Kiryat Shmonah

Hello all from the hot and humid Upper Galilee!

Today's post will be written by Ellie and Dani and will not specifically pertain to one day in particular but rather focus on certain aspects of our trip. Mainly the ones that we have thought to be the most interesting and valuable (as well as fun) throughout the journey.

Over the past three weeks, our cohort has had some very intriguing and thought-provoking discussions, amongst ourselves and with the Israeli fellows as well. The first one that comes to mind occurred Monday afternoon during our day devoted to military education. We spoke about the differences and similarities between the American and Israeli armies as well as our personal views and beliefs about service and joining an army. One of the most intriguing differences we came up with was the Israeli draft. Specifically, this draft envelopes the evident dedication to Israel and its well being. On the other hand, many Americans had never even thought of themselves as individuals who would join an army and even went so far as to say they would be opposed to an American draft. On that note, very few of the American fellows knew any young people currently in the army or even thinking of joining the American armed forces. This discussion was extremely eye-opening and sparked some really interesting interactions.

The next conversation that stands out in our minds happened a few days ago after we heard a lecture from Ortal's (one of the Israeli fellows) grandfather about the establishment of kibbutzim in Israel. All forty fellows embarked on the never-ending discussion of socialism vs. capitalism (with the idea of kibbutzim as the key component). Everyone had something to add to the conversation and nobody wanted it to end. Though we didn't come to a conclusion, everyone learned a thing or two about the pros and cons of communal societies as well as the underlying "American dream" that most of the American fellows just couldn't let go of.

Yesterday, our two groups had an early start to the day in Kiryat Shemonah renovating three bomb shelters.The bomb shelters and surrounding areas were not in the greatest shape and we spent 6 hours in the hot sun cleaning up garbage, mopping floors and painting the bomb shelters. For the Americans especially, it was very hard to comprehend the concept of having to leave one's home in order to live underground in a bomb shelter and wait for it to be safe to go outside. With this in mind, we fellows really put in 110% to make sure what we left behind was our best work. The mayor of the city even came by for a few minutes to thank us personally for our hard work and to recognize the Diller Teen Fellows' commitment to tikkun olam. Hopefully, we Californians will go back home with a better understanding of the inevitable differences between our culture and that of the Isrealis.

Our stay so far in Kiryat Shemonah has not only been educational but also extremely fun. After we worked on the bomb shelters, we then embarked on a river rafting trip down the Jordan River. Fun fact: Israelis call river rafting kayaking and they call kayaking, kayaking. And, a special bonus, they also do not enjoy actually staying in the boat. Though the San Francisco kids are used to the American River, we found ways to keep the lazy Jordan River exciting. For instance, on our journey, we made friends with not only Israelis and other Americans but also some funny chaps from England. Some of us even saw some people we knew. It was a very fun end to a rewarding day and we all went home happy and satisfied.

~Dani and Ellie