Hi all!
The chaggim (holiday) season in Israel has finally come to an end and life is returning to a somewhat normal routine. During chol Hamoed Succot, the shnatties participated in our annual Yam L’Yam tiyul (sea to sea hike)!
They started tiyul early last Tuesday in Achziv, with a short tekes (ceremony) of filling a water bottle from the Mediterranean, which symbolised the journey we were about to set off on, together with all the other Habonim Dror participants from around the world - Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, England, North America and Holland. Altogether, there were approximately 140 people participating in this years’ tiyul.
On Tuesday we hiked part of the Cziv trail, which is near the Montfort fortress remains and Goren Park. The hike ended with a very short but very steep incline which was certainly to be remembered! The shnatties returned to Goren just in time for sunset and to set up the campsite. Unfortunately the weather proved less than friendly and some intermittent showers meant a challenging night! The whole group were real troopers, not minding a bit of rain and mud in the slightest! And thankfully it didn’t rain throughout the night, and everyone got a good night’s sleep.
On Wednesday we got up at the refreshing hour of 5.45am (!), packed up camp and set off with a short bus ride to Elkosh bridge, and walked along Niria river bed, to Hirbet Homema (near the base of Mt Meron) and then proceeded to climb up to the top of the Meron. Mt Meron is the 2nd highest mountain in Israel, and has stunning views of the entire region. That night we camped at Nachal Amud, which is situated on the Cross Israel Trail, a very busy hiking track which goes from the north of the country, all the way to the south.
On Thursday the shnatties started back at the top of Mt Meron and descended the mountain they had climbed the previous day, and then continued on the Upper Nachal Amud trail, through the Schia pools (small pools of water along the track) and then continued all the way to Tsfat, which once again had a very steep incline (anyone familiar with Tsfat will know that it is in a very mountainous area!). A short bus ride took the shnatties back to the Camping Ground. Upon arrival back, they were met with the famous sight of the spinning roasting chickens, which provided a sumptuous feast for dinner (With vegetarian options of veggie skewers and delicious burgul salad with freshly picked figs and pomegranates provided of course!)
On Friday, we got up again at 5.45am, in order to pack up the campsite, and after a short bus ride near to Kibbutz Hukuk, we started the final leg of the hike, primarily through banana fields, and all the way to the beach at Kibbutz Ginosar. Everyone rejoiced in some swimming time and the chance to have a shower finally! We finished with a short tekes, involving the bottle of water which we had filled up and carried from the Meditteranean to the Kinneret, and the distribution of Yam L Yam shirts!!
A great time was had by all, and some shnatties made great friends with various other Habonim Dror participants from around the world. The next worldwide Habonim Dror event, the Rabin Memorial Seminar weekend, will be at the end of October.
Until next time,
Leon
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Monday, 5 October 2009
Chaggim to the Max on Shnat
Dear parents and fans of Shnat 2009-10,
So the past couple of weeks has been a blur of activity, learning, and growth for the Shnatties. The shnatties have been on Ein Dor for three weeks now, and have become lovable neighbors of the community. Their first week was an orientation and 'getting to know' the different elements of the Boneh program - from hebrew lessons to work in anafim on the kibbutz, to the learning structure and their partners - the North American Habonim workshoppers (Shnat participants). They went through many peulot and sichot, and committed to making the most of their time as a part of the kibbutz community. The week was rounded out with a siyur (trip) to discover the region of Israel that they are in - they had a guided tour of the Circassian village of Kfar Kama, which lies just north of Ein Dor, and heard stories and tales of Circassian life in Israel. The Circassians are a tiny percentage of the population (about 3,000 in total) of Israel, but have a highly unique culture and way of life. Needless to say, it was a fascinating tour!
The shnatties then went to Shibli, a neighbouring Bedouin village that sits at the foot of Mt Tavor, and were treated to a feast of a meal for lunch, including falafel, hummous, tahina, more pita than we knew what to do with, and a wonderful atmosphere.
The group also ventured to a lookout over Afula, and received an explanation of the history and layout of the city, and the Jezre'el valley in Israel in general.
The shnatties then had the pleasure of feeling their first chag in Israel - Rosh Hashana. Many left kibbutz for family, or simply the sense of adventure, while those who stayed on kibbutz were welcomed to the big community feast as new participants in one of the major highlights of communal kibbutz life - chaggim.
The first week of Boneh proper marked the beginning of classes for the shnat group. The first few weeks have seen them examine the basis of 'Israeliness' and the general day-to-day lives of Israelis in the Israeli Society course, they have examined the bible period in Jewish history, as well as symbols and prayer in their Cultural Judaism course. The shnatties have also learnt some of the origins of Socialist Zionism through Marx, Hess, Syrkin and Pinsker, as well as the beginnings of the Jewish state in Israeli History. The shnatties also started to work in various anafim (branches) of work around the kibbutz. These include:
- Cheese making (there is an established cheese making facility on Ein Dor, where they use their own milk from their cowshed)
- Cheder Ochel/Kitchen (preparation of food and maintaining the dining room area)
- Horses (the kibbutz has a horse farm which involved grooming and feeding the horses)
- Garden (maintenance of the gardens and public areas of the kibbutz)
- Laundry (washing and folding the clothes of the kibbutzniks)
- Childrens' Homes (There are preschool homes for children aged 2,3, and 4 on the kibbutz, where the shnatties are involved in feeding and educating the youngest in the kibbutz community)
- Factory (the factory on kibbutz develops wooden spools for telecommunication wires)
- Doll maker (there is a professional doll maker on kibbutz where the shnatties help to create toys for the youngsters!).
