Their Journey Comes to an End

Hello Workshop Families and Friends,

The chanichim have returned from their Poland journey and are slowly getting back into the swing of things back here in Israel.  I wanted to update you all on how their journey went for them.

Two things can clearly be said about the journey: it was both extremely challenging emotionally and physically (lots of travel, not a lot of sleep), and it was extremely meaningful and bonding.  One of the components of the journey which brings meaning is that they are in charge of the different ceremonies that take place on the journey.  After every major location, the chanichim stand together, read readings, sing songs, and light candles in memory of those lost.  The chanichim are given weeks to put together a ceremony especially built for each location.  This proved to be an important point for the chanichim to gather with each other and reflect, and we were all proud of what they created. 

The chanichim were also responsible for the Kabbalat Shabbat that was done on Friday night in Warsaw.  But what really brought light to their Shabbat was all the letters from their families.  I would like to take this moment to thank you all for contributing to the journey.  The chanichim were truly surprised and moved by this.  It gave them strength at a difficult time and let them know that their loved ones are there with them, even if they are across the ocean.  Also, thanks to chanichim learning about their family histories, some of them were able to share stories of their families along the way, and even were able to stop at meaningful locations.  These small additions to the trip create a connection to the content and a motivation to learn and understand all that is around them.

As I said, it was also extremely difficult and challenging.  The chanichim face harsh realities and descriptions of evil that are unfathomable.  What can be said, though, is that even in the darkest times of the journey - at Majdanek, for instance, one of the death camps outside of the city of Lublin - the chanichim supported one another and their friendships were the bonds that allowed them to continue on through.  Their comfort for one another was a welcome contrast to the barbed wire fences surrounding them.

The journey ended with the Path of Heroism, in which the chanichim walk through the streets of what was once the Warsaw Ghetto and understand step by step, story by story, how the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising came to be.  For those that do not know, the uprisings that took place in the different ghettoes throughout Poland were orchestrated by and large by youth movements.  The major movement in Warsaw was Dror – the same Dror that is now Habonim Dror.  Learning about the heroic acts, the difficult choices, and the near mythic characters was simply inspiring and empowering.  Learning about the roots of the youth movement they are a part of, about the values and the actions that make up its history, gave the chanichim a sense of hope, hope which was essential after seeing so much despair.  Knowing that even in times of war and destruction, people can choose to be good and to do what is right, people can stand up in the face of evil and choose to shape their own lives how they see fit, gave the chanichim guidance and courage for the future.

The journey was very meaningful and I encourage all of you to be in touch with your children about what they experienced, as processing the journey is in and of itself also an essential element of the journey.

The Poland Journey Grows Nearer

Hello Workshop Family and Friends,

The past week has been an eventful one in the world of workshop!

Last weekend, the workshoppers headed off on Friday morning to the Ghetto Fighters’ Museum, at the Ghetto Fighters’ Kibbutz. The museum was the first official holocaust commemorative museum in the world – established as a small exhibition of photographs from the Warsaw Ghetto in 1949. Today, the museum is still a huge part of the kibbutz history, which had a large number of Warsaw Ghetto fighters’ in the original kibbutz community.

The seminar started with an in-depth look at the Nazi rise to power, and the elements of the Nazi society. The workshoppers went through a few exhibitions – including the Nazi rise to power, the process of ghettoisation and deportation of the Jews, the world of camps that the Nazis created, and we also had some time to examine the newest exhibit to the museum – the experience of the Dutch Jewish community in the Shoah. Needless to say, it was a lot to take in!

The workshoppers headed from the museum to Shlomi hostel, where the seminar continued with a series of challenging peulot. Over Friday & Saturday, the workshoppers dealt with a range of topics, including anti-semitism in the medieval period and in the modern period, Diaspora Jewish communities and the characteristics of them created throughout the period of Exile, the beginnings of Jewish Zionist youth movements, as well as the act of rebellion – in their lives as individuals as well as within the movement.

