Yom Kvutza: (11-30-09) Responisbility:

Something that is discussed a lot within the Kvutza is responsibility. When living communaly with 18 others, responsibility goes a long way. Things regarding responsibility that are discussed on various occasions are topics such as taking responsibility for each other in situations such as avoda, shiyurim and chugim. For instance, if we are not all present, how much responsibility do we have collectively for one individual not being there. It goes to other extents as well, in situations such as money. what does it mean to be respopnsible? many more questions arise...but the word responsibility has much more meaning to it that must be discussed. As simple as it seems, there is a lot that goes into taking responsibility, and something which seems to have been coming up a lot is the question of what it means to be responsible? Something which led to many interesting discussions throughout the peula was the text we were presented with by Alisa Shapira. In the text, the author discussed the meaning of responsibility and freedom. In short, according to Shapira, responsibility is the essence of freedom, but what does it take to be responsible? To start off, I would like to discuss strictly what was said in this first text. In the most simple terms, responsibility has two main parts to it.(According to Shapira). First, responsibility is a process of setting goals. Second comes Hagshama, or actualizing on those goals when necessary. Shapira's message was discussed thoroughly, and the sicha turned into a talk about what, as a Kvutza, we are responsible for...(as i said before,) i.e: our actions/interactions towards each other, weather or not we are responsible for each other's attendance to shiyurim, avodah and ivrit. Shapira's point led us to understanding, pretty much, that freedom is a difficult thing to attain, but it for sure cannot come without understanding the definition of responsibility. Coming out of the Sicha, we all had a simple understanding of what responsibility is, but there was much more coming...
Next, we were presented with a piece by Levinas, a A Jewish thinker/philosopher. Rather holding an "I and Thou" relationship, the idea presented by Martin Buber where there needs to be a high level of respect between two people, Levinas states that simply because you are human, and alive, you deserve my respect, no matter what. Levinas makes it clear, that no matter what, "the other" deserves love and respect. Early in the Peula, i was sort of confused, seeing as we spent so much time discussing Sicha Kechavyeta. So there are two differing opinions, one stating that we must hold mutual respect for each other, and the other stating that simply because you are alive, you deserve respect. The concept of giving so much respect, and making myself "responsible" to you , no matter what seems a little over the top. But this presents a few major points for discussion:

-In a kvutza setting, we are a group, and its our roll to look out for each other. SO doesn't that mean that if a kvutza mate of mine is acting irresponsible, its my, or another kvutza members role to take responsibility over that individual. Furthermore, how does one take responsibility over others, who isn't even responsible for themselves?
-Piggy backing off of that point, seeing as we are a group of individuals who beleive's in the concept of the equality of human value, shouldn't we make ourselves responsible, no matter what.
-Another question: Can there be meaning in responsibility you take over a stranger, or a person you just met?
-In my opinion, after much discussion, and internal debate, in my eyes there can be meaning. My reasoning for this is because we are learning to be educators based on a set of values. (Shivyon Erech Adam, I and Thou Relationships, Sicha Kehavyeta.) Furthermore, we are being a dugma yeshit, and madrichim at all times. Part of being a madrich is showing the way, implementing our values of equality and respect and so on, into our everyday lives.
Some words from the text on Levinas:
Levinas derives the primacy of his ethics from the experience of the encounter with the other. For Levinas, the irreducible relation, the epiphany of the face to face, the encounter with another, is a privileged phenomenon in which the other person's proximity and distance are both strongly felt. "The other precisely reveals himself in his epiphany not in a shock negating the I, but as the primordial phenomenon of gentleness." at the same time, the revelation of the face makes a demand, this demand is before one can express, or know one's freedom, to affirm or deny. One instantly recognizes the transcendence of the other. Even murder fails as an attempt to take hold of this otherness."
-I Think this says a lot. As i said earlier, holding yourself responsible to someone you have never even met before may not always make much sense, or ever for that matter. However, according to Levinas, it doesn't matter. One needs to give "the other," the respect they deserve. On that note, if they are not responsible for their own actions, than it is our responsibility, as humans to take responsibility, and work towards improving whatever situation is occurring. It is how we interact with "the other," that helps us identify and understand ourselves. I think, based on my knowledge of Buber's philosophy and Levinas' philosophy, that its important to take responsibility for people, and anyone. I am learning more towards Levinas on this one, simply because a value I am attempting to carry out in my life is truly valuing every one equally. There are plenty of reasons why I have my doubts, for instance when dealing with people who don't value human life. This is something I encourage you to think about. Here is another quote by Levinas:
"To negate the others alterity is to negate him as human. When i do not acknowledge the other as another and as worthy as love I am unconsciously and unintentionally legitimizing him being exploited, oppressed and so on. Meaning- I do not regard the other as equal to me."
Levinas brings up another very valid point, and opens up my eyes,and challenges my thoughts. These are concepts I have been thinking about every day lately, and I hope that you do too!
Without Hebrew on this keyboard, its kind of hard to show, but something really cool our madrich showed us in the end was the structure of the word "responsibility" in Hebrew. I dont really know how to explain this, but i will try: the word in hebrew is "Achrayut." Lets look at the word.
-The first letter is Alif, the first letter. Something we realized was that responsibility starts with me, or yourself. We must understand what it means to be responsible before we demand responsibility to others.
-Next, are the letters Alif and chet, spelling "Ach," or brother. After we ourselves understand the meaning of rsponsiblity, then we can pass it on to those whom we are close to, our brothers and such.
-Next, are the letters Alif, Chet, and reish, spelling acher, or others. So once we understand responsibility, then we can act responsible to ourselves, then we are in a position where we can become more responsible with our brothers, and challenge ourselves to deeper understand it, then we must be responsible towards others, and extend our comfort zones.
-Next we have the letters alif, chet, reish, and yud, spelling achrai, or after. this means, that when necessary, i must take responsibility after your actions, and when necessary you must take responsibility after my actions.
-In the end, we have alif, chet, reish, yud, vav, (I cant read my writing for the next part!)however in the end, we have the entire word. Achreyut. The word starts with Alif, the first letter, or we can look at it and see that responsibility starts with me, in the begining. The word ends with a taf, the last letter. Meaning, it ends with the other. This shows that responsibility goes a long way. I try to take all of these things into consideration when thinking about the concept of responsibility.
catch you later!

