Workshop 3 by Amanda Marciano

This past Sunday, our cohort had another great workshop. The theme of this workshop was Current Events and Media Bias.  We talked about current events happening around the world and how they affect us. We also learned a lot about media through discussions and games.

When we first arrived, we were shown media posts and headlines about Israeli bias in social media. We then went back to have a great discussion on what the media had to say about Israel and how biases exist on both sides. We also discussed the kind of information that the media gives us and how media works and how sometimes it can give false information. We discussed together as a group the pros and cons of this and how it affects all of us.

We then moved on to playing a fun game organized by our JCs.  We were split up into two groups and were given statements made by Jews, Christians, Muslims or other people and we had to guess by who this statement was given by. It opened our minds and gave us a chance to reflect on the points of view of other religions.

 After a nice break to talk, relax and eat some snacks, we moved on to our next activity. We were again split up into four groups and each group was given a different article to read and discuss. Each article stated something different on similar topics. For example, one article talked about discrimination toward Palestine. It talked about how there are people who are against Palestine and some are for them. Everyone has their own opinion about this. The article also talked about how there are people who discriminate against Palestine and think that all Palestinians are terrorists and bad people. After everyone came back together, each group got the chance to talk about their article and share with the rest of us what was discussed within their group.

Afterwards, we were very excited to learn that we will soon get the chance to speak to our Israeli pen pals. Since Sunday was the first night of Chanukah, we all lit the menorah together and recited the blessing for Chanukah. It was very nice to be able to light the menorah together. Lastly, we made a short video to send to our Israelis wishing them a happy Chanukah!

I think that we all left the workshop with something a new point of view on things. I look forward to meeting our Israeli pen pals. Overall, it was another great and successful workshop. I am very excited for the next meeting. I can’t wait to see what we will learn next! 

by Amanda Marciano

Cohort 8's First Shabbaton Part 2 - by Meir Hersson-Edery

Last week's Diller shabbaton was a perfect opportunity to bond with the other amazing people from my Cohort. I learned so much and created or strengthened my relationship with everyone who came on the shabbaton. We also discovered new things about ourselves, mostly about our Jewish identity, who we consider Jewish and the different types of Jews. We learned tolerance towards these different sects of Judaism and to respect their opinion without judging them. We had many activities which allowed us to reflect on our inner values and what we believe.

On Saturday afternoon we started with a spectrum activity. Sarah created a game where a spectrum was created, one side labeled "Agree" with the other end of the room labeled "Disagree". She would then give us a statement ranging from " I believe in God" to " Jews can be better Jews than others if they follow the laws of Judaism". Since these questions are nearly impossible to completely agree with, this was the beauty of the spectrum. I could see how everyone felt about a certain issue. I could also understand how strongly someone felt about an issue. Sarah would then choose several people at either end of the spectrum and would ask them to explain their position. While I didn't agree with everything said, I could sympathize with my friends' positions. I also drew from this exercise the conclusion that while people's opinions are not entirely dependent on their background and history, it plays a huge part in their ideology. Another (perhaps unexpected or expected, I'm still not sure) consequence of the game was that people on either end of the spectrum would respectfully argue their points among one another, trying to understand why the other person had their thoughts. I believe most of the cohort changed at least one of their opinions on the topics brought to the table. This was the usefulness of allowing everyone the opportunity to speak and make their case in front of everyone.

Between every break, we had some time to ourselves where we were encouraged to talk to people who we didn't know very well. I made good use of this time and talked to everyone on the shabbaton. I now feel comfortable around everyone I talked to and consider them all my friends. I hope the sentiment was shared by all. We would just sit in the hallways, talking about anything, having a good time bingeing on snacks and enjoying the company of everyone present. We also had lots of fun exploring the hotel and running around laughing.

After the spectrum activity and a break,  we did Havdala, the blessing of escorting the angel of Shabbat out and mourning the loss of the holiness of this day. We celebrated these blessings in song and camaraderie. It was an incredible experience.

