Our First Shabbaton: Saturday!

Baruch Atah Adonai… may this year's Diller experience be the best yet! AMEN!

After a late but exciting night of talking, story telling and friend making, we all woke up slightly restless for our first Shabbat service together. None of us really knew what to expect with the scheduled, “alternative Shabbat service” that was planned for us. Personally, I was extremely curious how we would be celebrating Shabbat as we all clearly had distinct levels and relationships with the holiday as we discussed the previous night. I thought this experience was the best spiritual one yet and truly summed up what Diller is all about. As every fellow stood up and went through the order of the Shabbat service through personal prayers and aspects of our lives that we were particularly thankful or wishful for, we not only uncovered more about each other, but also in many ways connected differently with Judaism. The service was unique and spiritually educational and while it was far from traditional, I think we all agreed that it accomplished a very similar task to any other Shabbat service that any of us had ever taken part of.

After a number of emotions surfaced in the Shabbat service it was now time to learn about each other’s different views on Judaism and finally begin our long and difficult voyage of uncovering our own Jewish identities. When we were split up into random groups and were told to present on four distinct sectors of Judaism that may or may not actually represent our own views, there was some level of uncertainty in the room. Once again Diller was forcing us to leave our comfort zone. Nevertheless that small instant of hesitation was quickly replaced with debate and teachings from every Diller member. No matter the outcome all of the teens for sure have a much greater respect for all Jews in the world from Orthodox to Reconstructionist. We were all pleasantly surprised to realize the ease that we were able to discuss different issues and understand each other’s opinions. All in all I think the morning of our first Shabbat was the most any of us had truly participated and it was at this time that we really jumped face first into the Diller experience and never looked back.

After an insightful lunch and talk with Rabbi Nu at the Montreal Torah Centre, we all gained a new appreciation for sensitive issues in our society and Judaism’s view on them. After a relaxing afternoon filled with more relationship forming, we did Havdallah in another classic Diller way and finally did our first real leadership activity. As we read through old Amerindian leadership qualities, we all gained new insight on what type of leader we were. The group reached a consensus that a well functioning team needs all types of leaders including creativity, self-reliance, analysis and cooperation. In my opinion, this was the most beneficial activity that we did as a group as we saw how similar yet different all of us are. While we all enjoyed discovering aspects of ourselves, it was finally time for the big and suspenseful surprise. As correctly predicted by a few of the Diller teens, we all went laser tagging and had an amazing time. When we got back to the hotel we were all relieved to have a short organized talk and were excited just to continue our discussions and become better friends. These bonds were truly exemplified when the next day we were asked to describe our group’s relationship with Judaism through only six words. “Leading Israel through traditional family values” could not sum up what our cohort is about any better. The cooperation and teamwork of the entire group reinforced that this would be a fantastic experience for all of us. Like classic Diller style, we could not leave the Quality Inn Hotel without some sort of bang. Luckily, the hotel helped us out a bit when a chandelier fell directly on my head. Don’t worry Quality Inn, I’m all good plus you just gave us another amazing memory so thanks I guess???

Although we all come from different backgrounds, have pluralistic views on Judaism, and are part of the Diller journey for many different reasons, every fellow ultimately understood that the first Shabbat spent together would be a very special one. With that mentality in mind, I think that I can safely speak for everyone who took part that it lived up and in many ways surpassed all of our expectations and was a Shabbaton we would all remember for a long time.

By: Phil Dubrofsky

Our First Shabbaton: Friday!

I am quite sure that every member of the Diller family would agree that the first Diller Shabbaton went extremely well. Spending all that time together really developed the many friendships within the group. This was a unifying experience. The Jewish custom of calling every day the first of Shabbat , the second of Shabbat etc. implies that every day we are both preparing for and looking forward to Shabbat. This was truly a Shabbat to look forward to. Before I continue, I would like to thank Yamit, Max, Alizee and everyone who helped make this Shabbaton happen. Without their preparations, this very special Shabbat would never have happened. This blog will focus on the first day of the Shabbaton. Erev Shabbat - Friday.