On Sunday morning, the workshoppers headed back to the Ghetto Fighters’ Museum, although this time a lot of the focus was on the resistance during the holocaust, and with a big emphasis on the acts of the youth movement during the shoah, and specifically the Dror movement – a name from which we draw our own heritage. The group went through the museum exhibition that examines the different types and levels of resistance and rebellion during the holocaust, as well as the exhibition that deals with the Warsaw Ghetto, including the Uprising of 1943. The workshoppers also spent some time at the Righteous Gentiles exhibit, as well as the “hall of the founders” a large central room of the museum which has riveting testimonies of the survivors of the uprisings that came to settle in the Ghetto Fighters’ Kibbutz.

The seminar was a challenging and inspiring experience for the workshoppers, one which has really laid down the groundwork for the next step in the Poland journey – the trip to Poland itself. We will be heading over there in the wee hours of the morning of March 12, and will return to Israel also in the very early hours of March 19. It will undoubtedly be an exciting educational and emotional experience for the workshoppers, one which they will certainly gain a lot from.

Happy Leap Day!

On Advocacy, Conventions and Hikes

Hello Workshop Friends and Families,

Today I wanted to update you on the past week or so.  As I mentioned in my last blog update, the chanichim this past week had an Israel Advocacy Seminar organized jointly by the Foreign Affairs Ministry and MASA.  The seminar took place from Sunday thru Wednesday and they stayed in a lovely hostel in Jerusalem.  The seminar consisted of a mix of different speakers and workshops from a diverse group of people with a wealth of experience and a variety of backgrounds.  They had speakers from the government (including the speaker for the Prime Minister’s Office!), they had speakers from the media (including the Jerusalem Bureau Chief for the New York Times!), and they had workshops from many different organizations that provide high-grade training in areas such as public speaking, media correspondence, and social network-based community organizing.  The seminar overall provided the chanichim with the opportunity to gain skills that they can apply both to advocacy as well as to many other fields in which communication and organizing are key, as well as being provided a chance to be exposed to people with different views than our own – namely the Israeli government.  Oh, and there was also a stand-up comedian! 

After that intense week, on Saturday night the chanichim traveled back to the Jerusalem area for a celebratory dinner that coincided with the World Mazkirut Convention, where the leadership from the different Habonim’s around the world come together for a 5 day seminar.  Here they hob-knobbed with the new Southern Hemisphere chanichim as well as the new Latin American chanichim, the leadership from countries all over the world - Mexico to New Zealand, Brazil to France and more - they ate pancakes, popcorn and cotton candy, and were entertained by the HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed youth choir - a big hit every year.

Today the chanichim are spending their regular Yom Kvutsa on a special one-day hike in the far North near Kibbutz Ramot Naftali.  It is going very well as of writing this update.

I also wanted to give you what I promised – a description of the chanichim’s Messima in their own words.  So here are a couple to start us off for this update:

Deshanim (Basha, Emma, Gabe, Finn, Leor):

This is the best messima, by far! On Sundays, we work with tenth, eleventh, and twelfth graders to help them learn english. We teach less as a teacher and more as an aide as we sit one-on-one with students and assist as the students complete worksheets. Sunday is our most active day, when we work during all six of the class periods. Sunday is also the day in which we bond with the students the most, as we work closely. Tuesday and Wednesday are both days in which we plan the first half of the day and run our planned activities in the afternoon. This ranges from explanations about our home countries to inventions to even outer space! During the times in which we lead a class, we play games and have the kids sit in a circle. We have learned that movies always work. Deshanim is a high school a little north of Haifa. Every messima morning, Basha, Emma, and Gabe leave at 6:30 and Finn and Leor leave at 7:15 in order to catch the public sherut, or large taxi. We then catch the "school bus", or Egged (bus company) bus with the students and teachers to the school.

Akko – Arab:

We (Brandon, Talia, Emily, Isaac) have been working twice a week in an Arab school in the centre of Akko. We go into grade 7 and 8 English classes and run activities for them to teach them English in an informal setting. Twice a week we also work at a primarily Arab after school club for ages 3-18. In the after school club we do various things such as cooking, sports, and arts and crafts. We love working in Akko, it gives us a deep connection to our city and helps us understand the relationship between the different groups of people that live here.

