siyurim (trips out) have included a couple of afternoons where they got to explore some of the more difficult social issues in modern Israeli society; a visit to 'Retorno' which is a very special drugs rehabilitation programme where they got to meet some of the residents and a second visit to Tel Aviv, this time with a social justice focus to see to look at the issue of foreign workers and refugees. We also offered an optional tour of Hezekia's tunnels a unique feature of the Old City in Jerusalem that some Machonikim had already been to on previous Israel tours but not everyone. Even though this was on their one free midweek evening, some 35 of the 50 of them signed up for this which took place a couple of days ago.
The optional Sunday selection evenings have continued to draw people even after a long day including the weekly siyur. The three sessions since I last wrote have been an improvisation workshop by the Jerusalem Theatre company, a meeting with the 'Three Faiths Forum, where we explored the issue of Christian/Muslim/Jewish dialogue in Israel and a meeting with 'Maagalei Tzedek' an organisation that coordinates various volunteering and social; justice projects in Israel.
We also had a special guest speaker coming in to our regular Israel Update class which focuses on political and other current affairs in Israel. Uri Bank is one of the few an Anglo-Israelis to stand for the Knesset in the last election. Of American origin, he stood for the right-wing National Union party and just missed out being elected by one seat. He came and spoke very eloquently about his idea of a peace plan that did not involve a two state solution and I think the Machonikim found it most challenging. After Pesach we will be inviting in for that same course a left wing speaker from Peace Now to put an opposite perspective. This is just one of many examples of our commitment as the Machon to presenting a plurality of views from across the Jewish-Zionist spectrum, whether that be religious or political, and encouraging the Machonikim to question, debate, to challenge and be challenged by the material.
A week or so ago we had a week-long desert based Tiyul down the South of the country. Just some of the highlights from this really successful and enjoyable tiyul included a 7 hour hike through the Ramon Crater (one of the world's unique geographical features), a meeting with the Black Hebrews community in Dimona, a night camping out under the stars, a desert bike ride and a snorkelling activity and a disco boat evening in Eilat – very tiring but very worthwhile.
In addition to these elements of the formal programme are of course the things the Machonikim organise for themselves. Again, in the last couple of weeks, there have been a number of events within Israeli society that many of them have attended in their own time. Two weeks ago over 150 of them, including South American Machon, organised to go to the Israel v Greece World Cup Qualifying soccer match in Ramat Gan. Though the game was not the most exciting ever, and though Israel could only draw, the atmosphere, especially during the singing of the Hatikva at the start of the game, we something very special for them. This last weekend quite a number of them spent the weekend in Tel Aviv, many attending a special mock Seder Night for refugees which looked at the meaning of freedom in a modern Israeli context and others attending concerts and other events that took place as the start of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of Tel Aviv as the first Hebrew city. In similar vein, many of them are planning to attend the popular camping and music festival Boombamella which takes place during Pesach.
Overall we the staff find them to be bonding well and generally operating as a very close community with very few cliques. You can see this in all kinds of ways.
In the last week we have also had a couple of Machonikim who have needed to spend a few nights in hospital and it has been great to see their Machon friends, especially from their movement, rallying round to visit them and speak to them on the phone regularly and we really hope that they are both out and fully recovered in time to enjoy their Pesach break.
Finally, the last couple of weeks have seen the clocks go forward to summer time and finally some sustained nice sunny weather in Jerusalem and some of them have now taken to going for a regular morning jog to stay fit. Given that classes start at 8.00am this is certainly impressive!
If any of you are visiting Jerusalem in the coming weeks please do be in contact and feel free to come up to Kiryat Moriah and say hello to us here in the Machon offices.
Best Regards and Chag Pesach Sameach,
Iris Gazit
Director, English speaking Machon
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