Erezology.

Sof Workshop...

2010-06-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-05-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-05-17T16:30:00.000-07:00

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

The Rebel: Yom Kvutza; 4-26.

2010-04-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-02T05:32:00.000-07:00

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)

2010-03-24T12:09:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-03-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-03T14:25:00.001-08:00

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.

2010-02-25T14:47:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-02-24T02:15:00.000-08:00

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?

2010-02-22T14:26:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-21T13:14:00.000-08:00

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:

2010-02-20T09:12:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-14T13:07:00.000-08:00

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.

2010-02-14T07:31:00.001-08:00

"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

Pre Poland Seminar 2: Lohmei Ha'Getaot: The Youth Movements.

2010-02-06T03:03:00.000-08:00

After spending a good amount of time in a series of peulot where we examined why Anti-antisemitism exists and where it came from, it was time to go to Lohmei Ha'getaot, or the Ghetto Fighter's Museum. The museum was found by the survivors of the uprisings, including Zivia Lubetkin, who was a leader in the movement.
We went through a series of exhibits, all which were incredibly well done, yet not over the top. The exhibits we went throgh included the following: One that explained the rise of Hitler and his regime, including the step by step process of their conquering all the countries which fell to the Reich, one nice exhibit dedicated to the righteous among the nations, where different stories were told of those who risked their lives to saving Jews, an exhibit dedicated to Janos Korchek and the kids he gave his life for. Janos beleived that children had the same rights as adults, and created an environment where kids essentially were given the power to govern themselves. They had a court system, and learned life skills through informal education. Another exhibit we went through was an exhibit explaining the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, and the role of the youth movements. Among all the other topics we focused on during the seminar, this was perhaps one we focused a great deal of time on.
Before I explain a short explanation, again it is important that we review the three NO's which had served as a guide for the Jewish people throughout the Diaspora. 1) Don't return to Israel until the messia. 2) Don't rebel. 3)Don's rush the messia. Not much has changed in regard to these roles in the Jewish communities in the mid 1900's, accept for Zionism was on the rise. Keeping the three no's in mind, as Jew's were put into the Ghetto, there was rare thought about rebellion, as persecution of this sort was something most Jews have grown accustomed to. However, as the situation grew worse, and more and more Jews were forced into the ghetto, the need for some sort of rebellion grew more and more. 500,000 Jews were crammed into the ghetto, and disease began to spread. Additionally, new restrictions against the Jews became more a part of daily life. In the midst of all this, Jewish youth movement leaders became weary of the situation, and made sure the movement's existence only grew stronger through these times. Hashomer Hatzair and Dror were a focal point of the movements. Leaders such as Frumka, Tuviah, Tzivia, Mordechai annelevich, Yosef Kaplan and Yitzhak Zukerman. These leaders had fled from the ghetto, but yet could not leave their chanichim behind. When they returned to the Ghetto, they organized themselves. They ran peulot for chanichim, and educated on how they were to rebel. In an effort to change things up on this blog, here are some visual aids!

Here is a graphic of the movements uniting. Note: The Bund was hesitant to join, because their ideology was slightly conflicting.

Next is a picture of the cove of a choveret composed by the youth movement leaders of Dror. The purpose of this Choveret was to unite the youth by educating. In these choveret, were texts for peulot,an educational method still in use in the Dror, now Habonim Dror movement.

Here is a picture giving a brief description of the movement leaders, the movement they came from, and their accomplishments. Above is a map, showing where they were before they returned to their Chanichim in the Ghetto.
The Youth movement's played an extremely important role in the uprising. For an incredible speech made by Zivia, you can look to the right in the margin, and read her speech where she explains that it is the Youth Movement that gave her the strength to taking part in the uprising.
-Off we go to Poland to learn more about the choices made in the Holocaust, and to uncover important questions we are faced with as individuals, as Jews, and as members of Habonim Dror.

Pre poland 2: Peuls 1; A piece by Bilalick.

2010-02-02T15:01:00.000-08:00

After a week of messima and the normal, yet fun dosage of peulot and texts read, it was time to re-focus our attention towards our quickly approaching Poland journey.
We headed up to most northern tip of the Galilee for the second second Poland prep seminar. After A pre-pre seminar where we discussed the intentions behind mystification and choices, we were all ready to approach the topic with a new mindset, which was different for everyone. With no hesitation, at the moment of our arrival we got right to it! Downstairs we went to a small classroom type space, where we quickly set up a circle of chairs and removed the desks to give us the feel of how we tend to go about doing things.
After last week's peula about why anti-semitism exists, it was time to further our discussions, and look at some new writings for more answers. This time, we were presented with Bialick's "City of Slaughter."
In this writting by Bialick, he presents his critique of the Jewish people after the Pogroms in Kishiev in 1903. The early 1900's were the prime period of Jewish Diaspora existence; for those who chose to remain a community within a larger community. Bialick explains that the Jewish people who did choose to remain to exist under a large host population were led to endless persecution, as they were the scape goat for almost any situation in which things took a turn for the worse. When these pogroms happened, it would be difficult to avoid the question of why the Jews simply took persecution and never stood up for themselves. At this point in my blog for those who follow regularly, or for those who know about Diaspora Jewry, your probable thinking the right thing! The three NO'S! I'll remind you for those who forgot. A) No rebelling against the host population. B) No rushing Messiah. C) No returning to Israel. As a result of these three rules being continuously followed, a culture of passivity was created. When things in Kishiev got bad, the host population took their frustrations out on the Jews, due to the Jewish people economic success, which took away from a strong economy for the host population. The funny thing about the Diaspora is that it is a plan for survival; a plan for the Jews to have a way of maintaining their unique culture and identity. However, some of the three no's seemed to be an obsticle in this plan. Let me explain. Lets look at the no of not rebelling, or fighting back against the host population. The reasoning for this rule does make sense; because if an attack is launched against the Jews, and the Jews revolt, it potentially would upset the host population. Since the Jewish community is extremely small compared to the host, it seems like things could get bad quick. However on the other hand, things got bad either way. There needed to be some sort of revolt, and very rarely was that the case. Bialick's main point of "The City of Slaughter," was to get the point across that Jews cannot live by these principles. He gives the example of when in Kishiev a synogogue was burning down. Soon, the synogogue is ruined, and no longer exists. Rather than questioning why these things are happening, the Jews simply prayed to God, and asked for forgiveness for whatever they did that made them deserve the punishment of a Pogrom. Bialick uses this piece of writing to criticize the Jews for not revolting. Furthermore, all of this could be avoided by creating a Jewish state, and creating a Zionist revolution. It was those, (very few people) who did rebel, who ended up being Zionist pioneers.

