Sports day and Culture day by Noah and Steven

Sports day by Noah Margolese

On Saturday December 27th we spent Shabbat in Be'er Sheva with our host families and then continued Community Week with Sports day.

The Diller Teen Fellows program is all about new experiences. Still, I did not expect one when I went to shul with my host, Yohai Tevel. While I have prayed with sfardi Jews before, there were some friday night customs I did not expect. One of these customs which was new to me was the custom of smelling spices at the onset of Shabbat. This is done in order to cause the congregants to recite an extra blessing. It was great to experience Shabbat in a new way while in Israel. 

Our evening activity, was an incredible soccer game. The fans of Hapoel Beer Sheva brought an impressive energy to the stadium. That energy is what really made the game so exciting. Fortunately, the crowd was not disappointed, as Hapoel Beer Sheva defeated Petach Tikva 2-1. All decked out red and white, we felt like we were locals. 

After the game, Diller visited the Grand Kenyon, which has one of the greatest variety of shops of any mall in the middle east. This outing was a great way to cap off the evening.

Culture day by Steven Wise

Our cultural expeditions most definitely exceeded all expectations.

On Sunday December 28th, our day started off in an Ethiopian Absorption Centre in Be'er Sheva. Sadly, the kids weren't in on-site kindergarten that day, so we exchanged working with the young Ethiopian kids for gardening in one of the Ethiopian-cultural-public-gardens, which turned out to be one of the greatest experiences yet.

We had an opportunity to work the land of Israel. And, within an hour, a third of us had cleaned up a small pond, a third had weeded much of a field, and the other third had begun de-vining and repairing a fence. 

We then boarded our bus, and arrived in a Bedouin farmer (Fallach) village which housed 1000 people in the Negev. We went to our tour guide's father's old house, which turned out to be a cave. He lived (in the cave) with camels, goats, sheep, and cows. We drank some traditional Bedouin coffee (very strong), and learned about many Bedouin traditions. They really weren't so different than our Jewish culture.

Then we went to a big tent, and feasted on Bedouin rice, stuffed grape leaves, with chicken, oil with some potato inside... Truly some amazing food. (or how they say in arabic: "لاذىذ - laziz - delicious").

Then we drove to a camel encampment, and proceeded to ride camels. (I was bucked by my camel, and also pushed off by the camel behind me. Wow, I hate camels).

Then we came back to be'er sheva, to the "Israeli Y" and had a both hilarious, and educational course on fringe improvisational acting.

Today we touched all sorts of Israeli culture, and had such an incredible time together. 

IWS Days 3-4-5 by Eden, Noah and Sheraze

24.12.2014

Merry Christmas! Today we visited Tel Aviv and had a scavenger hunt around the city created by our tour guide, Avia.  And even though most of us decided to just explore and enjoy the city instead of being competitive it was still really fun! We saw National poet Bialik's house, and the cemetery with the graves of After lunch we went to the Yitzhak Rabin Museum and learnt about Yitzhak Rabin and Israeli culture and history a different stages of his life. Later that night, we had some free time and went to Jaffo-Tel Aviv where most of us watched the sunset on the beautiful shore. All in all, this was by far one of the best days!

25.12.2014

As we finished breakfast and the 4th day of our adventures in Israel began, we looked forward to a variety of amazing activities. We began with a discussion program about Guests and Hosts, on the roof of the hostel. We read a text concerning a Rabbi and a guest he picked up from the street. At the end of the discussion we were asked whether we feel like a guest or a host in Judaism. We boarded the bus en route to Holon where we visited the Children's Museum, and experienced how life is while being deaf. We were handed sound blocking headphones and we got the chance to communicate with hand motions and facial expressions. With the help of our guide, a deaf woman, we all had a great time. We then had lunch consisting of pizza and salad. We all sat outside under the blue sky and blazing sun. Once we were all satisfied, we formed a circle and said farewell to our amazing tour guide, Avia, who was with us for the beginning of our trip. We then boarded the bus once again and headed out towards Be’er Sheva.