From there, we went to dinner, and then Avital, one of the Diller Shinshinim, created a game that we played in earnest. We were split into four groups. Each group was then given a stream of Judaism about which they were supposed to make a skit with the intention of the other groups to be able to guess which stream of Judaism your skit is representing. I was made to act out "Reform Judaism", which by my own admission, was probably the worst skit out of all the groups. We had lots of fun listening to all the different skits and our friends making jokes and generally embarrassing themselves. We learned a lot about different types of Jews and what they believe are the core values of Judaism while having lots and lots of fun. This program was incredible and I wish I could do it again and again.

We had little time to spare though, since we had to rush to our next event. We were going to play laser tag. We were all ready to go so we walked over to the metro station and made our way to the laser tag arena. Nothing very interesting happened on the trip over. To be honest I was secretly not wanting to play laser tag, but once I arrived I quickly got into the mentality. It was incredible to let off some steam and have some fun with my good friends. We had an incredible time and were all happy and tired as we returned to the hotel.

There were two final activities to partake in still that night though. The first was fairly simple. It was just updates as to what was happening with the situation in Israel. The second activity was Ma'agal Laila. We sat in a circle and reflected over the day's activities.

On Sunday morning, we had the opportunity to give feedback, criticisms and compliments to the staff about the schedule, programs, logistics or any other issues we had with the shabbaton. We also named our mascot, a penguin, giving her the name of Justin Pamplemousse Vegeta Trudeau Diller. I'm still not sure how that name came to be.

To conclude, this shabbaton was nothing short of amazing. I learned so much about my fellow Cohort members. We connected and I learned so much about myself and others. After the shabbaton, I wasn't able to do anything since I was so tired from having such a good time. I suppose you can have too much of a good thing!

Cohort 8's First Shabbaton Part 1 - by Noah Zlotnik

From November 20-22, we had our first Diller shabbaton! The theme of our shabbaton was Jewish identity. This meant that during the shabbaton, we were going to do activities in order to learn more about our Jewish selves and perspectives. During this process, our cohort became extremely unified as we discovered our inner selves as well as others'. Through various thought-provoking discussions, we had to come out of our shells and answer personal questions. But ultimately, this led us to not only understand our fellow Fellows better but to understand ourselves better as well. They started off as just my cohort but I can now gladly call them my second family.

Anywho, first things first we all arrived at the Quality Hotel, got our card keys (or regular keys for those who are shomer), and dropped off our bags in our rooms. We were then explained all the rules for the shabbaton, and were told to go get ready for Shabbat. When we all came back down in our nice clothes, we were surprised with a visit from Rabbi Pinny Gniwisch. He tried to learn all our names, but had a hard time doing so. The girls then lit the candles welcoming Shabbat. After explaining to us the meaning behind lighting the candles, Pinny introduced a task to us. He divided us into 4 groups. He gave each group a pack of around 20 cards, each card exhibiting a different either Jewish belief, custom or law. We were tasked with deciding upon a top 5 cards, then top 3 in terms of most important Jewish values. The card that every group had in common was the one that explained how Jews as a people must pass down Jewish traditions from one generation to the next. We all thought this was very important because no matter how observant you are, what sect of Judaism you come from, every Jewish person must learn the traditions and customs of their own family, and pass it down to their kids.

After assessing our Jewish priorities, we held services (Kabbalah Shabbat) led by our very own fellow, Ian Langleben. There was plenty of singing and dancing. After that we had a delicious Shabbat dinner. After we said the Birkat Hamazon, Pinny led us in more singing.
Our JC's then organized a team-building activity for us. We were split into two and we had to complete various tasks either faster or better than the other team. These tasks included karaoke, ninja, Jewish trivia... There was one game where we had to pair up and one person from each duo would have to put a shoe in the middle of the circle. Their teammate would then, blindfolded, have to go pick out your shoe out of a pile of shoes. My team won almost every competition. We then played stump the rabbi, which was not necessarily to literally stump the rabbi, but rather to ask questions about Judaism that we've always wanted the answers to. This activity forced us to search through our Jewish identities and find holes that needed to be filled. Personally, that experience really enhanced by own Jewish identity, and made me think more about my connection to the divine, whether there is something greater than all of us.

