Shabbat at Congress!

This Friday was simply incredible. We started the day with the normal selections for breakfast, salads, cheese, yogurt, cereal, divinely inspired chocolate spread, and an excessive amount of eggs. After cutting approximately three lines each in the process of eating and disposing of breakfast, we ventured to the auditorium to hear from a panel of Diller alumni to discuss ways for us to manifest the lessons we learned from Diller and apply them to our lives after we graduate. This unit, however, was divided into two parts. The first part was the panel and the second part was a "throwback" Kennes. We divided into our color groups from Kennes to brainstorm ways to incorporate Diller lessons and Judaism into our lives at home. Once we finished the unit and the Israelis finished theirs in Hebrew, we made our way to what the schedule referred to as "alumni open space". Each fellow received the name of an alumnus who shared his or her story to a smaller group of about 15 people to show how Diller affected him or her. Some of us from JC mentors, while others heard from lone soldiers. All of the stories were informative and inspirational. Like most of Congress, it was very thought-provoking. In fact, it felt like lunchtime arrived to soon because we just wanted to hear more. Nevertheless, the time came again to strategize the most efficient way to stay below the radar and get food first. The specialty today from the diverse menu of Givat Haviva was hotdogs. They were no Hebrew National, but they didn't offend American food culture. Next were the Diller Olympics. From soccer games to karaoke, these pluralistic Olympics included everyone. This sense of community continued in full force in the next activity. After much preparation we gathered for Shabbat, creating a sea of white so meaningful that it will be featured in a music video of a song written by a Diller alumnus. When we were all gathered as one, before the dancing, before the singing, we wished each other Shabbat shalom. Everyone received a postcard with the name of someone from another cohort and we all wrote and received special messages. Only after that did the party begin. It started as simple singing among the individual cohorts, escalated to a circle of 500 people in white and climaxed when everyone ran into the middle of the field to share the Shabbat joy with everyone, Jews representing communities from all around the world. Shabbat services followed with an array of options from orthodox to artistic (led by LJ, Jack, Sarah, and Hannah), each person found a place found the right match. With no voices and a ton of spirit, we then made it to dinner. We were seated by partnership which was nice because it had been a while since we had all been together. Sharing Shabbat together was the perfect way to reconnect. A very meaningful maagal followed this vibrant and spirited meal filled with schnitzel and group cheers, some better than others. Although we were ready to fall asleep forever by this point, we went to and hour of white tent free time afterwards before returning to our rooms. Overall, the day was introspective and rewarding.
By: Daniel Goldman

Ashkemore Heads to Congress!

Wednesday July 29th

Today we departed Ashkelon with heavy hearts as we left our new Israeli families behind and journeyed to Congress in Givat Haviva. However, in the morning before we left Ashkelon we visited the Lynn Stacey Getz Park, which was built by Baltimore families in 2008. Hallie, LJ, and Jack, who helped with this mission seven years ago, explained their part in building this special playground that exemplifies the partnership between Baltimore and Ashkelon (aka Ashkemore).         

After a nice bus ride, we finally arrived together with Ashkelon at Congress. Since we had been anticipating this incredible opportunity for so long, all of us were really excited to meet 500 other Diller teens. At the opening ceremony we cheered, sang, screamed and showed off our Ashkemore pride. To fully integrate ourselves into the group, we were divided into "tribes" - groups of about twenty fellows with at least one representative from all twenty-two Diller Cohorts. After some icebreakers and name games in our tribes, we discussed the topic of family. This activity enabled us to appreciate not only our families at home in Baltimore, but also our Jewish family worldwide. Now, looking back on our five days at Congress, I can confidently say that we created our own international Diller family including fellows from Israel, North America, and even South Africa. On this first day, I remember both the excitement and the anxiety of gathering together with 500 other Dillers. With this unique and incredible experience behind us, I now have many new perspectives, a stronger connection to Israel and my Judaism, and most importantly tons of new friends.
💗, 
Emma Silverman

Shabbat in Ashkelon!

Hi it's Brooke! I am writing this post from My match Dana's house as we finish up Shabbat and our free day with our Israeli families! 
   But first, Friday was our third day of Community Week and was led by Sarah, Micah, Dani, Yuval B., Yuval S., Daga, and May. The theme was Unity and IDF appreciation so we all were excited to learn more about the IDF, as well as discuss unity in the context of our combined Diller cohort, the IDF, and the Jewish people. We discussed sacrifice during an open circle conversation in the morning and then went to volunteer at the community hospital. We passed out snacks and well wishes to the patients as well as talked to the director of the hospital. It was really interesting to hear his perspective since the hospital serves Palestinian and Israeli war patients side by side. It definitely fit the unity theme of the day to hear how a place takes care of patients solely based on need. We then went to a park to do a simulation of what it is like to train in the IDF. We climbed ropes, army crawled, ran through tires, and shot paintball guns. It was really interesting to see what Israeli soldiers go through to prepare for the army especially because our friends are going to be in that situation really soon. Finally we came back and had time to reflect with our separate cohorts to conclude the day. We ended early to get ready for Shabbat with our host families. 

