Sof Workshop...

Unfortunately, Workshop is over.
Now, lets think about everything we read about, and see if it really has a role in our lives.

If you want to keep reading about cool stuff, get ready for the Machaneh Tavor Gan Blog,by Me and Yael.
Well be giving updates on the Gan, Peulot, times with Dale, and more.

See you later!

FInal Peula with Sister chava! A cool discussion...

Something that has come to be a common question we have been dealing with on Workshop is the question of weather or not it is possible to be Zionist outside of Israel. When I was first presented with this question, months ago, i thought of course it is! However now, I am not so sure. The question has now become, what does it mean to be Zionist? The answer is relative. For me, I have always thought of myself as zionist, and proud of it, however I never really asked myself the question of what that means. By relative i mean, that everyone goes through different motions in their lives, have different tendencies and different backgrounds, making for different understandings, different passions, and different priorities in life. The question is, is someone living their life in North America who goes to rallies, raises money, and who feels strongly about the existence of a Jewish state a Zionist? The answer seems clear, of course! But here is another perspective. From 1900-1940ish, people like A.D Gordon, and people in Hachal Hatzair, (Training farm in Kloswa) thought about the Jewish problem, realized the best solution is to go to Palestine, and create, and one day gain independence, leading to an Israel which would have a true representation of the Jewish people. A society based on equality, rich with culture, and justice. The attitude was that they had to take responsibility because in order to provide an answer to thousands of years of persecution, no home, and no connection, it was on them to hagshamatize. They were true Chalutzniks, and maybe it was them who we owe credit to for kicking things off. I am not sure if what they accomplished could have been done without leaving their homes, unless if they were to invest in some type of money program...Today, Israel faces countless Issues within itself. There is little equality, economically and socially. There is no collective, and the security meter is constantly at a high level. Like in the 1900's, Israel/ the Jewish people are faced with a issues. But my question is, how can these issues be taken responsibly for? Like I said, its all relative. Perhaps rallies are a necessary things in order to spread awareness and show ones opinion. But Israel is what Zionism refers too, and as one girl Noga, from the sister chava stated, she gets upset hearing those outside of Israel calling themselves Zionist, when every day she deals with uneducated youth who don't see others as equal to them make countless racist remarks, when she is serving in the army, and when she is doing all she can to fix the society that is meant to have ideals of equality, collective, community, which were dreamed of and worked for by Herzl, the Zionism lived out by the Chalutzim, but is rarely present today, while others in the Diaspora aren't dealing with those issues head on. Its a question which I think is important to think about, while keeping in mind that Jews in the Diaspora are living completely different lives than those in Israel, so it is inevitable that there will be relative answers.
Something Ive really enjoyed about Workshop is that I feel like values about collective responsibility, equality and culture, have really come full circle. Going back to the first blog post about how to create real, whole hearted relationships, every little piece has made me realize what it means to be a human being. Heres where it gets tricky. One thing I have been thinking about is, in order to create this life of a collective, where we can equally honor the lives of each other equally, we must be conciouss of privatized corporations and our roll in them, and how we consume what the Western Wold has to offer, and how our roll effects the little guy, and the person on top, in a structure where there is no collective ownership as their used to be when Israel was found. Having said that, I think this cool text brings something cool to think about...
-Between immigration and Aliya-Eli Ben Gal:
We need to dwell in the difference between immigration and Aliyah. There is a much common phrase among "Sabras" that troubles me greatly, not so much for its anti-Zionist content, but more for the excitement in which it is said by many, who declare it as if they were expressing a true Zionist emotion. The phrase is "we are getting stronger with each arriving oleh!) Nothing can be more dangerous that this motto, which under a pseudo-radical Zionist cover hides the negation of Zionism. In fact it means that the state of Israel is the goal and the Jewish people are a human resource reservoir. We need soldiers, settlers, tax-payers, and the Jewish people are too fulfill the role, become the means to this end. Such a perception turns Zionism upside down and distorts it.
When a young Israeli call for Jewish Aliyah to Israel, they should be asked: What comes first to you-being an Israeli or being Jewish?" those who answer that they are first and foremost Israeli's and only then, Jews, lose their right to preach Diaspora Jews to act first of all as Jews and only then as Americans, French or citizens of any other county.
Zionism is not a technical act of moving a population from point A to point B. Israel is not one of those recently established countries who seek immigrants that would fill their territories. When one turns to an American, an an Australian, or a Brazilian consulate to get permanent residency they are asked "how old are you? what is your physical condition? What diplomas do you hold? What are your assets? " in other words, why should we accept you? are you young? are you healthy? If so-welcome, if not stay where you are! these countries view themselves as their own goal and those who wish to immigrate are measured by the contribution they might give, as means to an end.
According to the Zionist idea though, the Jewish people is the subject, and the state is supposed to serve this purpose as means.
Let us be blunt and precise: If Israel will suffer economic hardships severe enough to eliminate its ability to absorb Olim- it might as well cease to exist! there will be no need of it. A Jewish state that is not open for Aliyah has no justification as the Jewish state. Israel was meant to absorb Aliyah, and it must plan ahead in order to serve the needs of the Jewish people as a nation, wherever Jewish people are.
My friend Mukki Tzur told me once humbly that being a "sabra" he finds it hard to preach for Aliyah, as if Aliyah is a matter of the Diaspora,. Not at all! Zionism is the mission of the entire Jewish people, in Israel and in the Diaspora. Perhaps it is even more of a mision here in the centre than there at the margins. The crisis that Zionism faces is the outcome of the specific crisis that is going through the Jewish public in its sovereign state. A vision of building an alternative society is a challenge for every Jew, weather in San Francisco of Mishmar Ha'emek, and the challenge demands a struggle, meaning "Aliyah." The mission of ascendence is a challenge for "sabras" as well, for it is not a geographic change, but a personal revolution. Today, the question of Zionism and the question of Judaism are the same question. It is an answer to the first command given to Abraham, "get thee out of thy country." The command is directed at the sabra as much as it is relevant to the Diaspora Jew. True-it might be harder for an Israeli born, as he cannot avoid Aliyah as ascendence by simply changing geographic location. The struggle against Americanization in Tel Aviv is more exhausting and less theatrical than organizing a Hebrew club in Moscow, but it matters just as much.
_____

So, Ben Gal is saying a few cool and interesting things, and also bringing up some difficult questions. His main point is strong, and touches on what I talked about earlier. More people coming to live their American lives are ruining Zionism. It seems pretty harsh...But what he means is, the Jewish people are here to create something special and unique based on our cultures, traditions and values. How are we creating that when everywhere we go in Israel there are advertisements in english, Nike shoes, fancy cars, trashy music in English. Even in Israel, he is saying, that it is important to ask ourself the question of what it means to be Zionist. If we are just living American lives in Israel, without trying to improve the society, is it Zionist? If we are working for a major corporation in Israel, like Bank Hapoalim located across the street from Schunat Haargazim, is it Zionist, or just bringing aspects of the Western World here? As harsh as what he is saying can be, his overall message can be seen as aweseome. We have an opportunity to create something special, just, and moral. So what is holding us back?
-A question to think about: Is Israel the subject, or is it the Jewish people, and the state that is supposed to make up as a means to that.

Watermelon Killa: A Kvutzat Zerem production.

Credits:
Joey Starr: Judo Chop Master.
Erez: Joeys coach.
Tom: Banana Doctor.
Izzy: Evil Queen.
Maxi: Innocent girl.

The Rebel: Yom Kvutza; 4-26.

Living in a Kvutza is awesome, and with about four weeks left, it is starting to become the time of making my future plans for college and thinking about what it is exactly I want to do with my life. Somethings I really enjoy about this life style are the relationships always present around me, the sense of a collective, and a constant urge to improve Israeli society. In most places in the world, every day there are certain motions gone through which seem normal and fitting. Specific structures are the norm, and daily habits are rarely though of being changed, questioned, or challenged, and when those actions are taken, they are rarely heard about, seeing as they are so against the norm, and on such a small scale. During this Peula, we talked about what it means to be a rebel. A rebel could rebel in a variety of ways. For example, I feel that in a world it where it is hard to avoid individualism and unavoidable competition, the lifestyle that I lived the past few months has presented structures where by living as a collective with shared money among many other things, it is possible to rebel against those things present in society. Or, on another hand, a rebel could be a child in class causing trouble because he feels no connection to the material. More examples and a better understanding will come up soon:
Lets look at something cool.
The Rebel: Albert Camus.
What is a rebel? A man who says no: but whose refusal does not imply a renunciation. He is also a man who says yes as soon as he begins to think for himself. A slave who has taken orders all of his life suddenly decides that he cannot obey some new command. What does he mean by saying "no"?
He means, for instance, that "this has been going on too long", "so far but no farther","you are going too far', or again "There are certain limits beyond which you shall not go." In other words, his "no" affirms the existence of a borderline. You find the same conception in the rebel's opinion that the other person is "exaggerating", that he is exerting his authority beyond a limit where he infringes upon the rights of others. He rebels because he categorically refuses to submit to conditions that he considers intolerable and also because he is confusedly convinced that his position is justified. It is in this way that the rebel slave says yes and no at the same time. He affirms that there are limits and also that he suspects-and wishes to preserve-the existence of certain things beyond those limits. He stubbornly insists that there are certain things in him which are "worth while..." and which must be taken into consideration.
In every act of rebellion, the man concerned experiences not only a feeling of revulsion at the infringement of his rights, but also a complete and spontaneous loyalty to certain aspects of himself. Thus, he implicitly brings into play a standard of values so far from being false that he is willing to preserve them at all costs. Up to this point he has, at least, kept quiet and, in despair has accepted a condition to which he submits even though he considers it unjust. To keep quiet is to allow yourself to believe that you have no opinions, that you want nothing, and in certain cases it amounts to really wanting nothing. Despair, like absurdism, prefers to consider everything in general and nothing in particular. Silence expresses this attitude very satisfactorily. But from the moment that the rebel finds his voice-even though he has nothing to say but no-he begins to consider things in particular. In the etymological sense, the rebel is a turncoat. He acted under the lash of his master's whip. Suddenly, he turns and faces him. He chooses what is preferable to what is not. Not every value leads to rebellion, but every rebellion tacitly invokes a value. Or is i really a question of values?
An awakening of consciesness, no matter how confused it may be, develops from any act of rebellion and is represented by the sudden realization that something exists with which the rebel can identify himself-even if only for a moment. Up to now this identification was never fully realized. Previous to his insurrection, the slave accepted all the demands made upon him. He even very often took orders, he baled. He was patient and though, perhaps, he protested inwardly, he was obviously more careful of his own immediate interests-in that he kept quiet-than aware of his own rights. But with loss of patience-with impatience -begins a reaction which can extend to everything that he accepted up to this moment, and which is almost always retroactive. Immediately the slave refuses to obey the humiliating orders of his master, he rejects the conditions of slavery. The act of rebellion carries him beyond the point reached by simply refusing. He exceeds the bounds that he established for his antagonist and demands that he should now be treated as an equal. What was, originally, an obstinate resistance on the part of the rebel, becomes personified. He proceeds to put self-respect above everything else and proclaims that it is preferable to life itself. It becomes, for him, the supreme blessing. Having previously been willing to compromise, the slave suddenly adopts an attitude of all or nothing. Knowledge is born and conscience is awakened.