After a well deserved snack break, we went into our first Ma'agal Lailah as a cohort. Ma'agal Lailah translates to 'Night Circle.' We sat on the floor in, you guessed it, a circle. We were asked some serious questions like, "Who in your life has had the greatest impact on you?" And some less serious questions like "What song best describes you when you wake up in the morning?" This was an opportunity for us to open up to our Fellows, and really share our feelings. Through this we all became really close, really fast. With everyone sharing life experiences, opinions, we got to know each other almost instantaneously. After an extremely meaningful conversation we went upstairs two the hallway outside our bedrooms, and just us Fellows got to chill and talk to each other. Sadly, curfew came around pretty quickly and we all went to our rooms. I stayed up for a bit longer talking to my roommates Jared and Yoel, and I got to know them a bit better.

The next morning we woke up pretty early for a Saturday morning, ate breakfast all together and then walked the Dorshei Emet, the Reconstructionist temple. We talked to Rabbi Aigen about what reconstructionist Judaism really is. We learned that most decisions are based on what the community wants rather than decisions made by the rabbis and the sages. Their services were quite different from what I was used to. They changed certain words in certain paragraphs in order for them to support their ideology better. Growing up going to a modern orthodox synagogue, there was more listening than singing. However, in this synagogue everyone sings together, and it sounded really nice. Although I did not agree with a few things that they did, I was able to truly respect their ideas and mentality. I learned a lot more other kinds of Judaism than I had ever learned before.

Although this shabbaton was supposed to teach us about different kinds of Judaism and provoke more thought into our own Jewish identities, I found myself learning a lot about my cohort. Before Diller, I barely knew most of the other Fellows. After our first workshops, I got to know them a little better. However, this shabbaton was when I really learned a lot about them. Strangers became friends became a family. We became a unit. I cannot wait for the next workshop!!!

Cohort 8's Second Workshop by Jordan Silver

Last Sunday, our cohort had another great meeting! We first discussed the recent events that transpired in Israel. When we first entered the room there were papers that were posted on the wall with each one having different information about the many atrocious attacks that had been happening in Israel. We were then given the time to ask the shinshinit, Avital, any questions we might have regarding these events. She was able to give us a personal perspective on life in Israel along with the details of the various news events.

We were then asked to pair up with people that we hadn’t really gotten to know very well yet and were given questions to ask each other. The questions' overarching theme was mainly on our names and how they related to our individual identity. The main purpose of this exercise was to see if the names we were given, had an effect on the way people perceived us and how we ourselves acted in life regarding it. Afterwards we were shown a video of 2 brothers, one had been named Loser while the other had been named Winner, it showed that Loser ended up becoming an extremely successful businessman while Winner ended up in prison for multiple felonies. The video was able to show us that regardless of other peoples' preconceived notions of you, if you work hard that's what will define you.

After that we shifted into the topic of leadership. We were broken into small groups and given a small speech to practice and deliver to the rest of group. We were then supposed to analyze the speech and figure out who said it and why they were a good leader. This activity helped us to determine what we thought to be as good characteristics for leaders and helped us realized that even though someone might be a truly awful person (i.e Hitler) that doesn’t change the fact that they may have been a great speaker that inspired people, albeit to do wicked things.

After a short break to talk and eat some snacks, we did an activity which consisted of questions with multiple answers and with each answer there was a colour associated with it. We were given different coloured beads and some strings. We then had to put a bead with the same colour that matched our answer on the string. Afterwards we were told that each of the different colours of beads represents a different type of leadership. We learned what each of our leadership types meant and discussed if we wanted to be like a different leadership type.  My leadership type was called the Democratic leadership; what this means is that I value the input of team members and peers, but the responsibility of making the final decision rests with the leader. This type of leadership was said to help make team members feel valued and contribute to the overall goal of the team but still left some authority to leader in order to help make complete decisions. 

At the end, we watched a Ted talk that spoke about how even one small action can make a huge impact on someone, whether it was  making a joke to cheer someone up or asking someone how they are feeling, it can have a life changing effect on them that we ourselves might not even realize. 

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!

Cohort 8's First Workshop by Jony Assayag

This past Sunday at Diller, we had Cohort 8's first workshop ever. We first played an icebreaker game that required you to memorize everyones object that they put in their trunk, which was a good way to commit everyone's names to memory.

