Naomi recounts the first day of Community Week, where the teens have worked very hard to plan a joint self-management experience!
Today we had a very busy day as we learned about the IDF. We began our day playing ice breaker activities and a trivia game. We then traveled to a gym where we simulated IDF training and learned about preparation for the army. We then had a schnitzel lunch and created care packages for soldiers. We also played capture the flag in a paintball competition. Following this, we visited a memorial center to participate in a panel discussion about IDF service with soldiers. After dinner we had another panel discussion with an Arab and Jewish teen about tensions in the Middle East and their opinions regarding coexistence and citizenship.
Naomi Hoch
Friday, July 15, 2016
Monday, July 11, 2016
Shabbat in Israel!
What does it mean for me to be a practicing reform Jew? What is my connection to Israel as a Jewish American? Am I a bad Jew for having lost my faith in God as I have matured?
These questions have bounced around my head for the first few days of our trip in Israel. As soon as I stepped off the plane onto Israeli soil I was a little disappointed. I had expected for it to hit me that I was in the holy land that God had supposedly granted the Jewish people, but it just felt like I was some where I had never been before. The next few days we traveled throughout the Negev which included camel riding, repelling down into a crater, learning about Bedouin culture, and learning about how great Israeli humus is.
On Friday all the diaspora Jews gathered together at a nice hotel in Jerusalem and I was blown away by the ruach of the Australian and South African groups, Baltimore has some work to do for Congress. Even after Shabbat services and my hilarious attempt to close services with Laura by singing Adon Olam, I still couldn't grasp the thought that I was in the holy land that our people had struggled for thousands of years to control.
The feeling finally sunk in when we went to the Wailing Wall Saturday night. At first I was incredibly underwhelmed thinking that this one wall covered in ivy had been the holiest site in the world for the Jewish people, the location where millions of Jews for thousands of years aimed their prayer towards. However, as soon as I walked up to the wall I froze in awe looking at the site of hundreds of people gathered along the wall thinking, praying, and crying.
Once I approached the wall I wasn't really sure what to do, but I saw that many people had their hands against the wall and seemed to be talking to God. Once I placed my hands on the stone wall something inside my body dropped, I felt a wave of energy rush from my head down to my toes. I stood at the wall praying for everything I had in my life: the amazing opportunity to be in Israel, my family, and the great friendships I've made with my other Diller teen fellows.
I was at the wall for 15 minutes before I finally left to go back to the group, but in those 15 minutes my perception of Judaism changed immensely. Over the past few years I had begun to lose my belief in there being a god, but after praying at the wall I definitely felt like my prayers had been heard. I felt even more blessed to have been able to bring my great grandfather's necklace with me. The necklace made my experience even more emotional because it made me feel as though I was carrying on the cohein tradition, since my family used to be considered holy priests back in the days of the temple.
Before I left the wall I sang the hatikvah. I don't know why I did, but in the moment it just came to my head. Hatikvah translates to the hope, and that definition could not be more fitting for the latest experience we had on the trip.
We had the opportunity to go to Yad Vashem, the famous holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. The museum was great and very insightful, but I was interested in the contrasts i observed between the museums in Washington DC and Jerusalem. In Israel, the museum doesn't focus much on the horrible things the Nazis did. Not once did we discuss human experimentation or the brutality of the Nazis against the Jewish people. In Washington DC the museum has a lot more shock value, while in Jerusalem the museum focused more so on the perseverance of the Jewish people and the importance of us remembering the victims of the holocaust not just as dead bodies, but as human beings with their own unique lives. Musicians, artists, writers, fathers, mothers, children.
Elie Wiesel, a holocaust survivor and Nobel prize winner for his book Night, recently passed away in the past few weeks. In his book he stated, "Hope is like peace. It is not from God. It is a gift only we give each other". This quote and the message of the hatikvah have such a strong connection. No matter how you choose to practice your Judaism, whether or not you believe in God, you need to have hope. Hope is what drove our people for thousands of years to overcome oppressors, challenge the impossible, and make our culture thrive. Looking forward to the rest of our trip I have hope, hope that I can grow closer to the Ashkemore family, hope that I can deepen my Jewish identity, hope that I can establish a strong connection to the land that God promised my ancestors, hope that the Jewish people will continue to prosper, and hope that I can make the most out of the rest of the time I am in Israel.
These questions have bounced around my head for the first few days of our trip in Israel. As soon as I stepped off the plane onto Israeli soil I was a little disappointed. I had expected for it to hit me that I was in the holy land that God had supposedly granted the Jewish people, but it just felt like I was some where I had never been before. The next few days we traveled throughout the Negev which included camel riding, repelling down into a crater, learning about Bedouin culture, and learning about how great Israeli humus is.
On Friday all the diaspora Jews gathered together at a nice hotel in Jerusalem and I was blown away by the ruach of the Australian and South African groups, Baltimore has some work to do for Congress. Even after Shabbat services and my hilarious attempt to close services with Laura by singing Adon Olam, I still couldn't grasp the thought that I was in the holy land that our people had struggled for thousands of years to control.