Rabin Seminar(Updated:) 10-28-29.

About five weeks ago, just about every member of Habonim Dror Shnat, and Workshop who was in the country of Israel gathered at Ness Harim, a beautiful campsite just outside Beit Shemesh. Heading into Workshop, I did not have many expectations, however, I knew based on conversations with my madrichim, and former Workshopers that this seminar would have a lasting affect on me. Rather than being in our kvutzot, chanichim were mixed among Brazilians, Australians, South Africans, Brits, Dutchies, Canadians, and Americans, which laid out a unique peula setting which no chanich had experienced before, seeing as we all come from different countries and stress different values, and may not see Habonim Dror the same as others in the group. As difficult as it was, it was an incredible opportunity to learn about HD around the world, and see our differences, and challenge each other on a variety of levels, Whether it be challenges regarding Kenim, (Which are incredibly strong around the world, but weak in North America,) or Kupa, (Which is incredibly strong in North America, But virtually does not exist on Shnat/world Habonim Dror gap years.) At the seminar we briefly discussed Rabin and his life. Although he was an inspirational leader for many, including myself, I will not be blogging directly about him, but his name will come up many times throughout this entry.
Before I begin, I would like to make one thing clear. Something I have been waiting to say for a while, but which has not come full circle until the seminar. With the exception of Habonim Dror, I feel that throughout my life I have been a "blind Zioinist."Of course I will believe in the state of Israel almost at all times, but I feel that I have been blindly been fed ZIonist facts without getting to know the whole story. This was the beauty of the seminar. For the first time on Workshop, I was truly challenged, in the best way possible. So without further adue, to the best of my capabilities I would like to explain what happened.
One of the very first questions presented to us by Madrichim of our group was as follows: "can a Jewish state exist while being a true democracy?"
"Of course it can, thats the beauty of Israel. Israel is a place for Jews ran by a democratic government..." Those were my original thoughts. (Keep in mind I never had really been exposed to different opinions.) Well, within about 10 minutes, everything changed for me. After a few comments thrown around by the group, it was clear to me that it was time for me to open up my mind, and think about things on a whole new level.
-Here is a copy of the text for you to read,keeping in mind that within our peula, we were thinking about whether or not this exists in the state of Israel.
-DEFINING DEMOCRACY:

Government of the People
…In the dictionary definition, democracy "is government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system." In the phrase of Abraham Lincoln, democracy is a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people."

Freedom and democracy are often used interchangeably, but the two are not synonymous. Democracy is indeed a set of ideas and principles about freedom, but it also consists of a set of practices and procedures that have been molded through a long, often tortuous history. In short, democracy is the institutionalization of freedom. For this reason, it is possible to identify the time-tested fundamentals of constitutional government, human rights, and equality before the law that any society must possess to be properly called democratic.

Democracies fall into two basic categories, direct and representative. In a direct democracy, all citizens, without the intermediary of elected or appointed officials, can participate in making public decisions. Such a system is clearly only practical with relatively small numbers of people--in a community organization or tribal council, for example, or the local unit of a labor union, where members can meet in a single room to discuss issues and arrive at decisions by consensus or majority vote. Ancient Athens, the world's first democracy, managed to practice direct democracy with an assembly that may have numbered as many as 5,000 to 6,000 persons--perhaps the maximum number that can physically gather in one place and practice direct democracy.