We arrived at a kibbutz called Dvir located about 20 minutes outside of Be’er Sheva and began Community Week with Partnership Day! A scavenger hunt to show us around the kibbutz was planned by fellows themselves. Once in Be’er Sheva we drove around in the bus while getting a brief tour of the city, including a stop at Ben Gurion University, where the father of one of Bash Banash fellows showed us the Helen Diller building! We finally got off the bus for the last time, and we got together and discussed the events of the day and added how we felt. The last part of the day was about the symbol of beer sheva. We learnt about all 4 components of the symbol and discussed their importance, their historical value, etc. As the day concluded, we said goodbye to one another and drove home with our pen-pals, thus commencing the first night of the home hospitality program. 

26.12.2014

Today was Judaism day. It was the first morning spent at our hosts's houses. We met at a park near and had a short maagal talking about our nights, and played a game of tag to get warmed up. After that, we headed to Abrahams Well (the Be'er Avraham museum). It was very interesting to learn about Be'er Avraham because it also taught us why Be'er Sheva is called what it is, and how the ci y was founded by Avraham. Once the tour of the museum was over, we had a scavenger hunt around the city of Be'er Sheva. We had about 15 tasks to accomplish and then bring proof that we did it. Some of the were funny, for example, we had to take a selfie with an animal, or recreate the famous Beatles picture...(and my group/group 5 won!!!:)) then we met at the altshul where we had falafels for lunch then played some games, had a maagal, and talked about Judaism and what we had learned that day. Then, we headed to our host's houses for Shabbat! Overall, it was another amazing day in Israel! 

Written by Eden Harell, Noah Matarasso, and Sheraze Shlomo, with contributions from Noah Adessky

IWS Day 3 by Michaela and Ben

23.12.14. What a memorable day! It started as we all gathered around the Rabin Hostel's dining room table for a delightful traditional Israeli breakfast after a long night touring Jerusalem. Eager to start our journey of the day, we all hopped on the bus heading towards Yad Vashem, one of the most renowned and visited holocaust museums in the world.

As the leaders of the day, Ben and myself animated our planned activity during the bus ride. We explored the theme of the Holocaust on a more personal and meaningful level. In fact, since most of the teens were already very familiar with the subject, we thought it would be interesting to listen and share personal experiences, stories and our connection towards the unforgettable genocide of the early 1940's. This brought the group to develop a more serious and suitable mindset for the museum.

As we arrived and walked through the doors of the beautiful, yet somber, complex, we were all immediately fascinated, yet heartbroken by the six million lost souls, Jewish individuals who perished during the war. What amazed us most was the symbolic and meaningful architecture of the museum, as you walk through the entrance of the center, you can look ahead and see the exit which is a lookout jutting out over a cliff and allowing us to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, you are unable to cross the hall and must walk through all the exhibits. You must witness the history and atrocities before emerging through the other side.

Following our visit, our lunch break was surprisingly quiet which allowed us to reflect as well as share our thoughts on what we had previously seen and experienced. 

Diller organized our day in such a way that our morning sadness only amplified our joyous afternoon which made the mini mega evening seminar so much more meaningful and memorable. 

All the North American and Israeli cohorts were gathered for group discussions, dinner, laughter as well as a typical Israeli concert. Taking us out of our comfort zone, all the cohorts were divided into smaller groups which were filled with fellow teens coming from all over the world. Being leaders of the day was a great experience for us and we hope to have many more.

Written by Michaela Shulman and Ben Rehany

The Israel Winter Seminar Begins

After the excitement and then the postponing of our trip, the time had finally arrived. Montreal cohort 6 was off to Israel! We left the Y, with our new journals in hand (thanks Alizée), and made our way to the airport. After a couple adjustments, all our bags were underweight. With some free time in the airport, we bought snacks and drinks and got ready for our long flight to Zurich. Everyone passed the time either by sleeping, watching movies, or reading. Our flight was uneventful as was the stopover in Zurich. Prior to boarding the plane for Israel we met the Miami cohort and socialized, turns out, they were on the same flight as us! We arrived in Israel in the early afternoon and reunited with our partnership cohort. It had been so long since the last time we had seen them! After we all had a chance to hug and say hello, we headed to the buses. 

