Sof Workshop...

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

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

See you later!

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

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

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

Watermelon Killa: A Kvutzat Zerem production.

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

The Rebel: Yom Kvutza; 4-26.

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

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

Zionism as a Constant Revolution: Peula with Miriam!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Three Levels of Oppression: March 8, 2010.

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

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