At 4:00 pm we arrived and were assigned rooms. After one hour of preparation for Shabbat, it was time to light the candles. Since I am a male, I watched our director, Yamit lead the candle lighting service. All of the girls had a chance to recite the blessings and light their own candles. Until now, I never understood why women considered this mitzva more meaningful than others. Now, I think I have an idea. Shabbat is one of the aspects of Judaism that many Jews connect to in different ways; whether by observing all the associated laws and commandments or by enjoying a Shabbat meal with the family. The custom of lighting candles on Friday night not only welcomes the Shabbat, it is also one of the commandments that only women can preform. Many have seen their mothers and grandmothers perform this mitzvah, and regard this mitzva as core in their becoming part of the next generation of Jewish women. To continue our welcoming of the Shabbat, we had Friday night prayers - Orthodox style. Our very own teens led the service. The prayers that were sung aloud, such as Lecha Dodi, were especially meaningful.

To test our knowledge of various Jewish trivia, Max and Alizee, our amazing JCs, prepared a version of Jeopardy with a Jewish theme. For this entertaining game the cohort was split into two teams. Both teams were asked various questions on jewish life. Some of the categories of questions included were Movies and T.V., Sports, Bible and Science. As Diller fellows are very trigger-happy, we often answered questions before hearing the entire question. My team (Joseph) won because of Karl Marx’s Jewish ancestry. This game showed how despite making up about 0.2% of the world, Jews have been at the forefront of various cultural, scientific and other developments. In fact, 23% of all Nobel prize winners are Jewish ( I invite you to look at the population statistic again).

After the JC’s activity and the sweet table, it was time for the (this seems to be a
n unfair exclusion of other activities but for lack of a better word) highlight of the night. The Maggal Layla or Night Circle was an activity when we are asked questions about ourselves. Some of the questions resulted in  hilarious answers. Such as the answers to “What was the grossest thing you have ever done?”. Many of the questions were more serious. These questions were often personal. Answering personal questions was in no way a bad thing. Answering and hearing the answers of others to such questions developed the understanding we have of one another, and therefore made us all more comfortable around each other. It was a great opportunity for Fellows to share personal feeling and experiences without feeling intimidated or embarrassed - everyone was doing it!  I look forward to experiencing many more night circles with Diller!

To sum up the first day of the Shabbaton, I decided that there were a few important themes that would carry on into the second day of the Shabbaton. These themes were unity despite differences and Jewish resilience. The first theme of unity despite differences was made manifest in our varied group. Certain activities, such as the maggal Layla and Jewpardy; showed how diverse Jews can be. However, with this array of differences we all have some common ground; our Jewishness. The theme of Jewish resilience was suggested in the title of the Shabbaton; Moses to Facebook; a journey through Jewish identity and leadership. Lets start with the first part of the tile, Moses to Facebook. This suggests that Jews have been around… well from Moses to Facebook. Jews (technically Israelites) are perhaps the only nation to keep so much of their culture through the generations, despite so much adversity. Despite all of this adversity, Jews have not only kept their identity, but have also been leaders. Jews have been resilient for generations and that is why we can call ourselves Jewish today. I look forward to the next Shabbaton!

By: Noah Margolese

Second Workshop: Identity

The second Diller workshop went quite well, if I do say so myself. The awkward tension that loomed over us all in the first meeting was long gone, and it was a whole lot easier to get to know each other now that the “name” phase had come to a close. In my last blog entry, I spoke about how getting to know someone’s name is not only useful for, well, talking to them, but also for learning things about their lives, cultures, and what have you. This blog is going to be more about the second phase of connecting with people: learning about their identity. Obviously, this wasn’t to be an easy task, but we had an entire workshop to try and make heads or tails of the concept of identity.

The paradoxical thing about identities is that they’re so essential for knowing people, yet no one can really say that they have a concrete understanding their own. Throughout the workshop, it was clear that our JCs, and our coordinator, Yamit, were helping us establish our own identities in our cohort. We started off with a few icebreakers that encouraged the members of our group to go beyond what they’re comfortable doing. Most notably, the game “Bus Stop” required one participant to make an unfortunate bus-taker so uncomfortable that they were forced to leave their seat out of sheer disgust. Some people were reluctant to participate at first, but it was good fun once everyone started to view it as a means of establishing ourselves in the group.