  For the next two days, everyone did different things with their host families and the other Dillers. Everyone enjoyed a huge homemade Shabbat dinner and some matches went to synagogue. Most of us then met at Liav's house to spend time together and we had fun hanging out in his backyard. On Saturday, we split up but often met up in smaller groups throughout the day. Matches caught up on sleep and then went to a large outdoor mall, cinema city (a huge movie theater), went to synagogue, got ice cream or spent time with family. I had so much fun going shopping and then spending time with Dana and her family and relaxing before meeting at Yuval B's house for a reflective program as a group to close the night. 
Since everyone had a different experience on Friday night and Saturday, when I volunteered to write the blog, I asked people to send me a little bit about their Shabbat experience:

Audrey
I had an amazing Shabbat with yardens family! 20 of her family members came over for Shabbat and were so nice and welcoming and made me feel like I was part of the family. We are a huge meal and they made me try everything! On Saturday relaxed by sleeping in and the going to the beach! I got burnt but other than that my Shabbat was perfect!


Charlie
I would say that it was really nice and interesting to see what Israeli families do for their Friday Shabbat dinners. And because I was so exhausted throughout the week it was cool to experience the desire to want to have Shabbat and relax. Also I went to the beach to relax with his family which was really fun. 

Lj
Today was special. We had breakfast at Liav's house. And his grandmother and aunt ate with us. Its rare in america, or at least in my household to have meals together as a family, nonetheless breakfast. His father then explained the importance of family time to all of them and how that is the true meaning of shabbat. Not necessarily the religious connotations, but the time spent with family. Incredible way to start today. 

Jillian 
This Shabbat was really different than what I usually do, but in a great way I had dinner with my sisters match from when she did Diller and spent all of Saturday seeing more of Ashkelon with other Dillers. It's was so refreshing and fun!

Sarah 
Shabbat was great! Dinner with Eden's family made Ashkelon feel like home and shopping let us explore Ashkelon and enjoy some un-structured free time to go on an Israeli shopping spree! :)

It's hard to believe we only have two days left in Ashkelon and with our families! But we can't wait until Congress!! 
Xo,
Brooke

Community Week!

Our final day of Kennes began with a 4:30 AM wake up to climb Masada. At the top of the fortress, we spent time learning about the legend of Masada and its significance to the history of Judaism. Afterwards, we headed to a classroom to debrief Kennes and give feedback for the programming. We then drove to the Dead Sea, and spent some time relaxing on the beach. Finally, the group headed to Ashkelon, where we had an exciting reunion with the Ashkelon Diller Teen Fellows. We returned home with our host families to begin Community Week.

The theme for the first day of Community Week was "Dill-love". We started our day at the city hall, where we met some of the people in charge of the Ashkelon-Baltimore partnership. Next we volunteered at a community center in southern Ashelon, cleaning up trash and painting walls. We then went to the Volunteer Center and the day's leaders led units on Jewish Identity. We then went to the beach, where we played games in teams and had some free time in the water. That evening, we had a dance party to celebrate the beginning of our time together.

Our second day of Community Week was centered around family. We started by volunteering at a preschool, and taught games and dances to the kids. Next we returned to the Volunteer Center and had a song contest where each Israeli had to learn an American song, and each American an Israeli song. Next the leaders had some units on Israeli and American families. After lunch, we went to the beach for a sandcastle-building contest, and then home for a free night with our host families.

Jewish Communities Kennes!

Today the baltimore cohort packed up and took a long bus ride to sde boker in the Negev. This kibbutz is where David Ben Gurion spent the latter part of his life and is actually buried. After a pretty lengthy bus ride of singing disney theme songs and playing the headsup app on our phones, we finally arrived and joined the other cohorts for opening ceremonies. We presented ourselves as the objectively most spirited cohort and made new friends from the US, Canada, and South Africa when we were assigned to our smaller color groups. Within these color groups we learned about how David Ben Gurion led Israel in its earliest years and then made connections to how we can be leaders in our own communities. Later, we listened to a guest speaker named Neil Lazarus who brought us up to speed regarding the middle eastern conflicts while entertaining us with his British humor. The twenty of us were more than excited to settle into our rooms at the end of the day and soak in all that we had learned and all of the new Diller Fellows we had met. While our first day of Kennes was exhausting, it was both fun and memorable. 

Jessica

Welcoming Shabbat!

After a very mentally and emotionally taxing day at Yad Vashem, we used Friday as a release and went to a nature reserve (insert name of place) to hike. The cohort warmed up with some static and dynamic stretching to get loose. This was directed at LJ, our "grandpa", who has trouble with cramps. We proceeded to hike around the reserve, seeing a fresh water pool and archaeological sites from the Philistines. From there, we looked out over the valley and were able to see a Lebanese town (raja?). Our next destination was river rafting where we also had one of the better meals of the trip, i.e. pizza. We rafted in groups of 5 for an hour with the group of Emma, Jillian, Micah, Jacob and Sarah winning the "race" to the end. Jack, Mike, LJ, Alex, and Charlie are still salty over the close loss. From rafting, we went back to the kibbutz to get ready for Shabbat. During Shabbat, the Dillers were split into groups and created parody songs relating to Diller. Ending with a Maagal, the cohort finished the long and tiring day.