__
Something this text really got me thinking about is how i associated the word "rebel" before, and how i associate it now.For a while i refferred to a rebel as someone who for the sake of causing a disturbance in a violent, or non violent way,for no particular reason does so, just for the sake of it. However, recently when I have though of a rebel, I have thought of rebeling for a purpose, and for the sake of a just cause, or even for the sake of freedoms that should be a given, but are not, such as the Dror, Hashomer Hatzair, and other movement members did in Warsaw. This text really made me think about things in a more unique way, and I definitely realize that rebelling, in a lot of situations is extremely neccessary.
Lets look at a few things he wrote. First, "What is a rebel? A man who says no:"..."He is also a man who says yes as soon as he begins to think for himself."
-Again, we can even look at third level oppression. In some situations, one can be so oppressed, that they are not even aware of another reality. By saying "no" to the current and realizing whats going on, you can then say yes, and have freedom to do whatever you want, and the power to liberate yourself.
-As I talked about in the begining, there are certain norms in the world today, and to some those norms could limit the intention to create a different society. By Simply having the power to say no, we can create a cool reality! Weather it be alcohol, social hierarchy within the community of my chanichim, or one choosing that they want to pursue something else with their life by not going to the army, or by not going directly to school. We have the power!
-Ok, here is another thing i really liked about this one. Kind of like how the text began, he now brings up that one moment where one realizes that they deserve to be an equal, and I think he says it pretty well.
"The man concerned experiences not only a feeling of revulsion at the infringement of his rights, but also a complete and spontaneous loyalty to certain aspects of himself. Thus, he implicitly brings into play a standard of values so far from being false that he is willing to preserve them at all costs."
What does he mean by bringing in a standard of values so far from being false? Well, to me, there are certain values that I feel should be a code of all people, such as shivyon erech haadam, and perhaps it is at this moment, where the rebel realizes what that really means, along with the fact that this value has been absent in his life, and now that he realizes it, he will do all that he can to stand up for that value, seeing as that person by no means should not be an equal.
-Alrighty, here is another thing.
"Not every value leads to rebellion, but every rebellion tacticaly invokes a value. Or is it really a question of values?"
This is a good question: What is the reason for rebellion? and from where does that rebellion stem? Is it that a value, for example equality, is the reason for rebellion? or does every rebelion tactically invoke a value?
Every value is importnat. The way i see it is that rebellion is the manifestation (I dont know if that is the word im looking for...)of certain values coming together in order to create this rebellion.
This lead to a cool sicha about things that we value, and if it is neccessary to rebel against society to make these values more prevelant in our lives. Things like the way the economic world works. Is that something that brings forth issues with what can be seen as equality? Is it worth rebelling against? How about the aclohol culture in teenagers? Is that in itself a rebelion? If so, is it neccessary to rebel against the rebellion? I think it all depends on what you value.
-Lets move on to the end:
"Knowledge is born and conscience is awakened."
This is how Camus finishes. It seems, that as a result of being so oppressed, within everyone there is a spark that is always going to stand up for what is right. When this knowledge he talks about is born, and conscience awakened, how does that get sparked, and what is the reason for it?
To me, it leads to the question of is all rebelion based on equality?
What other factors could there possibly be? Its hard for me to imagine anything as strong as that. Why dont you think about it, and discuss it with your friends!
I hope that you have to power to rebel for what you value!
-Erez.

Zionism as a Constant Revolution: Peula with Miriam!

I finally got around to posting this one, i forgot!

After growing frustrations from parts of my daily life that continued to get to me, such as bust drivers yelling at me or our neighbor barging into our house with a giant stick, I found myself annoyed with the society around me. The whole thing we are trying to do here is to act on the needs of the hour, do what is necessary to improve Israel, and shape it to be the place it should be, and not what it is now. There are times, such as during Messima, where I am so hopeful and excited about what were taking part in, and then there are times which i mentioned. However, the next morning my attitude changed, as Miriam came over and ran a great peula for us, reminding us all what's going on, and giving us the choice to do what we feel is neccessary.
Zionism as a Constant Revolution: (Based on an article written by Shlomo Avineri) With my thoughts like this!
The essence of ZIonism, when it was originated, was to change the abnormal status of the Jewish people. This was a goal which many of the Zionist philosophers beleived to be impossible without a state. (abnormal status of the Jewish People: Is it really abnormal for a people to exist without a home country? Do the Jewish people need a home country in order to be connected? What comes to my mind when I hear of the abnormal status of the Jewish people, is a people such as the Irish capable of maintaining a connection to their peoplehood without having a country? To me, what made the status of the Jewish people abnormal, was the constant persecution carried out on them, their unique roll economically, and the changes during the Post-Haskala era.)
Being Jewish from the time of the Exile until the Emancipation, was not just a matter of belief and mitzvot, but also belonging to a community, a congregation. A Jew alone was simply not a Jew (eg minyan, shochet, synagogue, mikve and wedding witnesses.) (What makes a Jew a Jew? In todays world, you could get a million different answers. Does the same situation exist today, where your Judaism is a sign of being part of a peoplehood, and a community, or do we need to do things like follow the mitzvot, put on tfillin, and pray? Of course we can do both, but is it a problem choosing one over the other? I had an interesting experience the other day when I visited the Kotel, and found myself discussing this question for 45 minutes with a guy who begged me to put on tfillin, where he kept coming to the conclusion that it is crazy to think you can be part of the Jewish people if you don't follow through with mitzvot such as putting on tfillin. I explained that my Judaism has a different way of being carried out in my life, by doing the things which i do every day. This situation led me to this question. hmm...)
Post-Haskala, Secular Jews had to find a new communal meaning to their existence: Zionism restored the public norm aspect to the Jewish people, after the dismantling of the religious public aspect. (Again, Judaism does not simply mean following mitzvot, we are a whole people with a rich history. Rather than following old laws and following the word of God "blindly," and i mean, the line of "because God said so, we have an opportunity to create a new Jew, one who is capable of believing in humanity, and who is wiling to put in as much effort as possible to improving things through action, rather than by standing around and waiting. We can do it!!! The idea of Zionism is what gave the Jewish people the idea of community and people hood, of being connected. Can you be a people without one main center? Is it enough to be connected to just your local Jewish community, rather than being in one place all together? I hmm?)
What is the difference between Israel and other Jewish concentrations? Other communities are gatherings of individuals, but their place of their togetherness has no intrinsic meaning. On the other hand, Israel's collective existence bears a moral and normative significance. The state of Israel is the public expression of the Jewish people. And as such, it replaces the traditional communal religious boundaries that preserved the Jewish people. (What a thought! Are other communities JUST, gatherings of people? Can a diaspora Jewish community be an expression of the Jewish people, even without being connected to the rest of the Jewish nation? what do you think?)
This success haas meant that the most unifying factor today across the Jewish world is the State of Israel. More than religion. More than any distressed Jewish community in any state the in world. For me,, from my experience, sitting in a minyan every morning for 12 years did not quite make me feel anything towards Jewish peoplehood, or towards religion. Israel to me, has made me feel much more connected than religion.) Over the years world Jewry's relationship to the Zionist movement became similar to the relation that Irish or an Italian immigrant has to their homelands. And even more so, considering the involvement of North American Jewry in Israel is greater than that of an Irish Americans in their homeland. This is a glorious success considering that the Zionist movement began as an insignificant minority within the Jewish people.
Life in the western diaspora was characterized by high percentages of Jewish involvement in middle classes: economically, intellectually, culturally, etc. But when the Zionist revolution began one of its objectives was to turn Jews into a 'normal' nation that included a full range of occupations. This has since changed. Furthermore, materialism, privatization, consumerism, and a 'survival of the fittest' culture are now thriving in Israel. But if Israel shall be only a mirror to world Jewry, if it shall be just another western country, if it shall be just a New-York on the middle east coast, it will stop being such a large center of identification as it is today. (Although this is not the main point which I am coming away from this text, it is still something very serious which the state of Israel is falling victim to. For an idea of what these concepts may mean, i suggest you read my post about the levels of oppression- When Israel was founded, it was meant to be a beautiful place, where concepts such as collective, hard blue collar work, justice and equality were meant to blossom. But after seven months of living in Israel, I cannot agree with this point more. This is one area where my frustrations kick in. Why even bother attempting to create this society, one like Herzl dreamed of, when these issues are present. In fact, they seem to be more important that things like the collective and equality. Since privatization began, things are much different, There is no longer a very active kibbutz movement where incredible values are practiced. Instead, a society is being created where there is no room for the other person, where you must be on the top, no matter who you put down in order to get there. Zionism, to me, is not being a consumer, or having so much national pride that you forget you are a human being and that there are other people here too, Zionism is the opposite to me. It is a collective mindset, equality, and giving equal rights to all people.)
The Zionist revolution is a constant revolution. A revolution aiming to bring the Jewish people into a situation of self-providing both economically and socially. A situation in which the nation is responsible for its own destiny. No longer an abnormal congregation living on the fringes of other nations, dependent on their kindness. Zionism is a constant revolution in the Jewish people's tendency to seek a good existence, by dealing with need of building a national society whose purpose is providing the communities needs, and not a sole concern for the individual. The Zionist revolution is necessarily a social revolution concerning all aspects of life. Therefore, Zionism will not survive if there will be no constant revolution in the Jewish way of life, always seeking the mold itself while updating to reality.
For many years, the greatest struggle of Zionism was the physical existence of the State of Israel. This constant threat was the immediate cause of identification with Israel. Today, Zionism is required to continue its revolution, by forming a unique just and moral society, thus influencing both the whole Jewish and wider world.

