Ofek: Tiyul Group

Our final group for Ofek, Noah, Max, Alex and Chantal spent five days hiking in the Negev. With the support of Ido, their madrich, they planned and ran the tiyul almost entirely on their own. During the preparation days, they learned how to navigate, including a practice navigation test throughout Rishon Letzion, planned their menu, planned fun activities, set goals for themselves and learned about safety on tiyulim. They also discussed their relationship to nature and watched the movie "Into the Wild." On Wednesday morning early, they headed down to begin hiking at Sde Boker. Over five days, they hiked over 60 kilometers through the desert. They overcame a lot of challenges, including a rainstorm in the middle of the night, with an amazingly positive attitude  and really enjoyed the time they spent together. The experience levels in the group varied significantly, but they met all of their challenges as a group and supported each other. It was an incredible experience, and for many of them the highlight of the year thus far.

Ofek: Bina Secular Yeshiva in Tel Aviv

The shnatties studying at Bina are Talia, Sophie and Amy, along with some American shnatties. Bina is a secular yeshiva, founded with the mission of connecting Israelis and Jews to Judaism in a non-religious environment. Using traditional methods of Jewish study, such as text analysis and chevruta (pair-based learning), Bina educators ask their students not only why Judaism is relevant to their lives, but also seeks to establish a basis of knowledge in Jewish texts and ritual.

The shnatties are taking classes in Jewish philosophy, Talmud, Shabbat and Chaggim, Tanach and some special topic lectures. In between classes, their madrichim are also running activities, movie nights, and projects to connect their learning at Bina to their role as madrichim in the movement.

Some of their classes are siyurim of Tel Aviv, themed around different topics. On Sunday, their first day, they had a siyur of Rothschild Boulevard, about the founding of Tel Aviv.

Examining a model of the original settlement of Tel Aviv, in Migdal Shalom.

The mosaic of the founding of Tel Aviv, also in Migdal Shalom.

On Tuesday, they had a siyur of Yafo about the Book of Jonah, as a complement to their Tanach studies. 

The whole Bina group with Elliot, their educator for the day.

Ofek: Agriculture on Kibbutz Ravid

Ofek has begun and the shnatties are currently split up all over the country. Talia, Amy and Sophie are studying at Bina in Tel Aviv, Noah, Max, Alex and Chantal are beginning their five day backpacking trip, and Harry is on Kibbutz Ravid, working in the orchards there.

On Ravid, Harry and the American shnatties is with up and heading to the fields by 5:30, where they are currently working pruning fruit trees. They break at 11:30, and then have time for lunch and resting. In the afternoons, they have peulot (activities) run for them, either by their madrichim, by the people who run the orchards, or themselves. They eat breakfast in the fields every day, and cook their own meals back at the kibbutz. So far, it's been a great experience and a nice change of pace to be outside all day.

Final Boneh Tekkes

The Shnatties have now left Ein Dor to begin Ofek, and are currently split between Rishon Letzion and Kibbutz Ravid. Before they left Ein Dor, they celebrated the completion of Boneh with a Sikkum Tekkes (Final Ceremony). The tekkes was a chance for them to say goodbye to their educators, and to celebrate with songs and speeches what they had learned. Lucy and Ido (their madrichim) shared a poem, and the Shnatties wrote a song.

The Boneh educators speech: "Sometimes it may seem like struggle and uncertainty is holding you back. We know it is a tough spot to be in. But we have a quick little Jewish anecdote that touches on this issue: The name "Israel" is derived of the verb לִשְׂרות (lisrot, "wrestle"); the second half of the name is אֵל (El, "God"). "Israel" is the name given to Jacob after he wrestled with God's angel. The first Jew, then, became a Jew through the process of struggle. Cool right? One message we invite you to draw from this story is that perhaps the most essential Jewish act is the act of struggling. Questioning—if it is done deeply and with honesty and integrity—should not make you feel lame, second-class, or un-Jewish. By questioning in this way, as we’ve seen you do time and time again throughout Boneh, you are actively tying yourself to the history and legacy of the Jewish people. Defeat only comes when you stop wrestling. Only dead fish go with the flow."

Boneh Machzor Yud Chet!

WZO Event: Har Herzl

On Sunday, the shnatties went to Har Herzl* for a siyur with their Boneh educators and a text study session with the WZO (World Zionist Organization), in honour of the UN General Assembly vote in favour of the partition of Palestine into Israel and Palestine. They started with a delicious humus lunch to celebrate their upcoming completion of Boneh.

