Shnat Harai Zion Report #20

Wed, 5 Nov 2008 17:33:51 +1100

Dear snifim, parents and colleagues shalom,

It is today 2 weeks before the end of Shnat South. Next week is the last week of the Shnattim in Yahel and Lotan, and after that, we will head to Eilat for our sikkum seminar.

Both our groups- in Lotan and in Yahel, are getting great feedbacks from the kibbutzim. The way they immersed into the kibbutzim is amazing! The groups are active in their communities, running programs for the kibbutzim and having a great time there.

I wish I could say these are all the news. Unfortunately, Kibbutz Yahel had to close the packing house, as the melons are not selling as it used to due to the world economic crisis. As the majority of our Shnattim worked in it, they were all fired from it. They were told about this on Sunday.

They were given a choice at first by the kibbutz- go on chofesh, or stay in the kibbutz and work in different branches. After discussing it with the kibbutz, we came to the conclusion that the best and right thing to do will be that the Shnattim will stay in the kibbutz and recruit to help in whichever way they can, as the kibbutz needs them now more than ever.

Though there were some hard feelings within the Shnattim, as they felt they were left alone, the kibbutz had a meeting with them on Sunday night to discuss the world economic crisis from the global aspect up to the Kibbutz perspective. The group was told that they will be split into different branches- dates, pomelo and so on.

This is not an easy time for the kibbutz, and we are very happy that the shnattim are there to help and to learn.

Next Wednesday will be their last day on kibbutz. I will send all the arrangements for this separately.

Please find attached our plan for their sikkum seminar.

Best regards and Shabbat Shalom,

Lior and the Netzer staff.

Reports by Ellery Diem, Southern Madricha:

Kibbutz Lotan: From Lotan words truly can't describe how amazing this group really is. Speaking with Sondra the word GREAT continuously rolls off of her tongue. These kids are planning programs and dinners and amazing activities and functions for the Kibbutzniks.. Over Sukkot it was the shantties who helped build this sukkah.. I hope there are pictures of the sukkah, because wow ! what a sukkah !  Everyone is still enjoying their work and are quite happy with the living arrangements on a kibbutz. I am sure this experience will hold life lasting memories for the shantties and also the kibbtuzniks. Being their madricha, I have had the opportunity of visiting each kibbutz every week and interacting with the shantties in their enviornment. Such a feeling of peace overcomes you as soon as you step out of the car. This kibbutz has such a sense of community, of family, and even more so an ecological awareness for the Earth. Take a look at the kibbutz website: http://www.kibbutzlotan.com/   With just a few more weeks left on Kibbutz, I know that everyone is enjoying the time that they have.  Look forward to more stories and photographs!! 
Please add this link to the parents report http://www.ardom.co.il/desveg/yahel.htm It is kibbutz lotan - take a look !!
 kibbutz Yahel ! Kibbutz Yahel also brings a feeling of relaxation and enjoyment. These shantties have been working so hard in the ARDOM (factory) throughout their time on the kibbutz. And also , every week when I have come to visit they show a great deal of enthusiasm and particiaption in getting to know other kibbutzniks and really experiencing what its like to live on a kibbutz . Right now things aren't going as smoothly on the kibbutz in terms of work. and packing melons,, you see, there is a bolygon (problem !) with the melons.,. for some reason they aren't selling.. so now they will not be packing melons..  BUT! more work has been found for the shantties and people are enjoying working with dates, making nets for the dates to fall in.. which also means working outside ! instead of in a factory..  The Shantties have definatley grown Up.. in terms of cooking and cleaning and taking responsiblity for themselves and interacting with other members on the kibbutz,. from what I see , this group has made many friends, and i"m sure that they will be staying in touch with one another. . Its been really great hanging out and getting to know many of the shantties here on Yahel as well as Lotan.   Looking forward to a few more weeks,  Enjoy! Shabbat Shalom