Charlie and Jack

Day 2 in Israel!

Hey! It's Brooke and Hannah, the Naschons for the day. After experiencing the Western Wall and talking about the gender inequality there, we decided to further this discussion by setting women's roles in Judaism as the theme for the day. Especially since this theme connected well to our schedule for the day.
Our first stop was Har Hertzel Military Cemetery. Here we learned the stories of fallen soldiers and saw where they, as well as many other famous Israeli leaders as buried. I (Hannah) talked to the group at the grave of Chana Senisch and told her amazing story and how she became a national hero. This is really important to me because my BBYO chapter is named after her and it was a great experience to see her grave.
We then travelled to Yad Vashem, the National Holocaust Museum. It was a powerful and emotional experience for everyone as we learned about Israel and the Jewish people before, during, and after the Holocaust. During a guided tour, we saw pictures, maps, quotes and actual relics of the Holocaust as we heard many stories about individuals in the Holocaust. As soon as we exited the museum, there was a huge sweeping view of the entire city of Jerusalem. We interpreted this gorgeous view from the end of the museum tour as a reminder of how the Jewish people rose above and if they hadn't, this beautiful city wouldn't have existed.
Our favorite parts from both of these places were listening to the unbelievable stories of soldiers and those in the Holocaust. We felt a much more personal connection to the events when we got to hear about them from an individual perspective. One quote that resonated with us was "Do not think you will succeed in destroying the Jewish people. The Jewish people will live forever."-Rabbi Moshe Friedman (a Rabbi who perished in the Holocaust.)
After a solemn morning, we were ready to visit Ben Yehuda street for lunch, souvenir shopping, and exploring. We tried falafel, schwarma, ice coffee, and ice cream as we walked the street. We all got to buy gifts for friends and family and some of us even met up with friends or family that live in Israel.
Our final stop of the day was a meeting with a representative from Women of the Wall. We discussed how women are fighting for equal rights at the Kotel and how this organization is trying to make this change happen. As much as we enjoyed hearing crazy stories about how they have smuggled a Torah into the Wall and have gotten arrested multiple times, we all took to heart the message of standing up for something you're passionate about and we were inspired by their courageous acts.
After enjoying such a long day, we were happy to relax on a 2 hour bus ride to Kibbutz Ohalo, on the Kinneret. At this beautiful place, we became friends with teen groups from places such as Brazil, France, Italy, England, and other states. We ended the day with a meaningful Ma'agal looking forward to spending the day in nature tomorrow.

-Hannah and Brooke

Day 1 in Israel!l

Yesterday morning we finally arrived in Israel!!!!! The moment that we have all been waiting for! There was so much excitement as we walked off of the plane, wondering what our 3 week adventure in Israel would be like. We took this excitement to Jacob and Julia when we met them outside of baggage claim where they were holding a huge sign they made for us! After meeting our tour guide Yair and our security guard Uri, we changed our American dollars to Shekels and boarded the bus for a full day ahead! As Yair played his trumpet, leading us through Old Jaffe, we learned about the history of past rulers of this land and the meanings of their buildings. Then we walked to the new city: Tel Aviv. We felt a slight breeze and saw the clear blue waters crashing against the rocks in front of us. We turned around and saw tall buildings, cafes, bikers, and pedestrians. After exploring Tel Aviv for a bit, we visited Independence Hall where we learned about this history of the founding of the State of Israel and sat in the room where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Next, we took the bus to Jerusalem! We walked around Jerusalem for some time, learned about Olive Tree Hill, and then visited the Kotel. It was meaningful for all of us, and we each got something different out of the experience. Once we took our  group picture in front of the wall, we made our way to the bus which drove us to Ramat Rachel, the kibbutz where we got a much needed full night of sleep. But first, we ate dinner and then discussed our unique and meaningful experiences at the Kotel, and the different insights we took away by immersing ourselves in the Old City. We ended the day with a ma'agal led by Julia, in which everyone chose a card with a different word and corresponding picture, and responded to how our word could relate to our next three weeks in Israel. We can't wait for our many adventurous and exciting days to come!! 

   The Nachshons of the day,

         Sarah and Audrey

    

Traveling to Israel!

Excitement and exhaustion are the two first words that come to mind when looking back on our way to Israel. After days of preparation, everyone finally received their Diller gift bags filled with candy, sunscreen, Israeli flag bandanas, and activity books. The excitement began to intensify as we entered the airport. At the beginning of the flight everyone exchanged letters with our expectations for each other throughout our stay in Israel.  After a very long plane ride, we walked out to meet Jacob and Julia who had a huge Baltimore sign welcoming us to Israel! After filling up water bottles and exchanging currency, we explored the Old City of Jaffe with the help of our awesome tour guide, Yair. Everyone was beyond tired, but in a good way ready to take on the rest of our eventful day! 

Jillian and Lior