After lunch, the chanichim went to Har Herzl, one of the largest and most important cemeteries in Israel. Aside from Theodore Herzl, most of the former Prime Ministers of Israel and other major Zionist leaders, it is also a military cemetery. The chanichim visited the graves of Herzl, Hannah Senesh, Yitzkah Rabin and the Last of Kin Memorial (in honour of the Holocaust survivors who died in the War of Independence). After the tour, they went to the Herzl center for a session about Herzl and the UN Vote. Each chanich was presented with a booklet of material. 

Visiting Herzl's grave.

*Please note: the shnatties were accompanied by a guard, and were within a secure area the entire duration of their visit to Jerusalem. They did not visit anywhere in the city but Har Herzl, and arrived via private bus.

Weekly Siyur: Haifa

Last week's theme was Arab-Israeli Conflict, Part One. On Thursday, the chanichim traveled to Haifa for a siyur about the British Mandate period (1919-1948). They started the siyur with a view of the city and port from the Louis Promenade, discussing the different populations that existed in Haifa at the start of the Mandate period. From there, they moved to Wadi Nisnas (Valley of the Mongoose), and then to City Hall, finishing at a mosque in the Lower City. They discussed the economic struggles of the Mandate period, brought on by the development of the Haifa port by the British and the arrival of olim from Europe and Arabs from the neighbouring villages. The questions around co-existence in the face of rising Palestinian nationalism and increasing Jewish immigration throughout the 1920s and 30s were definitely still felt as relevant today.

The shnatties at the Promenade. 

Sitting on some of the art installations in Wadi Nisnas.

Chantal sampling falafel in Wadi Nisnas.

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Learnign about Arab-Jewish relations in the 1920s by 

acting as Hasan Shukri and Shabtai Levi, former local politicians.

Rememberance Day Memorial

Last Sunday, the Shnatties had a unique opportunity to attend a memorial for Remembrance Day at the invitation of the British Ambassador. They attended a ceremony at the cemetery in Ramla, and afterwords a reception at the Ambassador's residence.

Weekly Theme and Siyur: Trumpledor Cemetery and the Palmach Museum

The theme of this week was Dilemmas of Nation Building, examining the dilemmas faced by the leadership of the state of Israel in its early years.

The guest speaker was Yisrael Medad, former Beitar member and Begin Center educator, speaking about revisionist Zionism. It was also a chance for the chanichim to ask questions about a different Zionist vision today, as Yisrael lives in the West Bank settlements. 

On Monday we set out from Ein Dor to the country’s centre, Tel Aviv. Our first stop found us at the Trumpeldor cemetery where many prominent figures in contemporary Israeli society are buried as well as some of the earliest Zionists who helped build the state off their Zionist vision. We visited the graves of Max Nordau, Joseph Haim Brenner, Ahad Haam and Eliyahu Golomb to speak about what the Zionist vision was and to start understanding that Zionism means taking active approaches towards shaping experiences of learning, volunteering, socialising etc in Israeli society and to bring those questions of action back home. We ended this part of the day with a question of vision and what vision we will try to create in our own lives. As a wise Zionist once said “The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it. VISION will ignite the fire of passion that fuels our commitment to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to achieve excellence.” Theodore Herzl.
We took a 5 minute walk down to Frischman Beach to stand before the monument dedicated to the Altalena Affair in 1948. After the establishment of the State of Israel a question of what is to be done about Israel’s defense force loomed in the air for David Ben-Gurion. An attempt was made to unify and absorb all the different fighting military organisations, Lehi, Irgun (Etzel) and the Hagana, into the IDF which would serve as one defense force for the State of Israel. The events surrounding the Altalena Affair was an act of defiance and resistance on behalf of the Irgun to bring in additional fighters and military equipment against the orders of Ben Gurion. The IDF met the Altalena on the shores of Tel Aviv and in an attempt to stop them a battle ensued.  

After hearing about the story of the Altalena it was time to make some lunch and relax on the beach and frolic in the water. Soon after we made our way to our final destination of the day, the infamous Palmach Museum. The Palmach were the elite striking force of the Hagana, an underground military organisation of the Jewish community entrusted with defending the Jewish people in Palestine in 1941. The museum itself incorporates the pioneering spirit of the Palmach in an interactive and experiential way. It covered the Palmach legacy through the stories of individuals and groups and invited us to join the history of young Palmach recruits from its establishment until the end of the War of Independence. With three-dimensional décor, films and various effects, we travelled through time understanding the Palmach team spirit and sacrifices made in order to defend the state of Israel.