We drove to Ben Yehudah street where we had a chance to eat, reacquaint with one another and recover from our flights. After watching the lighting if the chanukiah in kikar tzion (Zion square), we got back on the buses to drive to the old city. Despite a rare downpour in Jerusalem, we trekked through to the Kotel. When we got there we were dripping wet, but enjoying what we know is a pretty unique Israel experience. After we had some time to pray and to put notes in the wall, we gathered to go on the Kotel tunnel tour. The tour explored the length of the Western Wall that was buried under the ancient city and just recently uncovered by archaeologists. We learned a lot about the history of the wall and the sheer magnitude of it, and came to appreciate what a feat of architecture its construction  must have been. After the tour, we went back to the hotel for a quick, chanukah themed ma'agal lailah, following which we went to bed to try to catch up on our sleep so that we could enjoy the rest of what we know will continue to be an amazing trip.

 

Written by Ariella Eisenberg, Rebecca Gotteiner, and Jon Boretsky

Diller Teen Fellows Montreal at the Friendship Circle

Last Sunday, we went to the Friendship Circle where we did an activity for Chanukah, and played with the kids there. The Friendship Circle unites teen volunteers with children who have special needs in a friendship that enriches both their lives.

For our Chanukah craft, we made chanukiot out of pieces of wood and nuts from the hardware store, and we helped our new friends decorate them. After we made the crafts, we went to the dance room where we did Zumba and went up to the gym to do an obstacle course and play basketball. Our short afternoon visit made a remarkable impact on the Diller Teen Fellows and enriched our Diller experience.

Once we returned to the Y, we reflected on our incredible experience at the Friendship circle and talked about taking responsibility for others. We also played a game of "and suddenly". It really was a really fantastic day and I hope we have more days like this to come. 

Written by Gabriella Malamud

Cohort 7's First Shabbaton

              On the 21^st of November, the seventh cohort of the Montreal Diller Teen Fellows had their first Shabbaton at the Quality Inn hotel in Montreal. The theme of the Shabbaton was Jewish Identity, so throughout the weekend we reflected on our own traditions and beliefs. We welcomed Shabbat by lighting and blessing the Shabbat candles and by singing Shabbat songs and cheers. Later, we prayed the evening prayer portion in wonderful tunes, followed by an insightful activity where we learned about the different Shabbat prayers and customs. Finally, we sat down and had a delicious Shabbat meal, which included some very yummy chicken soup. After dinner, our JCs rand an amazing program called "Minute to Win It" based on the TV game show. We split in to two teams and competed in mystery challenges. There was lots of cheering and fun competition. Finally, we concluded the night with a Ma’agal Layla, a night discussion circle, where we answered very deep and meaningful questions and got to know each other better.

On Friday night we also met our newest Montreal fellow -- an adorable goat that we decided to name Phil, inspired by our JC of the same name. You can even follow Phil on instagram!

After getting up early on Saturday, we ate breakfast and then started our first activity of the day. The activity was about the streams of Judaism. We were divided into 4 small groups and each group received a paper with information about one of the four streams; Orthodox, Conservative, Reconstructionist and Reform. We then presented what we learned to the rest of the group. This activity gave us an opportunity to better understand the different streams of Judaism.

Following the activity, we left the hotel (without Phil [the goat] L) and headed to the Montreal Torah Centre, an orthodox synagogue. When we got there, everyone was extremely welcoming and the atmosphere was festive for Shabbat. We went in for the end of the services and since this was an orthodox synagogue, the men and women sat separately. After the services, the rabbi made a speech about the brutality with which the four rabbis in Jerusalem were murdered. He told us that as Jews we need to stand up and not give up our land in Israel. It was touching to see the support that Canadians were showing towards Israel. Following the services and the speech, our group went upstairs to a big table set just for us and the rabbi, Rabbi New. As we ate lunch, Rabbi New discussed with us the purpose each person has and the meaning of their life. He also told us that in Judaism, the ultimate goal in life is to bring heaven onto earth while we're still living.

After lunch, we headed out to a reconstructionist synagogue just next door, Dorshei Emet. Rabbi Aigen came and spoke to us about reconstructionist Judaism. He told us how reconstructionist Judaism came about in the 1920s. He explained to us that in reconstructionist Judaism, each family has the liberty to choose what to practice according to what's important to them. He said that it's not as much about the Halacha as it is about the values and culture. It was very interesting to see this side of Judaism especially after seeing orthodox just before. We were able to see how the same religion can be interpreted and practiced in completely different ways.

