Those who sacrificed for Israel- Past and present, WIE 2014, Cohort 17

Today, we started with a tour of the historic Tel Hai yard. Our tour guide explained to us that this fort had been built so the early settlers could live closer to their farms during the week. They would then go home on the weekends. Eventually, it was abandoned due to violent neighboring Arabs. It was later re- settled by pioneers prepared to face the harsh reality of the surrounding communities. Joseph Trumpeldor, a Jewish settler who had served as an officer in the Russian army went to teach these new settlers how to fight. While he was there, the Tel Hai yard was surrounded by 400 Arabs. Shortly after, fighting started. Seventeen Jewish settler defended themselves against this enormous army, yet they were able to make the Arabs to leave. The cost of this battle was eight Jewish lives, including Joseph's. He famously said, "Never mind, it is worth giving my life for the State of Israel." This phrase was used by the early Jewish authority to inspire young pioneers to settle the North And is known to most Israelis today. They abandoned the fort for some years until Israel became a state and it was turned into a museum. As we toured the yard, we took a moment to close our eyes to try and feel what it was like to be in Tel Hai at the time; able to bear the daily struggle of life through an undying hope that one day, Israel would have a state of its own. We discussed the importance of sacrifice in its many forms and what we, as young Jewish leaders can do to better Israel and the world. 

From the Tel Hai yard, we drove through the rain to the Kiryat Shmona Community Center where we played some games, ate a 'make your own' falafel lunch and listened to a presentation on Mutav Yachdav (or "Better Together"); a community project in Kiryat Shmona. This project is a large scale effort to get residents to play a role in their community by planning and leading events. We discussed similar organizations we saw in our own communities and similarities we saw in Diller. Some teen's Impact Projects target their local communities and it was inspiring to see a program similar to the ones we were planning which had experienced successes. 

We then took a break in which we played some team building games and had an impromptu game of beach ball volleyball. This was followed by a Diller Alumni program. We all created a piece of art that represented Tikkun Olam (fixing the world) and discussed our pieces. We were then able to talk to the Alumni about how Diller had affected Tikkun Olam in their lives and how we hoped it would affect ours. The Junior Counselors and Staff then led two programs which were part of a series Diller has been doing. Previous lessons included Language, Covenant and Family. 

Today, we went over the units of Israel and Memory. In the Israel unit, we briefly discussed our opinions on what relationships to Israel should look like for Jews in and outside of Israel. The Memory unit focused on the importance of memory in Judaism; as an individual, as a leadership program and as a nation of Jews. The night ended with one of our Ma'agals which consisted of feedback for the previous two days. Overall, the day was jam packed, interesting, educational and fun!