What does it mean to be Zionist, and why does it matter? The answer to me is a home for the Jewish people, where equality is practiced, and a materialistic world does not trump a world of care for one another. However, that is not what I see every day. It is our responsibility to make Israel the place it should be, and we can! This peula with Miram really pumped me up! Kol ha Kavod to Miriam!

Whats been going on in Messima: Tzevet Cholon (Karich)

In the midst of thought provoking peulot, fun chevratis, serious sichot, and many other things, I spend a great deal of my time with the rest of my tzevet where we do messima. I have blogged a little about my messima experience, however things now are different, and much improved. (not that there was any problem before, we are the best tzevet!) Seeing as we have sichot and peulot which have questioned various issues such as the roll of a madrich and why the Israeli school system is the way it is, and what we can do to improve it, recently our intensity and passion has picked up quite a lot. We have new ideas and understandings of what it means to be a madrich, as well as what it means to be on a tzevet. But these questions are constantly adressed, and then those thoughts are put into action.
In messima we write different peulot where we simply have a goal of informally educating our chanichim based on values such as equality, collective responsibility and what it means to have relationships with others, as well as many others. This past weekend was the tiyul and Pasechet, a 2 day series of peulot and extremely fun activities for the chanichim to take part in to gain a unique perspective of Judaism, and what the upcoming chag means to them. Leading up to the two events, the peulot had began to run smooth, and that was only a sign of things to come.
The tiyul quickly arrived, and I was full of new ideas. RIght off the bat, I knew that it would be tough. What i mean, is that in our kvutza we have two male madrichim, and zero female, in messima, I am a madrich for12 girls and 2 boys. I knew it would be difficult, but the challenge was worth it, and will continue to be. Immediately, weather it be by talking in Hebrew or English, playing fun games, or teaching about the flowers we passed, it was surprisingly easy to get on their good side, and I too saw how great they were.
Although things in our kvutza went well, my tiyul experience exposed me even more to some major flaws in some step in the process for the youth of Israel. Never in my life, have I seen so many rocks thrown at each other, so many fights, or so much cursing. When I asked Anat what the deal was, she told me it is just a result of not having a good enough school system, as well as other factors that lead to this behavior, and that we have a unique opportunity to change this, and improve the chanichims lives and help them help society around them. From then on, I realized how unique of an opportunity I have, and immediately I became comfortable with my chanichim on the hike and was able to connect with them and have teach them certain values I strive to carry out which they can relate to, and they taught me.
After a two day tiyul, it was time for the Pasechet. With the knowledge that this could either be an incredible experience or a disaster, (depending on the chanichim's moods) the best we could do is go into with an excited attitude, (which we always have!) and being flexible with our tochnit.

Goals:
-Learning useful english words.
-Respecting the kvutza, and learning to cooperate and work with one another.
-Starting to think about Passover, as well as seeing that the American Madrichim have the same narrative.
-Communication/teamwork.
Trigger:
Skit- Repeated by characters in Hebrew, just so chanichim understand
After skit, break up into kvutzot, and play…
-Charades: We give one kid a word and they act out the word with out talking, the rest of the chanichim guess what it is. Teach new words: Milk, cocoa, biscuits, sugar, butter.
-Each chanich that wants to have a turn will come up to the madrich and be given a word. The chanich will have to present the word, charade style.
Method: Scavenger hunt where chanichim learn skills to survive in the desert.
Scavenger hunt: Round Robin
-given letters to spell table and a picture of a pingpong ball. Must jumble letters to figure out…
-Ping pong table – ping pong thing with teams and running. Split in two groups on both sides of table one person hits ping pong ball and runs to the end of the line on the other side of the table. If they get 10 in a row, they get the clue!
-translation to spell basement Hebrew letter lines up to an English letter and spells Basement.
-Basement – puzzle with picture of basketball court
(clue from above)
-Basketball court – lay-up lines – pass the ball and next person shoots.
-coordination letters, spell out homework (Ask Sara about this clue, she wrote it down somewhere)
-Homework room – Build a fort with the pillows and fit everyone in it
”School Entrance”
-Entrance to school – build a human pyramid and sing the pasechet songà
Peula room – recipe
With each clue, you get a paper with an ingredient.
At the end, is the recipe. Make the balls together and eat!
Ingredients:
Milk – ½ cup
Cocoa – 6 tbs
Sugar – 1 cup
Biscuits – 1 package
Butter – 1 cup
Chugim #1:
Sarah and Shoshi: Cup Cakes: Symbolizing the manna the Jews had to eat in the desert.
Erez and zach: Science experiments:
-During the Israelites journey out of Israel, God performed many miracles. Our version of remembering this is by doing epic science projects.
Group peula #1:
-Tag: Chanichim/Israelites running from Pharoah.
-Regular tag. (Tofeset.)
-Partner/Link tag. (Tofeset Zoogot.)
-Chain tag: Two people start as it. Chase everyone, once you tag someone they add to the chain.
-Obstacle course with water guns: Create an obstacle course where the purpose is to make their way through the red sea.
-Singing contest: Break up into small groups. Come up with their favorite American song and present it to the rest of chanichim through dance, singing etc…

-Day one went better then we could have imagined. From the skit, to the peula, to chugim, to everything else, the chanichim worked as a kvutza and were engaged and excited, making it easier and much funner for all of the tzevet. Additionaly, it gave me a chance to step up and show that I am excited about being their madrich, so we spent a great deal of time together just hanging out.
Here was the seder yom for day 2:
Kvutza peula #2: Directions Peula; navigating through the desert!
Goals:
-Strengthen kvutza trust between chanichim and madrichim.
-Learn useful english words.
-Introduce values collective, and sharing.
-Keep the kids engaged and having fun.
Game to get them together: Sheep/I can see your teeth, roar like a lion, tofeset, achbar v' chatul.
List of words to learn: left, right, straight, backwards, turn, step over, pick up. MAKE CARDS WITH WORDS
Play Simon Says using these words.
Play the game with 4 shlavim – repeat and do as said,
Repeat and do opposite
Repeat and do opposite
Say opposite and do what was said
Method: Split into Kvutzot. Different floors in the bayit. Each location has bordered space with obstacles inside, including chairs, string, tape, etc. Split into pairs within the groups, and person A gets blindfolded. The goal is to get across the space to a “bayit dollar” under something. Person B
must direct person A, using words such as “left,” “right,” and “straight.” The idea is to work together to get 2 “bayit dollars” for the pair. After round one, the groups switch locations. Repeat with person B blindfolded.
Play the game with hitting each other! 2 teams. Blindfold. Winner gets a "bayit dollar."
Each group stands on a blanket. The goal is to flip the blanket while all standing on it. The group must work together to flip the blanket without touching the ground. Each group gets three tries. At the end, they get more “bayit dollars,” as a group (ex. 5 for 10 people).
Bring both groups together and show them a tray of cookies. The cookies cost the amount that the two groups have combined. They must figure out that they need to combine their money to get the cookies. In the end, each chanich will get two cookies.
-Chugim #2
Sarah and Shoshi: Cup Cakes: Symbolizing the manna the Jews had to eat in the desert.
Erez and zach: Science experiments:During the Israelites journey out of Israel, God performed many miracles. Our version of remembering this is by doing epic science projects.