To further encourage the pursuit of our identities, we were all given blank white T-shirts upon which we had to write aspects of what we thought to be our internal and external identities. Naturally, since our cohort is wonderfully diverse, there was a lot of variation and creativity in the designs and aspects that were written. Interestingly, everyone in the group was encouraged to write down the qualities of their identity that aren’t positive—ones that they wish they didn’t possess. In writing both the positives and negatives of our identities, the scope through which we view ourselves becomes much broader, and, as a result, we’re much more open to change. That was what I found really hit the hardest for this workshop: our identities aren’t set in stone. We are all unique people, but who’s to say that we’ll be the same person in a year from now, or even tomorrow? To understand identity is to understand that it’s always in flux. To know someone isn’t just to accept them as who they are, rather, it’s accepting who they can become.

This was our first official meeting with our JC’s, Max and Alizée, and I think we can all agree that they were pretty great! To further our discussion of identity, they showed us a presentation with numerous examples of characters (real and fictional) that either overcame adversity and established a new identity, or realized the negative implications of their old identities and decided to change. They also presented the idea of an identity from a more theological approach, and gave each member of the cohort a sheet of paper (essentially a questionnaire) asking us whether or not we believed in God, kept kosher, etc. The answers, again, varied greatly, but that was exactly what we expected. It’s wrong to cast judgment onto others because they’re more or less strict about certain customs than you are, and, if we were all a homogenous group with no variation in background whatsoever, then trying to find our unique identities would be kind of pointless. If anything, these discussions were proof that, despite our similar backgrounds and beliefs, there is an extreme amount of variety in our cohort.

So, to conclude, I’d say that the two overarching themes of this workshop were that identity is constantly in flux, and that even among similar groups, identity varies greatly. What can we learn from this? Well, all we can really learn is that pinpointing one’s identity is an incredibly difficult, arguably impossible, task. This might sound discouraging, but don’t despair—the fact that we can never really know someone else’s exact identity is kind of great. It means that every bond we make is made with some degree of trust. We have to trust that, even though people change, they’ll change for the better. 

By: Sol Azrieli

First Workshop: Hi, What's Your Name?

If I had to sum up the first Montreal Diller Teen Fellows workshop in a single word, I would choose the word “name.” Of course, I’m glad I’m not faced with such a monumental task, as there was really a lot that happened over the span of our four-hour meeting. It almost seems careless to just choose a single word—it feels like I’m neglecting so much of what happened. Nonetheless, names were a significant part of our first day as Diller-ites. Anyone who has participated in a group activity with strangers in their life (that is to say, everyone ever) is presented the daunting duty of memorizing everyone’s names, and familiarizing themselves with their group. As someone who is awful with name-memorization, this is often my least favorite phase of being in a group. Thankfully, it’s the one that’s over with the fastest.

I think I’m speaking for the majority of our cohort when I say that the first icebreaker was borderline uncomfortable. I mean, that’s not in any way a bad thing, it’s to be expected. So much of what this program is about is stepping outside of your comfort zone and growing as a result. That being said, I felt awkward doing them for the first little bit. I quickly got over this feeling, as, I feel, did everyone else. After all, this is a group of people that we’re going to be spending the next 15 months with, it makes sense to at least know their names, or, like, play “Categories or Die” with them (I feel like death is a rather extreme consequence for not being able to name a vegetable under pressure, but, then again, they’re vegetables.)

Of course, after the games subsided, it was time to get down to business. Yamit, our coordinator, outlined the basic rules for our time as Diller Teen Fellows, and, suffice to say, we’re all 100% committed. There was also time for our 4 potential JC’s— Sarah, Alizée, Max and Evan—to explain Diller’s 4 pillars: Israel, Tikkun-Olam, Judaism/Jewish Identity, and Leadership.

We were also given a list of personal values, and we all had to choose one that would represent what we’d bring to our cohort and write it on a flag. There were a lot to choose from: kindness, friendship, forgiveness, creativity, etc. What was great about this activity was that it showed that each person has something unique to bring to the group. Each person has his/her own set of values. These values might conflict with those of other people, but, in the end, that’s what makes for interesting discussion and growth anyway! If we were just a group of like-minded people talking about how similar we all are, then we wouldn’t be able to grow as people. This selection of values was kind of a symbolic “contract,” in which each person promised to bring their selected trait to every meeting in one way or another. As long as we abide by this contract, our future growth is pretty much guaranteed.