Next, we broke into small groups to examine the Israeli Declaration of Independence. Using this text, we discussed how the State of Israel laid out expectations for the country, its people and of the world at large, as well as their commitment to Jews overseas. We then took this example and applied it to our own Diller group, thinking about what we can expect from one another and what we will bring to the program. With that in mind, we started working on a list of qualities we want to have as a Diller family. We wrote them all down a long list some being: Equally respect others, cooperation between members of the group, and keeping an open mind.

After a short snack break, we went outside and participated in team bonding activities with Dynamix. The activities really required everyone on the team to contribute, which I think everyone did a great job of. Especially the last game, which required everyone in cohort 8 to make a long bridge to lead the marbles into a cup. We got to see how each person takes part in group tasks and what it takes to work as a team, which gave us a better understanding of each other.

I think that this was a very successful first workshop, everyone is starting to feel more comfortable with each other and things are starting to get less awkward. 

ISS: August 4 by Josh Levine

Josh Levine as Leader of the Day on Aug 4

The day started off with everyone packing up our bags to make our move to Tel Aviv. Before we left we had some places to see in Metula. We went up to a lookout that looked over the border around Metula. We were able to see the entire city from up there.

We then went to the Canada Center where we had the choice to either go skating or swimming. The majority of us went Skating first and later we went swimming.

Afterwards we ate an amazing lunch at Liat Cohen Raviv's house - the Senior Director of Diller Teen Fellows International. I have to say it was one of the best meals we ate in Israel, thanks to Liat's sister in law.

Next we all went on the bus and began our long drive from Metula to Tel Aviv. When we arrived we had shopping time in a market for an hour. We met some of the some other Diller groups while shopping which was a great surprise for us. After we all met up at the end or the shopping time we drove towards our last hotel of the trip. We ate dinner as a group and we got ready for our last program with the Israelis.

This was one of my favourite programs we did throughout the trip. We got into a big circle and candles were passed around. We were asked to go and light the candle of someone who we wanted to thank or tell them something. Although the wind kept blowing out the candles, it was still a huge success. We all said our goodbyes after the program and began to talk about the next time we will all see each other. The Israelis loaded their stuff on the bus and made their way back to Beer Sheba.

ISS: July 29 - Aug 1: Congress by Theo Cape

July 29

As of today, we have one week left in Israel. I really wish I had more time in Be'er Sheva, but we've got to Congress. I was really sad leaving my hosts, but at least I got to say goodbye to everyone.

We all got to the bus at 10:30, then started driving to Gan Shmuel for the opening ceremony of the Diller Teen Fellows International Congress. 

After the end of the ceremony, we drove the to Givat Haviva, got our rooms and a tour of the kibbutz. 

After dinner, we had an activity about family with our "tribes," which are tiny groups that we are all divided into for Congress. They are mixed with Israelis and NA/SA, and are named after the 12 tribes of Israel. They had to add a few tribes, though, because we are so many people, so I am in the Leah tribe, after Jacob's wife. 

We had a short ma'agal Laila in our local communities afterwards, and then bed. Tomorrow there are speakers and lots of activities, so I hope the 7 other boys in my room are quiet so I can sleep. 

July 30

The keynote speaker at Congress' name is Avraham Infeld, a man from South Africa who came to speak to us about Jewish peoplehood. He had this whole thing about the 5 legs of Judaism: Jewish memory, the land/state of Israel, the Hebrew language, Mount Sinai and Family. The whole thing is that you're supposed to pick the three legs that are most significant to you, so that no matter what, you have at least one leg in common with everyone else in the room. I picked Hebrew, the state of Israel and Jewish Memory.

After that, we had an activity in our tribes about the presentation, where we mostly talked about the Hebrew language and whether or not it divides or unite the Jews of today. I said it was uniting, but a lot of people were opposed to me because they didn't speak Hebrew. I told them that I didn't speak Hebrew either, but they still felt differently than I.

We had lunch, and then had little meetings with various Jewish leaders in Israel. I was with this guy named Peleg Reshef. He wasn't so great, and he thought that all Jews should live in Israel, because it is our duty as a people. After the so-called "Inspiration Dates," we took a big group picture with everyone on the basketball court. Then we had dinner, and an activity about Mount Sinai in our tribes, where we went over the story of the giving of the Torah. After that we had a ma'agal, and bedtime. Tomorrow is Shabbat, and I'm nervous because it has been very hot the past few days, and I do not think I'll be able to handle being outside in my nice Shabbat clothes. Fingers crossed it will cool down tomorrow night.