Shnat Harai Zion Report #19

Wed, 5 Nov 2008 17:26:52 +1100

Report from Kibbutz Lotan
 Metaphor for the harvest season: you have to get something! if you want a piece of cake cut it in half and you have twice as much ! Things happen in 3's- that is irrelevant.  Due to extremely hardwork, this parent report got too tired and fell asleep In other news, Rosh Hashannah was nice and relaxing, a lot of people visited family, and some people spent Yom Kippur in Jerusalem and Lotan  Majority States: Yom Kippur was a valuable experience Shnat Netzer and Shnat Sherut enjoyed a potluck dinner together a few days ago in the common area,  They've been on 2 tiyuls - this was fun. Our Hebrew varies, ut for the most part is improving No more work in the factory! and the sun sets much earlier , it gets dark by 17.30. and its cold in the morning and the pool closes at the end of the week Kibbutz Lotan Declared this shnat group to be the most integrated and impressive shnat group as a result of their language skills and superb involvement in the kibbutz!   Report from Kibbutz Yahel
 Kibbutz is Good . Still packing melons. .. gotta love those melons..  Louise was in Jerusalem for Yom Kippur and she likes working with the kids in the gan, she also cooks a lot.  Aviva Enjoyed Rosh Hashannah, and everyone is getting along, enjoying the life on the kibbutz and surely integrating into the "kibbutznik" with ease..  "We can't believe its almost over, we're devastated!" The Northerner's came for the erev Sukkot and had a really great time Lou says hi to Sue and Gary Jeremy says hi to Gary Shout Out to Leslie and Colin Maddy says..  and Eitan had a great time with Jamie Yossi and Adir and Both Eitan's.. they all say hi.   Overall the holidays were great.. and we are too ! Love  Yahel !

Shnat Harai Zion Report #18

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:47:12 +1000

Shalom all,

The 2nd week on kibbutzim is coming to an end. Everybody are now located in their work place- Sorting dates in Ardom, working in the kitchen, being in the Reffet, working in tourism and doing a lot!
The Shnattim in Yahel are laid back, enjoying their time, as the melons season just started. The enjoy being in the kibbutz! The kibbutz is very pleased with them and find them a great group!
The Shnattim in Lotan are already all the way into work- the majority works in Ardom in shifts. This group of activists already plan sessions for the whole community in the kibbutz and have a lot of ideas such as doing Israeli dancing, the weeks' portion etc. Yesharkoach!
Our madricha in Kibbutzim- Ellery, ran a session with them this week about being in Israel and the growing process one goes through. A few mentioned how much they grew and matured this year, and we certainly see that in them.
We got feedback from the group that they do not have enough knowledge about Progressive Judaism, and therefore we came up with the following:
1.      We spoke with the kibbutzim to dedicate a few of their educational seminars to the subject.
2.      Gabbi Sar- Shalom, our rakezet chinuch will go to the kibbutzim next week and will run a session for them on the subject.
3.      Rabbi Rich Kirschen will go down to the kibbutzim in two weeks time as well.

Another thing that came up is to bring the new Northern group together with the Southern group. We will organize a bus to go to kibbutz on the first chag of sukkot for anyone who wishes to go there. We will also pay for meals, but sleeping arrangements need to be maid by the participants (it costs 100 shekels a night in the kibbutz including breakfast).
Also, the Shnatties from the Kibbutz will send their report next week.
Have a Shabbat Shalom,
Lior and the Netzer staff

Shnat Harai Zion Report #17

Fri, 5 Sep 2008 10:24:31 +1000

Shalom rav!