But, for today, the biggest focus was on the identity, or, more specifically, the name. We discussed what our names mean, not only to us, but also to those around us. For example, my name, Sol, has a lot of different meanings depending on whom you ask. It could be the king Solomon, it could be the Latin name for our Sun, etc. But what does Sol mean in terms of who I am as a person? Are our names accurate gauges for who we are, and how we act? If my name were Herbert, would I be a different person? I mean, I think I would be roughly the same (I’d probably be made fun of for it,) but I like to think that one’s name gives him/her a little bit of their individuality. I really think our names are often taken for granted, they’re just words that we associate with faces, and that’s it. But a name can, sometimes, tell you a lot about a person. It can give you an idea of their heritage, their beliefs, and so much more. While I don’t think it’s right to tie someone down to their name, (something over which they have no control,) names are as significant to identification as faces are. We aren’t born fitting our names; we have to kind of “grow into them” as people. That’s why I take pride when someone tells me I “look like a Sol.” Because it’s not that they associate me with the name Sol. It’s that they associate the name Sol with me. I’ve made that name a part of my identity, not the other way around.

Anyway, forgive my rambling. I look forward to getting to know you all.

By: Sol Azrieli

First Day at Congress: Our Present, Past, and Future

Today was a great day to start the new month. After creating special friendships and bonds with fellow North Americans, we were joined by our israeli counterparts.

Soon after our friends from Israel joined us, they were added to the thirteen tribe groups that had been created previously. The first activity was ice breakers and ended with the breaking of actual ice! Soon after we ate a somewhat good lunch & were given our sleeping arrangements for the week.

We started to do another activity at 3:30 led by our junior staff. The activity was all about family; our immediate family, our North American Family, Israel and our new diller family. After this interesting activity we got a much awaited break.

At 5:30 we started another activity led by our coordinators, which was all about the covenant-Brit. For Part of the activity we were divided up into five groups & our mission involved taking the Ten Commandments trying to decided that if they're was only five commandments, what would they be? This was very interesting for me because myself and another North American were discussing the sabbath commandment with two Israelis and our views were completely different, as it is easier to observe the Sabbath in Israel.

Pizza and pasta was served for dinner at seven followed by a magal Lilah (circle time) at 8 o'clock. To end the great day, the famous 'white tent' opened at 9:30 for teens to make new friends and socialize.

Michael Salpeter

IDF Day!

We may live in different countries, experience different cultures and while going to the army at age 18 is certainly not the norm in Canada as it is in Israel, there is a special something that connects us all.  There is one common language we all speak, it's a web of emotions strewn between us. We all feel sadness, happiness, pain, elation... While we watched a movie on a fallen soldier and Israeli dillers shared personal stories, we were all lying in this very web, experiencing grief and pain all together.
But this intricate web also allows us to enjoy certain emotions together as well.  At the Ramon Airforce Base, we watched in anticipation as three F-16i planes took flight on the runway. This was something completely new to me, and I think to most of the Canadians, as soldiers in uniform and army weaponry are certainly not the norm in Montreal.
However, something common does exist between the two countries: our ability to care for veterans of war. Here in Be'er Sheva, we visited בית הלוחם, a centre for victims of war and terrorism attacks in Israel. There are 3 others like it in the country: in Tel-Aviv, in Jerusalem and in Haifa. Not only do they have regular sports teams but, like the ones we played with, they also have many wheelchair teams. Our dillers found out how hard it is to stay seated while passing, throwing, scoring and dribbling a basketball. This is how some people live their lives and I for one, could not even handle it for 5 minutes. These people are heroes in their own right and so brave for not succumbing to despair. It is truly amazing to see a city giving a second chance to those who devoted their lives and gave up so much for it's protection.
Lastly, I would like to thank the lovely planners of this day who made it all possible. They opened our eyes to many different aspects of the IDF, it's not all guns and uniforms but real people with real stories.
The day ended on a high note, bright like the setting sun that spanned the landscape. WATER FIGHT!

Chelsea Myers-Colet

Swimming in Blue and White!