Modern society, with its size and complexity, offers few opportunities for direct democracy…

…Today, the most common form of democracy, whether for a town of 50,000 or nations of 50 million, is representative democracy, in which citizens elect officials to make political decisions, formulate laws, and administer programs for the public good. In the name of the people, such officials can deliberate on complex public issues in a thoughtful and systematic manner that requires an investment of time and energy that is often impractical for the vast majority of private citizens…

This is the first text we read. Keeping the main question in mind, began a sicha based on what we read.Within our opening sicha based on that question I began to realize that perhaps things are not as great as they have been made out to be in my head, and slowly began coming to terms with the answer to that question being a no. In the most basic way I can put it, our sicha made me, and others in the groups thoughts which led us to seriously thinking critically of whether or not there is truly a democracy. But what was it that led us to this point? Easy. Think about the different sects of Judaism. (Charadi, secular, religious, etc...) They don't get along to well. When dealing with issues such as religion, and peoples belief's regarding God its difficult to reach a middle ground. Here we come to our first problem. No matter what one stands for, based on the principles of land, or religion it will be hard to come to some agreement. To put it in the simplest terms I can, Jews oppress Jews. (More on that later.) With that said, if there are clashing opinions within Judiasm, how can it be at all possible to come to any type of agreement with Palestinians, and Israeli Arabs if Israeli's cant come to any point of agreement on their own. Just like any other country, Israel has problems. More issues that we think. Problems with education, problems with money, crime, etc...(I will explain all that soon.) How ever, it seems like a lot of times, these problems are over looked because of all the other things going on. Forgive me for jumping from point to point, but eventually it will all tie together. In short, after our first sicha, most of us were at the point where we have come to terms with these issues, and now it was time to dive in.


Now it was time for us to take the concept of democracy, and our new thoughts regarding the term and examine it even more within Israeli society. We were read this line spoken by Rabin in his last speech to Israel.
"Violence is undermining the very foundations of Israeli democracy. It must be condemned, denounced, and isolated. This is not the way of the State of Israel. Controversies may arise in a democracy, but the decision must be reached through democratic elections."-Rabin.
Simple and to the point. There are things wrong in Israel, and violence is not making better. However, Shortly after an anti-Rabin demonstration, Rabin was assasinated. The act itself, was an act that truly showed the problem. There are people coming from all over, left, right, religious, reform, conservative. Its a a sign of weakness that in order to overcome a clash of ideologies, an assasination is what had to happen. Personaly, the concept of Shivion Erech Ha'adam is lacking, in so many aspects the thought process humans go through when thinking about such sensative subjects. With that said, I would like to look at the next piece we were presented with, which was a piece by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who spoke out warning Israel of violence.

Danger for Israel \ Ariel Sharon

Yedioth Acharonoth – 6/11/1995

Yitchak Rabin has been murdered. It was a despicable crime and a horrible blow to us all. For me, Yitchak Rabin was a political adversary, but he was all of our Prime Minister. He was an opponent, but a friend.

I had the privilege of walking a long way with Yitchak through Israel’s wars and we had a special personal relationship that cut through the lines of the different parties. I remember him as our commander in time of war and in calm times, if we ever had any. As a person that taught me many of the beliefs I hold today. I remember him during the War of Attrition and during the war over the water in the north, when the Syrians showered us with bombs from the peaks of Ramat HaGolan. And in those days when he sent us out to the battle and counted on us to bring salvation to Israel during the Six Day War. I will not forget his contribution to the security of Israel when allowing the first stake of Jewish settlement in Judea and Sumeria and in Ramat HaGolan to be stuck in, a contribution that will be remembered for generations.

It is a shame that even before Yitchak Rabin was brought to his final resting place, different bookkeepers have already opened their molding notebooks and have begun to flip through them so that everyone can see.

This is not a time to settle accounts. Who incited first and against whom. Who showed a more verbal violence? Who stood beneath or to the side of signs saying “murderer.” Who condemned and tried to prevent those signs and who didn’t. I don’t want to deal with those questions. It is not allowed to deal with them. It is too dangerous. We all must stop immediately.

It is awful that Yitzchak Rabin was murdered. I’m sorry to say that, lacking wide national agreement to the answers of fatal questions that have to do with our existence and in the existing atmosphere, it could have happened to anyone of us.

This is an hour of deep pain and an hour of danger for Israel. We all must unite in order to stand together against the dangers. We all must, in this insane moment, find the mental strength and prove national sanity.

This speach is dissapointing. Something that frustrates me is the fact that Sharon was at the rally which he refered to, and that the actions people had to take were assasination, rather than solving the issue the way it should be done. In Israel, its extremely upsetting that the concept of Shivion Erech Haadam is lacking. Furthermore, I struggle to legitimize what Sharon said, seeing as he attended that demonstration.