I found a copy of the piece on http://www.hagshama.org.il

Arise and go now to the city of slaughter;
Into its courtyard wind thy way;
There with thine own hand touch, and with the eyes of thine head,
Behold on tree, on stone, on fence, on mural clay,
The spattered blood and dried brains of the dead.
Proceed thence to the ruins, the split walls reach,
Where wider grows the hollow, and greater grows the breach;
Pass over the shattered hearth, attain the broken wall
Those burnt and barren brick, whose charred stones reveal
The open mouths of such wounds, that no mending
Shall ever mend, nor healing ever heal.
There will thy feet in feathers sink, and stumble
On wreckage doubly wrecked, scroll heaped on manuscript.
Fragments again fragmented

Pause not upon this havoc; go thy wayï¿½
Unto the attic mount, upon thy feet and hands;
Behold the shadow of death among the shadows stands.
Crushed in their shame, they saw it all;
They did not pluck their eyes out; they
Beat not their brains against the wall!
Perhaps, perhaps, each watcher bad it in his heart to pray:
A miracle, O Lord, and spare my skin this day!

Come, now, and I will bring thee to their lairs
The privies, jakes and pigpens where the heirs
Of Hasmoneans lay, with trembling knees,
Concealed and cowering -the sons of the Maccabees!
The seed of saints, the scions of the lions!
Who, crammed by scores in all the sanctuaries of their shame
So sanctified My name!
It was the flight of mice they fled,
The scurrying of roaches was their flight;
They died like dogs, and they were dead!
And on the next morn, after the terrible night
The son who was not murdered found
The spurned cadaver of his father on the ground.
Now wherefore dost thou weep, O son of Man?

Brief-weary and forespent, a dark Shekinah
Runs to each nook and cannot find its rest;
Wishes to weep, but weeping does not come;
Would roar; is dumb.
Its head beneath its wing, its wing outspread
Over the shadows of the martyr'd dead,
Its tears in dimness and in silence shed.

And thou, too, son of man, close now the gate behind thee;
Be closed in darkness now, now thine that charnel space;
So tarrying there thou wilt be one with pain and anguish
And wilt fill up with sorrow thine heart for all its days.
Then on the day of thine own desolation
A refuge will it seem,
Lying in thee like a curse, a demon's ambush,
The haunting of an evil dream,
O, carrying it in thy heart, across the world's expanse
Thou wouldst proclaim it, speak it out,
But thy lips shall not find its utterance.

Beyond the suburbs go, and reach the burial ground.
Let no man see thy going; attain that place alone,
A place of sainted graves and martyr-stone.
Stand on the fresh-turned soil.
There in the dismal corner, there in the shadowy nook,
Multitudinous eyes will look
Upon thee from the sombre silence
The spirits of the martyrs are these souls,
Gathered together, at long last,
Beneath these rafters and in these ignoble holes.
The hatchet found them here, and hither do they come
To seal with a last look, as with their final breath,
The agony of their lives, the terror of their death.
Question the spider in his lair!
His eyes beheld these things; and with his web he can
A tale unfold horrific to the ear of man:
A tale of cloven belly, feather-filled;
Of nostrils nailed, of skull-bones bashed and spilled;
Of murdered men who from the beams were hung,
And of a babe beside its mother flung,
Its mother speared, the poor chick finding rest
Upon its mother's cold and milkless breast;
Of how a dagger halved an infant's word,
Its ma was heard, its mama never heard.

Then wilt thou bid thy spirit - Hold, enough!
Stifle the wrath that mounts within thy throat,
Bury these things accursed,
Within the depth of thy heart, before thy heart will burst!
Then wilt thou leave that place, and go thy way
And lo-
The earth is as it was, the sun still shines:
It is a day like any other day.

Descend then, to the cellars of the town,
There where the virginal daughters of thy folk were fouled,
Where seven heathen flung a woman down,
The daughter in the presence of her mother,
The mother in the presence of her daughter,
Before slaughter, during slaughter and after slaughter!

Note also, do not fail to note,
In that dark corner, and behind that cask
Crouched husbands, bridegrooms, brothers, peering from the cracks,
Watching the sacred bodies struggling underneath
The bestial breath,
Stifled in filth, and swallowing their blood!
Such silence will take hold of thee, thy heart will fail
With pain and shame, yet I
Will let no tear fall from thine eye.
Though thou wilt long to bellow like the driven ox
That bellows, and before the Altar balks,
I will make hard thy heart, yea, I
Will not permit a sigh.
See, see, the slaughtered calves, so smitten and so laid;
Is there a price for their death? How shall that price be paid?
Forgive, ye shamed of the earth, yours is a pauper-Lord!
Poor was He during your life, and poorer still of late.
When to my door you come to ask for your reward,
I'll open wide: See, I am fallen from My high estate.
I grieve for you, my children. My heart is sad for you.
Your dead were vainly dead; and neither I nor you
Know why you died or wherefore, for whom, nor by what laws;
Your deaths are without reason; your lives are without cause.