Waking up at 4 in the morning was quite the challenge, but we all managed to wake up and go to Masada. As my first time in Israel, I didn't really know what to expect when we would arrive at this historic site. The ruins left on Masada makes this fortress  even more beautiful and the view from on top of it is breath taking. The group of the day planned an original activity. They asked few teens to stand in the middle of a circle while the other teens would bloke the way for them to get out. It was a reproduction of what the Jews and the Romans did with Masada. After this fun activity, we took the snake path to get down. After an hour walk going down the mountain, we left Masada to go eat a delicious breakfast. Once everyone ate, we took our bathing suits and left for the Dead Sea. It was pretty cool to just float in the middle of the sea.
After the Dead Sea, we headed towards Sde Boker, the kibbutz where David Ben Gurion lived. We were brought in a room where we had to watch a little video about his life. It was interesting to learn about how hard it was to built this kibbutz and how much effort he had put into it. We all think that we know his story, but today I learned a more detailed version of his life. After this little clip, we had a little activity  Jewish leaders.
After our little trip into this famous kibbutz, we headed to Beer Sheva to change outfits for the Maccabiah ceremony. The feeling I had arriving at the ceremony was overwhelming. There were so many Jews from around the world that gathered for this ceremony. This will be a memory that I will cherish forever.
Am Israel chai!

Megan Levy

Day 6: Meeting Be'er Sheva!

Today at 8:15 we met at the gates of Ben Gurion university of the Negev. To begin our day, we split into two groups, the Canadians, and the Israelis. Each group discussed their first night of home hospitality, something we all really enjoyed! Following our discussions, we had the amazing opportunity to get a full tour of the university and even see the mythical Helen Diller building. I  thought was cool to see how much charity this woman has given. As our day continued, we gathered to listen to an Israeli teacher who talked to us about the history of Be'er Sheva, among other interesting topics including a bayonet he found in his backyard. Being a history buff, I was highly interested in this part of the day.

After, we made our way to Tel Be'er Sheva for a scavenger hunt. Purple team won! But that activity was nothing compared to the cave crawling we did later on. I almost got stuck! Finally, we ended up at a kibbutz where we learnt about life on a kibbutz and had a well deserved swim! Personally, I really enjoyed this day because of its focus on history. I was really shocked by the amount of effort put in on the part of the day's activity group. We managed to accomplish so much in one day. And to be honest, I didn't realize how much there was to the city of Be'er Shave. Prior to this day, I honestly thought it was just done random city in the dessert. Now though, I realize how amazing of a city Be'er Sheva really is and that it can hold its own against cities like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Overall, this day was fantastic! I hope that the days to come are just as exciting and as intriguing as this one.

By: Maxwell Wiltzer

Day 5: Empathy

The first portion of our journey came to and end with our last travel day as only the Montreal group. I felt that the day revolved around empathy. We began our day with a visit to the "Save a Child's Heart" foundation. We learned about this non profit Israeli organization, and had the amazing opportunity to play with some of the children who add preparing or recovering from open heart surgery.

Our day continued with a tour of the Holon- Invitation to Silence museum, in which we were led by a deaf guide and taken through a series of stations. With sign language, she taught us the importance of facial expressions, hand gestures and body language. The deaf museum really opened my eyes to the different forms of expression and communication. 

Finally, we headed to Be'er Sheva and were reunited with our Israeli counterparts for our first night of home hospitality. 

We can't wait to continue our adventure!

By: Julia Szwimmer

Day 4: Exploring Israel's Past, Present, and Future

On Sunday morning, we packed our bags to head of to Tel-Aviv. But before leaving, we explored 2000 years of history inside the tunnels under the Western Wall. It's incredible to see that it is still around. We then stopped at the Kotel. For many of us who had never been to Israel, the Kotel brought on many tears at prayers. Once we arrived in Tel-Aviv, we spent lunch and some free time at Shuk HaCarmel where the group explored their surroundings. Afterwards, we went to BINA, a secular yeshiva where we learned about  efforts to allow a unique place to learn about the Talmud and the Torah without being Orthodox. The yeshiva also opened our eyes to what was happening in South Tel-Aviv. Many new immigrants coming from surrounding countries had claimed refugee status but were put in an area of poverty. This side of Israel is hardly ever spoken of yet remains a huge problem. Also, the central bus station in the part of the city hides what is happening. Later on, we drove to Jaffa and ate supper at a restaurant which was run by the hearing impared called Merkaz Na Lagaat. This was such an incredible experience since we had a hard time communicating with the waiters and learned many new words in sign language.

