Contributed by Jonathan Altman

This past Diller workshop was centered around the idea of inclusion.

Right from the get-go, Daniel from cohort 18 got us started with a couple of activities about inclusion. For our first activity, some of us were given instructions to do things like skip around the room or act like a chicken, while others were given no instructions. It was a great first step into the topic of inclusion, as our members who were not given instructions were confused and felt left out. We then moved on to draw concept maps about how we can include others and the effects inclusion can have. We capped off our study of inclusion with a discussion, where some members of the cohort shared very personal stories that let us grow closer. We established some inclusion norms, and then moved on to our study of Torah.

This was our first time as just our cohort studying Torah together. In Diller, this is called "Shnayim Ochazin." We first read the passage from which this name derives, about how to divide up something of immense value between two people. Gavi and Ma’ayan volunteered to play out the scenario, and it was very entertaining as well as very deep. We discussed the meaning of both the text and the scenario after it was done, and we were able to extract the deeper moral messages hidden within the text. We practiced our new Torah study skills by reading a passage about Miriam and discussing the idea of leadership as a group. We covered all sorts of questions surrounding leadership such as: Is leadership inherent? Are there different types of leadership? Etc… The discussion was very lively and everyone seemed to contribute their opinions. Once we finished our Torah study, we went to the roof to talk about feedback for the workshop as well as to hangout. Overall, our first meeting with just our cohort was engaging, fun, and inspiring.