Turn, then, thy gaze from the dead, and I will lead
Thee from the graveyard to thy living brothers,
And thou wilt come, with those of thine own breed,
Into the synagogue, and on a day of fasting,
To hear the cry of their agony,
Their weeping everlasting.
Thy skin will grow cold, the hair on thy skin stand up,
And thou wilt be by fear and trembling tossed;
Thus groans a people which is lost.
Look in their hearts - behold a dreary waste,
Where even vengeance can revive no growth,
And yet upon their lips no mighty malediction
Rises, no blasphemous oath.
Speak to them, bid them rage!
Let them against me raise the outraged hand,
Let them demand!
Demand the retribution for the shamed
Of all the centuries and every age!
Let fists be flung like stone
Against the heavens and the heavenly Throne!

And thou, too, pity them not, nor touch their wound;
Within their cup no further measure pour.
Wherever thou wilt touch, a bruise is found,
Their flesh is wholly sore.
For since they have met pain with resignation
And have made peace with shame,
What shall avail thy consolation?
They are too wretched to evoke thy scorn.
They are too lost thy pity to evoke.
So let them go, then, men to sorrow born,
Mournful and slinking, crushed beneath their yoke.
So to their homes, and to their hearth depart
Rot in the bones, corruption in the heart.
And go upon the highway,
Thou shalt then meet these men destroyed by sorrow,
Sighing and groaning, at the doors of the wealthy
Proclaiming their sores, like so much peddler's wares,
The one his battered head, t'other limbs unhealthy,
One shows a wounded arm, and one a fracture bares.
And all have eyes that are the eyes of slaves,
Slaves flogged before their masters;
And each one begs, and each one craves:
Reward me, Master, for that my skull is broken.
Reward me for my father who was martyred!

And so their sympathy implore.
For you are now as you have been of yore
As you stretched your hand
So will you stretch it,
And as you have been wretched

So are you wretched!
What is thy business here, o son of man?
Rise, to the desert flee!
The cup of affliction thither bear with thee!
Take thou they soul, rend it in many a shred!
With impotent rage, thy heart deform!
Thy tear upon the barren boulders shed
And send they bitter cry into the storm.

More on Poland Seminar 1: Why ani-semitism exists.

2010-02-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

After an intense peula about mystification in the holocaust, it was time for one more peula to get thoughts flowing. In the second peula we had with Miriam during the first Poland seminar, we read a text titled "modernity, racism, extermination" by Zygmond Bauman. In short, the article examined the reasons why racism exists, how it originates, and the role that it has played out in the lives of the Jewish people. It seems that no matter what article or text I read, or how many discussions I have, the answer to the question of how anti-semitism originated, and why it exists is simply because for years, the Jews had been homeless. Ok, so maybe its not really that simple. Because Jews had no safe haven, or country to call their own, the Jewish people had always become a part of a host population, but had always remained a smaller group that had to separate itself because of its unique traditions and cultures. (Kashrut, a bunch of fun laws, and other things too!) If the Jewish people were to not separate themselves and retain their identity, then they would become assimilated, and this unique culture would be gone. In the Diaspora, it was, and still is the communities within communities which keep the Jewish people together. An entire group of people living within a host population, but yet separating themselves from certain aspects of society would result in funny situations. Jews specialized in certain professions and each family had their own unique identity. However, the fact they had to seclude certain aspects of their life resulted in the host population to have growing frustrations with them. Money flow became strange, and because of certain Jews professions, more money flowed to the Jewish communities. Issues like this are the origination of anti-semitism. Because the Jews had their communities within communities, they became the scape goat for all of Eastern Europe. As time went on and times changed, or in other words, once the Enlightenment began, the Jewish people needed to act. There were a number of options, however something which must have been taken into consideration was the THREE NO'S! 1) Don't rush the arrival of the Messiah. 2) don't return to Israel. 3) Don't, under any condition, revolt against host populations. These three no's gave the Jewish people a few options. The choices were the following: A) The Jews could build up the wall of their communities with communities twice as high, as they clearly would want to maintain their current situation until the Messiah comes. B) They could assimilate, and lose their identity. or C) Move to Israel, and create a Zionist revolution. Heres how the situation played out: First, was the orthodox/Mizrachi response. When they found out what was going on around them, they realized they cant break the No's! So, they chose option A, and remained, and still do, a close knit community where they go about only living out the ideals of their religious practices. (Crown Heights, New York, Golder's Green, London, etc...) The next option is assimilation, which is fair to say that many Jews have, and still are doing, as Diaspora Jewry is slightly losing speed. In this situation, Jews had a few options. They could join communism, and quickly lose their Jewish identity, as well as continue on with their capitalist ways, as either presented quick and easy ways out of the previous communities, which were the source of much frustrations and blames. And finally is Zionism. Baruch Hshem for that one! All three of these choices were followed through on in different ways. All of this was a result of modernism, starting at the time of the enlightenment. WIth all this said however, in my opinion the Jewish population is currently in decent shape, however it is important to remember that today, there is a Jewish state. By no means is it a place for the Jewish people to run away to and forget all of their problems, but it is there for the Jews to live happy lives where they have an immense amount of opportunities and structural choices to live out the values of Judaism in whatever way they see fit. More on zionism later!

Ivrit Ivrit!