Once supper was over, we headed down to the beach for an activity. We were split up into groups and had to debate the given topic. We learned that every type of Judaism expresses different beliefs and that others should not be forced to act based on one person's beliefs. At the end of the day, exhausted from the day's events, we had all been exposed to new ideas, beliefs, and experiences.

By: Hannah Evans

Day 3: Shabbat in Jerusalem!

To commence the first Shabbat we spent in the Holy Land, we had a nice planned activity that took place outside. We spoke about complexities/failure and perspective. We then took a nice hour and a half walk to the Kotel. There, we participated in an activity about the different quarters of the Old City and its past, present, and future. 

After that, we went to the wall for a beautiful Havdallah. Praying and putting notes in the Kotel was a very meaningful experience for both the Diller fellows who had never been in Israel before and those who had already been there. We finished our night on Ben Yehuda street, where we were able to buy some yummy falafel and go shopping in Jerusalem's local stores.

By: Sarah Leah Eisenberg

Day 2: Exploring Jerusalem!

So we started off our first full day in Israel by going to mount Herzl, a mountain where most deceased Israeli soldiers are buried.  We visited a few of the soldiers grave sites  including Michael Levine's, an American soldier who came to Israel when he was our age and fell completely inlove with the country. When he got a bit older, he decided that he wanted to serve in the army. He came home in 2006 and then found out that all of his army brothers were fighting in the Lebanon war and felt the need to be back there fighting with him. Unfortunately he didn't make it.  This was a story that touched us all since we could all relate to Michael in certain ways. We thena spoke about how heroes and we realized that heroes do amazing things for our world which everyone recognized. We also discussed how just little things can make a small difference.  We then went on to visiting the graves of other important people including the late prime ministers.

Next we visited the Herzl museum and learnt all about the man who was so passionate about having a Jewish state. In this museum, we watches a film made up of several clips which explained how Herzl got to creating Israel. Personally, I didn't know a lot about Herzl was before walking into this museum, but once I left I felt like I knew him.

We then visited Yad Vashem, the holocaust museum. We were extremely lucky since we had one of the most amazing guides with us throughout our visit. As we entered this museum, our guide presented us with a challenge; to remember the name and story of one person that touched us. This museum was so moving and the guide really made the experience inspirational. He made us all think about what a hero really is, how a sad women smiling can make so many other people happy, making her a heroine. At the end of this museum we all realized how important it is to remember someone's name and story because that's all they have left. 

After the museum, we went on to Yehuda market. There were so many people there since it was a Friday afternoon and it was a really great experience. It allowed us to get a different taste of Israeli culture. Since it was Shabbat, we went to an orthodox synagogue in Jerusalem and had a Friday night service. The service was followed by a delicious dinner and our nightly magal laila.

By: Leanne Lemish

Day 1: Arrival in Israel!

After joining my friends at Ben gurion airport and acquainting our tour guide Abigail, and Alfred our, security guard, we didn't waste a minute, and we were on our way to Neot Kdumim.

There we were herding sheep, which is much harder than it looks. The pleasant weather and the beautiful landscape, covered in trees of all sorts and bushes of all kinds made all the more fun.

The shooting noises of the marksmen training base nearby was only background noise... :)

After difficultly moving sheep around, we grinded our own Zaatar, a middle eastern blend of herbs.

We were then taken to a lookout, overseeing the old city of Jerusalem and all it's neighboring districts.

After finally settling down and eating at our hotel, we then took our time to sit with our group, relax, and prepare for the next three weeks of action that are about to come...

By: Benjamin Brami 

Eighth Workshop: Social Action!

Our last workshop was, by far, one of the most inspirational to date. This workshop would be the one during which we would begin to plan our Tikun Olam or Social Action Projects. It started off with us waiting outside in the park, enjoying some icebreakers as we waited for our first speakers to arrive.