Our next text led us to Zionism, a core issue of the seminar that would challenge every chanich to great heights. At this point, my mind was already so excited about what was going on, but I knew there was so much more to come. And yes, there was. This text was the most thought provoking text on workshop, and I have found a copy of it online, and would like to share it.
"The End of Zionism." By Avraham Burg.
"The Zionist revolution has always rested on two pillars: a just path and an ethical leadership. Neither of these is operative any longer. The Israeli nation today rests on a scaffolding of corruption, and on foundations of oppression and injustice. As such, the end of the Zionist enterprise is already on our doorstep. There is a real chance that ours will be the last Zionist generation. There may yet be a Jewish state here, but it will be a different sort, strange and ugly.
There is time to change course, but not much. What is needed is a new vision of a just society and the political will to implement it. Diaspora Jews for whom Israel is a central pillar of their identity must pay heed and speak out.
The opposition does not exist, and the coalition, with Ariel Sharon at its head, claims the right to remain silent. In a nation of chatterboxes, everyone has suddenly fallen dumb, because there's nothing left to say. We live in a thunderously failed reality. Yes, we have revived the Hebrew language, created a marvellous theatre and a strong national currency. Our Jewish minds are as sharp as ever. We are traded on the Nasdaq. But is this why we created a state? The Jewish people did not survive for two millennia in order to pioneer new weaponry, computer security programs or anti-missile missiles. We were supposed to be a light unto the nations. In this we have failed.
It turns out that the 2,000-year struggle for Jewish survival comes down to a state of settlements, run by an amoral clique of corrupt lawbreakers who are deaf both to their citizens and to their enemies. A state lacking justice cannot survive. More and more Israelis are coming to understand this as they ask their children where they expect to live in 25 years. Children who are honest admit, to their parents' shock, that they do not know. The countdown to the end of Israeli society has begun.
It is very comfortable to be a Zionist in West Bank settlements such as Beit El and Ofra. The biblical landscape is charming. You can gaze through the geraniums and bougainvilleas and not see the occupation. Travelling on the fast highway that skirts barely a half-mile west of the Palestinian roadblocks, it's hard to comprehend the humiliating experience of the despised Arab who must creep for hours along the pocked, blockaded roads assigned to him. One road for the occupier, one road for the occupied.
This cannot work. Even if the Arabs lower their heads and swallow their shame and anger for ever, it won't work. A structure built on human callousness will inevitably collapse in on itself. Note this moment well: Zionism's superstructure is already collapsing like a cheap Jerusalem wedding hall. Only madmen continue dancing on the top floor while the pillars below are collapsing."
-http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/sep/15/comment. (theres more there too.)
-Weather we liked it or not, it seemed to be that everyone in the group came to the realization that for the most part, Burg is right. There are issues here, more than there should be. He makes it clear that there are things to be done. But, by no means does this in anyway point in the direction of anyone needing to abandon ship, but if anything, after reading this text there was a general feeling of inspiration throughout the group. My reason for saying inspiration is because of what he said. He makes it clear that although there are issues, its not too late. Of course its not easy, and nothing is, but either it be social issues, or political issues, things need to change. Israel has not been operating properly, but we can make it better by being a dugma yeshit, and standing up for what we believe in. This was the end of our second sicha.

At this point, I was nwo fully aware of why this seminar was so hyped up. It truly has been an eye openeing experience. After the realization that just like many other countries, Israel has issues. As i said earlier, there are social issues such as education, there is an issue of opression, economic issues...The list goes on and on. WIth that said, the question i was struggling with was why am I zionist, and what does Habonim Dror stand for. There are all these problems within the state, and on top of that there are Palestinians and Arabs who are not being treated as they should be, as are there Jews. There is opression against Arab's and against Jews. Something needs to be done to make things better. My question on Zionism began to turn into me formulating in my head the fact that Zionism has turned into nationalism. Throughout my experience attending a Jewish day school, not once can I recal learning about issues within the country, and it disapoints me that I see the word zionism as now meaning a love for Israel no matter what they do. Its one thing to beleive in Israel, and to be a Zionist, but its another thing to support Israels every actions without challenging your thoughts questioning decisions. I love Israel with all my heart, but I do beleive its ok to question things, and i know its something important i must do. So, with that being what our Sicha was about, we have established that things need to be improved, and that Zionism has been lost, and morphed into nationalism. So what do we do? Are we done being Zionist now that Israel exists? the way zionism is discussed today has lost its meaning to me. Israel needs to be a progressive state, and advance itself, by respecting all people. THis leads me to the next text, where we examined our own ideology. This was written by Abba Eden, a strong beleiver in Labor Zionism.

The Message of Labour Zionism
By: Abba Eban
Labor Zionism represents a particular vision of Jewish destiny- a free nation, building a just society and safeguarding it. Jewish national freedom and social justice are the poles of our doctrine, our point of departure, our destination. The relationship and union between these two values, at times the tensions or contradictions, and, in the final resort, the balance between them, mark the ideological and political course of Labor Zionism in a period of revolutionary change.

Labour Zionism's Message to Jewry

Zionism is firmly implanted in specific Jewish thought, tradition and ideas, yet never unresponsive to thinking outside its own periphery. Let us, then, ask ourselves today what is Labor Zionism's present message to Jewry and the wide world, to the new generation of Israelis. First, surely, that Israel's existence, although it be climax of a nation's dream, is not fulfillments enough of the dream our problem as society and nation is not simply to be or not to be, but how. How to be, that is the question.

The scaffolding and emblems of statehood are important, but not everything. What of quality, of human values, of equal opportunity, of social justice and civil liberty, of democracy, of creativity of labor?

Our Founding Fathers were convinced that a doc trine silent on these problems, setting itself no more than a political and institutional aim, would not constitute a sufficient framework of values to inspire our people, and especially our youth, to action and sacrifice. This, of course, was the historic debate with the Zionist Right, and with classic Revisionism in particular. At the centre of Right-Wing Zionism is the State as means and end. The motif of Labor Zionism is a society of which the State is essential instrument and expression. Labor Zionism is not just a constitutional formula, it is a human and social aspiration.

That is why the architects of Labor Zionism linked it basically to the ideology of democratic Socialism, which is an amalgam of constitutional freedom and social egalitarianism. It is also, by the way, a criticism of rival doctrines: liberalism for its indifference towards social equality, Communism for its contemptuous attitude to individual freedom all this in an effort to develop a harmony, a social dynamism that would never allow freedom of the individual to become prejudice.

