Yom Kvutza and Yom Kippur

Every Monday on Workshop we have "Yom Kvutza," a day where each kvutza engages in activities run by their madrichim. During this week's Yom Kvutza, we discussed issues of morality, questioning our rights to possibly impose our own morals, and our rights to define what is "good" and "bad." We also went over the rules and packing list for Yam L'Yam (sea to sea), the four day hike we are embarking on next week where we will travel from the Mediterranean to the Kinneret. I've completed Yam L'Yam before and I'm not quite as excited to repeat the adventure as I should be. I'm a miserable hiker--both in the quality of my hiking and my spirits while doing so. Anyway, Yom Kvutza concluded with a fun dancing activity at night which resulted in kvutzamates covering one another in colorful paints!

On Tuesday morning, I journeyed to Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) to meet Renee, one of my very good friends from Akiba (now formally called Barrack), the pluralistic Jewish high school I attended just outside Philadelphia. I bought lunch on Ben-Yehudah Street and then the two of us took a bus to her Midrasha (center for Jewish learning for women). The fast began at five to five, and after praying until eight, the two of us fell fast asleep in Renee's dorm at nine. The next day, Renee attended services while I read, and then the two of us walked around Yerushalayim for a bit. Fasting became easier once we fell asleep again, and finally after some more praying it was time to break the fast! We devoured some ruggalach and then went out to dinner with Jeremy, another friend from Akiba who is currently studying at a Yeshiva (center for Jewish learning for men). As we walked around town, the families of almost every home we passed were building their Sukkot. I loved watching the Sukkot being built on the porches of apartment buildings, seeing so many families taking part in the same ritual all at once. Renee, Jeremy, and I then went into the old city to the Kotel (western wall), stopping often to talk with yeshiva and midrasha friends of Renee and Jeremy and eventually running into more friends from our high-school.

The next day, I took more transportation than I wished in order to meet the Workshoppers on a siyur at the Diaspora Museum located at Tel-Aviv University. The museum was very interesting and displayed information about Jews in the Diaspora--with the view of the Diaspora as an exile--up until the formation of the state of Israel. We discussed the sections of the museum as we went through, and once finished the exhibits we talked about Israel's role today since Jews still choose to live in the Diaspora.

After visiting the museum, us Workshoppers split into groups to eat lunch in a shuk and participate in  a fun scavenger hunt designed by our madrichim. We met back together on Rothschild Boulevard, and most Workshoppers boarded the bus back to the Kibbutz while seven of us remained in Tel-Aviv. One of my kvutzamates has an apartment in Tel-Aviv, so the few of us stayed at his place and enjoyed a night of exploring the city and relaxing late at night at the beach.

Back at the kibbutz, the British Shnatties joining us on the program have finally arrived! We're enjoying meeting the newcomers before hiking together on Yam L'Yam.

Today we're experiencing a noticeable change in the weather. Since we've arrived in Israel, each day as been extremely sunny and fairly hot. Today, clouds fill the sky and there's RAIN! Granted, it's only light drizzling, but rain in September here is something to celebrate!

Shabbat Shalom!

A Sweet New Year

Sunday night this past week brought Rosh Hashannah (the Jewish new year), and my friend Maya and I ventured to Zichron Yaakov to spend the holiday with my cousins, Leah and Zvi.

The two of us and a few other Workshoppers planned to take a bus from the kibbutz into the Afula bus station early Sunday morning, but the bus came twenty minutes early so we caught rides with Ezra, a kibbutznik that will drive Workshoppers to Afula and Tzomet Gazit--another bus stop--for a price. Once in Afula, Maya and I decided to catch a later bus to Zichron so that we could go the cafe we'd anxiously been waiting to eat at for the past two weeks: Aroma. 

We instantly found ourselves overwhelmed with the enormous assortment of delicious options on the menu. As someone who is lactose intolerant, I was disappointed to discover that Aroma's famous iced coffee--Ice Aroma, as they call it--could not be made with soymilk, so I ordered their iced mint lemon drink with an avocado sandwich and Maya ordered the Ice Aroma along with a bowl of roasted vegetables and gluten free bread. The tray also included a sweet surprise: Shannah Tovah chocolates!