-Michelle Mizrachi, Boneh Rakezet

Rabin Rally and Seminar

The past weekend, 120 participants from Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, Argentina, the Netherlands, America, Canada, South Africa, the UK, Germany and Australia gathered to discuss the legacy of Yitzchak Rabin and the struggle for peace in Israel. The seminar, while asking very difficult questions about the obstacles to peace in Israeli and Palestinian society, was also an chance to get to know Habonim Dror around the world. The chanichim had the choice to participate in the seminar in English or Hebrew. On Saturday afternoon, the chanichim also had a choice of guest speakers, to see different methods of people working towards peace in Israel.

Lydia Eisenberg, from Givat Haviva, discussing the work they do with dialogue groups between Israelis and Palestinians.

Ohad Lahav, from the Batim Lemida v'Emda, (a network of after-school clubs for kids in lower socio-economic neighbourhoods throughout Israel) explaining anti-racist education as a tool for peace.

We also had a guest speaker from the Beit Jala Project, an international organization of youth movements that seeks to create connections between Israeli and Palestinian youth groups, and the head of the Arab sector of Hanoar Haoved Youth Movement.

Noah speaking at  the tekkes.

We finished the seminar with a tekkes (ceremony) with representatives from every country before heading to Tel Aviv for the rally. The rally was a joint demonstration by all of the youth movements in Israel, and the speakers included President of Israel Reuven Rivlin, the mother of Naftali Frankel (one of the boys kidnapped this summer), and singer Orna Banai. You can read more about the rally here.

Siyur Thursdays: Zichron Ya'akov and the Pioneer Settlement Museum

It's been a very busy week for Shnat! On Tuesday, they traveled to Rishon Letzion for a movie night with all of world Habonim Dror, including the Australians and South Africans they met on Tiyul Sukkot.

Yesterday, they had a siyur (tour) of Zichron Ya'akov about the First Aliyah. Founded as an agricultural settelment in 1882 with the funds and support of Baron de Rothschild, the town became famous during World War I as the home of the Nili spy ring. Established by the Aronsons, the spy ring operated against the Ottoman rulers for the British empire. The shnatties had a tour of Zichron and some free time to wander around the town.

Afterwards, they headed to Kibbutz Yifat to visit the Pioneer Settlement Museum, to learn about the 3rd Aliyah. The 3rd Aliyah began after the end of the First World War, and was characterized by young olim (immigrants) headed for collective agricultural settlements. Many kibbutzim and moshavim were founded in the Jezreel Valley, where Kibbutz Yifat is located. The museum is an experiential look at the settlements the chalutzim (pioneers) founded, recreating the collective work projects, chader ochel, bathrooms, laundry, and sleeping tents.

This weekend is Rabin Seminar, and the shnatties will be at Givat Haviva with world Habonim Dror. There will be 120 gap-year participants, going through the seminar in English, Spanish, and Hebrew groups. Check back after the weekend for pictures and summaries of the seminar!

What is Ofek?

This year, we are excited to announce a new addition to the Shnat tochnit (program)! Ofek (horizon) is a chance for the chanichim to explore Israel and Israeli culture while developing an area of their own interest. Each chanich will choose from three options, each one designed to enhance their ability as madrichim by giving them tools to use their experiences and new found knowledge to strengthen their educational capacity. This year, Ofek will take place from December 7th to December 17th, and the three options will be a tiyul, a Jewish study, and an agricultural work placement.

Tiyul - The tiyul will be a chance to develop their skills at planning and leading tiyulim (hikes), while completing a more challenging tiyul. They will spend several days preparing for their tiyul: planning the menu, shopping, learning about the path they will be hiking and the geography and history of the area. Each chanich will plan small hadrachot (lessons/explanations) of the area where they will be hiking. They will be backpacking for five days in the South of the country. The sikkum will include projects/ideas for how to improve tiyulim in their home movement.

Jewish Study - Bina, the Center for Jewish Identity and Hebrew Culture, is a secular yeshiva located in the heart of Tel Aviv. In their own words: "the Secular Yeshiva aims to cultivate a new generation of secular Israeli leaders who possess in-depth familiarity with the Hebrew cultural past and present, and who embrace social activism and Jewish study as central values by which to live. The Secular Yeshiva is a home where young adult students experience intensive learning, encounter varied approaches to Jewish life and embark upon on a fascinating journey." You can read more about Bina here. Shnatties will be taking several courses a day, for example Jewish ethics and philosophy, or Shabbat and Chaggim, and getting a chance to learn more about Jewish ritual and morals through films and siyurim (tours). They will take this knowledge back to HDUK, to strengthen and enrich their ability to be Jewish leaders. The Shnatties will be living in the Kaveret house in Rishon Letzion and travelling to Bina every day.