Criticism, too, of aspects of Zionist clericalism which stress ritual at the expense of prophetic morality. Labor Zionism does not decry the Jewish past. Our historic rights are the warrant for regarding the Land of Israel as the only conceivable ambit of the Zionist revolution. But we are the heirs of the past, not its slaves. We take inspiration from it to shape the sense of historic importance and continuity without which we would be an esperanto nation. We are not committed to the precise reproduction of every circumstance, or of the map, or frontiers, of any or all of the bygone Jewish commonwealths. Our priorities and our points of equilibrium differ, are distinct, from what our rivals stand for. The harmonizing of Zionism with social justice and with democratic Socialism has won the day at last. From beginnings that were faint, fragile, precarious, the Movement has risen to decisive responsibility for Jewish destiny in an epoch of catastrophe and redemption, of endless change.
The turning point came forty years ago: after the most intense and virulent attempt to discredit it, Labor Zionism triumphed and, since then, its ideals have, by and large, been the normative values of Jewry, of our Yishuv, of our State.
-Abba Edden.
I am a fan. I care about Israel with a great passion. Over the seminar, we were presented with cases from all angles. Issues were brought up which forced us to take a look at our beleifs, and challenge them. Thank you for reading, and sorry for no hazzah finally, but all i can say is that I am glad i was given the opportunity to re-examine things that are important to me, and in the end have a stronger, more meaningful attatchement to Israel.

A Nice Essay: The Individual by A.D Gordon:

I would like to take a look back at one of the first essays we looked at as a kvutza, in the early stages of workshop.
A.D Gordon: The Individual:
Human nature as a whole cannot be regenerated unless the individual has undergone the process himself. And this involves a basic change. There should no longer be distinctions as rulers, leaders, teachers, heroes, prophets, supermen, benefactors of humanity, on the one hand, and on the other, the mass that must be ruled, guided, benefited-the object of pity and charity. Every man must maintain his integrity, must conduct his life according to his own inner light. He must be capable of governing himself, of educating himself. Life rightly conceived, with power to act in accordance with that concept, will enable man to integrate himself into a loftier harmony. Most clear-thinking people now feel that no man with a soul can be happy in the possesion of luxaries while there are those in want of the material necesseties of life. Neither can a regenerated humanity rest content in its spiritual wealth when there are so many whose souls are poverty-stricken.
Man in his own narrow confines of life is like the worm burrowing within a bitter herb, ignorant of a better and greater world beyond his little restricted domain. A human being must broaden his horizons to include the larger life, the infinite world around him, the world with which he must maintain relations. And these connections should be not merely abstract, intellectual, or sentimental- a sort of platonic relationship, as it were. THe ties must be vital, real, alive, for unless man deals earnestly with that world, he will remain ignorant thereof. Man must free his mind of the bonds of abstractions, of mechanical devices that enslave him. He must return to nature, to its vast expanse, to its infinite possibilities not as a shackled serf nor even as a master; his attitude must be that of a prodigal son returning to the home of his mother to help her in her tasks. Then will this labor, we may believe, raise him mightily in his own estimation. He will see himself as a superior expression of life and existence.
-A.D Gordon.
-I cannot recall the exact premise of this peula, but I can tell you my reason for sharing this essay with you is my previous blog entry.This peula led to the discussion of a few things. First, in Habonim Dror, we evaluate things such as our society very closely. We examine the consumorist state that our societies are caught up in, and observe the effect this has on people. On workshop so far, I have taken the time to look into things like consumorism, and strike up sichot Kehavyeta with many regarding the subject, especially when we are in a peula regarding the subject. Anyway, what Gordon is getting at here is that there are problems in our society, and things need to be changed. One thing that makes me think in the essay is Gordon's talk on hierarchies. Something I see as presenting issues within many situations are hierarchies, which, have to do directly with shivyon erech ha'adam. (see earlier entry.) I feel that all this ties into his very first point. In order to improve on flaws within our society, it is our obligation to regenerate ourselves, in order to regenerate human nature. Once this individual process has taken place, then the individual must "broaden his horizons," in order to include the larger life, and the infinite world around him. Another thing which goes right along with that point is the line stating; "Man must free his mind of the bonds of abstraction, of mechanical devices that enslave him. He must return to nature." This line goes hand and hand with what i had previously talked about, and ties into the overall theme, and point i am making about consumorism. Individuals in society are tied to materials, and, these materials are a direct indication of why there are so many flaws in the way things are. We are tied up and blinded of what the world has to offer. By tying ourselves to these "objects" we struggle to see things as they are. This is all why, as Gordon says, we need to regenerate ourselves, and ask of ourselves what it is that is truly important to us in the world, and then from there regenerate the society, and do what we can to improve things.

A Quick Reminder: Buy Nothing Day Friday:

While I plan on using my blog more for the purposes of telling you my thoughts and what we do on workshop, and to show the process the Kvutza is going through, I would like to get off that for a minute and talk up Friday.