At 4h30 we walked back to the hotel and had a Seuda shlishit (3rd meal). Afterwards, we all got into a circle and did a Havdala. It was a really unique experience and it brought us closer together. Once we finished the Havdala, we did an activity called agree/disagree. In this activity, a sign saying agree was on one side of the room and another saying disagree was on the complete opposite side. This created a spectrum of opinions between the two sides. We started off the activity on a light note with statements such as "Israel is the most important part of Judaism". We then had to choose a side of the room based on whether we agreed with the statement or not. If we agreed and disagreed simultaneously, we stood in the middle. The activity continued with statements that became more and more serious, up to the last one which was "do you believe in G-d". It was interesting to see how the group was split between those who agreed and those who disagreed. We all shared our personal opinions with the rest of the group and everyone was open and accepting of everyone else's opinions. After the activity we had some free time which gave us a chance to get to know each other better.

We then had pizza and fries for dinner and at 8h30 we headed towards our fun night activity, bowling! When we first walked in, the place looked dead. We got our bowling shoes and they told us to go upstairs. I have to say that the entrance was really misleading. There were more alleys upstairs, it was dark with lasers and there was music playing. We split up into our teams and I got to say, we played pretty well! The music playing was too good to resist so we all got up and showed off our beautiful dance moves. We even had a little dance off with the people bowling next to us.

At 11h we got back to the hotel to do another maagal laila. The maagal was led by our two JCs, Phil and Maya. They asked us to choose two of the following questions: someone new we met, someone we would like to get to know better, most embarrassing moment and proudest moment. Once again, it was really nice to share our stories and hear everyone else's. To end the night, some of us went up to our rooms while others stayed downstairs to watch a movie.

Sunday morning we gave a short feedback on the shabbaton and gave suggestions for improvement. All in all, the shabbaton was really awesome! I learned a lot about Judaism and I got to know others better. I think it was a really fun experience that brought us together as a group and helped us bond with each other.

By Maya Shahmoon and Elisheva Eisenberg

Cohort 7's Second Workshop: Leadership -- by Miriam Abadi

                During our second Diller Teen meeting, we saw our fellow friends after the long period of the Jewish holidays. To our surprise, Cohort 6 was there to begin the meeting with us! Once we all sat down, the two cohorts got to know each other by playing a few exciting and creative games such as “the wind blows”. In this game everyone is seated on chairs arranged in a circle. One person stands in the middle and mentions something about them self .Whoever has that fact in common must get up and find a new seat. Then there will be one person left standing and that person mentions something about them self and so on. We also played another ice breaker game involving telling the group one thing about yourself. These games were great ways for everyone to feel more open and comfortable with each other!

              Once Cohort 6 left, we played “the headband game” where every teen had to hold a piece of paper up to their forehead which had a famous person’s name on it. Each player had to ask questions in order to find out who the person on their forehead was. At the end of the game, we figured out together that all these people have something in common-they are all great leaders of their time!

      

  Next, we partnered up with someone and everyone performed a speech to the group without knowing which charismatic leader lectured it. Once we figured out who these speeches were said by, we then spoke about what makes a good leader. We concluded that we must take into account that an inspiring and thought-provoking leader should be eloquent, giving a speech in a way that he connects to his audience. For example, putting a quote into his speech, adding something that you can relate to on a personal level, or even just the way he catches your attention with his slow and captivating voice!

             After a delicious snack break, we watched two videos. One was about one man free styling dancing alone, publicly. After a minute, someone joined him in the crazy dance! Right after this person joined, more and more people felt comfortable to dance as well. After watching this video, diverse opinions within the group were expressed, whether the leader should be overly glorified or does the first follower share the spotlight with him. Most of us agreed that each have different roles. The leader is obviously glorified but the first follower still gets glory for starting the leader’s movement! After all, what’s a leader without any followers?  The second video was the TED talk. It was about a man who changed a student’s life, by unintentionally, making her feel relaxed to enter university. Four years later, he was told this by her and he couldn’t recall this moment, whereas the student was thankful every moment of her successful life for his remarkable act! From this video, we each shared a moving moment in our life with the group where we gave this enduring effect on someone.