2010-01-31T14:28:00.000-08:00

Recently, I have been making an intense effort to become fluent in Hebrew. From recording every word I come across that I dont know, to only speaking to peakock in Hebrew, the language is becoming more and more a part of my life. For years Jews have been stuck in exile with no home. Now we have a home, yippie! But as important as this is to me, something just as important is the language. Just like the Jews were lost, so was our language, it even dissapeared completely for years! But, meraculously, it came back. (Shout out to Eliezer Ben Yehuda!) I think that just as there is now a Jewish state, there is also a language for Jews too! To me, this is something that cannot be taken for granted, just as the state. As a result of this, I have made a concious effort to make Hebrew a much more relevant part of my life, in fact, I see it as just as important as english.
So that brings me, and maybe you, to the question of why is this blog not in Hebrew! A few explanations: First, there is no Hebrew on this computer, which is too bad, but even if there would be, its so hard to type in Hebrew! But second, and more importantly, my Hebrew is not yet at the level it should be, due to the fact that in almost any situation, if i say something to the bus driver, our neighbor, or my chanichim in Hebrew, the response will be in English, something along the lines of, "eh its okay, why you talk in Hebrew?" Furthermore, it makes it even more frustrating when this English response I speak of is made up of words that barely make up a sentance!
Being in Israel has made me feel like I am at home. I have the freedom and means to experience it as I want. However when it comes to simple interactions and I cannot even get a response in Hebrew, its a little bit frustrating. I wish I could give you more info but again, its time to give back the computer! My inspiration for this blog comes from James, one of the Pioneers of the New Kibbutz Movement, and for more information on this and his experience i suggest reading his blog entry on the matter.
Layla Tov!

Jersey Shore: Our 6th pillar of H.D

2010-01-30T12:35:00.000-08:00

Something everyone must know is G&G's, and maybe all of Workshops love for the MTV show Jersey Shore. Talk about confusion about Garin Aliya, these guys would be great!
This is from Jerseyshorequotes.com
-Everybody at the Shore definitely knows The Situation. As far as I know, everybody loves The Situation, and if you don't love The Situation, I'm gonna make you love The Situation.-Mike "The Situation."
-It's obvious that Sammi has a crush on me... it goes back to the days of prehistoric kindergarten.-Mike "The Situation."
-That's why I don't eat lobster or anything like that cause they're alive when you kill it.-Snooks, or whatever her name is.
-G.T.L. baby. Gym, Tanning, Laundry.-Mike "The Situation."
-I’m gonna break it down dancing, I love the beats, I got my creepy patent move.-Ronnie.

Pre Poland Seminars; 1&2: Important peulot.

2010-01-30T09:16:00.001-08:00

As Workshop continues there are challenges that arise daily which face the kvutza, just as any other kvutza in the world. However these challenges are challenges which, no matter how difficult or frustrating they may be, are overcome. By challenges I mean a lot, ranging from kupa issues to value expression issues to ideological disagreements. However, at this point in the Workshop journey arises possibly the most intense of all challenges, where everyone in the kvutza will have a chance to truly function as a kvutza with a tight knit support system, where every one is there for one another.
Two weeks ago we began our Poland journey on a yom kvutza. Since then, we have experienced two intense seminars which have remarkably made me think of the Holocaust on a level I never have before. It is no secret that seminars have been where I have made the most breakthroughs in terms of my personal developments. On Rabin seminar we had our first exposure to apathy and racism in Israel and during Habo history seminar many of us had ideological breakthroughs where we were able to relate to Socialist Zionism on an entire new level. DUring these seminars, I came away with two things in terms of how I think of the Holocaust, as well as an almost endless list of wonders. One being that everything that happened was a choice made by human beings,and two is that with the previous being said, the value of human life which we speak so highly of really is a value which I need to aspire to carrying out every day. Seeing as we probably had a total of a billion peulot, there is no way I could possibly write about all of them, but the things which really stand out to me are blog worthy. Before I go any further, I would like to express how excited I, and the rest of the kvutz is for Miriam to continue to facilitate our journey, as she did an extraordinary job in the prep seminars.
Seminar one: "The journey to uncover the roots of the zionist revolution and the youth movements heroism."
-Question to keep in mind: what's the deal with the tittle of this seminar? there are a lot of important words in that one sentence.
In all of my education of the Holocaust I have struggled to understand that all the events that happened were by humans. I had no way of getting around the thoughts of labeling every nazi as a monster or a robot. Entering the seminar, I maintained that mindset, but the first text we read changed the way I think about things.
