Havana Curvball- Youth Activist Showcase in San Francisco

Last week, Rachael Katz and I were invited to present our group, Youth With Heart, at a youth activism showcase in Japan Town San Francisco.  We have been working on creating Youth With Heart for about a year and a half now and are looking forward to our first meeting in January.

The event was put on for a teenager named Mica, who initiated a Tikkun Olam project at the time of his Bar Mitzvah.  To make it short, Mica travelled to Cuba in order to donate baseball equipment to the youth in need.  Mica's parents, both film makers, filmed the whole process from start to finish, and made it into a movie, showcasing Mica's efforts.

Because the movie was about a teenager working to create a meaningful project and making a mark on the global community, his parents decided to create a movie premiere and youth activism showcase to see what other teens in the Bay area were working towards. The Diller Teen Fellows program was approached and we were chosen to attend  and present our project at the showcase along with four other teen groups such as ourselves.

The event was a fundraiser and sneak preview of the movie, which will be showed at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.  While the guests were watching the film, all of the youth activists were setting up their presentation booths upstairs.  It was very interesting to go around after setting up to see what other teens in the area were doing.  One girl raised money to buy uniforms for Ethiopian school children, while another group was selling South and Central American goods to send the funds back to native villages in need in South America and Central America.  It was refreshing to see that other teens are dedicating their time in such unique ways to make a difference in both the local and global community.

After the movie finished, all of the guests came upstairs to schmooze and learn about the projects being presented.  We were able to inform many people about our group and hand out flyers.  Several guests signed up for our mailing list and were willing to help in any way, which was a great motivator for us.

Overall, it was a great night and a fantastic opportunity to share our project, meet new people, and learn about other youth activism projects being done in our area.

-Philip Caine Cohort 16

“Book-Pocalypse! (not): Why Reading’s Not the End of the World”

In this era of connectivity and globalization, it’s pretty easy to get involved. Organizations, tailored to your every passion, can respond to emails and help you begin working in a heartbeat. School organizations fight for causes everywhere from Albania to Zimbabwe, drawing upon vast confederacies of the like-minded to actualize positive change in society. Even entirely local charities can form a facebook page to coordinate efforts with the community at large, providing unprecedented access to the resources needed to do good. Given all these ways to become a part of something else, I was admittedly intimidated when, as the finale to the Diller Teen Fellowship, I was challenged to create and execute a project entirely of my own design. How could I, a high schooler, dive into the world of social activism without so much as a set of guidelines? Student or not, that’s exactly what I did--creating the Book-Pocalypse, as I called it, was one of the most rewarding and empowering experiences of my high school career.

My fellow Diller teens and I had only just returned from a three-week seminar in Israel and, still vividly recalling our experience abroad, it came time to design our community service initiatives. We were encouraged to follow our passions and, finding literature foremost on my list of interests, I decided to work with my regional library. The idea was simple: With the help of my regional library, I would create an age-targeted book fair, designed to promote interesting books to kids who, busy with English classes and homework, have long since forgotten that interesting books existed. To this end, I found the Director of Teen Activity for the Rincon Library and, that very day, formalized the dates of the event. Over the following two months, I secured books for teens to freely take home after each event, purchased snacks, and designed a book list. I even came up with a name: “Book-Pocalypse! (not): Why Reading’s Not the End of the World.”

Despite all of my plans, though, and despite the numerous weeks that had gone into its preparation, I still wasn’t sure how successful the event would be. I was working with middle-to-high schoolers, after all--and if there’s any group that’s harder to hook on to literature, its middle-to-high schoolers. Would a project, entirely engineered by a senior high schooler, have a chance of success?

I needn’t have worried. By the end of the event, we had sent over 64 students on their way with a brand new book in hand, and used the entirety of our supplies. I was overwhelmed. Despite my age, despite my inexperience, I had created something wonderful, and helped four dozen students rediscover their love for reading. I didn’t need NGO status or a professional team, I learned, to make a change for the better. The potential was within me the whole time.

- Noah Feiwell  Cohort 16 

Heart Walk- Youth With Heart Tikkun Olam Project

Why is today not like other days? It is not the start of Passover, and for others it may seem like an uneventful Sunday morning that began at 6:30. We are headed to speak at a heart walk sponsored by the American Heart Association.

We were both born with a hole in our hearts as well as a defective valve, and have had multiple open-heart surgeries to repair the hole and replace the defective valve.

This morning, we are speaking in front of a crowd of 3000 eager walkers and supporters of the American Heart Association, sharing our stories of our heart defects and the impacts they have had on our lives.

Although we lead normal healthy lives, with doctors’ appointments once a year, our heart conditions have had large impacts on our lives. These impacts were once just a limiting physical factor, but have now become something much more. Today, the impacts from our surgeries and conditions has become emotional, not in a hindering way, but in a positive way that has encouraged us to seek ways to be active members of the pediatric cardiac world.

We met through a leadership program, when we played two truths and a lie, and learned that we both had similar conditions and a desire to help give others support and raise awareness about congenital heart defects.  Since then, the two of us have been working with the American Heart Association to be able to reach our goals of support and awareness.

One way that we have been working to reach these goals is by working to create Youth With Heart which will be a group for teenagers with congenital heart defects. This group will provide a social and learning environment between teens with similar conditions, as well as establish a connection with pediatric heart patients and their families. We are working to start this group because we know that there are many other teens with similar conditions as ours.