Creation of Israeli Society Peula:
Goals:
-Get chanichim to “create” their ideal Israeli society, while incorporating their new English skills.
-Have chanichim gain an understanding that Israeli culture can only be created based on team work and group cooperation, one person cant create an entire Israel, as well as understand that it is the different roles, (tafkidim,) in Israel that make the society what it really is.
Trigger:
-Famous cats with a G, but the twist of the game is that they must have categories including tafkidim in society. Example: Famous singers, jobs, sports.)
Method: This is where chanichim are given the chance to create their society. Each chanich will be divided into four groups. Each group will have a certain tafkid.
-1)Scientists: Chanichim will need to come up with how they can use science to help add to the new Israeli society. With science project supplies from chuggim, and new supplies, chanichim will practice and learn new projects in the 30 minute period, and when everyone comes back together, we they will perform to the rest of the chanichim.
-Give chanichim a chance to think of their own ideas, and after a few minutes, the madrich of the group will give them the idea of doing science experiments.
-2)Active culture creators: (not sport!) This group will be responsible for creating some sort of active activity, and demonstrate, or play for the entire group when everyone comes together. (Madrich will be given an idea to help chanichim if they cannot think of one themselves, but they will!)
-3)Performers: Performance group is responsible for showing that its easy to create a culture of singing, dancing or acting. Group gets complete freedom to think of what they want. They can create an acting game, write a song, or perform a dance.
-When we all come back together, they can present and teach their song or dance, or they can play an acting game. (whatever they decided.)
-If chanichim cannot come up with something, the madrich will run games that involve acting.
4) Farmers: Farmers are responsible for showing that Israeli society needs to have people who make food. Idea is to have chanichim discuss ideas of how they can show farming is easy and fun.
-After a few minutes, madrich of the group will suggest planting things in cups, and show we have all the supplies. The group will do it, and be guided by the madrich.
-When everyone comes back together, the group will have a station set up where they teach how to plant a vegetable in a cup, and every chanich will plant their own vegetable in a cup.
-After all presentations, chanichim will see that they can have an active part in shaping Israeli society.
Sikkum: Eat ice cream to celebrate what they learned.
-Supplies: science supplies, ice cream, dirt, seeds, plastic cups.

-The second day was a bit more hectic More fights were present and kids had a difficult time staying engaged. Perhaps the peulot were not flexible enough to have a plan to suite chanichim who are restless. However, in the end all peulot were ran and chanichim really did enjoy them. In the final peula, they really got interested and took responsibility for their tafkid.
In the end, the Pasechet went really well, better than expected.\
Tzevet Karich, (Cholon,) became much stronger. The Workshop madrichim felt very empowered, and the relationships between madrichim grew stronger and stronger.
Chazak Chazak l Cholon!

The Three Levels of Oppression: March 8, 2010.

After a series of peulot and a siyur around Tel Aviv and some peoples devastating situation, was time to dive in even deeper, and ask the real questions. These questions were just the beginning, as the answers were a perfect opportunity to take a look at ourselves and see what our role is in all this, if we have a role. Again, going back to Herzl's vision, he dreamt of a place where the rich take responsibility for the poor, and where the government took responsibility for those who needed it, rather than selling those problems off for a profit. Maybe this will help us understand:
-The Three Levels of Oppression: Ilan Gur Ze'ev: My thoughts are at the end of every level in italics.)
The First level:
In our opinion, the first level of oppression, primitive oppression, is expressed by inflicting aggressive force (physical violence) in order to force someone to act against their will and interest. Uprising against this kind of oppression is possible with different levels of success. It is possible to diminish its influence and there is hope for liberation from this level of oppression.
In this type of oppression the oppressor is the more oppressed than the one he is oppressing.
-Gur Ze'ev is making a point that in any type of system where people are being oppressed, this oppression is for a reason. The one inflicting oppression, as he explains, in reality is oppressed by some other force that person does not know how to deal with, and this oppression is a response to their being oppressed. In other words, they are scared, they turn their fear, (fear of approval,greed, etc...) into oppression. The question that needs to be asked, is why is the oppressor oppressed? Maybe it could be a simple flaw, such as their lack of skill and care for communicating with the people whom they are leading. This oppression is limiting the leader to reach his full potential.
The Second Level of Oppression:
The second level of oppression is ideological oppression, in which the oppressor manipulates (lies) the oppressed to the point of identification, the oppressed identifies with the values and interests of his oppressor. The identification is an important element in blurring the consciousness of the oppressed to the existence of the oppression. This system lowers the oppressed self-consciousness partly because of his own actions. These actions are drawn to the system's existing movement, it straightens and sophisticates the existing order and then rebuilds its boundaries. Examples are ideological expression as a nationalism, "free initiative" and Marxism. Against this exisxisting oppression there is a hope to activate (as Marx in his time) a critical ideology (creating awareness) and to raise the oppressed to resistance against his oppressor. This level of oppression, moves from the personal level (private) to the class or group level, from the personal to the collective, it is far more efficient than the first level of oppression, because it exceeds physical oppression as the oppressors main means of manipulation. In correlation the liberation from the second level of oppression is more problematic and as usual evolves into a more sophisticated type of oppression. As long as the uprisers are weak, they will focus their actions against the systems structure. Once stronger and their control is more established, the oppressed will take over the roles of judges and legislators, and teachers and psychologists will be sent against their enemies to mainly treat the soul. Yet there is still place for hope.
Gur Ze'ev brings up a point that whether we are aware of it or not, we can all be faced with the second level of ideological oppression, being told what's right and what's wrong, without being allowed to search for other belief's. In other words, by simply by manipulation and lying, the oppressor forces his corrupt point across. Furthermore he explains, that once this propaganda becomes engrained in the oppressed' mind, they use their previous rebellious values as a new method for oppression.
Third level of oppression:
The third level of oppression, is a faceless oppression without class identification, successful enough to be accepted by the oppressed with internalization and devotion. This oppression is conditioned by the "narrowing of the dialogue" and sterilization of the antagonist dimension in the taken-for-granted well know reality, and their undisturbed actions of controlling forces in the system. Markuza is on the verge of pessimism in view of what we call oppression of the third level, in which the structure of the oppressed, up to the point of where the need or capability of rebellion will not exist. This is described as the rooting and destruction of the new: diseases, necessities and needs; illness, drugs and poisons, antidotes to create a new world of symbols that sum up the founding of "new man" that will never want or be capable of emancipation.
Strangely enough, after discussion, thinking, and arguing, seems to be very present in most of our lives. This third level of oppression is explaining that in so many cases in our life, there is a force that hangs over our heads, and dictates our lives in so many aspects, that we don't ever step back to ask the necessary questions, or even the natural questions. Somewhere down the line, something happened where norms of conformity took over, and in some cases eliminated peoples ability to not see beyond norms that could be dictating our life. This can be seen in the following lines: "Narrowing of the dialogue" and sterilization of the antagonistic dimensions in the taken for granted well known reality." To me, this is why we don't ask the questions. In some way, the dialogue has been narrowed, there is simply no dialogue, no questioning our reality. Here are some examples that came to mind: Alcohol, college, getting a job, clothing.In the society of teenagers and college students, and even in other peoples minds, alcohol is such a large part of peoples lives. Rarely, are the questions asked, until a bad decision is made. Another example is with college, or the army in Israel. There are so many other ways of living a life of education, or a life of service, but yet the norm is leaves little room choosing an alternative. Not to say the norms are necessarily bad, but the important questions are rarely asked.
-Ilan Gur Ze'ev.

Here are more of my thoughts. So many of our actions and thoughts are dictated by other peoples fortunes. Depending on how one chooses to look at it, from this perspective of Ze'ev, weather it be the tabloids we read, the movies we see, or the clothing we wear, its possible that our thoughts and actions are a result of a culture which does not necessarily stress appropriate values enough of the time. These things are taking away our ability to reach our full potential. It is even possible in some situations, that there is a force in society that is narrowing our dialogue, by using people to advertise for them. After the peula, most of us realized that there are many things in our life which do oppress us, and its important, as difficult as it may be, and as out of the ordinary as it may seem, that we are capable of stepping out of our comfort zone and asking the questions of why is our reality the way it is? or,
Is there eve a problem with the way we live? Maybe things are good how they are, but maybe not?
what is our role in this?
How can we create an alternative?
These are the question we must ask ourselves.