Agriculture - Living on Kibbutz Ravid, the chanichim will be working every day in the mango, olive and grapefruit fields. This is a chance to develop their connection not only to the land of Israel, but also to the history of Habonim as an agricultural kibbutz-building movement.

Guest educators visited from Bina and ran an activity to explain more about Bina.

Debating if studying or learning is more important.

Learning in chevruta, the traditional form of Jewish text study.

Boneh: Hebrew Classes

The Shnatties are divided into three different Hebrew levels: Aleph (Beginner), Bet (Intermediate) and Gimmel (Advanced), along with the Americans. Classes take place twice a week for three hours per session, and each class is also assigned home work between sessions. Ulpan classes are a mix of speaking and writing, but aim for each level to be able to use their Hebrew more out and about in the county, whether that be practicing reading the newspaper (Gimmel) or asking the price of a bus ticket. Below, pictures of Kitah Aleph in class, practicing writing and speaking, and learning how to buy fruit!

Tiyul Sukkot

Sunday to Wednesday, the Shnatties were hiking through the Golan Heights with their Australian, South African, New Zealand and American counterparts. They hiked through the Yehudiya, Zavitan, Meshushim pools and the Zaki stream. Part of the hikes went through streams, and each day also involved a lot of swimming breaks. On the first day, each hiking group also built their own sukkah, which stayed up at the campsite throughout the tiyul. On Sunday night, the Australians planned a fun erev tarbut (evening program), on Monday night there were chuggim (including stargazing, scary stories, a Hebrew sing a long, and acrobalance), and on Tuesday the Workshoppers planned a medura/musicale with a campfire. They also prepared their own dinner, poike, a stew with rice, vegetables and meat prepared in a special pot over a fire. The tiyul also involved a lot of conversations and comparisons about Habonim around the world, and the chanichim learned a lot from each other. They will get another chance to hang out over Rabin Seminar, Nov 7-8.

Learning about the volcanic activity that formed the Golan Heights.

Watching the Diet Coke and Mentos volcano.

Building their Sukkot.

Swimming break in the Zavitan Stream.

Stirring the poike.

Boneh

From September to December, the Shnatties will be on Kibbutz Ein Dor on Boneh.. Boneh is a three month long educational leadership development seminar. By emphasizing group learning and processing, Boneh encourages the kvutza to understand the past in order to take a stance on the future. Although a core component of Boneh is classroom based learning, the environment is informal and flexible to suit the desires of the chanichim. Discussion and participation are central to the Boneh experience. Boneh lays the intellectual and ideological foundation of Shnat, and future leadership in the movement at home by encouraging the chanichim to ask the big questions: Who am I as a Jew in the world? How is Jewish history relevant to me today? What is my relationship to Israel? What is a youth movement? Where did Habonim Dror come from and what is its mission in modern society? What kind of leader do I want to be? What future do I envision for the Jewish people? Luckily, they have a whole year to explore these questions!

Boneh consists of several different courses, guest lectures, a kibbutz work experience, Yom Kvutza, weekly siyurim (outings) and ulpan (Hebrew classes), as well as different responsibilities for the kvutza. Check back as we explore each of these sections in the upcoming weeks. Below is the weekly schedule. The blue courses are shared with the Workshoppers (American shnatties) and the purple are the shnatties alone. Please check back for more detailed descriptions of each Boneh component in the upcoming weeks.

Shnat 2014-2015

Hi Families and Friends of Shnat UK 2014-15! On this blog you will find pictures and summaries about the happenings of Shnat in Israel. Please check back here for updates and information about upcoming events!

For starters, here are some pictures from Orientation Seminar. Over the seminar, the Shnatties learned exciting things they have in store for them, as well as doing some fun art projects and getting out to explore Tel Aviv a little. They spent the morning on the beach in Tel Aviv, had lunch at Shuk Hacarmel (an open air market), and then went on a graffiti tour of Tel Aviv.

With the Workshoppers, their American counterparts, in Tel Aviv. 

Gal, our tour guide, explaining the political statements behind the graffiti in Florentine, a neighbourhood in South Tel Aviv.

Doing art projects on Orientation Seminar.