They also had a special guest come to speak to them during the first full week of programming - Reut from Machon L'Chaggim (Institute for Jewish festivals). Machon L'Chaggim is a library and learning centre based at Kibbutz Bet Hashita which invests in learning workshops to understand Jewish expression on kibbutz.
Last week, the shnatties returned from Yom Kippur for another action-packed week on Boneh. The guest speaker for the week was Mark Rosenstein, who runs an organisation called Makom B'Galil near Karmiel. He came to speak about the general Jewish history during the temple period in Judaism, but also specifically about the evolution of the Talmud, and it's influence in the shaping of Judaism during that period.
The project for the week was to build a sukkah! The shnatties enthusiastically hammered and decorated away, and made their own sukkah for chag hasukkot. Those who stayed on kibbutz were also involved in the 'Sukkot show' on Ein Dor, and had the chance to see their north american friends dance live on stage!
Tomorrow the group will be heading on to Yam le Yam (Sea to Sea). A 4 day tiyul that starts from the Meditarranean sea, and goes through some of the most beautiful and picturesque areas of Israel, including Har Meron, and we finish up at the Kinneret for a well earned dip in the sea! After that the group will be heading back to kibbutz, or out to see relatives/friends for the weekend.
I would like to wish everyone a chag sameach, and all the best for the week to come.
Until next time,
Leon.
So the past couple of weeks has been a blur of activity, learning, and growth for the Shnatties. The shnatties have been on Ein Dor for three weeks now, and have become lovable neighbors of the community. Their first week was an orientation and 'getting to know' the different elements of the Boneh program - from hebrew lessons to work in anafim on the kibbutz, to the learning structure and their partners - the North American Habonim workshoppers (Shnat participants). They went through many peulot and sichot, and committed to making the most of their time as a part of the kibbutz community. The week was rounded out with a siyur (trip) to discover the region of Israel that they are in - they had a guided tour of the Circassian village of Kfar Kama, which lies just north of Ein Dor, and heard stories and tales of Circassian life in Israel. The Circassians are a tiny percentage of the population (about 3,000 in total) of Israel, but have a highly unique culture and way of life. Needless to say, it was a fascinating tour!
The shnatties then went to Shibli, a neighbouring Bedouin village that sits at the foot of Mt Tavor, and were treated to a feast of a meal for lunch, including falafel, hummous, tahina, more pita than we knew what to do with, and a wonderful atmosphere.
The group also ventured to a lookout over Afula, and received an explanation of the history and layout of the city, and the Jezre'el valley in Israel in general.
The shnatties then had the pleasure of feeling their first chag in Israel - Rosh Hashana. Many left kibbutz for family, or simply the sense of adventure, while those who stayed on kibbutz were welcomed to the big community feast as new participants in one of the major highlights of communal kibbutz life - chaggim.
The first week of Boneh proper marked the beginning of classes for the shnat group. The first few weeks have seen them examine the basis of 'Israeliness' and the general day-to-day lives of Israelis in the Israeli Society course, they have examined the bible period in Jewish history, as well as symbols and prayer in their Cultural Judaism course. The shnatties have also learnt some of the origins of Socialist Zionism through Marx, Hess, Syrkin and Pinsker, as well as the beginnings of the Jewish state in Israeli History. The shnatties also started to work in various anafim (branches) of work around the kibbutz. These include:
- Cheese making (there is an established cheese making facility on Ein Dor, where they use their own milk from their cowshed)
- Cheder Ochel/Kitchen (preparation of food and maintaining the dining room area)
- Horses (the kibbutz has a horse farm which involved grooming and feeding the horses)
- Garden (maintenance of the gardens and public areas of the kibbutz)
- Laundry (washing and folding the clothes of the kibbutzniks)
- Childrens' Homes (There are preschool homes for children aged 2,3, and 4 on the kibbutz, where the shnatties are involved in feeding and educating the youngest in the kibbutz community)
- Factory (the factory on kibbutz develops wooden spools for telecommunication wires)
- Doll maker (there is a professional doll maker on kibbutz where the shnatties help to create toys for the youngsters!).
They also had a special guest come to speak to them during the first full week of programming - Reut from Machon L'Chaggim (Institute for Jewish festivals). Machon L'Chaggim is a library and learning centre based at Kibbutz Bet Hashita which invests in learning workshops to understand Jewish expression on kibbutz.
Last week, the shnatties returned from Yom Kippur for another action-packed week on Boneh. The guest speaker for the week was Mark Rosenstein, who runs an organisation called Makom B'Galil near Karmiel. He came to speak about the general Jewish history during the temple period in Judaism, but also specifically about the evolution of the Talmud, and it's influence in the shaping of Judaism during that period.
The project for the week was to build a sukkah! The shnatties enthusiastically hammered and decorated away, and made their own sukkah for chag hasukkot. Those who stayed on kibbutz were also involved in the 'Sukkot show' on Ein Dor, and had the chance to see their north american friends dance live on stage!
Tomorrow the group will be heading on to Yam le Yam (Sea to Sea). A 4 day tiyul that starts from the Meditarranean sea, and goes through some of the most beautiful and picturesque areas of Israel, including Har Meron, and we finish up at the Kinneret for a well earned dip in the sea! After that the group will be heading back to kibbutz, or out to see relatives/friends for the weekend.
I would like to wish everyone a chag sameach, and all the best for the week to come.
Until next time,
Leon.
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