Chevra V' Kalklala Siyur: Tel Aviv Economy and Society Siyur

In an effort to become as aware of our surroundings as possible in order to improve the issues which face Israel, it was time to go on the much anticipated Socio Economic tour. Last weeks prep peula gave us all the prior knowledge we needed in order to ask the right questions, and think of the situations we were to see critically. In short, in last weeks peula, we were presented with Jewish values and Zionist writings by Herzl. After analyzing the writings and comparing them to Jewish values such as equality, caring for everyone, and so on. It is no suprise that Herzl, who had similar ideas, in some senses, as his predecessors took to heart all the important Jewish values when forming his opinions and writing the works such as Der Judenstaat and Alt noiland. Herzl envisioned a state where the people took responsibility for one another. Meaning, the government, and structures which were fundamental parts in the early setlements, as well as the establishment of Israel such as the Histadrut, K.K.L, JNF and Kupat Cholim were to be ran by the people, for the people. Israel was to be a place where collective responsibility was to be carried out, and values such as tzadakewere a norm.
Our siyur started in Menachem Begin Park, a well off park with basketball courts nicer than any I have seen since my days at home, a kind of pointless exercise workout jungle gym, water skies, and a beautiful grassy knoll, with a beautiful new apartment building overlooking the entire park.
Who is it that this park is meant for? Why is it so nice?
As we left the park, we walked about one hundred yards, and arrived at the begining of the second stop of the siyur. Just next to the beautiful park is Schunat Haargazim,, or neighborhood of boxes. As we looked at the map, where we were standing there was nothing. Just a white area with nothing in it. Schunat Haargazim, is a neighborhood in Southern Tel Aviv with officialy 175 people, however there are about 400 living there. The neighborhood is not recognized by the city. This means that it receives no plumbing, no electricity, no water, no garbage service, no mail service. So whats the deal? On the right of the broken up road which goes through the shack neighborhood, (so in the park,) is a wall with graffiti reading two things; "expulsion of the Arabs," and the other stating "Hachshuri the contractor is corrupt." (translated from Hebrew.) So who is this guy? Why is he corrupt? Expulsion of the Arabs? Here are all the answers.
In 1948, after the War of Independence, the Arabs who lived in the area were forced to flee, leaving everything behind. Some may call it a Nakba, or catastrophe, as Arabs were devastated and had no where to go. The area was taken over by a group of Jews, and turned into a small neighborhood. As time went on, and structures such as the maaburot had a hard time functioning due to the amount of people,it became difficult for the state to keep up with all the new immigrants and whatnot. Nothing for the new residents in the area ever improved. In fact, they never even became residents of Tel Aviv, meaning they never officially became residents of Israel. It was not until the mid 90's when something had to be done. The city of Tel Aviv sold the neighborhood to a private contractor named Hachshuri. He purchased the area for 1.2 million shekels, while the neighborhood was appraised for 17.5 milion shekels. That is not a lot of money for not only purchasing a physical space, but a space where he was taking the responsibility for these people. This made things worse. Herzl's vision was a place of collective responsibilty, where the government and other structures were to be responsible for its citizens. None of this happened. By the neighborhood being sold, the responsibility was put on Hachshuri, and rather than helping these people, he made a giant high rise, a place where the people in the neighborhood couldn't even afford to live, not to mention their many children and very tiny income. Since he was a private contractor, he had no technical responsibility to those in shcunat haargazim. In the end, Hachshuri ended up making millions from his high rise. Today, there are about 400 people living in the "box village," however only about 175 are officialy recognized, seeing as many cannot be known at this point since they are not official residents, meaning they could be taken away, or in trouble with child services. The situation is in no way improving, and the question of what to do is on us.
Our next stop was Schunat Hatikva,, or "Neighborhood of Hope." Like the previous neighborhood, there are all types of issues facing the neighborhood. While it is true that these people are officialy recognized, the poor living conditions have lead to an interesting situation. The "Shas Part," an Ultra Orthodox right wing organization has come in and provided the only way of hope. Rather than putting responsibility on themselves and doing what they can to improve their lives on their own, most residents choose to take advantage of the services offered by the party. The deal is simple. If they prey, wrap tfillin, and send their kids to places where they study all day, the party is reciprocated with a vote. The people in Shchonat Hatikva need something to believe in, and the Shas Party seems to be the best answer.
The next two stops included the central bus station area, where refugees and immigrants take refuge and are forced to live in poor unsafe conditions, and take on un-desirable and illegal jobs, while they hide, as they could be deported any day. Just across the street are the high rise buildings of the wealthy. A metaphorical sign for the position of the modern capitalist. While people suffer, there are others doing what they can in a dog eat dog world to make it to the top. Again, nothing which Herzl envisioned.
This concluded my siyur, as it was time for me and the rest of Tzevet Cholon to roll out to the Purimon at the Bayit.From now on, we all feel even more of a responsibility to go out and make a change. Weather it be through fighting to take off the Book "Torat Hamelech," from shelves or educating, or learning about poverty, the tasks remain great, but of course nothing not worth trying.

Habonim Dror Workshoppers and Hashomer Hatzair Shnatiis Come Together at Subliminal MASA Concert.

After another MASA event, once again some of us returned home confused as to what it is exactly that the MASA organization is trying to get into our heads. By all means, I think it is incredibly admirable to encourage youth to be proud to be Zionist, I I am incredibly proud myself, however when that comes at the expense of the equality of human worth, and putting down other people, then I have an issue.Which is a direct reason why I choose to be a Socialist Zionist, rather than any Zionist. Subliminal is a well known right wing artist. His lyrics are not clearly racist, even he has stated, "I always put my messages between the lines. You know." However, there have been several instances, and I encourage you to do the research, where he had encouraged youth to be violently patriotic. Let me explain what exactly happened.Cmments made by him stating "The Arabs want war," (translated from hebrew, "Aravim rotzim milchama," became a regular thing throughout the concert. After the show got under way and some people including myself grew frustrated, some Hashomer Hatzair Shnatis held up a sign stating that Subliminal encourages unnecessary violence. Which, based on what he stands for, at this point is our understanding of him. Shortly after, the sign was taken away and torn to pieces. A MASA coordinator pulled me and another workshoper aside and explained that this event was strictly fun and not political. However, at the same time, Subliminal was on stage saying things such as, "if you aren't proud to be Zionist, you can get out." Furthermore, the encouragement of army service, and the de-validation of anything but that, such as other ways of helping the immediate needs of Israel and its society right now, by means of education via structures such as informality and values based. Shortly after, a workshoper was given the mike, and explained how she felt about what he stood for. His response was telling her to fuck off, and to learn Hebrew and to be Israeli before she says those things. Strange thing is that she is Israeli, and does know Hebrew. After this, myself and some Hashomer Hatzair shnati's held up signs saying "equality," and "violence is not the answer," however, those signs did not last long, as some people made the choice to push us and take our signs, and shred them up, followed by a shove! At this point, we chose to leave, seeing as A) I have never been in a fight and am more of a hugging/discussion type person. and B) Why would I want to get in a fight when I am holding a sign stating that violence is not the answer. As the political messages that we did not agree with continued to be said, we, (Myself and someone from Hashomer Hatzair) chose not to participate in any dancing, and discussed the issue of equality for the remainder of the concert, which ended up being about 5 minutes. Although the music was great, it was frustrating being treated unfairly, being shoved, and mocked for standing up for what I believe in. Although there is often jokingly competition between Hashomer Hatzair and my tnua, I was truly very impressed with there passion.

Our Tzevet Letter to the HDNA List Serve.

Shalom Chaverim! Chag Sameach, from beautiful Mishmar Hayam street in Olga.

We, Erez Brandvain, Zach Fowler, Shoshi Paris-Saper, and Sara Zebovitz, are on Workshop 59. We’re working in Holon with adorable kids, grades 4-12, and speaking lots of Hebrew.

On Yom Tzevet last week, we talked about Torat haMelech and would like to clue you in on what’s going on.

Torat haMelech is a book written by Yitzchak Shapira and Yosef Elitzur, leaders of Yeshiva Od Yosef Chai and justifies the killing of gentiles, innocent or guilty.

(You can read more about the book here. In fact, please do. http://www.jpost.com/LandedPages/PrintArticle.aspx?id=160084)

We have just returned from Poland , where we talked lots about the dehumanization process the Jews (and so many others) were put through by the Nazis. They weren't considered equals and their lives weren't worthy. Children and other loved ones were used as blackmail, and were often killed for essentially no reason. Anyone seen as any sort of opposition was killed (political victims).
In this book, these influential rabbis talk about gentiles lives not being legitimate. They talk about killing the children of opposing kings, not only in order to get to the king, but also because they might grow up to be a threat. They talk about killing anyone who assists an opposition, unknowingly or not. They talk about killing even hostages because they are in the way to getting to the opposition.

Torat haMelech has followers. We quote a press release from the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva: "We hope that students throughout the Torah world will read "Torat Hamelech", and with G-d's help may we merit true leadership whose principles will be guided by the true and living Torah." Although the majority is not following these unbelievable conclusions, there is a group of religious Jews who are believers in these ideals. [Do not get confused or make assumptions – the majority of religious Jews do not support Torat haMelech.]

We talked about what it means to be a bystander. Just outside of the Warsaw ghetto, hundreds of thousands of innocent people lived their lives, despite the death, illness, dehumanization, and overall the annihilation of the Jewish people happening just over the other side. We feel that as members of Habonim Dror (a descendent of Dror), we cannot be bystanders to this situation. Members of our own people are now taking part in a process that stresses the same codes as the Nazis, and we cannot stand by and let it happen.

Hanoar haOved v’haLomed, along with 9 other organizations, have banded together to try to get these rabbis arrested. Hanoar haOved v’haLomed has published a public statement on where it stands in the matter. We want to do the same. We are volunteering to write this statement, but we need your help! Over the next week or so, please send us your thoughts and feelings on this. We want to have something to send to Jewish newspapers (and maybe more!) in the states, and as a movement we should all agree on what our “stance” is. Additionally, we feel it’s extremely important for all the ken tzvatim to discuss this (and all movement members in general!).

Don’t be a bystander.
take a shower

Aleh v’HAGSHEM,
Erez, Zach, Shoshi, Sara
Workshop 59

What's been new in Olga?