I cannot find a link to this article so i will do my best to explain. The tittle of the article is "Against mystification: The Holocaust as a Historical Phenomenon." In a nut shell, this article gives reasons why the Holocaust, due to a variety of reasons, is so often called a mystification. (Mystification: anywhere you look for a definition, you will come across something like, "to hide; or make unclear." or, "confusion resulting from failure to understand." To me, an example of mystification would be apathy towards a certain subject, as a result of feeling that that particular subject is too difficult to comprehend. With that understood, the article gives a few reasons, and points of clarification as to why mystifications do exist, and how to treat them. Above all, from this peula I learned no matter what it is that I am about to engage myself in, it is important to know my intentions. The first mystification is the explanation of why (what I just gave an example of,) people fail to recognize the Holocaust, or on the other hand a mystification could be one thinking that they have nothing left to learn about the Holocaust, and feeling that they have already a complete understanding of it. There are two simple examples of this. One, the attitude where one expresses that they studied that matter, felt sad, and feel they have a complete understanding. And two, like the first, one having a complete grasp on the subject in terms of numbers and statistics, and that individuals knowledge not going passed that point. These are both, in a way a form of escapism. At this point, we went off to a sicha about the value of human life. A question which came up was, what is worse, a holocaust or a genocide. The article introduces the matter,and explains that as a result of the mystification of Jews being responsible for virtually all issues facing the countries people, (from economic economic issues to others)and animal image the Jews were given by the nazis, the intention of the nazi regime was to completely wipe out the Jews. This is a Holocaust. Further explanation; the elimination of every member of a group, eliminating national identity. On the other hand,according to the article, a genocide is taking down a people, but not completely eliminating them. Rather than eliminating their existence, making them objects of people; denationalizing them by taking down their government, social institutions, economy, biological, and as a replacement of the loss of these things of one group, they are replaced with the opposite by the host population. For instance, its no question that it was every intention of the nazis to do this to the Gypsies. The Jews were victims of a Holocaust, and the Gypsies were victims of a genocide, as they were made into a lower class. In the midst of this, the question was brought up: what is worse, A Holocaust or a Genocide? Furthermore, is it worse to have your life taken, or to live a life of torture and be a lower class, yet with some slight hope of one day living a better life. The question is a tough one, and the answer can be different for everyone. But for me, this is where I have formed my opinion that any form of human life is to be valued, no matter what. Under this condition, you can still in some way experience life rather than the alternative. The act of killing is one person taking away another's right to live, in other words, someone else is controlling your death and denying your existence. Back to the point of mystification, there are countless explanations, and I may just give a few reasons for the untrue reasoning of these mystifications. (Or however much time I have before I need to give this computer back!) So, another example of mystification is what I referred to way earlier. There is a stigma of dehumanizing nazis. Doing this, or having the understandings or thoughts that Hitler was a robot is making it difficult to understand the truth. The truth that there were all people who made choices. Yes he was a human, but one who chose to handle problems in an almost unreal way, but it was real, and we cannot tell ourself it wasn't. We came to the conclusion that its not okay to dehumanize the nazis, because they were people who fell for the belief that there is one way to solve problems, and that was inhumane. However stating they were robots is just covering up the truth.
A next mystification mentioned is that of Zionism, and Gutter literature. This type of literature stated that the Zionist movement wanted the Jews of Eastern Europe to be killed. This is a mystification. There is no truth to this stated in the Gutter literature, because many Zionist thinkers are from Eastern Europe, and it was people from that area like Mordechai Anielewicz, an active Hashomer Hatzair member, who was a top commander of the movement in the Warshaw Ghetto Uprising. The exact same goes for other commanders in the uprising like Frumka and Tuvia, leaders of the Dror movement. This is a classic example of why these mystifications have no truth to them. This literature twists the Zionist ideology to a point that makes no sense. Authors feel that by doing this, it makes it easier to believe.
All of these mystifications make little, or no sense. This was our first peula, and it gave me, and the kvutza the understanding that we cannot even think of these mystifications and allow them to relate to ourselves, otherwise it could potentially take away from our Poland journey. Additionally, I came away with the understanding that all human life is to be valued, and its our role to carry that belief out at all times.
This was the first of many of our peulot.
More soon!