Kaveret Continues

Hello Workshop Blog,

This update is simply to report, as the title suggests, that Kaveret continues.  In the past couple weeks, the chanichim had their first Poland journey preparation seminar.  The topics they delved into covered how the Holocaust is educated and often misrepresented, envisioning a society that is based on the opposite values of the ones in Nazi Germany, and the idea of a journey and what it entails.  The seminar all in all went very well in both Akko and Karmiel. 

In other news, winter is in full swing in Israel.  It may seem silly to think about winter in this mostly desert-like landscape, but winter we have.  It mostly consists of cold rainy days every few weeks.  From one point of view, this is a miracle from the heavens and we should be thankful – after all, the Kinneret is still dangerously low.  But, on the other hand, most buildings in Israel were not built for the couple months of wintry weather this country gets, and as a result it is cold and miserable many times.  This is certainly true of the Kaveret houses, which can be cold and damp at times.  This has led to a noticeable upswing in colds and light sicknesses experienced by the chanichim as a whole.  In addition, as you all probably know, there have been other technical issues in the Kaveret houses which are being dealt with hastily to ensure a safe environment. 

Next week, the chanichim have a special 4 daylong seminar jointly organized by MASA and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  It is a seminar about advocacy and they will be mostly in Jerusalem, with a trip to Sderot as well.  They will be learning about different aspects of Israel and its place in the world and how it is - and should be - represented.  This is a new element in the Workshop program and we are excited for the opportunity.

In the future, I hope to get chanichim to write about their Messima experiences on Kaveret to give you a better understanding of the day-to-day reality they are in. 

Until then, keep warm and dry wherever you find yourselves this winter.

Today's Mission

Hello!

Well Kaveret has officially begun!  The chanichim are all moved into their houses in Akko and Karmiel and messima has begun.  The general weekly schedule these days for the chanichim involves three days of messima in their respective volunteering places (Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday), one day of Yom Kvusta as always (Monday), and one day called Yom Kaveret (Thursday), where the chanichim have peulot run for them about the society they are living in and how they interact with it.  These days’ topics include learning about the history and present of the city they live in, learning about the socio-economic stratification of Israeli society and how that affects the people in it and learning about the conflict and its complex intricacies that are woven into the fabric of society.  There is also the occasional time to just learn how to function in this new environment of living in a house together in a city, such as cooking competitions and the like.

Since we last checked in, the chanichim had their Winter Chofesh!  It was relatively uneventful (blog-wise, at least…), but since getting back they are slowly acclimating to their new environments.  The most exciting aspect of Kaveret is, of course, their messimot – the volunteering work they do which makes up the bulk of their week’s events.  Messimot – which literally means “missions” – are the chanichim’s chance to put into action the values and ideas they developed during Boneh.  The chanichim are actively participating in Israeli society and through the framework of teaching English and running after-school programming, they have the opportunity to really get to know Israeli youth and educate them towards a better future for all of Israel.  Messimot have a Melave, or “chaperone”, who helps them enter into the places they are in, helps them develop educational materials, and educates the chanichim themselves on what it means to be working hands-on in Israeli society.  The Melave is from Hanoar HaOved veHaLomed, our sister movement, and they have experience in the places that the chanichim are working in. 

The Messimot range from working in local schools in Akko and Karmiel, to working in boarding schools for at-risk youth, to working in Arab villages in the local Galil region.  Often we have developed partnerships in the volunteering places over the course of many years and the students look forward to when the Habonim people come to work with them.   

The other news to report about is that the chanichim have begun the process to prepare for their journey to Poland.  The process is over the course of a couple months, learning about the Holocaust, about the youth movements in Eastern Europe, and about the nature of the trip in general.  Last week the chanichim had their first activity inviting them to be a part of the process and this weekend they have their first seminar to prepare for the journey.

The dates of the journey are March 12-19.