A new beginning for our Shnatties- the beginning of the end. Our Shnatties are now down south in the Kibbutzim- Yahel and Lotan.
After their week of chofesh, the group been to Haifa for a progressive Judaism Seminar, ran by the Leo Beack Centre for Reform education.
The seminar was successful in general, though it was actually not a Progressive Judaism seminar but rather a Beit-Midrash Seminar.
On Sunday, the bus took the hnatties to the Kibbutzim, but not without stopping in Jerusalem first, to give them some time to run some errands, and more importantly- to meet the new Northern group. It was a heart warming meeting, as some of the Shnatties met before during options, or having the Northern Shnatties older brothers/ sisters.
Starting Monday, the group was already in the Kibbutz, assigned to their new work.
The group has now a new madricha named Ellery, that will go to meet them at least once a week in the kibbutzim, do chinuch sessions for them and be there for them in general.
I wish the group much luck in their new location, and hope they enjoy their time there, as well as learn about the Kibbutz way of life, Reform Judaism and Zionism.
Shabbat Shalom,
Lior and the Netzer staff

The kids on Kibbutz Lotan:
We got to the kibbutz and moved in. Kibbutz Lotan revolves around early mornings! (5 am)!, picking dates, and eco-friendly recycling, and a little bit of cheese. Last night on the kibbutz there was a "pool side Indian yoga evening" complete with samosa's and chai tea, and Indian music- with a little bit of friendly kibbutz bongo jamming and an Arabian sitar.  The apartments are nice and comfy- we almost have a fridge- but our a/c is as old as our grandparents!  The pool is open and we can see Jordan.. in and out of the swimming pool.. The Kibbutzniks are open and welcoming- somewhat, and there is always tea with nana (mint) available.  There are many kids and bearded men. There is a 2:1 ratio of source (shoresh) hiking sandals to kibbutzniks  We don't have to cook, the grass is green, cushy and spiky around the edges  It's nice to be on a kibbutz in the middle of the desert, it feels like an oasis  People like to ride bicycles The temperature can reach up to 45 degrees!  Fashion Statements include: dreadlocks tung rings and a less is more approach to clothing.  LOVE !

Shnat Harai Zion Report #16

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:23:43 +1000

Shalom Rav!
1 more week left for options and kibbutz is almost here!
The last two weeks have been hectic- everybody are deep into volunteering and start saying their goodbyes to the people they work with. Most people really appreciate their volunteering places, and enjoy contributing. Others feel they could have gotten more out of this time- if it was longer/ more structured/ more meaningful.
The heat is crazy, and it is not easy at all to cope with it, especially in Beer- Sheva and Tel- Aviv.
I visited the Shnatties in Beer- Sheva and Tel- Aviv this week-
• In Beer- Sheva they are now 8 Shnatties, and they seem very happy and calm. They enjoy their volunteering and their accommodation in the Altshul Absorption Centre. They get A LOT out of their volunteering, and enjoy being together.
• In Tel- Aviv, the apartment is in bad shape- the majority of the group does not clean or pay attention to the roster they decided upon. The fridge which was not working (has a problem with sealing it) is now working with some creativity- they use a tape to close it. Unfortunately it took 3 weeks to understand what was wrong with it. It is cooling again now.  On top of everything the group dynamic is not so good, and it makes it hard for some people in the flat.  With all that being said, the majority of them sounds much happier, as though they finally found their place there.  
A hot issue is the split between the Kibbutzim- Yahel and Lotan. We asked the Shnatties to sort a way to split themselves between the two Kibbutzim. The created a system, in which each state their preferences of kibbutz, 5 friends they wish to be with and which parameter is more important to them. They gave all their choices to the staff and we split them into the kibbutzim. Most of the Shnatties were happy with the split, though it triggered some issues such as: they feel that the groups are not varied enough, and that they "don't go out of their comfort zone". If a lot of them feel the same way, we might have to re- split them. If it is an individual thing- we will try to solve it individually.
In addition, I would like to update you about the next few weeks and what is expected:
• 21/8/08 Options finish- A bus will take them all to the kibbutzim.
• 22/8/08-27/8/08 CHOFESH- Shnatties are free to do what they want. If they choose to stay in the Kibbutzim, the Kibbutzim might want to have some sessions with them, get to know them, have some fun activities with them, and ask them to take part in work.
• 27/8/08- 31/8/08 Progressive Judaism Seminar
On Wednesday, the 27th of August, a bus will fetch the Shnatties from the Kibbutzim, starting at Lotan at 7:00 --> Yahel, 7:20 --> Haifa.
They can get to Haifa independently if they choose to, and have to be there by 14:00 (Where we will stay in Haifa is still to be announced).
They all have to let us know in advance if they will come from the Kibbutzim or by themselves.
• 31/8/08- Sunday, going to the Kibbutzim!
Please find attached the reports as well as some pictures of the Shnatties from the visit to their cities.
Shabbat Shalom,
Lior and the Shnat Netzer flat