               Towards the end of the meeting, we played one last game. It consisted of all of us being limited from our vision or speech and the goal of the game was to get a certain message across the group. For all of us it seemed to be frustrating and stressful! This game signifies the crucial concept of communication. Communication is sometimes hard and overwhelming because your followers may be limited, and, for example, might not understand your perspective on something. Our job is to overcome that, make an effort, communicate, and get through to the people we inspire!

               To end with, I think we all really gained a lot from our second Diller Teen Workshop. Now, we truly understand the qualities and effects of a leader and how anyone can become a leader and reflect their inspiration onto others! I am very excited to see what we can all learn next time we see each other!

                                                                                                          By: Miriam Abadi

Cohort 6- Self-Management Overnight!! By Noah Adessky

Montreal’s Diller Teen Fellows Cohort 6 successfully planned a full 19 hours by ourselves!! All of the details, from accommodations, transportation and food, down to outings, volunteering and programming, were planned by the Fellows. This self-management overnight truly showcased how we have all grown as leaders since our very first days in Diller.

We all gathered at the Quality Inn Hotel Midtown on Saturday night. After we were assigned to our rooms, we met in the hotel’s conference room to play some fun icebreakers. One of these icebreakers helped show how close we have become, which was a constant theme throughout the overnight.

After loosening up with some icebreakers, we continued into a meaningful discussion on Tikkun Olam, because after all that was one of the major parts of our overnight. The group responsible for this activity set out a series of quotes from biblical, non-biblical and non-Jewish sources that in some way or another connected to Tikkun Olam, repairing the world. Each fellow went through the quotes and picked a quote that they most connected to. They then went on to explain the connection and how it related to Tikkun Olam and volunteerism. After a nice discussion, we were separated into our Impact Project groups and were asked to formulate a six-word sentence on what we hoped to accomplish with our projects. It was a great opportunity for everyone to truly reflect on their projects and then to share their ideas with the whole group.

The next part of our overnight was the fun part! We travelled to iSaute in Laval for a night full of jumping and bouncing on their trampolines! Through the tumbles, the flips and the cheese pits, we all had an amazing time!

We then had a very meaningful Maagal Laila to end off our night. The maagal reinforced one thing, the unity of our cohort. Through our discussions, we all came to the conclusion that we are one, united, Diller family.The rest of the night was ours, to hang out together.

We woke up the next morning to take on some hands-on Tikkun Olam volunteering work at Mada. After a quick talk from some of the workers at Mada, we learnt the importance of this organization in the community and were eager to give back and help. We were split up into different groups and performed different tasks including: unloading and sorting shipments of products, packing orders for families and making calls to different families to notify them that their orders were ready. I can safely say for myself, as well as some of the other fellows, it felt good to give back to such an amazing organization!

After travelling back to the Y, we continued working on our Impact Projects. We were lucky enough to have Stu Guttman, director of Chai Lifeline and a true leader in the Montreal Jewish community, come to speak to us about making an impact in the community and some of the keys to success in our endeavours. After hearing Stu’s story about in his journey in the community, we split into our groups to work on our impact projects and focus down our ideas into feasible projects. A huge thanks to Stu for taking time out of his Sunday to speak to us!

Lastly, but certainly not least, we had the opportunity to get to meet Cohort 7, the new Diller Teen Fellows, and participate in a number of icebreakers with them, run by our own Cohort 6 fellows. It was very nice to meet them and I wish them an amazing Diller journey!

As the person responsible for the overall planning of this overnight, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped out! You all did an amazing job and I am so thankful for all of your hard work in making this overnight a success! We have all learnt valuable skills that will be used to plan our self-management community week in Israel in December!

By: Noah Adessky

Cohort 7 – Our First Meeting! by Theo Cape

Last Sunday, our cohort had our first official meeting! After getting to know each other two Sundays prior, we all convened to discuss our individual and group goals during the Diller program.

First, we played “name bingo,” where we were each partnered up and got to talk to one of our new friends about the history of our name, i.e. where it comes from, were we named after anyone, what it means, etc. We also watched a video about people’s names and how they can reflect our personalities.