My letter to the Kvutz: Chevrati; 1-23-2010

2010-01-23T12:04:00.000-08:00

After much confusion and discussion about how to have a feedback session of some sort, the kvutz decided that each member would write a letter about anything from thoughts and feelings to criticsms and points of possible improvement. here is my take on the current situation!

Greetings all,
After four months of an ever self bettering process, I currently find myself happier than ever, and in the midst of intense seminars and peulot. Every single day of Workshop, in either the most simple, or most complicated way possible I have found myself questioning my actions. For example, what am I doing on workshop that separates me from my friends on Year-course, or why is it that I try so hard to live out the values of equality of human worth, informal education and collective responsibility? And why is it that I spend a majority of my time wondering how to be the best Dugma Yeshit I can be. All these questions can either be so simple, or so difficult. But for some reason, perhaps for the better, these questions have never been easy for me to answer. This all comes back to my intentions of this letter which we decided would be the first steps of our feedback session. What is my personal intention of this letter?
High school was a bore for me. I can easily tell you what things I am ashamed of, or how my relationships were not based around anything rather than infatuation of materialistic objects. I didn’t realize the uniqueness of all the people around me. As time wound down in my high school career, I realized how unique life is. All of a sudden, I was driven to become a better person. As time wound by and machaneh arrived, meaning workshop was approaching, I found myself not wanting to go on Workshop. I was terrified of the word “ideology,” and had no understanding of what living in a Kvutza actually meant. A few weeks later, I found myself sitting next to Izzy Busby on an airplane going to Israel, having superficial, materialistic discussions, pretending I was excited, but I wasn’t excited. I was afraid of what I was about to get myself into. I didn’t want to go.
Four months later from sitting on a plane with Izzy and awkwardly thinking of things to do to keep ourselves busy, I can tell you that mine and Izzy’s current friendship is based on love, mutual respect and essential values that are the essence of our character. The exact same goes for every single person in this house. Every time I talk to a Kvutza mate, or anyone for that matter, I do all I can to actualize on having an “I and thou” relationship. No relationship I have with any person in this house is intended to be materialistic, and if it is, then it is just one more thing that can be overcome. Just like with Izzy, my friendships are based on love.
I am currently in the best stage of my life I have been in at any point. As difficult as some things have been, it has all been worth it to me. Every morning I wake up and ask myself how I can make the world better. Ideology has been an unexpected, yet incredible breakthrough. I have only just begun the never ending climb to learning about myself, and how I can apply my knowledge and passions to improve the world. However, I am aware that there are still an almost endless amount of questions I am faced with, but I know that Workshop has been the best place for me to start my process of self improvement, as well as improving society. I have become infatuated with Zionism and the different ideologies, but have never been able to connect with Labor/Socialist Zionism to the point which I am currently at. Every peulah gets me thinking about things critically, all which have furthered my current beliefs.
As part of my development process, I have formed the belief that life is to wonderful to keep to myself, and I see Kvutza as the most effective way of fighting back a society which forces individualism, while at the same time developing these whole relationships I speak so highly of. Weather we are all on board or not, this is our current situation. For some, perhaps it will be a structure to live their lives after college and for others maybe not. But this is our current situation, and we must share a stichia of the value of one another, as well as commitment to the process, which will result in a more wonderful praxis than will make our year more enjoyable. But in my eyes right now, I don’t see this happening as much as it should be. The goal of a Kvutza is not to be best friends with every single person, but to view each individual as an equal human being, and to treat them nothing less. With all of us here for reasons that may not match up, in the end we need to realize that this is a structure for a year, set up for us to learn valuable life lessons that perhaps cannot be learned any where else. It’s such simple words that become so difficult for us to actualize on. Collective responsibilities, shivion erech haadam, the “I and thou” mindset which we have spent hours discussing, are the simplest values to practice, but I feel that we are not there yet. They are difficult to actualize, and perhaps could take moths, or years. But, my biggest issue is that in many cases I do not see these being attempted. I know we're all at different places, with different thoughts, feelings ad emotions. Specifically, I mean the talking behind backs, the lack of rosh gadol. Of course there is a lot too one self, which includes certain needs, but I see little effort in many cases, of even trying to live these values.For those who feel otherwise about those values, I value your opinions, and would love to get to know those qualities of you. The days I spoke of earlier where I was unsure of myself and who I was, even days before Workshop I was as negative as it gets towards shitoof, but I through people and conversation the first few days, I was able to realize that this is just an experiment where I would have to step out of my comfort zone, all the time. Not even a year, just nine months. By steping out of our comfort zones, and challenging ourselves and one another to live out these values for the remainder of Workshop is how I see the Kvutza’s best tools for improvement. Honesty is lacking, and it is a shame. We need to be able to trust one another, and it makes me sad hearing vulgar things about one another behind their backs. Of course I am guilty of these things more than often, but I try to change these things every day, and know that I cannot continue to have these personal breakthroughs without being pushed out of my comfort zone by every one in this Kvutza, and by our madrichim.
We all have brilliant minds, wonderful ideas, and incredible personalities. We have learned so much from one another thus far, and I know we will continue. All I ask of you, and of myself, is to respect one another, and see us as equals. There are a vast amount of issues which we all know need to be addressed, however I feel that addressing those in our one on one sichot, will be much more productive for me. We all have a responsibility for one another to facilitate each other’s growth, and I hope, depending on where each individual is, that this process can be started or continued. We still have four more wonderful months together and have just began the first steps of our possible life changing journey to Poland. Workshop has been great so far, but lets make it greater.

Hagshama and Dissonance: Yom Kvutza (1-10-2010)

2010-01-21T14:03:00.000-08:00

Throughout the movement, a word you will almost always hear is the word "Hagshama. The translation for Hagshama is actualization, however the word has taken on an entire new meaning in Habonim Dror, in fact it is one of the five pillars of HD.When throughout my time in the movement the word has always had a simple, but important meaning to me: stop sitting around and do whatever you need to do. Of course that's important, but on Workshop, in sichot which happen quite often the word has taken on the meaning of actualizing, in terms of Garin Aliya. (See Kvutza Yovel.)
In A recent Yom Kvutza, we discussed the role of dissonance, in relation to Hagshama. Here is a copy of the text we read, by an unsure author.

The element, which unites the two categories of values, is the elimination of the dissonance between my ideal reality and the day to day activism which inspires me. The complete elimination of this dissonance would be an impossible dream, so Hagshama is not a particular point to get to however it is a constant striving and a struggle for better. Hagshama is a value in and of itself. THe desire to eliminate the dissonance and the decision to act and live according to my ideals is also a value becuase what is being actualized (Hagshama) must be constantly reassessed. In summary this is the conflict between my judgment and my will.
In the path to Hagshama there is another conflict and this is the conflict between my values and the reality in which I live, which consists of the human, social, political and physical realities. The reality on the ground does not determine my ideals, in fact the opposite because the current reality was not constructed according to my ideals. In the best case I can change the reality to bring it closer to the ideal to which I strive. For this reason I must constantly struggle to decrease the difference between the reality and my ideals.

He who does not wish, or is unable to live with this constant struggle must give up on either his values or their actualization. Values for which no attempt is made to actualize them are only dreams. These dreams may be beautiful but they are bankrupt. Dreaming a dream can sometimes be an excuse for one to abdicate responsibility from implementing it. An example of this is the Jewish dream of the arrival of the Messiah for which generations of Jews said Bashana Haba'a B'Yerushalayim Habnuya(next year in the built Jerusalem) but remained in exile. The generation of Jews who said "At the end of the days...they will turn their swords into plowshares" while all the while people greeted one another brandishing raised swords. The expectation of the End of Days and fear of Judgement Day are two sides of the same coin, a miracle or a holocaust neither of which depend on me. Even the most beautiful dream possible does not change the world. Trading Hagshama with all of the complexity and imperfection involved for the dream in all its purity is tantamount to pronouncing the reality dead.
A social movement which does Hagshama and does not want to atrophy and die must constantly reassess its values, to study the changing reality and to fight to implement its values in a changing world.