Tom Boltman - Madrich of Tel-Aviv Shnatties

Dear all,   This week in Tel aviv has seen a commendation from Igal as the ARDC (African Refugees Development Committee) who called through to thank those working with the refugees at the shelter for the great work they have been doing. He also asked based, on the work that aviva, maddie, josh, eitan have been doing if it was possible to work with netzer groups in the future.  A side from that, lila has been continuing to do great work in the soup kitchens. jess, keren and sim are doing their bit attempting to keep people alive at Magan david adom. Dani is now happy working in a old age home in the centre of tel aviv and may even end up with a working knowledge of Russian as result :)   Shabbat Shalom,  Tel Aviv Based Netzer Shnatties

Josh V.B. - Tel- Aviv

Final weeks of Volunteering.   The options part of Shnat is now winding down to an end. Everybody seems to be enjoying their volunteering choices. Maddie, Aviva, Eitan are just finishing setting up the refugee shelter, going there everyday sweeping the floors, cleaning the walls, and clearing the shelter of any unnecessary clutter. While Simone, Kerryn and Jessica Dean seem to be having a truly unique experience on their volunteering option, Magen David Adom. They often come home to the flat with crazy stories about what they have seen or where they have been.  The Flat in Jaffa: After many asofot (group discussions) the flat was cleaned up within only one hour. Due to that the flat is nice and clean, if only for a day or two, but clean nevertheless. People's spirits have been lifted as we do tend to go out on the town when ever we have down time. It seems we are having more fun in our spare time and I think this reflects the group's willingness to make the most of our days on Shnat. All in all, people are starting to get excited for Kibbutz time. And are trying to live up every second they have in Tel Aviv/Jaffa.
 From Josh van Biene

Louise Solomon - Beersheva

Hey everyone! Well it is now our second last week in Be'er sheva and everyone is starting to get a little sad about options finishing and also excitied about kibbutz starting. Everything in Be'er sheva is going well. We eat well and the flat is always clean. And even though Beer sheva isn't exactly the most exciting place for young people we seem to make our own fun. We all went to this street party which is on every Wednesday and listened to cool music and danced to really old and corny music in a tent, we have also been eating obscene amounts of chocolate thanks to Jacqui who brought back bags of it from America! We have also been exploring the city, meeting lots of Israeli's and doing a lot of cooking.  Everyone's volunteering has been going really well. While some people go have help the Bedouins learn English others go to Aley Negev which is a rehabilitation centre for disabled people. I think everyone has found their volunteering really worthwhile and also enjoyable.  One of the biggest problems however is the heat - It is so hot here but luckily everyone seems to be getting the beersheva tan rather than burning. So not much else has happened this week but it has still been great nonetheless.  We met up with Lior on Thursday which was really nice and she took us all out for Mexican.  Everyone is really loving beer Sheva and we are all feeling sad about leaving.

Yael Appelboom - Beersheva
Beersheva at a Glance….