Since our arrival back to Israel, things have been going great! Not much has changed, there remains to be gangs of hoodlems throwing fire crackers at our house every night, crazy Bnei' Akiva kids running around, and an annoying school bell to the tune of Green Sleeves every 30 minutes. But other than that, things are going great. The weather has heated up, meaning even more old bronze guys with giant mustaches running up and down the beach wearing basically no clothing. Saturday, after a lovely shabbot with Kvutza Ogen, we went to the beach for Angel Cards, Yoga, ice cream and a game of Whiffle Ball, DK's dream finally came true. As we played, hundreds of Israelis walked by looking confused as to why someone is holding a plastic bat with another guy crouching down behind him, not to mention the lone Canadian who seemed to be sick of hockey. The game was glorious, as we hit home run after home run, and only interrupting the ripped guys working out about 5 times. When we returned home, there was nothing like watching some Dragon Ball Z and acting like characters from roll models, and dressing up like world dictators. Sometimes its better not to ask. After a few days of our ceiling falling into the kitchen, Borris finally fixed it! Overall things are going well, the kids at messima are epic, and all is well.

Poland day 5,6,7: Warsaw Ghetto, The Youth Movements and Zionist Revolution

The Last Wish of My Life has Been Fulfilled: Mordechai Anilewicz's Last Letter.
"It is now clear to me that what took place exceeded all expectations. In our opposition to the Germans we did more than our strength allowed--but now our forces are waning. We are on the brink of extinction. We forced the Germans to retreat twice--but they returned stronger than before.
One of our groups held out for forty minutes; and another fought for about six hours. The mine which was laid in the area of the brush factory exploded as planned. Then we attacked the Germans and they suffered heavy causalities. Our losses were generally low. That is an accomplishment too. Z. fell next to his machine gun. I feel that great things are happening and that this action which we have dared to take is of enormous value.
We have no choice but to go over to partisan methods of fighting as of today. Tonight, six fighting-groups are going out. They have two tasks-to reconnoiter the area and to capture weapons. Remember, "short-range weapons" are of no use to us. We employ them very rarely. We need many rifles, hand grenades, machine-guns and explosives.
I cannot describe the conditions in which the Jews of the ghetto are now "living." Only a few exceptional individuals will be able to survive such suffering. The others will sooner or later die. Their fate is certain, even though thousands are trying to hide in cracks and rat holes. It is impossible to light a candle, for lack air. Greetings to you who are outside. Perhaps a miracle will occur and we shall see each other again one of these days. It is extremely doubtful.
The last wish of my life has been fulfilled. Jewish self-defense has become a fact. Jewish resistance and revenge have become actualities. I am happy to have been one of the first Jewish fighters in the ghetto.
Where will rescue come from?
-Mordechai Anilewicz, Hasomer Hatzair member.

Our last few days were quite packed, but the majority of our time was spent in Warsaw, as we toured around the Warsaw ghetto and the places such as the Dror training farms which were large kenim for local youth, as well as historical ruins. If you do not remember from a pre-Poland blog post, I explain the role of the network of youth movements in the ghetto, and how it was the youth movements who are responsible for all rebellions and uprisings which took place. Particularly, leaders from Dror such as Antek and Zivia, and Hashomer Hatzair's Mordechai Anielewic lead the way in the uprising. From the very begining, the movement took ownership over the situation and created a soup kitchen for those who were in need, seeing as that was the number one need of the hour. The movement ran the entire ghetto, in fact, a wealthy family even sought out their permission to build a casino in the ghetto. As a point to demonstrate the dedication to what they beleived in was right, an example can be seen when the movement is offered a building to make a bakery for the ghetto. However, the leaders rejected the offer, seeing as that would go against the socialist ideologies of their movement. That is being a dugma yeshit.
The first place we stopped was at 34 Dzielna St, Grochov. At that location was the first Hachshara set up by Dror. Dror is a movement which strives to make Aliya, however knew that training must come first, so throughout Poland they set up training farms in order to learn how to properly move to Israel and live in the Dror ideology. However during the war, the movement knew they had to serve the Jewish youth, and so that is what they did. They knew there was no way they could get to Israel, not without their chanichim at least. (Unless if you are Begin, then you can abandon everyone.)Here is the experience of the hachshara farm from Zivia Lubetkin, who for those that forgot, was the mazkir of the movement at the time, and led her chanichim to freedom.
"The days were days of wandering about and madness, the first months of the war. Everything was in a state of confusion, people buffeted from place to place. A husband would wander from town to town in an unsuccessful search for his wife. A mother would lose her children and rush from one place to another with no one to help her. Everyone was overcome by a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. Everyone was left to fend for himself.
Our movement did not stop functioning as a collective. Our comrades grew closer out of mutual concern and a desire to help each other. This fact encouraged and strengthened us. The house on Dzielna St. thus became an isolated island in sharp contrast to the rest of the bewildered and helpless Jewish community of Warsaw. It was a home not only for the members of our movement, but for people whose way of life and ideas were very distant from our own, even for those who opposed what we stood for, and for simple refugees who had never know or even heard about the movement. They all flocked to us to escape the utter chaos and to find some physical and spiritual support in our midst. A soup kitchen was immediately set up to provide a piece of bread and a hot meal for the hungry.
People did not only come in search of physical or material relief. Dzielna had become a focal point for Jewish youth and for a long time it served as their only center of activity. It was here that the thought of creating a new path for the Jewish youth in the present circumstances was born and took shape.
We realize that our primary concern was to provide emergency and social welfare and assistance, in particular supplying the hungry with bread and a hot meal. But at the same time, we realized that it would be impossible without the help of organized youth. We returned, therefore, to our one foolproof and tested method of the past. We would renew our youth training program-which meant establishing kibbutzim."
-Ziva Lubetkin, Dror.
Again, during the 1940's there was no where for the Jews to go. They were trapped under the regime of the Nazi's, and many of them were falling victim. When fully populated, the ghetto held 500,000 Jews, creating unbearable living conditions, as thousands were either dying in the street, or being sent to Trblinka or Mejdanik. There was little to no organization, besides from the Judenrat,and when the movement leaders approached the heads of the Judenrat, they were shot down, every time. However, the youth knew they had to do something, and at the time, setting up soup kitchens and providing a place for informal education were the least they could do. The Jewish people were faced with a dilemma: do they follow the Judenrat and simply sit back while they are tortured, or do they go against the grain and spend time resisting death? The movement's leadership was strong, and at times of disagreement with the Judenrat, the movement continued to operate at full force. Although he did not hold any official tittle, a leader emerged in Antek Zuckerman, as he took responsibility of the Jewish people, and did what he felt necessary. Here is a quote explaining responsibility, by Antek:
"In general, I was at peace with myself. Even about the "question of democracy," which can be stated as who "authorized you." This question didn't bother me very much. In those circumstances, it wasn't so important if you were an elected "representative." Not only did the Jews not elect me, the Movement didn't elect me either or send me to do what I did. there is a moment where you assume the responsibility and the mission of your own free will. If you don't want to, don't accept it. The movement didn't elect me to play a role in the underground.
Can you really talk about that in terms of democracy? From the moment I came forward-I or one of my comrades-there was no going back. There's no point repeating every day that it's hard. From that moment on, you, you've got the responsibility, as if you had been elected. I was two years older than the young members. They believed in me and hung onto my words. But there was a time when I didn't know what to say to myself or what to do, where to start. And at first, as i said, that was the time of deep depression that came on me and lasted a few weeks."
This at large, is making a big statement about responsibility, and the type of movement Dror was, and still continues to be. (Habonim Dror now.)In the movement, social hierarchies are very rare, and when it does exist, there is always room for people like Antek to take as much responsibility as necessary. Responsibility means taking ownership over things which are important to you, and that is just what Antek did. Just as Zivia, Antek did not have to come back to the ghetto, but he cared about his chanichim, and unlike Begin, he chose to return.
As time drew on and movement activity continued, more needed to be done. The final liquidation was quickly approaching, and a resistance was absolutely necessary. The movement knew that people were going to die either way, seeing as they had curriers spying. Here is the story of what happened when the movement approached the Judenrat.
"We invited the most prominent leaders of the various Jewish groups to our meeting. Yitzhak Zuckerman, who acted as our spokesman, explained our point of view and our desire to take up arms against the enemy. The faces of these Jewish leaders grew pale, either from sudden fear or from anger at our audacity. They were furious. They reproached us from irresponsibly sowing the seeds of despair and confusion among the people, and for our impertinence in even thinking of armed resistance. If this were to become known, disaster would fall on everyone's head. They asked us if we would be willing to accept the responsibility for the deaths of tens of thousands of Jews!
We left the meeting with a feeling of frustration and helpless rage. we saw that we were facing an impenetrable wall. Again we asked ourselves: "Whaat can we do?" We had to recieve the support of the Jewish masses, without which we could not hope to succeed."
-Zivia Lubetkin.
Again, actions needed to be taken, and Jews continued to be killed. The Movement apporoached the Judenratabout uprising, however, they received no support. Antek and Zivia knew that death was in store either way, and along with Mordechai they planned the next revolt. This brings up the question: was this responsible? Is it responsible to go against the word of those in charge in order to save lives when many are going to die any way? The situation was difficult, but this was the decision made. By the first week of may, the last main focus of Jewish resistance in the ghetto was at a bunker at 18 Mila St. On may 8, the Germans attacked, creating a blockade and throwing gas in. Mordechai Anilewicz was one of those down in the bunker, and took his life before the Germans could. these were his last words.
"It is now clear to me that what took place exceeded all expectations. In our opposition to the Germans we did more than our strength allowed--but now our forces are waning. We are on the brink of extinction. We forced the Germans to retreat twice--but they returned stronger than before.
One of our groups held out for forty minutes; and another fought for about six hours. The mine which was laid in the area of the brush factory exploded as planned. Then we attacked the Germans and they suffered heavy causalities. Our losses were generally low. That is an accomplishment too. Z. fell next to his machine gun. I feel that great things are happening and that this action which we have dared to take is of enormous value.
We have no choice but to go over to partisan methods of fighting as of today. Tonight, six fighting-groups are going out. They have two tasks-to reconnoiter the area and to capture weapons. Remember, "short-range weapons" are of no use to us. We employ them very rarely. We need many rifles, hand grenades, machine-guns and explosives.
I cannot describe the conditions in which the Jews of the ghetto are now "living." Only a few exceptional individuals will be able to survive such suffering. The others will sooner or later die. Their fate is certain, even though thousands are trying to hide in cracks and rat holes. It is impossible to light a candle, for lack air. Greetings to you who are outside. Perhaps a miracle will occur and we shall see each other again one of these days. It is extremely doubtful.
The last wish of my life has been fulfilled. Jewish self-defense has become a fact. Jewish resistance and revenge have become actualities. I am happy to have been one of the first Jewish fighters in the ghetto.
Where will rescue come from?"
-Mordechai Anielewicz, commander of the ZOB.
However after this, Zivia and others found a way out of the Bunker and through the sewers. Here is the story told by ZIvia:
"You crawl through the sewer canal utterly exhausted, but your mind never ceases to function, never rests. Your entire being is centered on a reckoning of you life, and of the Movement which has given that life meaning and purpose. The movement which has given that life meaning and purpose. The movement which has given you and others like you the strength to overcome, to endure this terrible path to safety...You are alone with your thoughts. Your legs drag through this dark squalid cavern and you envisage the shadow of a distant dream you shared with your comrades, a dream of a far off land, of Eretz Israel and its life of friendship and work, human dignity and pride. The images of those who have already reached that distant shore appear before you to gather with those of emissaries from the land of Israel, who have come and touched your heart. The thought of meeting them on Kibbutz, in the Homeland, tortures you like a recurrent nightmare. How will I be able to explain how I survived, how i escaped the valley of death, how i remained alive? I didn't ask to be rescued, it happened in the strange guise of blind fate. I push on and feel as if our comrades left behind in the bunkers are following us. "What will become of them? Their fate gives me no peace and incessantly plagues me. I am totally drained of strength. My will to drag myself through these slimy gutters is completely dead. Someone whispers to his companion: "Move on and let me be. I can't go on. Let me lie here. Let me stay." No one remained behind of course. By morning we had all reached the area beneath Prosta street on the Aryan side, and rested."
-Zivia Lubetkin.
This is how our Journey ended, just outside the bunker. Zivia always had the values of the kibbutz movement in her head, which she felt made her a good person. Those values shined on throughout everyone involved, and it was what kept them going. This concludes our Poland Journey, and boy was it a good one!