In today's world we are faced with consumerism at all times. Weather it be in the morning when we put on our clothes, or when we go to eat at lunch. In some way, we are surrounded in a consumerist world at all times. However, to many, it seems that this is not a problem. This leads to the question of what does it mean to be a consumerist? Consumerism is the equation of personal happiness with the consumption and the purchase of material possessions. The concept of consuming is problematic in all sorts of ways. consuming means that we rely on the purchase of goods in order to bring happiness into our lives. By this, I mean that rather than being able to encorporte concepts like Shivyon Erech Adam into our lives, we are presented with struggles. Its difficult to feel equal when the source of many individuals happiness is from the purchases of items. In the midst of being surrounded by plasma T.V's and fancy clothing, individuals often seem to forget about the simple things in life. Thus furthering the point of why many fail to understand the concept of Shivyon Erech Adam, and tend to get distracted from finding wholeness in life by the consumorist society all around us, when really our real happiness is lying right in front of us.
I do not want to take up much time in this entery, but I would like to remind all, that by showing corporations, (Who in themselves have unjust practices and such...) that their products are not neccessary in our lives. Buy nothing day is a day to spend and think about what it is that we really need in life, and keep in mind the difference between those things, and the things which we want. On this day, often times I, and others begin to realize lots about life, and that sometimes things just arent necessary.
Things to think about, that I know I will be examining, are terms such as consume, corporations, needs and wants.
http://www.buynothingday.org/

Kvutza Gan!!!

Before Workshop, i was worried that i would not have a chance to keep up with some of the things I love. Fortunately, that is not the case. Our Kvutza and I have developed one of the most epic Gan's in Workshop history, and have spent 0 shekels. The Gan contains exactly 19 tomato plants, one per member of the Kvutza. They are our pride and joy, and today we saw the first flowers bloom! so once they are polinated, we will begin to have an abundance of tomatos, more that any one could ever imagine! next, there are a few containers of mint, or nana, which is a major provider for all of our tea needs. Next, we have lots and lots of basil, both green and purple basil, along with 4 pepper plants. All of these plants stay nice and warm in a greenhouse, made completely out of materials lying around the kibbutz. what we used.. The green house is 5x7 feet.
-2 old metal bed frames.
-4 plexi glass strips.
-Lots of syran wrap found in the other house.
-mud to form hard clay seals along the bottom.
-and lots of love.
Across from the green house lies the beautiful circle of flowers, but not a circle a G, to stand for our kvutza name G&G. The flowers are Morning Glory and "Cova Nazeer," the morning glories, are vine flowers, so they will wrap up anything. We stuck 4 big sticks into the ground, and now have a vines growing all over, creating a beautiful atmosphere.
None of this could possible without the help and care of the kvutza, and of course David Kay who is falling in love with gardening. Pictures really soon. for now, use your imagination.

Yom Kvutza: (10-12-09) Shivyon Erech Haadam. (Equal Value of Human Worth)

In the begining of this peula, our madrichim presented us with the question, do we beleive in the equality of human value? the answer should be simple, yes, but its not. Of course pleanty of people are aware of poverty, racism and pleanty of other issues our societies are faced with on a daily basis, but have we really been doing our part to fight for what we beleive in, or Shivyon erech haadam? I dont think there is enough action. In this text by Avraham Aderet, he presents his reasons as to why all humans should be valued equally. yes, all of his points are very valid, but after reading the piece it made us all wonder, why is there a lack of equallity in the world? The main thing I would like to blog about is my everyday life. If i believe in the equality of human worth, then why, in the simplist context is there disrespect from person to person, or on a major scale, there is hatred, racism etc...After this peula, through small discussions, and big discussions, we all seemed to come to the realization that we dont do what we can to carry out this value that seems so simple, but is extremely difficult to attain. Something I may blog about in the future is the lack of the value of equality on ,major scales, but for now I would like to stick with what Avraham Aderet talked about, and elaborate.

I think its important to keep in mind the question of if there is equality of human value in the world, and see what you can do to make it around us in our lives...now mr. Adaret...
Avraham Aderet makes it clear, that every single human being is created equally. "In the uniqueness of every person, there is undoubtebly hidden a special intention, that is essential and that guides one's life." Everyone has there own spark in them, that has absolutely nothing to do with socio-economic standing, talents or abilities. It is in everyone, but its up to them to bring it out, and to grow. One question we stumbled upon during the peulah was, if one struggles to see the equality of human value, and conforms to behavior that goes against that, are we responsible? Can we step in and help create a process of growth, where rather than allowing one to become a detremental person in our kvutza, society, or community, by pushing values like this on them. Our answer is yes. Absolutely. As much as one wants to say that everyone is equal, people arent. On a daily basis people put themselves above others, and in most cases dont even know theur doing it. So, its our place to turn things around. Even Avraham Aderet agrees. "One must demand of others to treat the individuals life and human uniqueness with honor and holiness, and provide the other with the conditions and opportunities to reveal this uniqueness in its full force, and to coalesce ones life with the lives of others." Communicating about issues that pose threats is our responsibility, which is why everyone must play their part. THe communication must go both ways. In the kvutza, we came to the agreement that not only are we responsible for the growth of eachother, but it is our responsibility to demand eachother to be all that they can. On the note of everyone attaining a spark, its important to recognize that all human life is precious, and that there is no superior, or inferior in a life. There will soon be a link to the text on the side, but for now I would like to leave you with this nice line by Adaret. "How do you make life full? According to the present, it is by the ability to discover the self, which contains the unique nucleus that nature bestowed upon it and only upon it, in order to add to human life when only it can add its unique not of life."