When Janice and Eva from Ometz, a charity aimed at helping the Jewish community, finally reached the park, we all gathered around in a circle in order to hear learn about what they do. They discussed the different aspects of their charity and after finishing with their presentation, even gave us ideas for what we could do to help the community. They taught us that, in order to have a successful charity or help anyone, you must be passionate about what your are doing - otherwise the project will become boring almost instantaneously.

Our next speakers came from an organization called Dolphin Aid, which helps families with autistic children go down to the Caribbean and take part in dolphin therapy. This was extremely interesting, because their charity was new to us. 

We had all come to realize how many different ways there are of helping people, from raising money to something cool like dolphin therapy. When we went inside, Yamit and the JCs handed us outlines to help us plan our own projects. They were of huge help! But going about and creating such a project is no easy task. For the last hour of the workshop, everyone sat in their groups and spent time brainstorming. On the outlines that were handed out, we were asked to make a list of our passions and mix them with one another's in order to create a project that we would be motivated to carry out.

I never really know how exciting helping others could be, if you are passionate about the way in which you were helping! My group, for instance, is planning to help run a youth center, something that we are all eager to start on because it involves helping children, which we are all keen on doing. 

As the workshop came to a close, we were all very excited to begin our projects and left inspired as well as eager to make a change! Thank you again to Yamit and the wonderful JCs for organizing yet another spectacular workshop! 

By: Maxwell Wiltzer 
Photo Credit to Jonathan Zlotnik

Seventh Workshop: Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut!

This workshop was the first time the Montrealers were all together as a group since the North American seminar. It felt empty, sitting together and not having our Israeli friends by our side. So to start off the morning, we had a feedback session about the NAS. 

We then moved on to the subject of Yom HaZikaron, watching to videos about the families of soldiers who gave their lives toward the state. This was my favorite part of the workshop. I didn't know much about these tragedies, and it really put into perspective how much soldiers risk not only because they have to, but because they want to.

Getting into the spirit of Yom HaAtzmaut, we then went into talking about what Israel means to us. This activity was truly exciting, not only because we got to talk about Israel but because it made us realize how we will be there in such a short period of time!

To finish off our workshop, we learned about the 'Traffic Circle' - a series of steps you can take to deal with dilemmas and make good decisions. As a group, we worked together to try and solve a real life situation.

By: Leanne Lemish

Our Montreal-BashBanash Shabbaton!

We left for Camp Papillon Thursday evening and, after our first mixed Ma'agal Laila, had a party hosted by our very own DJ David Amar. This was the first real opportunity for Canadians and Israelis to talk and, of course, dance with one another! 

The next morning we had a delicious breakfast, and left the camp at around 9 o'cklock to go tubbing. I think that it was an amazing idea to do this with the Israelis, since the majority of them have never even seen snow! After having our fun, we went back to the eating area for lunch. The Canadians were told to sit with Israelis, and this was a chance for us to find out what foods they like along with other personal stuff. I thought that this was a great moment  to bond not only with the Israelis, but with people from our own cohort as well. 

When we arrived back at camp, everyone got ready for Shabbat. We sang songs that were new to us but will certainly stay with us for the future, and then the Israelis mentioned that they always pick a 'mother' and 'father' to lead Shabbat. Chelsea was chosen as mother and lead the candle lighting, while Pavel was chosen as father and lead the Kiddush as well as HaMotzi. This was followed by prayers, during which a few of the girls helped the staff prepare delicious salads!

Shabbat dinner officially started, so we ate tasty food and sang altogether. Afterward, our Junior Councillors planned a scavenger hunt where we learned about Jews in the diaspora by performing tasks and searching for clues throughout the camp! That night, we made our bond stronger but didn't get a lot of sleep... 

For me, one of the best parts of the Shabbaton was the alternative prayer service that Katherine and Alon ran on Saturday morning. After they explained the meaning behind each section of the service, whoever wanted to talk went in front of the 'congregation' and spoke about what meaning a particular prayer held for them. Each person's turn was followed by an 'Amen'.I didn't get the chance to go up and talk, but it touched me to hear stories from members of both cohorts and it was special to know that we all trust and respect one another with whatever anyone has to say. Everyone has a different background, and it is beautiful to see us all bring in something that makes our partnership unique. I feel that this activity enforced the connection between Jews in the diaspora and Jews in the Holy Land.