Weather: Hot
Place of Residence: A little crowded when all 8 dine at once round the table.
Balcony: Got one.
Showers: Lisa, Yael and Louise's smells like a mixture of rotten eggs and fermenting garbage.
Food: Usually overly available, mostly gourmet, always vegetarian.
Recent excitements: 2 newbies! Louise and Maia brought their cookie cooking and program writing talents to the fold, increasing oestrogen levels by over 30%.
Weather: Hot.
Hushy: Left. Obviously couldn't handle the sheer Netzer power emanating from our building and ran off to Kibbutz.
Volunteering: Usually helpful, interesting and a learning experience. Can be fattening, when lovely Bedouin family stuffs Yael, Lisa, Beck and Maia with Hubus saaj (Bedouin pita), hummus, olive oil with zaatar and veggie dishes, or when Dani gets fed 1st dinner at the soup kitchen and 2nd dinner at home.
Nightlife: After much searching, found some good bars, great live music and 8 shekel falafel.
Weekends: Tanning on Kinneret, getting a good fix of mysticism in Tsfat, hanging out with boyfriends, family or sleeping off a hard week's work in B'ash (as we locals call it)
Aleh Negev: Home for disabled people – recent activities include invention of high-tech touchy-feely device for children there, constructed out of pipe cleaners, icypole sticks and other such state-of-the-art materials.
Hashem Zaneh: Bedouin village where some teach Hebrew courses for teenagers and mothers. Finished a mud bench. Learning how to swear in Arabic.
MASLAN – Women's Rape Crisis Centre where Yael offers her English skills to help with fundraising. Lovely people…all female!
Soup Kitchen – Dani's co-workers are either students or pensioners, and she is frequently hit on by an 80 year old homeless man.
Weather: Still hot.
Wednesday Night Bedouin Street Festival: Successful shopping, good music, great dancing to everything from Blues Brothers to Hadag Nachash.
Pets: None as yet.
New Additions to Flat: 6th fan.
Planned festivities: Disney marathon, peula on birkat hamazon, absorption centre party (I'll believe it when I see it, Louise!!)
Weather: Did I mention hot?

Hope you're all well and missing us lots like good parents J

Monique Friedlander - Jerusalem/RSY
Hi parents.  I returned yesterday to Israel after an intense 4 and a half weeks in London volunteering as a leader at the RSY summer camp, otherwise known as 'Shemesh'. I arrived in England and was able to do some sight seeing and travel around London for a few days. I stayed at the houses of a few past shnatties including Naomi Minsky and Dan Grabiner. After a fewy days, I went to the Sternberg Centre (RSY headquaters) and immediately met countless new faces at the RSY planning weekend , called Livluv. It was here that I found out how different RSY trully is to Australian summer camps.    I was assigned to the camp called Reut, which consists of only 14 year olds, and runs for 2 weeks. This meant that a lot of programs had to be merticulously planned to fill this large amount of time. I was allocated to running a music chug which ran for 2 hours almost every day. Most of my planning time went into this. I also wrote a program about Jews around the world, and a few prayer services. I was also really excited to catch up with the British Shnatties who I was on Shnat with before options started.    After a week of planning my various programs as well as seeing as much of London as I could, I went on chalutz (pre-camp), with my tsevet. The campsite was located in the beautiful English countryside, and everything looked like a postcard. What was really interesting was the fact that we were located in Hastings, where the Battle of Hastings happened, and I was able to visit the actual heritage site while I was there.    Chalutz was really great, and we got a lot of planning done. We also did a lot of filming for various funny videos we showed the kids, including a re-inactment of the battle of hastings/ star wars. I was assigned to a dorm of three girls who I had to visit at night and in the morning.    Finally camp began. We had 60 14-year-olds on camp, with a tsevet of 28 people, which is quite a weird ratio of kids to leaders, therefore making everything a lot easier on our side. We were also really lucky that all the kids were keen to learn and to participate in all programs (strangely, especially prayer services). This keen-ness came as a pleasant shock to all tsevet members.    We had 2 shabbatot on camp, and I led one of the havdalla services. Through camp, I was able to learn a lot of new chants and games which I can take back to Australian camps, as well as teaching some of mine. Our programs varied from ones based on multiculturalism in London, to a fun wide game based on the Trojan War.    Overall, camp was amazing and I had countless new and fun experiences. RSY were really welcoming and all the leaders i led with were exceptionally talented and hard-working.      If you want to see pictures from Machane Reut 5768, use the link below.    - Monique      http://www.rsy-netzer.org.uk/index.php?option=com_expose&Itemid=26   
Tim Trijbetz - Jerusalem