After going through this text, I realize a few things. What is the point of Hagshama without dissonance? If, in a perfect world, those who accomplish Hagshama in Israel, or in the world fix all problems, then what? where do we go from there? Dissonance is something that does, and will always exist. Because without it, we will have nothing to strive for. However, as long as this dissonance does exists, we cannot simply accept it,we must do what we can to actualize on what we believe are the needs of the hour. As the great Mukki Tsur says, if you reach to much, and not for what is right in front of you, you will get your dreams crushed. Our reality does not match up with our ideals, but this dissonance is the point of Hagshama. Additionally, because of this dissonance, our ideals must constantly be reassessed, over and over again, in order to see what it is that we really value.
yayy for Haghshama! More about Hagshama will happen once I find a way of fixing our broken computer!

Kaveret Messima!

2010-01-18T02:15:00.000-08:00

heyo,
After a lovely chofesh, it was time to start Kaveret. As people with new and improved minds, and an indescribable passion to actualize on our ideals, which you can piece together by reading previous entries, the time has arrived to do so. When me and the rest of my tzevet arrived in thet Hanoar Ha'oved V'Halomed Bayit in Cholon, we met with our melaveh who gave us the scoop. After a few peulot ran for us and getting to know the rest of the tzevet at the bayit, we met our chanichim, and made the early morning commute to beit sefer Yeshayahu.This was the begining of our Messima, and we were pumped.
One of the biggest aims of Habonim Dror is to educate to make better human beings.After Boneh, and daily peulot which educate us about the beauties, as well as issues Israel faces, we were exited to go and help in Israeli society. We were aware that the school system here is much different than we are accustomed to from home, but when we walked in we were shocked, to see the balagan. At every minute throughout the day kids were running around the halls yelling, playing soccer in the hallways, etc...When I asked a teacher about what I saw, I recieved a confusing response which consisted of nothing more than a "no big deal." hmm...As we walked into the class room of about 25 kids fighting and yelling in one another's face. The way that this was dealt wtih by the teacher was by simply yelling at the kids, and sending those who failed to be quiet out to the halls. In the midst of all this, we were told to each choose kids to help teach English. Of course, just pulling these kids out caused those who were taken out to be jealous, but the teacher told us not to worry about it. As I sat down with the student, he did not speak a word of English, so i made a deal with him that I would speak a little Hebrew for him if he let me teach him. He agreed, and I slowly began teaching him the letters. Progress was made, and after a little bit of time the whole tzevet met up, with the kids, and we played games in english together. The experience was rewarding, and I even got asked to go to dinner with one of the kids!
After our day at school we went to the Bayit, where we were greeted by the rest of the Cholon Tzevet with a nice lunch. We then reviewed our first experience, and were given advice on how to deal with the issues we were faced with. Then, we planned our first peula for the chanichim. After helping with homework and getting to know the chanichim, (by means of hebrew conversations!) we ran the peula, and all went well. It was for sure a rewarding experience, and the first of many. One thing for our tzevet to work on is how to handle difficult situations, and how to educate based on our values, rather than just going through the motions. After 4 months of discussing these things, you'd figure this would be easy. But it was a little bit difficult. However, our melaveh as well as the rest of our tzevet is doing a great job helping us. We are excited by the challenge we face, and are happy that we have already began to form wonderful relations with the chanichim.

Givat Olga!!!

2010-01-01T12:20:00.000-08:00

I have finally been presented wit a great chance to blog! As i said, you will hear about everything soon, but not until the internet at our house works. In the mean time, Kavaret has officially started! G'N'G is living in the beautiful neighborhood of Olga, in Chadera. Just a 2 minute walk from the beach and a hop across the street to a bnei akiva school. Kavaret is the time where we, for the first time in a while will be actualizing our ideals, and applying the things we beleive in, into our everyday lives. If you ask almost anyone on workshop where one of the most important place to begin to change the world is, they will tell you education. Values based education is what we feel is the need of the hour in order to create a better society, and so that is what we are going to do! Our messimot are all through Hanoar Haoved V'Halomed, our sister youth movement. The messimot include working with airetraien (I dont know how to spell it!) reffuggees, a coexestiance ken in Yaffo, A ken in Olga and a Ken in Cholon. there is so much more to say, but i dont even know what to type! AH!!!
Now, lets be honest, I know that all who follow this blog are probably sitting and wondering, what about the G'n'G gan from Ein dor!!! Well, after a long seperation and getting trampled on by our favorite loud messy painters, the gan made its way to Olga. So yall can relax, i was worried too. Well, i must go, but stay tunned!!! once the olga house gets internet ha'kol will be beseder.

AHH!

2010-01-01T12:17:00.000-08:00

AHH! it appears that i have some unfinished blogging to do... All that is blogged at our home computer in olga, but sadly there is no internet at our house, so until then you will need to wait in suspense to hear about all the fun stuff that has happened.

Habo History Seminar: Day One.

