Our Last Shabbat in Israel

Our last Shabbat in Israel was spent at Congress. After some nice rest time everyone at Congress prepared for Shabbat by dressing in white. We walked in the "white sea" to a large grass area where we welcomed Shabbat with everyone. There we gave and were given Shabbat greeting cards from a random teen and made some new friends. After lighting the candles, we, the San Fransisco cohort, were in charge of leading the Reform/ Renewal Service. Those of us who choose to, helped lead the prayers from the siddur put together by Natalie, Hallie, Ari, and Alesandra.

Leading the service was a very meaningful experience and we received many compliments afterwards. It was very powerful to get to share our favorite Shabbat songs with others and to see people enjoying themselves. Someone even told us that we made their Shabbat. After the service, Alex got the honor of leading the Kiddush for the entire Congress. We then spent our lovely Shabbat dinner with our fabulous Upper Galilee partners. 

-Eliana Talcove Cohort 16

Campout

We arrived at the Negev desert late in the afternoon, which in all its glory was yellow and dusty. We quickly set up shop cutting potatoes, onions, fresh vegetables and meat and mixing an abundance of spices for poyke, a slow cooked Israeli stew which was delicious and filling. When, by chance, I looked up at 7:30, stars had already begun to appear and by 8pm the sky had opened up to the most gorgeous astrological landscape I have ever seen. 

Amongst other things, Venus, the Big Dipper and an arm of the Milky Way were visible in the night sky. Our evening ended with (Kosher) S'mores, star-gazing and horror stories. We awoke bright and early at 6 so that we could start our hike before the heat. We were greeted with a very large scorpion and a breakfast smorgasbord that, of all things included peanut butter and toast. Despite the need for nature-peeing, my night under the stars in the Negev was fun, enjoyable and most definitely memorable.

-Michaela

 

August 6, 2013

This morning we woke up sprawled across the ground in the Negev desert. Although we initially weren't particularly happy about the 6 a.m. wakeup, once we began our hike and experienced the heat of even the early morning, we were grateful.

The bus dropped us off and we began our descent into the valley and traveled along the (dried) river, through the narrow bends and wide stretches out in the sun until we arrived to the middle of the canyon. The view was stunning and the sensation of complete isolation- we couldn't see anything but mountains in all directions- was one that most of us don't often experience and that was refreshing. Upon reaching the end of the hike we continued along a road until we reached the starts of a second hike that would bring us to the bus. The second leg was also beautiful with steep canyons, intricate flint and limestone, and even a stream of water that flowed through a waterfall we walked around. This part of the hike was extremely steep and had several challenging stretches (in one stretch that was literally vertical we had to use a ladder).

 Despite the sweat and stickiness we were all satisfied to have reached the top and glad we had been able to witness the landscape. After a re-energizing schnitzel lunch we headed towards the home of a Bedouin man who spoke to us about his lifestyle. His home was one large room with rugs covering dirt, a woven ceiling and was shared with several camels. Needless to say, it was quite a different experience than the Bay Area lifestyle. The Bedouin man, Salem, told us about how he abandoned his culture and camels in the desert to seize an opportunity to explore modern life in Tel Aviv when he was our age. He explained that after passing through the initial state of awe, he began to see the enormous cultural differences- he was shocked that so many people just walked by one another in the city without acknowledgement and didn't feel comfortable living in that sort of place.

He soon readopted the Bedouin lifestyle to which he was accustomed. He also spoke with us about his Israeli identity- how he and his fellow Bedouins consider themselves Israeli, some join the army, and almost all are willing to sacrifice any of their land if the army were to need it for any reason. It was interesting to witness the blend of cultures evident in his home- traditional stone used by his wife to grind wheat lying next to his laptop that he powers with solar panels outside his home. After meeting with Salem, we made the 2 hour trip to Tel Aviv to the kibbutz that we stayed in earlier in our journey. We are now preparing for our last day in Israel and resting from the exhausting combination of our late night in the desert, early morning and long hike in the sun. 

-Rachel Ferm

The Negev Experience- August 5, 2013

Last night our partnership went to the Negev. When we first got to our camping sight we hung out and started cooking our own dinner. A few of us decided to climb one of the mountains to watch the sunset.  

It took us longer than we thought to climb, so we ended up running. When we got to the top we took pictures and finally sat down and watched the sun set over the desert. As the sun fell lower, more colors filled the sky until a rainbow spectrum spread across the horizon. It was one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen.  The rest of the night was filled with bonding and delicious food. When our dinner was complete we all dug into the buffet and admired our new-found cooking skills.  As usual we had our maagal lilahs (night circles) which was as meaningful as ever. Our cohort and the Upper Galilee cohort spent the remainder of the night roasting marshmallows and sharing laughs.  

For most of us it was a stretch to sleep in sleeping bags on mats with no tents, but of course we ended up enjoying it. The next morning we were woken up at 6:30 to prepare for our three hour hike through the Negev.  We were a little skeptical at first but once we started, it was impossible to not enjoy the hike because of the amazing sights we passed along the trail. It was a long trek through scorching heat, but in the end the journey was worth it.  I feel confident speaking on behalf of the rest of my cohort that our time in the desert was what Diller is truly about; spending time embracing the land of our people and creating and exceptional bond between each other.

Our time in the Negev was an experience of a lifetime. 

-Philip Caine 

Individual Leader Panel- August 3, 2013

At the conclusion of the leaders' panel, we split up according to the leaders that we had chosen to listen to individually the previous night. On my part, this meant getting to meet Rabbi Gabriel Nagrin, which was an incredible experience. 

Nagrin is the leader of the Jewish community of Athens, and has assumed responsibility over many of the outlying regions of Greece in the process. What sets him apart from many of the other leaders invited to our general panel, however, is his age: Rabbi Gabriel Nagrin is only, in fact, some twenty-five years old.

Thus, it was my privilege to encounter an extraordinary individual, one who has taken leadership of a proud and rich Jewish area in a time of its greatest modern strife. I found myself attempting to imagine the pressures of maintaining order in a community while the national government disintegrates and rioters rule the streets both day and night. (Admittedly, this is something of a dramatization, but that is the way with imaginings). 

Perhaps most importantly, Nagrin described the journey that brought him into contact with his Jewish identity, and this journey is particularly relevant given his proximity in age. Much would be lost in my own retelling, and each leader impacted us in very different and unforgettable ways. My story is simply one of many. Heck, just ask your own Diller when they get back!

Well, I'm sure you'll have plenty of questions anyway. This is just one more thing to find out!

- Noah Feiwell