Dear Parents,
Options period is almost over. The past month and a half has been a great challenge to me. I have volunteered in the JNF, Yad l'Kashish (Lifeline for the Old) and Magen David Adom. While participating in these great societies, I have managed to live alone for the most part.
During my time with the JNF, I helped rebuild a terrace that had fallen down over time. The terrace dates back to the times before machinery and even today, the use of modern technology is not possible on the terrace we repaired. Although I only worked for one day with the JNF, it was quite likely the most physically straining day of my life. We had to lift rocks that were up to about 100Kgs. Between the three guys working on these rocks, we managed to get through most of the terrace and we could really see the difference from the start of the day (6am) to the end of the day.
Less physically straining but equally satisfying was Yad l'Kashish. The organization is designed to provide a place for elderly people (and some mentally ill) to earn a wage and receive lots of benefits such as free transport. How they do this is creating gifts and Judaica (eg. Tallitot). My job was to work in the book binding workshop. Here, I kept the only English speaking employee chatting away while creating bookmarks, pop-up cards, etc.
As fun as the other two volunteering placements were, they don't come close to the memories I'll take with me for the rest of my life from Magen David Adom. The course alone was so much fun, we barely slept (either it was fun or fear of not knowing the material). Our classes were from 8:30 in the morning until 9:00 at night. From then, we stayed up studying till usually around 2:00am. Not all of us in the class were happy with the teachers and unfortunately, one of them was fired just before our exams. Our exams were no easy feat. Some found it difficult to know all of the answers in the written exam and resorted to copying the answers of the people next to them (I felt like I was back in primary school) others found it easy and finished well before the given time. After a very long 10 days, we are all official "First Responders" in the Israeli ambulance service: Magen David Adom.
As soon as I arrived in the station, I realized that what I knew was nothing compared to what I needed to know. Because of the dramas within my class, there were missing components to my knowledge. For example, I had no idea how to turn on the oxygen to give to a patient (which is done most calls). I didn't know how to coordinate myself around the ambulance, I had never seen the forms we have to fill out for the patients and the list goes on. I am very thankful for my first driver. I told him that my Hebrew level was minimal and he attempted to destroy my name to the other medic on the ambulance. Fortunately, the other medic was really, really helpful and showed me the missing bits of knowledge throughout my time at MDA. Letting me do as much as possible without pushing me too far, it was because of her that I had such a good memory volunteering with MDA. Other medics/senior medics/paramedics will stand out in my memory for a long, long time.
Living alone has been a different experience for me. I have always had the luxury of having parents who do almost everything (if not everything) for me. This luxury has been great fun and made life temporarily easier. Having experienced life on my own, I wish I had taken up the opportunity to experience independence earlier. I am now certain that my move to Bendigo (La Trobe University) when I arrive home will be effortless as a result of my options period in Israel.
Until next time, know that we are still alive and well.

Tim Trijbetz

P.S. An elderly woman was been transported to another hospital in an ambulance. The paramedics were quietly talking to her when the ambulance doors suddenly opened while they were journeying up an incline. The stretcher she was strapped to flew out, rolled down the hill at tremendous speed, before tipping over, narrowing missing two cars travelling in the opposite direction.

P.P.S. This can't happen in the MDA ambulances as there is a safety lock for the stretcher... Got you scared though.