Afterwards, we all got back into a circle and decided on our group values. Although it took a while for us to come to a consensus, we finally decided upon these values: unity, diversity, perseverance, discovery and respect.

Then, we were given time to think of our own personal goals for Diller. Each of us received a piece of white fabric, and on it we wrote our goal and decorated it. The list ranged from independence to family, but one thing was clear: they all centred around community.

Finally, we put together our flag! The centre logo was designed with different patterns, and we all taped our pieces of fabric to the big blue flag! We can’t wait for the next workshop, and we hope it’s as good as the last!

by Theo Cape

Cohort 6 Talks About Making an Impact

Last Sunday, Montreal's Diller cohort 6 started to work on our Impact projects, which is a big part of what we do relating to the “Tikun Olam” (fixing the world) pillar of Diller. We started by organizing our interests visually in "mad libs" and then as a group began discussing the issues that we felt were important to us, and how we wanted to help. We examined what we thought the difficulties in achieving these goals could be and looked at how we can overcome them.

When we each had a general idea of what we wanted to do in place, we did a quick round of “Speed-Dating”, so that we could figure out whose ideas matched up the best with our own. Now we are left with the task of, within groups of 3-8, planning these Impact Projects out and making them a reality.

On the subject of the Impact Projects, Sarah told us about a charity project happening on an international scale so that we could analyze the pros and cons of certain charitable techniques. We looked at TOMS, a company that gives a free pair of shoes to those in need in third world countries for every single pair of shoes bought in stores. At first glance, this seems brilliant, but a major flaw we noticed is that they are not attacking the root of the problem. Ultimately, they cannot give everyone shoes, so this act only helps the lucky few who get shoes. We saw that the best approach is to attack the actual problem. Instead of giving some people shoes, make it safer to go barefoot such that everyone can benefit from the intervention.

Afterwards, we started planning our self-management overnight. While it is still in its early stages, our Tikun Olam themed night is taking shape to be a lot of fun. While there is still a lot of work to do, I am looking forward to the results, and to enjoying something that we put together ourselves, entirely from scratch. 
With only 3 months to Israel, all these big projects are really exciting and I am looking forward to seeing how they come out!

By Jon Boretsky

Cohort 6 Gives Back in Montreal

Just in time for the high holidays, the Montreal Diller Teen Fellows took on 3 volunteer opportunities in less than 2 weeks...

Cohort 6 Fellows at the YM-YWHA High Holiday Blood Drive - Sept. 8, 2014

On Monday September 8th 2014, a group of the fellows met up at the YM-YWHA to volunteer at the High Holiday Blood drive. We provided the blood donors with snacks and juice as they recovered. Every 80 seconds, someone in Québec needs blood, and even though we were too young to donate, Diller did our part to help out. In the end, the YM-YWHA's High Holiday Blood Drive brought in over 100 donations!

Call Me Maybe? Diller Fellows at FCJA's Super Sunday - Sept. 14, 2014

Then on Sunday September 14th, there was Super Sunday. Most of the Fellows showed up to raise money for Federation CJA's “Forward Together” 2014 Campaign. Super Sunday is their largest annual telethon, which brings in close to 600 volunteers every year, to help make calls to new and existing donors. Some even learned to do it in French, although some were hesitant. Funds raised at Super Sunday and during the rest of the Campaign go to supporting local, national, Israeli, and advocacy causes, as well as social services and continuity programming in the Montreal Jewish community. The Diller Teen Fellows are lucky to be one of the recipient programs so we couldn't be happier to give back!

Purple Ribbons and cards assembled by Diller Fellows - Sept. 18, 2014

Finally, on Thursday September 18th, a group of Fellows did some volunteer work for Auberge Shalom, assembling Purple Ribbons. Auberge Shalom pour femmes, a centre for women and children who are the victims of conjugal violence, has offered shelter and counselling services to the Jewish community for 25 years. On their 25th anniversary, Montreal synagogues and organizations are asked to tie a purple ribbon to their sukkah in honour of the women and children who have suffered conjugal violence, and individuals can show their support by wearing the purple ribbons on their lapels. We bonded, made ribbons, and discovered family we never knew we had.