Yom Kvutza: (An early one. 10-5-09)

Heyo!

On October 10, we had our first serious Yom Kvutza. (See glossary for explanation.)In the midst of some intense Kvutza growing and bonding, our madrichim decided to challenge our minds by exposing us to our first text by Martin Buber, and an anomous text tittled, "Lack of Message." In the first text, "Lack Of Message," The author explains that our society has come to the point where in almost every situation where conversations are held, there is truly a lack of message. what does this mean? The message is clear, conversations, weather it be at home, on the phone, or at a coffee shop with a friend, tend to leave out true heart to heart conversations, and the problem in conversation becomes the value of the message, or lack of value. Words that tend to be said are hollow, empty words that dont say anything, or have a true meaning rather than making small talk, that really has no significants. By saying these simple words in a simple manner. When these conversations are held the author of this peace gives the following analogy of what the conversation really means: "I know you, you know me, all right, buisness as usual." The key importance here seems to be not the meaning of the words, but the words that are actually spoken. Again, it seems the message is hollow and empty. Another explanation he gives that describes these conversations are that they are like a gift. "Nicely presented to someone, yet whats inside-the content doesnt matter. SO the gift itself which is just an object, or the words spoken, are what is supposed to preserve the relationship." Is that right? is it right to base an entire relationship on a gift? or simple objects which are spoken? I dont think so. Empty conversations can lead to the colapse of a relationship. The author further explains that individuals are afraid, until the first real conversation is held, a relationship cannot even begin to form. In short, having a "conversation," means one thing, but what exists in every day life tends to be an immitation of what should really be said. During the Peula, I asked myself, "So does every single conversation I have need to have intention." And as we concluded the first peace, i realized no. There is always room for small talk, its a good way to feel comfortable. But when it comes down to it, there needs to be much more.

This leads to the question of how do we go about having these talks??? The answer? Just ask Martin Bubber.

In Buber's piece, "Sicha Kehavayata," he goes through, and explains his seven key points to having a full hearted and meaningful discussion. For the most part, Bubber seems to make his point perfectly clear. The first point by Bubber is Knowledge of the Heart. To me, this term means two things. First, as Buber describes it, the term means, in simple terms, "The ability to know the living creature within yourself." To me, this knowledge of yourself is crucial when having a Sicha. How can you be truly honest and put your heart into the talk if you do not know the "living creature," within your self. Once this self understanding is reached, then it is up to that individual to take the next step, and get to know the other person, intimately. In order to do this, and "know a persons heart," i think that you must feel the person entirely in their special individual essence. Once these two concepts are understood, and the step of reaching out is taken, then we are taken to Bubber's next step. My interpretation, is that when talking to someone, you must truly see the individual as beeing "there." Or, as Buber calls it, "the act of Presence." In the text, Buber gives a long complex description of what this act means. In short, along with my opinion, this point as well has two key points. First and foremost, in a sicha, both parties must be seen as equal people, whose beleifs must be valued. This is much easier said than done, but its crucial. If one person sees themselves above the other, then the sicha can truly not reach its full potential. Furthermore, if one beleives they are more supreme than another, then that individual will form judgements on the other, and not take the sicha seriously. The other aspect to this point is the ability to validate the other person. If both people are seen as equals, but have clashing opionions or views on a specific topic, then its crucial the people in the sicha can validate eachother. By validate, I, and Buber means that its important to understand that each person is coming from a different situation, and has a different story to lead them to whatever opinion they have. Rather than fighting with eachother about these opinions, by accepting that, as a person, there are different opinions, then you can energetically debate openly, and work to understand eachother, and not form judgements on what the person will say next. By accepting eachothers differences in a sicha, you can then move onto Buber's next point of "Social Validation." I personally feel that the step of social validation should come before the second step of "The act of Presence." This third step of social validation is basically what I elaborated on in the second step. "Each one of us is asking deep within his heart for social validation of himself and wants to know that the other is accepting and validating of the way he is." This is a difficult step to achieve. Based on sichot in the peulah, its now clear to me that I am not the only one who feels that I am always searching for this validation. Wheater we know it or not, everyone is. Social validation is key. A word that came to my head during the peulah was confidence. By being one's self, and realizing that everyone is coming from somewhere, than the social validation is slightly more atainable. Points two and three are quite similar, but Buber's point is crucial. By validating ourselves, and eachother, and recognizing that everyone is different, then it is possible to move on with the sicha.

