Third Workshop: The Man In The Mirror!

Walking out of Diller workshops, you always feel different than you did walking in. I always leave having lots to think about, and to reflect on.

This workshop, I left thinking to myself (and I'm sure I speak for many teenagers when I say this) about how I have struggled trying to learn about myself, who I am, and what place I take in this world practically my whole life. Finding out about ourselves won't take a few hours at a workshop- its the steps we take that, when they are put together, will form us as a person. Our staff played the song Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson. In the song, he talks about changing himself, "I'm starting with the man in the mirror, I'm asking him to change his ways."

We completed the workshop with a self-reflection activity. Our staff held a box and told us that we had to pass it around and then peek inside to see something unique. "Take a minute to really look at it, and think about it", they said. We all sat around, anxious to see what was inside. As I opened it, I saw a mirror- something so simple, something we see every day to fix our hair and to adjust our appearance. However, today it was used for a different purpose. We looked through the mirror and talked about what we want to see in that mirror when we finish the Diller program. I think we all really reflected on our past, our present, and our future selves.

You're probably wondering how this all related to Diller.

As Gandhi once said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." One of the four pillars of Diller is Tikkun Olam- repairing the world.

We are all here to make a change, and to become not just leaders, but Jewish leaders of our communities. In ordr to be a real leader, you have to truly know who YOU are. It's amazing how, after 15 years, there is so much I have yet to learn about myself.

By: Maya Luks