In this week between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we reflect on the year that has passed, and we feel lucky to have been able to contribute our time and effort for our community.

What's pumping us up for Israel!? By Ben Rehany

Top ten most ratchet stuff we're looking forward to this summer!

1) a crazy flight 2) home hospitality, goo Neryia!!! 3) Touring the land of our 3 fathers 4) CONGRESS £) <- I invented a new number, but choumous! 6) Having fun with the best JCs and Sarah! 7) Army day! 8) All other days! Sorry my day deserved it's own number. 9) Learning new cultures! 10) Learning something new everyday!

Thank you ladies and gentlemen.

Ben Rehany

NAS Shabbaton!!!

Fun in the snow on our shabbaton at Camp Papillon!

Thursday April 3^rd 2014

As months went on, the Montrealers were eager for this day to come, the time when our Israeli pen pals were officially arriving in Canada.  We left the YM-YWHA and went to the airport at 9pm. As we waited patiently for our new friends to walk through the gates, our faces went from smiling with no teeth to smiling with teeth; the excitement was huge. From the airport, we started our North American Seminar journey with a shabbaton at Camp Papillon.

Friday April 4^th 2014

Morning came; the sun rose and we all ate breakfast. We started off by playing some icebreakers so we could get to know one another and start the friendships that we know will last a lifetime. The programs on this day varied from indoor to outdoor activities. In between activities we had 10-15 minute breaks which gave us time to talk to our friends and EAT!! The weather was great, although the ground was a tad slippery.  The Jewish programming led to many discussion topics about the differences and similarities between Be'er Sheva-B'nei Shimon and Montreal.

As Shabbat came, we had a meaningful service. We started off praying altogether, and shortly after all the girls lit the candles and shared the moment together. Then we sat down at the Shabbat table and we did a wonderful Kiddush and had a fantastic meal. 

Saturday April 5^th 2014

It’s the next morning...BEEP BEEP BEEP (the alarm goes off) it's 8 am and we all wake up to get breakfast.  We start the day with a leadership activity that got us working together in our different groups to trust one another.  Shortly afterwards we had our lunch, and a long break for those who needed their “Shabbat rest”. Following our break, we had two programs: one that started to get us thinking about what are goals were for this summer as a group, Is friendship more important than respect? Is Jewish programming better than just fun programs? Our discussion really varied depending on the person in the group and their explanation. Our second program was made by our wonderful JC’s, which was the most fun Disney race ever! As Shabbat ended, we did Havdallah followed by our separate Maagals which led to a super fun evening dance party DJ-ed by one of our fellow Diller members - Matthew Steinberg.

Sunday April 6^th 2014

The last day of our shabbaton ended with an excellent program with Tal Gale from Diller North America.  She spoke about things that made us think and question, we were all really happy she came because we got to meet and have fun with someone just as important as our coordinators. Followed by that we had our last program which was the feedback, it was great we were all honest. When we arrived back in Montreal, we did some community service at MADA, peeling vegetables for Passover baskets. From there we each went our respective houses and started our hosting!

By Jamie Wajcman

Overnight at the Y

On March 22, we had our first overnight at the Y. After some socializing and updating each other on various events of each others’ lives, we were divided into pairs. In these pairs, we were given a sheet of paper with questions to ask each other. During this activity, there was laughter and there were tears, it was a bonding experience.

After this activity, the girls and the boys were separated. The girls went with Maxwell, where he told us all we needed to know about the upcoming North American Seminar and answered all of our questions and concerns. Afterwards, the boys went with Maxwell and the girls went with Sarah, where we watched the episode of the Simpsons where they go to Israel. While watching, we had to take notes on all the stereotypes that we saw during the show. We then discussed stereotypes, how they are created and how there is sometimes some truth in them.

Shortly after, we exchanged gifts for our secret buddy activity. At the previous workshop, everyone picked a name out of a hat and had to buy a gift for the person whose name they had chosen. The rest of the night was full of junk food and fun memories. The following morning, we had breakfast which included bagels, cream cheese, nutella, cereal and obviously lox. We then did an activity about time management. We learned how to effectively manage all that we have to do in the time that is given to us each day. All in all, a good time was had by everyone. 

By: Rebecca Gotteiner