Poland day 4: Lublin and Majdonek:

After a nice long 4.5 hour drive, we finally arrived in the lovely city of Lublin. Lublin was a city that contained 40,000 Jews before the war, about one third of the population. Lublin, like Krakow was a central place for Jewish culture. There were about 100 private prayer homes, 12 synagogues, 3 cemeteries, a Jewish hospital, an orphanage, there were even newspapers in Yiddish. Additionally, Jews had their own representation in the town council and many commercial and social organizations.
However, once the Germans took over, everything changed. On December 1, 1939, the Jews were ordered to wear a Jewish star for the first time, and from there the persecution continued.
Immediately, the Germans created a hard core where the codes of daily life went from being freedom to live, trade, go to school and practice whatever tradition you want were all perfectly allowed, into greed, competition,hierarchy, survival of the fittest,racial purity, conformity and fear, creating a dog eat dog world. From daily life on the street, to life in the ranks of the S.S, to life in the camps, these codes dictated the way of life for everyone.One example where we can see just how present things like competition were, we can look at the S.S men. Hitler would give many of them the same job, and they would need to compete. All the time, competition was everywhere.
The first place we saw was the Gestapo headquarters, pictured to the right.
As a result of these codes, both the public, S.S, Jews, Polish and everyone involved became desencatized towards seeings these things actually carried out. One thing that was the topic of our sichot throughout the day was how do you create this hardcore society, and what does that mean? The question was highly debated. In order to create a hardcore like the one created in Aryan Lublin, you need to force people to conform, and make them feel as though they are part of a bigger picture. That is exactly what happened. For Hitler, his way of creating the Hardcore was a simple process. Starting with political propoganda explaining why the Jews are nothing,using things like economics and genetic purity. As he gained support, things like the Hitler Youth came into play. Then was the S.A, previous to the S.S. The S.A were basically thugs appointed by Hitler to roam around and beat people up until they would follow what the new norms were to be. As they gained more power, Hitler had his famous night of slaughter, where he killed all the S.A, because they were gaining to much power. Then came the S.S, and Jews were exterminated. It was as simple as that. The night peula focused on this discussion.

Poland day 3: Krakow Ghetto

From "What Really Makes us Free" by Ellie Wiesel:
The Jews who lived in the ghettos under the Nazi occupation
showed their independence by leading an organized clandestine life.
The teacher who taught the starving children was a free man.
The nurse who secretly cared for the wounded, the ill and the dying was a free woman. The rabbi who prayed,
The disciple who studied,
the father who gave his bread to his children
the children who risked their lives by leaving the ghetto at night
in order to bring back to their parents a piece of bread
or a few potatoes,
the man who consoled his orphaned friend,
the orphan who wept with a stranger for a stranger-
these were human beings filled with an unquenchable thirst for freedom and dignity.
The young people who dreamed of armed insurrection,
the lovers who, a moment before they were separate,
talked about their bright future together,
the insane who wrote poems,
the chroniclers who wrote down the day's events
by the light of their flickering candles-
all of them were free in the noblest sense of the word,
though their prison walls seemed impassable
and their executioners invincible...
Even in a climate of oppression,
men are capable of inventing their own freedom,
of creating their own ideal of sovereignty
What if they are a minority?
Even if only one free individual is left,
he is proof that the dictator is powerless against freedom.
But a free man is never alone; the dictator is alone.
The free man is the one who, even in prison,
gives to the other prisoners
the thirst for, their memory of,freedom.

-On the third day of our travels, we arrived in Krakow again, but this time we were in the Ghetto. Like other major cities, Krakow had a large Jewish community. The Jews in Krakow had a rough road of persecution against them. Here is a little time-line showing the actions taken by the Germans:
September 1939-Germans Occupy Krakow, name it capitol of the Generalgouvernment.
May 1940-Jews are expelled by Germans out of the city of Krakow to the country side.
March 1941- Germans order the establishment of the Ghetto in southern Krakow, rather than in Kazimierz. (Traditional quarter of the city.) 20,000 Jews in the Ghetto.
-1942-Germans establish Plaszow forced Labor Camp.
-1944-Plaszow becomes a Concentration camp.
A plaque on the Ghetto wall reads: "Here they lived, suffered and perished at the hands of Hitler's executioners. From here they began their final journey to the death camps."
-As we walked through the former ghetto, through the underground shopping malls, and up the escalators, we walked into the Pharmacy in the ghetto. Before the establishment of the Ghetto, Tadeusz Pankiewicz, A pole, owned a pharmacy called "Under the Eagle." Tadeusz had no problem entering the Ghetto for work daily. He had no problem allowing the Pharmacy to be a center for Jews and youth movement leaders to exchange information and plan uprisings.
-From the Pharmacists autobiography:
"The Krakow Jews perished without achieving a libertarian revolt on the scale of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, but they died with dignity, honorably, and without debasing themselves before the enemy. With the exception of a small number of those who sod out to the enemy, all who worked in various capacities engaged in deliberate and effective sabotage. Everything possible was done to slow the tempo of the assignments, to fail to meet deadlines and, in the Ghetto, to remove valuable objects, destroy and burn them, so that they would not fall into the German hands..."

From HaChalutz Halochem:
"To those who were the closest to us, that in their name we went to battle. We turn towards the anonymous graves of the dearest of our friends, who died in combat with a bigger force.
We have always wanted to lead a life of freedom, but if it is determined that we shall die, our wish to die is to die as warrior, that our death will be a proud and honorable one. Our cause was never to win in arms; victory wasn't ours to begin with. We chose to defend our spirit, and our spirit has not been slayed by the enemy. Death is neither defeat no disgrace. And a force of violence that crushes down a handful of rebels is not a force that has won.
We have achieved our will. We held arms, cause we could not accept the thought that thousands of Jews, men, women, elder and children were being massacred. Because we did not want to be taken as sheep to slaughter. Because we did not want that when the day will come, history will tell that the Jews of Poland died a pathetic death, with not even a single sign of resistance. We lifted the banner of resistance. our breakthrough is a cry of great revisionism that no force will ever silence. they can capture us and kill us until the very last, but they will not silence the cry that will be heard beyond our graves. True, it would have been worthy of our cause to start this cry before, but even today despite the knowledge that death preys us, there is but only one way for a proud Jew. God forbid us from bearing our heads in the sand, waiting inactive for the end to come. Will we die? that is not our defeat, it is the disgrace of those who instead of taking part in our efforts gave a treacherous hand to the enemy, and they are to blame for the death of Jewish Warriors. To us- victory alone. To us- the respect of the Jewish nation, that we shall defend until the very end.
To every dead warrior, ten new ones will join our struggle. They shall stand and take arms. We are paving the way, but one day the reminisce of the Jewish people will stand ready!"
-August 1943, HaChalutz Halochem.