After some confusion back at the bus station, Maya and I finally caught the correct bus to Gan Shmuel, a bus stop close to Zichron. The bus was filled with Israeli soldiers--returning home for the holiday, no doubt--and with no seats available, Maya and I sat on the floor for the duration of the ride. 

Once at the bus stop, we purchased a bottle of wine to bring as a gift for my cousins, and were then warmly greeted by Leah, who drove us to Zichron. My cousins live at the edge of a hill with an absolutely spectacular view.

A few hours later, Leah, Zvi, Maya, and I piled into Leah and Zvi's car and drove to a moshav (a small community of houses) near Natanya to have Rosh Hashannah dinner with Anat, Leah and Zvi's daughter. Anat's entire family was present--her husband, Erez, and her their three sons, Ori, Shahar, and Ayal--as well as Erez's parents. The Rosh Hashannah meal included various symbolic foods such as apples with honey, pomegranate seeds, dates, white beans, raw pumpkin, and more. The meal was delicious, and concluded with honey cake and a Birthday cake in celebration of Shahar's Birthday the next day.

The following afternoon, Maya and I decided to explore the town of Zichron. We walked down a street of shops and then relaxed for a bit in a park.  On Tuesday, Zivan, Leah and Zvi's son, came to Zichron with his wife, Miriam, and three kids: Elad, Li-el, and Eli. Maya and I spent most of the time playing with the kids outside. 

Later that afternoon, all of us returned to Anat's moshav to eat and socialize with the family, and then Leah and Zvi dropped Maya and I off at the Chadera bus station so we could get back to the kibbutz that night. Returning to the kibbutz was a wonderful experience--Workshoppers were quite excited to see one another after the long weekend, so the evening was filled with lots of warm welcomes!

The next few days were spent in shiurim with the focus on Jewish Community. A few Workshoppers--myself included--found ourselves sick and spent more time than we wished in bed, sleeping. I'm feeling much better now, and I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend on the kibbutz!

Shabbat Shalom and Shannah Tovah!

That Kibbutz Life

Today is Day Six of our stay on Kibbutz Ein Dor!

The Habonim Dror houses have their own special space on the kibbutz, but we journey to other spots as well. Everyday for lunch and dinner, us Workshoppers go to the Cheder Ochel which is located at the center of the kibbutz. A few kibbutzniks eat with us at lunch, but we're on our own at dinner. Each Thursday, falafel is served outside of the Cheder Ochel, and plenty of kibbutzniks gather to enjoy food, music, and one another's company. Nearby the Cheder Ochel is the Kolbo, the kibbutz's small convenience store. 

Us Workshoppers also make use of the kibbutz's Machbesa (laundry room). We drop our clothes into two bins labeled "Habonim Dror," and return to the Machbesa the following day to find our clothes freshly cleaned and organized. The kibbutz also has an amazing pool, which will unfortunately close in the next few days. There's also a factory where the kibbutz produces wooden spools that are later wound with wire, as well as a dairy with lots of cows!

Habonim Dror rents a few houses where Workshoppers--as well as Brits soon, taking part in the same program but calling it "Shnat"--and the Tzevet Boneh reside. My kvutza's house--smaller and less technologically equipped than the other house--is quite cozy. Nineteen of us live in five rooms (three kvutzamates live in the other house). We have a common/room hallway with some shelves and a couch, which becomes our small kitchen. We have two bathrooms and two shower rooms, each with two showers and two sinks. In the back there is a kita (classroom), where we have asefot and shiurim. Finally, both houses share a lovely backyard, with grass, trees, and a few wooden benches.

On to my roommates! I have three great roommates! First, there's Danny Shippen, or, according to him,  my "favorite roommate." Danny's from the state of Washington and goes to Machaneh Miriam in Canada. Then there's Carmel Laniado--she lives in Vancouver and also goes to Machaneh Miriam. Finally there's Amit Schwalb! He lives in New York and goes to Machaneh Na'aleh. My roommates are pretty silly, as can be depicted in the slightly blurry of us below. I'm quite happy :)

Yesterday we left kibbutz for the first time and went to Natzeret (Nazareth). We walked around a shuk (outdoor market) for a bit and went into two churches, both claiming to be over the spots were the Angel Gabriel told Mary that she was pregnant with Jesus. After Natzeret, we went to a beach outside Haifa and swam and hung-out for the rest of the afternoon before returning to the kibbutz and then going to the Workshop/Shnat House in Karmiel to meet the Habo Australians for the first time!

