Thursday, April 10, 2014

Closing Ceremony- North American Seminar 2014 Cohort 17

We left the shabbaton feeling so much closer to the Israelis than we had before. We had finally met the Israeli cohort and knowing that they were all such amazing people made it so much harder to say goodbye. On Wednesday, the Americans arrived at the Peninsula JCC and prepared to bid our Israeli friends farewell. The only problem was that the Israelis were not there! After about thirty minutes, the Israelis arrived after being stuck in heavy traffic and our closing ceremony began. It was getting to be late, so as soon as we said hello, we sat down to enjoy dinner. A short while later, Gabi and Shani got up in front of everyone and thanked all of the people who made the NAS possible. They were followed by two Israeli Diller Teens who thanked the American Dillers and their families for making the trip so enjoyable. The ceremony officially ended with a slideshow of pictures that Diller Teens had taken on the shabbaton and over the week we were able to spend with the Israelis.



Although the planned activities had ended, the goodbyes had just begun. As soon as the slideshow was over, a wave of hugs and heartfelt goodbyes spread over the San Francisco and Upper Galilee (SFUG) chapters. It was truly hard to say goodbye to the person who I had spent the last week or so with. We had grown so close over the week we were together and seeing him leave was a sad time for me. I know that I am not the only one who felt that way and we were all (both American and Israeli) super excited to see each other again when the Americans go to Israel in the summer.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

The North American Seminar 2014 Partnership retreat Cohort 17

The third day of the North American Seminar retreat at Camp Newman—after breakfast—started with ODT, which stands for outdoor training. The 40 teen were split into two groups, and in these groups, Denny led activities that relied on trust, and the abilities to use all 5 senses. These activities included rope walking, using a rope to form shapes, spelling out words and more. Although, many of these activities were done blindfolded, and as Denny pointed out, they were to show the teens the possible challenges ahead communicating for community week, as we are essentially are blindfolded, not being able to see each other face to face. 


After, all four junior counselors led a silent activity, a hike through the Santa Rosa mountains. On the hike, we were instructed to answer given questions about the retreat, our Israeli partners, and the decisions we have made. This was a special time to truly reflect on the retreat and have time alone. After lunch, the group went back to programming in which we focused on community week and were given our committees for community week. This was a very exciting experience that everyone was looking forward to and the results were great! At our surprise, we were then given 2 hours of much needed free time to play sports, hang out, etc. This was a great opportunity for the Israelis and Americans to truly intermix by not only programming, but by playing sports, talking about life or whatever it may be.

As the retreat reached its closing, both Americans and Israeli’s came together for a joined Maagal Lyla, led by the American JC's. Teens were encouraged to toss a cube, that on all sides had different questions about experiences from the retreat. This was a great time to get the group’s perspective on the retreat, and learn new things about individual Americans and Israelis. Before dinner, the Americans and Israeli’s split for the usual Maagal Lylas. After dinner, the Havdallah committee led a great service that concluded the retreat. A special moment was the singing of the blessings, in which the Israeli’s taught the Americans a unique way to sing to blessings. By 9:00, both Americans and Israelis were on the bus, suitcases packed, and ready to go home for the home hospitality day!





Friday, April 4, 2014

Ma’agal Madness and other thoughts- NAS Retreat 2014 Cohort 17



If the first day of the Shabbaton had a theme, it would undoubtedly be “enthusiastic exhaustion.” It seemed that Thursday was even more of a whirlwind than the opening ceremony the night before. To be seated in a hot bus with bags stacked in the aisles and 40 other teens for several hours doesn't sound ideal, but looking back I somehow can’t imagine doing anything better. It’s hard to fathom how the Israeli fellows could exert any energy towards us whatsoever (considering that their internal clocks probably had broken gears at this point), but as demonstrated by their animated reaction to simply crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, they seemed to have no shortage of pizzazz to put forth.  Roughly 2 hours and 5 new Israeli slang words later, we arrived at Camp Newman. After receiving our bunk mates and settling in briefly, we made our way to the dining hall. The Americans, I’m sure, all had a knot of dread tied in their stomachs, but seeing our partners’ exuberance, it was hard to focus on the less than gourmet cuisine. Once dinner was over, activities and ice breakers ensued in true Diller fashion. The most memorable perhaps being the partner activity in which we were instructed to act out a particular place from each other’s homes. I have to say, some of the representations I saw should have been deemed the new wonders of the world. I found it hilarious and amazing that we were all able to pull ourselves together and overcome fatigue, language barriers, and unfamiliarity all for the sake of this one exercise, which I suppose was the whole point of it to begin with.

While of course truly interacting with the Israeli teens for the first time carries special significance that I won’t be soon to forget, the most memorable and most outrageous part of Thursday in my humble opinion was our ma’agal that night. I can say with confidence I was only about 60% conscious for its duration, and I’m assuming others might concur. But while we were all completely burnt out, I was definitely impressed that we were able to come up with a proper mission statement for community week. Strangely enough, I found this combination of serious work and sheer hysteria a pretty good representation of our cohort’s dynamic. Out of disorganization and lightweight delirium, we still managed to be productive (to an extent). Even in that state of weariness, I could see we were primed to develop new in-depth acquaintances, continue to get closer as a cohort, and ultimately make the most of our time at Newman, no matter how much sleep we would end up getting. In retrospect, I’d gladly have traded in those hours for the new experiences and friends I gained, and it’s safe to say the ends more than justified the means. 





By Samara Meyer

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

North American Seminar 2014- Opening with a Bang! Cohort 17

The Opening Ceremony was the first time most of the fellows met their partners. The Israelis arrived at Temple Emanuel earlier to meet a panel of rabbis, but when the Americans began to arrive the Israelis were in a separate room for a Magal Layla (debrief circle). A lot of American fellows asked where the Israelis were, and they were so excited to be in the same building with them.

Finally this Israelis came downstairs and met their partners. For 10 minutes all of us grouped together, talking and hugging our partners. It was a surreal moment, since after months of talking to partners over the internet we finally were together in real life. I had spent the day with the Israelis, but it still hadn't fully hit me that they were finally here. I was really nervous and really excited.

Eventually we calmed down a little and went to sit with our families. People got food, and Gabi welcomed the Upper Galilee cohort to San Francisco. Diller leaders spoke about the importance of the San Francisco-Upper Galilee partnership, and the San Francisco J.C.s showed a welcome video.


Lastly, at our tables partners and families worked together to create an outline of our experiences as Jews. We answered questions relating to our own personal Judaism and drew a web between connected aspects of each others' Jewish identities. The web was a powerful metaphor for our shared experiences, and it helped set the tone for the North American Seminar.