2009-12-18T06:38:00.000-08:00

After a wonderful Boneh, it was time to say goodbye and move on, and begin Habo History seminar.For those who dont know, Habonim Dror dates back a long time and played a major role in the establishment of many kbbutzim, and there are currently three kvutzot living in Israel. To get some backround, our first stop was at Chetzer Kinneret, where our kvutzas tour guide was Ilan.Ilan informed us that Chetzer Kinneret was quite the hotspot for Labor Zionists in the early 1900's, and was the beginning of many great things to come. A long time ago, a man by the name of Dr. Arthur Ruppin dreamed of runnning a training farm on the Kinneret. Finally, in 1909. Ruppin and the Paliestine office opened the Kinneret farm for the training of Agriculture. It just so haapened that Ruppin found a group of farmers, by the name of the Romni group, and had them come to the Kinneret Farm. At the Kinneret, the group lived a Kvutza lifestyle. For example, they put forth great effort in being not just a group of workers, but freinds, who had intimate relationships and lived almost like a family. In the begining, there was one main room. In this room, there were aseiphot, meals, singing, all that had to be done was done in the one room, since it was the only one. Since there was only one room however, it was difficult for the group to have privacy. The problem was quickly solved, as they created a sicha rock, where people would go to have one on one discussions.As time went on they continued to work. However, under the manager hired by Ruppin, there was constant tension, and after a series of strikes for various reasons, when the group was not given proper means of transportation by the manager to visit their sick friend, it was the last straw. Ruppin decided to give them the opportunity to work without being controlled, and boy did they work!Later, on October 28, 1910, ten men and two women left, and took over Umm Juni, and established Degania, which later became the first kibbutz, which was the place where the most well known Zionist's ideals were lived out.
Following Chetzer Kinneret, we drove up the road to the Kinneret cemetary, where we visitied zionist thinkers who laid out the idea of Kibbutzim and a socialist society. Among these Zionists were Hess, Syrkin, and Borochov. All three of these Zionists had major rolls in the future of Israel. ALthough he is not credited enough, Hess was the real father of Zionism. Before Herzl, Hess realized that Jews are faced with persecution, and hold unfair class status. As a reslut, Hess came up with Socialist Zionism, a movement where class barriers are broken down, and Jews would live equal lives in their own place. Following Hess came Syrkin, and Borochov, both figures established a varriety of Socialist Zionist groups, and was the inspiration for the Hagshama of Zionists who beleived that a socialist society was the best way to live. This was just the begining of the seminar. Having this backround, as you will see is essential in understanding what Habonim Dror stands for.
Under important websites, I have posted some links to our friends.

Essay Revised: Give me feedback!

2009-12-10T16:45:00.001-08:00

In the midst of Workshop, I have decided to re-examine my plans for college. Currently, I am differed from Goucher and College of the Atlantic. I was leaning towards COA, becuase I am passionate about enviornmental studies. However, during workshop I have realized how important it is to me that my ideals of Judaism, education and involvement in Habonim Dror is continued for the next few years. At COA, I would not have the chance to do all these things. I have realized that Kalamazoo College is a place where I can carry out these ideals that mean so much to me...So, here is my essay I have been working on. By no means is the finished, but I would like so feed back.

Just a few miles down the road from where I grew up is the city of Detroit. The public school system is in a severe deficit, a situation that harshly affects students, and their learning environment. This is just one example of how those with a lower economic status are disadvantaged from a young age. As a result a culture of individualism is created, which is detrimental to the cohesiveness of our society. We put too much emphasis on “I,” and not enough on “we.” We are too caught up in satisfying our own personal desires, while others’ basic needs are not met. While its true that Capitalistic ideals lead to wonderful achievements, in our society we value individual achievements over interpersonal relationships. As a result, people of low socio-economic status are left behind, making it difficult to operate as a society.
I am dedicated to improving our society. I aspire to exemplify values such as community, respect, and the equality of human worth on a daily basis. Not to say that our current society fails to do this, but if everyone made a conscious effort to carry out these values, the “we,” would naturally begin to replace the “I.” Capitalistic ideals create a world where we judge people based on the type of car they drive, and how they can serve us. According to the Jewish thinker Emmanuel Levinas, “When I do not acknowledge the other as another and as worthy of love I am unconsciously and unintentionally legitimizing him being exploited, and oppressed” (translated from Hebrew). Even if I don’t actively exploit someone, if I do not view him or her as a whole person, I am contributing to his or her exploitation. I demand that we stop viewing each other as a sum of possessions and abilities, and begin forming relationships based on character, and mutual respect. I aspire daily to realize this vision.
I currently live in a kvutza. Literally, this word means “group” in Hebrew; however, it has taken on an entirely new meaning in my life. Kvutza is the closest structure to the aforementioned values; I live communally with 18 other individuals, sharing everything from money to toothpaste to feelings. We make decisions through group meetings, where every individual presents their feelings and experiences regarding the topic at hand. One such meaning occurred, when we became concerned that our excessive use of vulgar language contradicted our collective value of the equal respect of all people. Previously, we had discussed how our word choice reflected the values in which we believed. By using vulgar language, we were creating gender stereotypes, and degrading individuals. When we revisited the topic, we re-examined our values, and the ways in which our word choices reflected our values. We reached a consensus that our vocabulary did not properly represent our values, and we decided to implement a change. We decided to remove particularly offensive words from our vocabulary. When individuals break this rule, others around must make it their responsibility to address the mistake.
My experiences in my kvutza have given me a unique outlook on interpersonal relationships. Through the exploration of collective issues regarding money, feelings, behavior and many other things, I have developed strong relationships with the members of my kvutza, I have learned their story, and they have learned mine. On a daily basis, values such as community, respect and equality are practiced, creating an intimate atmosphere. These experiences have helped me develop my vision for society, and I look forward sharing my visions with my peers at Kalamazoo College.

This is not finished, but give me feedback! erezzzzzzzzzz@gmail.com

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

2009-11-30T10:33:00.000-08:00

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

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

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

2009-11-29T14:04:00.000-08:00

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Danger for Israel \ Ariel Sharon

Yedioth Acharonoth – 6/11/1995

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Labour Zionism's Message to Jewry

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

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

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

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

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

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

2009-11-25T14:58:00.000-08:00

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

A Quick Reminder: Buy Nothing Day Friday:

2009-11-25T12:46:00.001-08:00

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

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

Kvutza Gan!!!

2009-11-22T03:57:00.000-08:00

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

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

2009-11-21T08:44:00.000-08:00

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

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

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

2009-11-19T08:27:00.000-08:00

Heyo!

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

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

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

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

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

More Catching up...and some Background info:

2009-11-18T12:41:00.000-08:00

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

A quick catching up.

2009-11-17T14:28:00.000-08:00

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