After our tour of the ghetto, and briefly discussing the uprising, it was time to experience current European life in Krakow. We walked down to the downtown area, and had a lovely lunch, as the lunch gang had its first hoorah. Here is an artsy picture I took of downtown Krakow, thats right,I'm artsy.

Poland day 2: Auschwitz

The Question of Humanity: By Hannah Senesh.
"In the Fires of war, in the flame,in the flare.
In the eye-blinding, searing glare
My little lantern I carry high.
To search, to search for true man.
In the glare, the light of my lantern burns dim.
In the fire glow my eyes cannot see:
When he stands there, facing me?
Set a sign, O lord, set a sign on his brow
that in my heat, fire and burning I may
know the pure, the eternal spark
Of what I seek: true man."
After a day of being at the place where the lowest actions of humanity were committed, we read this poem by Hannah Senesh during our night Peula. It brought out the question of what is humanity? In the most heated fires possible, how can we understand what it means to be human? these are the questions we discussed. Whatever the answer may be, we came to a conclusion that no matter what, these are the fires which are our responsibility to put out, especially as being members of H.D.
The Abyss that Lies Between Human and Beast: Professor Emanuel Bergnam:
When we ask ourselves which philosophy paved the way to Nazism, we will have to admit the following: That it was the same philosophy of the 19th century-which under deceptive and misleading methods of the natural sciences prevalent at that time-taught to see human beings as a zoological species, and tried to cancel the abyss that lies between human and beast.
This philosophy attempts to hide the truth: That man becomes man by disconnecting himself from nature's biological orders, by means of his freedom of morality, and by this he ceases to be a beast.
This way of thinking-that saw the human as a beast among beats-allowed to development of insane ideas of raising a superior race, and exterminating the so called lower races. If the human race wants to save itself from these winds of insanity, it must respect humans as humans, as an individual gifted with freedom of morality which gives them the power for immense ways of action.

Poland day 1: The Journey to Uncover the roots of the Zionist Revolution and the Youth Movements Rebellion:Texts, Peulot, and Thoughts.

"We are not in the terrible Holocaust forest, so we can't plumb the depths of the full significance of what happened there- but we can learn from the words of those who were there- even if those words are nothing but the shadow of what occurred. We use symbols likely to help us get near the vent itself and to understand it. Otherwise, the Holocaust would pass from the world together with the generation upon which it was visited. One who makes the extreme claim that the right to describe the Holocaust, to discuss it, to analyze it, and to thereby be tormented by it, is reserved to tot he survivors, and to them only- is like one who has pronounced a sentence death on his understanding of the decisive even of that period. The main problem is how to inculcate awareness of the Holocaust among the following generations. If we say the Holocaust occurred on another planet, we will have provided a way for humanity to avoid it by running away from the reality of it, and in this case, it will be seen as something terrible, mysterious, and not related to us. If, in out eyes, the problem is primarily the interventrion of God or Satan, then we no longer have a need to search for historical understanding. Responsibility will then fall, not on the Nazi's, but rather on a mysterious and heartless supernatural force. We Will have therefore removed any human responsibility, other than bland and meaningless generalities such as: 'Fateful judgments,' 'in-human relations between people' and other such empty sayings."
-Professor Yehuda Bauer, Hebrew university of Jerusalem.
The Worst thing about the Holocaust was not the fact that the Nazis were inhuman. THe worst thing was that they were human, just like you and me.
Day one: Walk through Jewish quarter in Kazimierz:
Our first evening in Poland, after a six and a half our bus ride, we arrived in the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz in Krakow. Here, the Jews lived their lives in the Diaspora, they were a community within a community, but got along quite well. in 1833, the population was 10,820. The community flourished. Schools, synagogues, and businesses were all present. In 1846 when the Krakow Republic became part of Austria again, Jews stayed in Kazimierz until 1868, when the two communities of Krakow and Kazimierz merged. In 1868, Krakow was emancipated and Jews were permitted to settle in Krakow proper. Soon, followers of the Jewish Enlightenment became the leaders of the Jewish Religious Council. Jews had their place in the culture, and all went well for the 19th century Jews, more or less. In the early 20th century however, Anti-Semitism broke out, and pogroms became a regular occurrence. But, that did not stop the Jewish communities to grow more and more. By the start of WWII, there were 60,000 Jews in Krakow.
Throughout the day there was a theme of sichot questioning the concept of the community within the community, and how these Jews viewed their own identity, seeing as they were Jews living in Diaspora with no real home, or, was that their home?
This was the topic of our night peula.
-Jew boy; By Julian Tuwim:
Singing in the yard, bundled up in rags
A poor little child, a crazy Jew-boy.
People expelled him, God his wisdom confound
Generations and exile confused his tongue.
He scratches himself and is made to dance, cries and wails, all at once.
For he is lost, and he is a beggar made.
The master in the 1st floor looks down upon the madman:
"Look, poor brother, on this my sad kin".Where have we gotten to? Is our way so lost,
Strange and repulsive throughout our whole world."
This leads to a series of discussions. Tuwin paints a picture of a big brother type character looking down on a little Jewish kid, confused and lost. This poem paints the picture of Tuwin's view of Diaspora Judaism. Tuwin is a Jew who has become completely assimilated, he no longer sees the importance of Judaism. He expresses, that there is no way for Judaism to exist, and there is no point for it to exist in a country that is not meant for the Jewish people. He's asking, what has Judaism come to? "Where have we gotten to, is our way so lost. Strange and repulsive throughout our whole world?" Tuwin is expressing that Judaism is lost, as more and more Jews become assimilated, leaving their peoplehood behind, or become part of a different people hood.
-This leads to a question to think about for all of our Jewish identities, which is a continuing discussion for all of us: What are the complexities of being a secular Jew in the Diaspora?
-What does it mean to be part of a people hood, and what is the difference between people hood and religion?
-If we are part of a people hood, shouldn't we share a center for our people hood(a state), rather than have various centers throughout the world?
-Do the Jewish People need a center? If no, then are we connected?
Here is Tuwin's piece titled, "I am a Polish Jew." 19,4.1944.
"If i had to establish my nationality, or more correctly my national sentiment, I am Polish for the simplest possible reasons, almost primitive reasons, mostly rational, and some irrational; nevertheless, without "mystic" characteristics. Being Polish is not an honor, not magnificent, and not a right. I have never met anyone who is proud that they breathe.
Polish because I was born and raised in Poland as well as educated and went to school there, because in Poland I was happy and miserable. Because from my exile, I wasn't to return to Poland even if i would be promised great heavenly pleasures somewhere else.
Polish because willow and birch trees are closer to me than palm and citrus. Machkievich and Chopin are dearer to me than Shakespeare and Beethoven. THey are more dear to me for reasons which also i cannot establish in any logical way.
Polish because I took part in the shortcoming of the Poles. Polish, because I hated the Polish fascists more than any other fascists of any other nation. I think that is an essential aspect of my Polishness.
Perhaps, foremost, Polish because that is my will."
Part two:
"We the Jews of Poland, We that are eternally living-those who were lost in the ghetto and camps: we who are the shadows of their ghosts, those who will return from across seas and oceans to the land and will work in shock in the ruins, in our bodies which remain whole in the image of the nightmares of our souls, which still exist seemingly.
We who are the truth of the graves. and we, the illusion of the existence. we the millions of casualties, and also we the thousands or tens of thousands of seemingly not casualties, and also we the thousands or tens of thousands of seemingly not causalities. We are one endless mass grave. We are the cemetery which has never been, and will never be again one like it in history.
We, whose brains were splattered on the walls of our small, meagre apartments so as to kill us in our masses-just for being Jews."
here are my questions again: What are the complexities of being a secular Jew in the Diaspora?
-What does it mean to be part of a people hood, and what is the difference between people hood and religion?
-If we are part of a peoplehood, shouldn't we share a center for our peoplehood(a state), rather than have various centers throughout the world?
-Do the Jewish People need a center? If no, then are we connected?

"God, who created Auschwitz?"
"And I, in this truck, rolling along, a naked frame among naked frames, am being sent now by a yawning German man to the creamatorium. I watch him and his yawn, and suddenly I ask myself: Does he hate me? It would seem that he doesn't even know me. He doesn't even know my name, just as i don't know the names of all of us, being brought now to the creamatorium. All I know for certain abot this German is that he now wants, on this cold morning, to stay in his warm bed, without having to waken with the dawn because this truck loaded down with raw materials has to get to the crematorium. At the same moment, I am shocked as never before in my life: If that is who he is, he could be standing here instead of me, a naked frame in a truck, while, I, I could be up there in his place, on this cold morning, looking after this delivery, and millions like it, bound for the crematorium- and like him I would yawn, since I would prefer, like him, to remain laying in bed on a cold morning such as this. And he, like me now, would watch me in the truck as it drives away. And would he, the wretch, think then of me, the SS man, as i think of him now? Aha, dear God, compassionate and forbearing, am I him, am I the one who created Auschwitz?! Isn't it enough that this German in my vision, with the symbol of the skull of death on his helmet, his tattooed hands in a black SS jacket, could he be in my place, while I- and that is the real shock- I could be in his place?!
Aha dear God, the supreme being of Auschwitz? Light up your countenance to the works of thy hands, so that I can know who is it that dwells in me and is being sent now to the crematorium-and why? And who is it that dwells in me and sends me to the crematorium-and why? You who know that at this moment, the both of us, the sender and the package, that we are equal as men! The works of your hands, in your likeliness, and in your image.
-K. tzetnik