After lunch, some activities that were planned by us, and Havdallah, we cleaned up and started making our way back home. The bus ride was certainly not boring! Some of the teens decided to make a Harlem Shake video which didn't end up working, but it was nice to watch everyone participate and trying to make it work. Others played guitar and sang songs, while some simply talked to those they didn't get to know yet. 

This was the best Shabbaton I've ever had, and I'm glad that I experienced it with my wonderful new family. 

By: Megan Levy

Sixth Workshop: The Journey of Milk and Cookies!

We started the morning off bright and early and with a few of Diller's famous icebreakers, which involved a clever mind-game, in order to get everybody up and running. After everyone was more or less awake, we went into the journey of milk and cookies which taught us how important it is to have a mission and a vision whenever taking part in a project, like the one we're currently working on in hopes of raising money for the Segal Center's Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program. 

As our staff explained it, a mission is like asking yourself why: for what purpose do I want to do something, whereas a vision is like asking yourself to where: what do I want the outcome to be? This was not very clear to me at first, but I better understood it once we were put to the test. We were asked to pick a few words that describe what we want our futures to look like, in order to create a mission and vision for ourselves.

I can honestly say that this way my favorite activity out of all of the Diller workshops so far, because I wasn't truly aware of what my life goals were up until I put them on paper. I was able to clearly see what my missions and visions are in life, which was extremely eye-opening. 

We used the rest of the workshop to prepare for the upcoming North American Seminar. Our staff handed us each a specifically made first aid kid, which made me even more excited than I was before about the arrival of our Israelis! The kit had the essentials of hosting an Israeli: the week's itinerary, a bottle of gatorade to keep our energy levels on par with the always hyper Israelis, a stress ball for when we go bananas, some candy, heart-shaped stickers for the spirit of Valentine's day, and a blind fold to remind us that we're going to get no sleep!

By: Maya Pisarevsky

Our Second Shabbaton: Saturday!

It was a Saturday night that would go on to stay in my memory for a really long time. It was so meaningful for me to spend the weekend with my fellow Diller teens and our amazing staff. We started off our morning by having a nice discussion about prayer, and were then introduced to the concept of peoplehood. It all really got me thinking and I realized that the Jews truly are one people who have something that no other nation will ever have: the fact that we always stand as one. If one Jew falls down, we will all work together to make sure he gets back up. Peoplehood isn't something that's understood right away. It takes a while but once you get it, it can change you forever.

After the morning discussion, we took a fifteen minute walk to the Torah Centre and had the pleasure of listening to Rabbi New. He too spoke to us about peoplehood, and recounted some of his unique personal experiences. We were kindly served with some yummy food and then went back to the hotel. We were given some downtime, which we took advantage of and spent chilling with one another. It felt so good to spend some time getting to know the other fellows, people who have the same backgrounds and traditions as you. 

After an amazing self-defense (or Jewdo/Jew-Jitsu as we like to call it) session with a professional trainer, we got in a circle for our Ma'agal Laila, also known as a night circle where we sit around in order to relax and reflect about the day. This was my favorite part of the Shabbaton, because it gave us the chance to really appreciate and reflect on our experience and everything we've learned. Diller Shabbatons are great experiences, and I hope to enjoy many more of them in the future!

By: Avital Moalem

Our Second Shabbaton: Friday!

When I finished my last exam on Friday, I breathed a sigh of relief and finally had something to look forward to: the Diller Shabbaton!

So I arrived at the Ruby Foo's hotel at around 4 o'clock and was really tired, but got a great welcoming from Yamit and Ma'ayan. When I went up to my room, I met up with Jon and Ben, we exchanged hellos, dressed up nice, and proceeded to go downstairs to the main area for Shabbat services and candle lighting.

The girls did their prayer and then lit the candles. This was followed by a really great discussion about women's rights, and of course we had an amazing meal with tons of good food, laughter, and fun songs. After that, we changed into some more comfortable clothing and our evening activity focused on Israel's history and geography. Using some games and an interactive map, our staff taught us about important places, events, and gave us a little Diller history lesson!
Personally, my favorite part of the Shabbaton was getting locked out of my room at night, and sitting in the hallway with my friends talking about everything and just bonding.

By: Charles Moatti