Second day of Kennes

Blog written by: Erin Sullivan and Danny Offermann

Today was our second day at the North American Kennes. We started the day with our tribe groups wrapping up and synthesizing yesterday's discussion on the journey of the Jews. We spoke about our connection to North American Jewry and the values encompassed within it. We attempted to determine the five defining values of North American Jews. Finding this challenging, we learned that even within the North American communities, Judaism has no exact definition. This realization was further extrapolated on by our keynote speaker Avraham Infeld, who spoke to us about his own journey as a Jew and presented us with a fresh perspective on what it means to be Jewish. Mr. Infeld captivated us with his enthusiasm and wit, but importantly, he challenged each of us to expound on our personal definition of Judaism. Following the lecture, we had lunch and a lengthy break. It was really nice to relax and enjoy our time together. The pool here at Givat Haviva was open and many of us scampered to the watering hole for some fun in the sun. Others took the time to catch up on some much needed sleep. Regardless, we all returned to programming feeling well rested and rejuvenated. After dinner we had the unique experience of attending a performance by singer/story teller Robby Greengrass.  He told us of his own experiences in Israel and succeeded in opening our eyes to the reality of being an Israeli. We also had a great time dancing to his catchy and inspirational songs! We then returned to our tribes and spent the evening discussing what makes Israel special to us personally and us as a people. We finished the night with our Baltimore Maagal Lilah, in which we talked about our family histories in the city as well as our connections to our hometown. Now we taking advantage of the "teen hangout time" at regal white tent, complete with snacks and music. Can't wait to see the Israelis tomorrow!!