The End of an Era

Hello Parents, Friends and Family of Workshop 61,

This update marks the official end of Boneh for the chanichim.  Last night they had their closing ceremony in the Kibbutz lounge with many invited guests making special appearances.  Thanks were given out, songs were sung, slideshows were shown, jelly donuts were served.  They even got certificates of completion signed by famous Zionist thinker/educator/philosopher – the late Martin Buber! 

But before I get ahead of myself, I’ll bring the blog up to date.  When last we left off the chanichim were in the middle of Habo History Seminar.  This seminar concluded and was a great success.  The chanichim went on to visit more Kibbutzim, learning about the process of privatization and how different Kibbutzim adjusted to the changing realities of the day.  Some abandoned core principles, some retained most of their collective identity, some radically changed their structures.  They went on to learn about how our sister movement in Israel has taken the values of the Kibbutz movement and inserted them into a new way of living which is mostly urban, in small intimate groups, and their societal mission is educational.  The seminar concluded with the chanichim learning about how Habonim Dror also adjusted to the changes in the Kibbutz movement and met with young Olim (immigrants) who live today communally in Israel and work with Habonim.

Then the chanichim had their final week of Boneh, summing up the different topics they learned about and beginning the arduous process of cleaning and packing.

On Sunday morning the buses will arrive and whisk the chanichim away to their new homes.  There they will have their Kaveret Preparation Seminar before heading off to Chofesh. 

It is also almost Chanukah, which the chanichim will celebrate together in their houses.  So for now I wish you all an early Chag Sameach!  May your week be full of light and warmth.

Catching Up

Hello Workshop Families and Friends!

It has been too long since the last update and for that I would like to apologize.

Here is what has happened on Workshop in the last few weeks:

Early November brought us to the Yitzchak Rabin Seminar.  This seminar was held in the north of Israel in a place called Poriya.  200 Habos from all over the world plus some rain made conditions a little soggy, but most every participant really chose to approach the whole weekend with a good attitude and in the end the seminar was a major success.  There was a fantastic meeting of cultures – this seminar is the only time in the year where all the English speaking and all the Spanish speaking chanichim come together  - and on top of that, the message of the seminar, Peace, was an important one that was well discussed by all. 

The week after the seminar the Yitzchak Rabin Memorial Rally was held in Tel-Aviv.  The rally itself was preceded by a smaller rally put together by and for Israeli youth movements that Workshop also attended.  Both rallies were very moving and meaningful, and it was another opportunity for the Workshoppers to get out to the streets with the rest of Israeli society to have their voices heard, this time in pursuit of the ancient Jewish value of peace.

Other than Rabin related events, the Workshoppers have been continuing on Boneh.  The topics have slowly moved towards the beginnings of Zionism, the formation of the State and the institutions that preceded it, as well as the Arab-Israeli conflict and the complex dilemmas that arise from it.  These topics have been complemented by trips all over Israel to better understand the stories and ideas, including trips to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, and the Golan Heights. 

Currently the Workshopper are on the History of Habonim Dror Hagshama Seminar (or Habo History for short).  This seminar is a week of traveling around Israel to meet the people that made history, that dug their fingers in the soil of the nation to build the society we know today, all in the name of Habonim.  They meet old Kibbutznikim, most of who grew up in Habonim in their home country before coming to found a Kibbutz.  They meet young pioneers who are building a new Kibbutz movement of educators to continue the work of creating a just society. They have challenging peulot at night to help them process all the things they see and hear.  Today they went to the Kibbutzim Kfar Blum (the first Habo Kibbutz), Kfar Hanasi (one of the oldest British Habo Kibbutzim) and Yizreel (a Kibbutz founded by New Zealand and South African Habonim).  There is more to say, but I’ll save it for the next update, which I can assure you will be very soon.

Lastly, the Workshoppers were officially told the cities they’ll be living in for Kaveret!   George and Mor’s kvutsa will be in Akko and Bria and Yotam’s kvutsa will be in Karmiel! 

They will be discussing their messimot (volunteering places) in the coming weeks.  Next week is the final week of Boneh and then they have their Orientation Seminar for Kaveret in their houses!  I’ll tell you all about it as the time comes.