Moving on, Buber's next point is perhaps the most important. The next rule is that everyone, in all sichot must "put himself inside it," or in my eyes, not be afraid to express all thoughts that come to mind, in a constructive manner. Buber also refers to this as "truth." his definition is the following. "Truth: A person revealing themselves as they are in essence." Truth has such a profound meaning, espcially within sichot. Another explanation of truth that comes to my head is the idea of not letting any projected image come to ones head and come between individuals in the sicha. This "truth," must go both ways, otherwise it will be a waste, and unfair to the other individual. Going along with earlier points by Buber, his fifth point has to do with "projected image." Just like social validation and knowledge of the heart, and truth for that matter, the projected image only makes conversations less whole. A projected image means that the individual will not expressing the "truth." All of these steps seem similar, but all must be taken carefully and seriously, as well as they must not be confused with one another. Moving on to the sixth point of Buber's theory on Sicha Kehavayata, Buber touches on the subject of inner and vocal talking. Again, just like our fourth point, truth, inner and vocal talking has much to do with being honest and expressing your true thoughts. Speaking has two levels. The inner level, where thoughts are formulated within the deeper and tend to be often unspoken, and then the vocalizing aspect. There is a major difference between having thoughts and speaking them. This especially applies within the Kvutza. If one has deep emotional thoughts on an issue, those thoughts are valid, and must be presented, and very well could be a major step towards a solution. However, if those important thoughts arent expressed, and not vocalized, then the conversation cannot be truthful, and the individual is being passive. Just like truth, the step of "inner talking and vocal talking," are quite important for the overall sicha between a people. Last, but certainly not least is the goal. According to Buber, "The goal of the conversation is its content and the partnership you make with the other that you're facing." This point has two main aspects to it. First, the content. All of the points I have elaborated on must all be expressed on whatever the content is, otherwise the sicha will not be true. And second, the other people in the sicha and the individual must be partners in the discussion. If one puts themself in the center of the conversation instead of its content, then it is not a true Sicha Kehavayata. However, if it goes the other way, and the individual invests themselves truly in the content and the partnership with the others in the sicha, then the conversation truly is full.

This peula was the first on workshop that truly had an impact on me. After the peula, the kvutza broke into pairs, and we all had a Sicha Kehaveyata, all keeping Buber's thoughts in mind. It seems like quite alot, but for me keeping these things in mind on a daily basis makes my relationships stronger and more whole, and I strongly suggest looking into some of his work.

More Catching up...and some Background info:

Before i go on to blogging about major events that happen to me daily, i realize first it is important that i give an explanation as to what Habonim Dror is, other than the organization that brought me to Israel for a year. To me, there is no short answer. Habonim Dror is a world wide progressive Labor Zionist Youth Movement, which, in most cases when its values are carried out, they are most often within a socialist framework. But HD is much more than that. Habonim Dror is a set of values which builds incredible individuals. Every time i put on a Chultzah, I realize how fortunate I am to be part of such an important movement. HD has five pillars that make up its ideology, but really its much more. These pillars, Labor Zionism, Socialism, Cultural Judaism, Social Justice and Hagshama, or actualization. Each one of these pillars is a basis of never ending knowledge and communal values. Habonim Dror is more than just a youth movement that holds summer camps every year, it is a youth movement that educates, and empowers youth based on crucial communal values, and life skills. Personally, I feel that the philosophy of informal education practiced in Habonim Dror should be a model of education. Just ask Martin Buber, or Paulo Freire. Seeing as i attended Private Jewish school for twelve years, and have already learned what seems to be much much more within this style of education, it seems that the choice is simple. Moreover, perhaps one of the most crucial things which I have taken from Habonim Dror is the mindset of questioning, and challenging. A skill that has finally been coming around in my life at a perfect time. There is so much more to say, but throughout the blog you will learn much much more!

A quick catching up.

Hey everyone!
Workshop is now in its third month, and its too bad i havent started blogging till just now. If you are interested in finding out about everything that has happened in the past three months, you can look at Morriah's blog, then come back to me. In short, my first three months of Workshop have been incredible. I have never been intensely challenged on a daily basis at any point in my life as I am now.
I am currently living in a Kvutza of 19 people on the beautiful, or not so beautiful Kibbutz Ein Dor. I often find myself thinking about what it is that makes Workshop special, and my conclusion is, although i havent experienced any other gap years, is that on Workshop you are surrounded by people who have a commitment to take part in a process of growth and transformation. Part of this process requires me, in this case, to learn how to deal with issues of group dynamics and decission making/how to live communaly.(seeing as we live in a kvutza of 19, and share everything.) This process is not as easy as one thinks, but in the end, or after three months, it has been more than worth it. Every conflict results in a major step forward, and benefits all who are envolved.
Next, Workshop presents incredible opportunities to rediscover, and question things that are important to you to an extent that is truly undescribeable. Things such as Zionism, and Jewish identity come up in peulot, sichot and seminars regularly, and the texts presented lead to major questioning and critical thinking. Much much much more on those sichot and peulot will be blogged to you quite often.
A third pivitol part of the Workshop process is the general growth of individuls. By taking classes such as Hadracha, reading and having peulot on philosophers such as Martin Bubber and Erich Fromm, i have been forced to take a step back and rethink, and question things such as how I interact with people, and what my true values are. Throughout the course of Hadracha, we examine texts which make us become better individuals and leaders, all which ends up having a large part in the role of the developement of the Kvutza.
Every day presents challenges, wheater it be with the kvutza, discussions on Judaism or Israel, or on our lives in general, each challenge is embraced.
This is the end of my explanation of workshop, I did my best! I will be setting up a link, if i can figure it out, that would be a seperate section on this blog to write, and show things that we do in our free time. get pumped!!!