Today begins a free weekend that extends through Tuesday, thus including both Shabbat and Rosh Hashannah. The portion of us here for Shabbat took the opportunity to sleep in and then went to the Kolbo to buy food for the weekend. The rest of the day was spent simply relaxing, and the majority of us went to the pool in the afternoon. We did Kabbalat Shabbat together and then went to the Cheder Ochel for Shabbat dinner. 

On Sunday I am journeying to Zichron Yaakov with my friend, Maya, to stay with Leah and Zvi, two of my cousins. We'll be staying with them for the duration of Rosh Hashannah and return to the kibbutz on Tuesday night!

Chag Sameach!

Welcome to Israel!

It is so nice to finally be in Israel!

I should probably explain what Workshop is, in case anyone reading this is unfamiliar with the program. Workshop is a nine-month long Habonim Dror (the Labor Zionist youth movement that I belong to) program in Israel. The first shlav (section) of the program is called Boneh, and takes place on Kibbutz Ein Dor, a Kibbutz in northern Israel near the small city of Afula. Us Workshoppers will live on Ein Dor through December--taking part in informal shiurim (lessons), learning Hebrew, living communally in two kvutzot (groups), and traveling across the country.

The second shlav of the program--Kaveret-- is a bit different. The two kvutzot live in their own homes in separate cities in the country, continuing to live communally and helping out with Israeli kids. The second shlav also includes a trip to Poland.

I've been to Israel before. Aside from going on various two-week trips with my family and middle-school, I spent a trimester in Israel with my class during my junior year in high-school. That said, I'm expecting Workshop to be a completely different experience, and I'm very excited!

Us 44 Workshoppers arrived in Israel last Monday. Oded, an Israeli working at Galil (the Habonim Dror camp that I've attended since 2005 and worked at this past summer) came with our madrichim (counselors) to greet us at the airport! We spent the first week taking part in a Workshop Orientation--staying at two hostels and embarking on one hike. Our days were mostly spent in peulot (activities), which introduced us to the Workshop program and to our new kvutzot. Our madrichim are spectacular! Two of the madrichim are Habonim Dror members who have moved to Israel, and two are Israelis who are part Habonim Dror's sister movement, Hanoar Haoved.

We finally moved into the kibbutz on Sunday! It's been wonderful to feel at home. Each kvutza lives in their own house. One house is extremely large, complete with air-conditioning and wifi. I'm in the other house, which is much smaller and has no air-conditioning and no wifi. I've thoroughly enjoyed staying on kibbutz so far . We are currently taking part in a Boneh Orientation, and the kvutzot have been having shiurim with Tzevet (staff) Boneh, splitting into va'adot (committees), and having asefot (meetings) late into the night. While lunch and dinner are provided for us at the kibbutz's cheder ochel (dining hall), each kvutza is in charge of buying and preparing breakfast for ourselves. Each kvutza has a va'ad that buys food at the Kolbo, a small store on the Kibbutz. I'm on the Cleaning and Health Va'ad, meaning that I help create cleaning rotations for my kvutza, keep track of allergies, keep track of kvutza members who are sick, keep track of supplies, etc.

Today, each kvutza had a peula about Jewish identity in the morning, and a peula in the afternoon about protests in Israel. Then we all went to the kibbutz pool!

I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of this program. I'm fascinated by both Israel and Habonim Dror, and I'm looking forward to being more informed and more invested in them both. Mostly, I am looking forward to my kvutza process. Kvutza is a structure that I have always cared about deeply, and to finally have an opportunity to live with my kvutza for nine-months and journey on a process together excites me greatly.


I'm glad that I've been SO happy on Workshop so far, and I'm looking forward for it to really begin after the holidays!