Our goals for Youth With Heart include attending more heart walks, and participating in American Heart Association events, as well as having monthly meetings with a speaker who will be able to educate the group on various topics including how our surgeries work, how we can stay healthy and avoid other cardiac defects and much more.

Another goal that we have is to partner with the already existing Moms With Heart, a group for mothers of toddlers with heart defects, to be able to speak to the mothers about experiences and feelings that we had, as well as buddy-up with the younger patients in the hopes of becoming a friend and mentor.

We had a passion for this group starting back in 2012. This was around the same time that our passion for Diller began.  We are lucky to be able to say that our two passions have come together for the Tikun Olam Project.

To us, Tikun Olam is working to make a change in an area that you are passionate and making an effort to leave the world in a better state then we found it. We are passionate and committed to Youth With Heart. Although two people cannot fix the world, we believe that Youth With Heart is a step in the right direction because we hope that this group will give teenagers with congenital heart defects the ability to feel comfortable, have a support system, and spread awareness about their situations.

The speech that we gave just a few Sunday’s ago was a meaningful experience for us both, not simply because we had the chance to get over our stage-fright, but also because we got the chance to share not only our stories, but also about our plans for Youth With Heart. Being able to share about something that we are so passionate about brought smiles to our faces.

On that Sunday morning, we wanted those in the audience to see our passion for Youth With Heart, and gather it by supporting or joining Youth With Heart. Right now, we simply hope that our passion for Youth With Heart, as well as Tikun Olam are apparent.

When reading this, perhaps you are able to think of your own passion.  Maybe it is connected to Diller, Judaism, or your family. If Diller has taught us one thing, it would have to be “whatever you put in, you will get out”.  We go all-in for Youth With Heart because we know that one day it will be a little piece of Tikun Olam. If you are passionate or have a dream, take what we have learned from Diller, and go all-in to make your passion and dreams reality!

Thanks so much for reading,

Rachael Katz and Philip Caine

A note from  one of our fellows who attends Kehilla High School-  Shalom, I am happy to use this space to share good news from our student body.  This past summer, Philip Caine, a twelfth grader, spent time in Israel with the Diller Teen Fellows. Here is a short reflection from Philip about his experience: "This past year I have been participating in the Diller Teen Fellows Program. Diller Teen Fellows is a highly selective, fifteen-month program for Jewish teens from eight North American cities and eight partner cities in Israel.  Throughout the program, we have participated in educational workshops and retreats that focus on four pillars; Israel, Leadership, Jewish Identity, and Tikkun Olam (Repairing the World).  In March, the Israeli teens traveled to America to stay with hosts from their partnership cities for the North American Seminar.  During these ten days, we took the Israelis all around the Bay Area and also had a weekend-long retreat. The most anticipated and for many, most meaningful part of the program is the Israel trip.  For three weeks we traveled throughout Israel for the Israel Summer Seminar.  It was truly the most amazing time of my life.  As a cohort, wherever we went in Israel we experienced the culture and embraced the Holy Land.  For a week we stayed with our Israeli hosts, experiencing the daily life of an Israeli family and participated in fun and life-changing activities.  During the following week, all of the Diller Teen Fellows, both American and Israeli, had a retreat together, where we continued our studies of the four pillars and made lasting friendships from around the world. After returning from this amazing trip we had a reflection retreat.  This final few months of the program are dedicated to tikkun olam projects that each of the teens work to create and carry out - I am working with another Diller Teen Fellow to implement a program called "Youth with Heart." In December, we will meet for the last time to share our experiences and tikkun olam projects with friends and family.  I will continue my work with the Diller Teen Fellows Program over the next year as a Junior Counselor - I will help with programming and workshops and will accompany the next cohort on their trip to Israel next summer." -- Congratulations to Phillip on this amazing leadership opportunity. Best wishes, Rabbi Darren Kleinberg, Head of School Kehillah Jewish High School

Cohort 17 Orientation

The Diller orientation was a really fun way to start off the fellowship. Although I felt like I didn’t know as much about the  program as some of the others in the group, I wasn’t very nervous going in because I already knew a number of the kids in the cohort either from school or other activities, and I already knew the program coordinator Gabi. 

We gave short introductions about ourselves to the group and also played a game where Gabi would say a statement and depending on whether our answer was yes no or unsure, we’d sit down on the chair, stand up or stand up on the chair. I think part of what makes the cohort so interesting is that even from the short introductions and this chair activity, it was clear that while we’re all so different, we got along really well and our differences made things interesting. 

At one point we went onto the roof and played the human knot game. We all stood in a circle and reached our hands across the circle to grab a hand of another fellow in our group. this created a "Human Knot" that we then had to somehow had to get out of. This was difficult task as some were being held upside down while others facing the inner circle and outer circle. We had to listen to one another and let fellows take turns while trying to get out of the knot. slowly we became "undone" and although we did not succeeded in full we worked together, listened and made compromises while helping each other to achieve our goal.  

This definitely helped everyone get more comfortable around one another. I expected myself to stay in my comfort zone and only really talk to kids who I already knew but by the end of the orientation, I had talked to everyone!  By getting to know everyone in the group, by breaking down some of our natural barriers, and by doing activities as a group, where everyone had to participate, I realized that not only did I really enjoy the afternoon, but I also really liked everyone!  I’m excited about the year ahead….

-Moriah Wolfe Cohort 17

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