Second day at Sde Boker, only full day at Kennes

Note: this post is intended to come chronologically after Emmet's and before Indiana's.

We started our first full day of Kennes with breakfast in the Kibbutz dining hall. As we munched on eggs, potato pastries, and cucumbers - an Israeli breakfast classic - the San Francisco cohort split up and mingled with all the other Dillers. We talked with South Africans, other Americans, and Canadians about our lives back home, our experience in Diller, and our Israeli partners. For our first program, we went to the main auditorium to hear the famous David Ben Gurion speak, who happened to be our JC, Sam, dressed in a hilarious wig. Next, we split up into our color groups to talk about the foundation of Israel. We had to pretend we were back in history, and make decisions about the formation of Israel as if we were the past leaders. We discussed if the word G-d should be used in the Declaration of Independence, what Israel should be named, what our official language should be, and whether we should accept the UN partition plan regarding Jerusalem. In the end, we voted to make Israel a Jewish state.
After we ate lunch - more delicious shnitzel and rice - we went back to the auditorium to learn about the history of the Jewish people from Liat. This served as an important foundation and introduction to the following activities in our color groups, which involved the Jewish communities in North America. We began by trying to guess who the first Jew in America was and then acting out ideas to the group. Although they were incorrect, they were all pretty hilarious. We ended this activity by trying to guess what North American cities had the largest population. Who knew San Francisco is fourth on the list?!
We were brought back into the auditorium to discuss our impact projects and learn how we can make a lasting difference through actions in our own communities.
After a short break, we did an activity called Rock Po, meaning Only Here. The name comes from a song which talks about all the aspects - the good, the bad, and the ugly - that make Israel feel like home. We personalized this idea to our own life by writing short poems/songs about the sweet and bitter parts of our own homes.
After dinner an improv artist named Molly Livingstone performed and taught us. Some of her jokes missed the mark, but this activity taught us that comedy is a language we can all understand. We ended this hectic yet awesome day with a dance party at the White Tent. San Francisco definitely brought the best energy, and Lara came out and showed us some crazy moves on the dance floor. Then it was off to bed for an early start the next day!
All in all, Kennes was a chaotic and beautiful experience, one that left us with a deeper understanding of what characterizes Judaism in all different communities and the struggles that Israel faced in its history and still faces today. We learned about the past leader who shaped the nation to understand what we can do as leaders in our own communities. It was incredible to get to know teenagers from across the world.

Contributed by Hannah Chorley