The feeling finally sunk in when we went to the Wailing Wall Saturday night. At first I was incredibly underwhelmed thinking that this one wall covered in ivy had been the holiest site in the world for the Jewish people, the location where millions of Jews for thousands of years aimed their prayer towards. However, as soon as I walked up to the wall I froze in awe looking at the site of hundreds of people gathered along the wall thinking, praying, and crying.
Once I approached the wall I wasn't really sure what to do, but I saw that many people had their hands against the wall and seemed to be talking to God. Once I placed my hands on the stone wall something inside my body dropped, I felt a wave of energy rush from my head down to my toes. I stood at the wall praying for everything I had in my life: the amazing opportunity to be in Israel, my family, and the great friendships I've made with my other Diller teen fellows.
I was at the wall for 15 minutes before I finally left to go back to the group, but in those 15 minutes my perception of Judaism changed immensely. Over the past few years I had begun to lose my belief in there being a god, but after praying at the wall I definitely felt like my prayers had been heard. I felt even more blessed to have been able to bring my great grandfather's necklace with me. The necklace made my experience even more emotional because it made me feel as though I was carrying on the cohein tradition, since my family used to be considered holy priests back in the days of the temple.
Before I left the wall I sang the hatikvah. I don't know why I did, but in the moment it just came to my head. Hatikvah translates to the hope, and that definition could not be more fitting for the latest experience we had on the trip.
We had the opportunity to go to Yad Vashem, the famous holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. The museum was great and very insightful, but I was interested in the contrasts i observed between the museums in Washington DC and Jerusalem. In Israel, the museum doesn't focus much on the horrible things the Nazis did. Not once did we discuss human experimentation or the brutality of the Nazis against the Jewish people. In Washington DC the museum has a lot more shock value, while in Jerusalem the museum focused more so on the perseverance of the Jewish people and the importance of us remembering the victims of the holocaust not just as dead bodies, but as human beings with their own unique lives. Musicians, artists, writers, fathers, mothers, children.
Elie Wiesel, a holocaust survivor and Nobel prize winner for his book Night, recently passed away in the past few weeks. In his book he stated, "Hope is like peace. It is not from God. It is a gift only we give each other". This quote and the message of the hatikvah have such a strong connection. No matter how you choose to practice your Judaism, whether or not you believe in God, you need to have hope. Hope is what drove our people for thousands of years to overcome oppressors, challenge the impossible, and make our culture thrive. Looking forward to the rest of our trip I have hope, hope that I can grow closer to the Ashkemore family, hope that I can deepen my Jewish identity, hope that I can establish a strong connection to the land that God promised my ancestors, hope that the Jewish people will continue to prosper, and hope that I can make the most out of the rest of the time I am in Israel.
Zach Caplan
Day 3 in Israel!
Dear Parents,
Friday was a blast! After waking up and eating breakfast, we all hopped on the bus and headed towards the Dead Sea. The sea lived up to its reputation, for the salt left many in pain and several temporarily blind. I personally swam half way to Jordan in order to climb on a salt patch, but I was called back for obvious reasons. Around noon we left the sea and continued our journey to Jerusalem. At the hotel we had lunch and began meeting the other diaspora cohorts. We participated in several different services based on personal practices, which included meditation, reform, conservative, and orthodox. Meditation sounded interesting, but wound up being yoga. Having been tired because of all the fun activities, most retired and went to bed early. All the best!
Sincerely,
Matthew Weiner
Sunday, July 10, 2016
Day 2 in Israel!
We had an incredible second day in Israel with rappelling down Israel's biggest crater, riding camels, and learning more about the Bedouin culture. I was truly touched listening to a Bedouin woman named Miriam who shared her story with us. She had defied her culture's traditions and pursued a life for herself. She went to London and earned a degree in business. She returned to Israel after finishing her studies in London and decided not to marry at the time which was frowned upon by her family and community. Her father who had supported her in going to London for her eduction shunned Miriam once she decided not to marry. Miriam continued to pursue her dream of starting her own business and began creating soaps, lotions, and other beauty products. She has been continuously optimistic even through her business struggles. I was inspired by her positive attitude and ability to continue her business even with the hardships she faced. Miriam married two years ago to a man who is ten years younger than her. She continues to push the boundaries the Bedouin culture has, but always with a smile on her face. As a student attending Bryn Mawr, an all girls school, I really connected with Miriam. I have always been told I can accomplish anything if I put my mind to it. However, I had the preconceived notion that all women around the world did not believe in themselves and needed someone to tell them what they could achieve. But Miriam did it all on her own without someone telling her what was possible. She believed in herself despite no encouragement in pursuing her dreams. It made me even more thankful for the support I have received not only from my family but my community. Listening to her was a highlight for the entire group and we all were touched by her story.
Laura
Monday, August 3, 2015
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
By: Daniel Goldman
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