July 31

Today we talked mostly about what to do as a Diller alumni in order to continue making an impact in our local communities. 

After breakfast, we had small meetings with some of the JCs, whom are technically Diller alums. I met with this guy named Nitay, who is the mentor for all the JCs, no matter where they're from. He talked a lot about getting into college and life in college, which I didn't really get because it has nothing to do with Diller. Still, I listened to him, and he said some pretty smart things about how to use Diller to improve our resume and use the leadership skills we've learned to do better in interviews. He goes to UPenn, so I trust what he said!

After lunch, we had an hour and a half to prepare for Shabbat. Sure enough, it was hot hot hot today, and as soon as I got outside in my nice shirt and shorts, I was sweating like crazy. First, we had a gathering on the basketball court in our local communities, for 45 minutes, then we filmed something for a music video a Diller alum is making, then we had a postcard activity on the main lawn, where we had to write a Shabbat message to a random fellow from another community and then find them and deliver the card. Finally, we went inside for services, which were pretty nice, but not as good as going to synagogue with Yonatan's family.

 At 8 o'clock, we had dinner, which was pretty good. There were more beans, and I had potatoes, along with an Israeli salad/rice combo. After dinner, we had a really nice ma'agal with Be'er Sheva and Montreal, where we played "I love you because." Basically, we all sat in a circle, and one at a time we got up and went around to someone in the circle and told them why we loved them. It was a really sweet activity, and it made me feel better after the burning hot Shabbat. 

August 1

Today was Shabbat. It was very hot, but very calm. 

After breakfast, we had a small ma'agal with our local community, then we had an activity about the Ten Commandments in our tribes. We were divided into groups within our tribe, and we each had to come up with two new commandments to add. Our group came up with "treat everyone equally" and "remember where you came from." Other groups had the same first one, but their second one was different. They all had very similar meanings: "respect the environment," "do not harm any of God's creations," etc.

After dinner, we (all 500+ of us) did havdallah together on the front lawn, in huge concentric circles. It was still very hot, even at 8 o'clock at night. Then we went to the basketball court for the closing ceremony. Every tribe did their little presentation, and they were all pretty good. Then there was a party with popcorn, music, clothes to buy, and more. It was really fun. Today was the last day of Congress, and tomorrow we're going touring in the Upper Galilee, a city in the Golan, the northern region of Israel with our partnership group.

ISS: July 23 by Maya Shahmoon

Today we started off early and drove up to an airforce base, Tel Nof, not far from Tel Aviv. When we arrived, a pilot who moved as a lone soldier from New Jersey spoke to us about how he got to where he is. It was amazing to hear how, with lots of dedication, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of being a pilot. He also taught us some life lessons such as learning how to turn disadvantages into advantages.

Once the soldier had to leave, we went outside for a short activity planned by us the Canadians. A combat soldier who is also a Diller alumni was with us all day and she taught us cool army moves that we incorporated into the activity. We learned how soldiers crawl on the ground with their rifles and how they get up quickly and we all got to try it. It looks really easy but it is actually extremely challenging.

After the activity we went back in for a short PowerPoint on some of the planes in the Air Force and then we went and actually saw some old ones. We even got to walk through a plane which was really cool! After seeing these planes, we went to another part of the base, this time to see and hear about pilotless planes. The control centre through which these planes are directed looked quite weird. It is just a computer with a mouse, keyboard and a headset. The only difference between it and my home computer is that I can't control a plane through mine... It's really incredible to see how advanced the IDF is.

Following this, we continued on to a more serious mood when we went to the base's memorial centre. It had the names of all those who died while serving in the Air Force for Israel. Then for lunch, we went to the cafeteria where the food was surprisingly good. I expected something out of a pack but I was glad to discover that it wasn't. After a nice lunch, we left Tel Nof and began the active part of our day, paintball!

We split into two groups. My group started off by doing an activity about the IDF's main values such as human life, discipline and comraderie. This activity showed us how much more there is to the IDF. They don't just fight but they also have a set code of values which every soldier is obligated to follow.

Finally, to end the day, my group went into the paintball round. I was terrified because it was my first time but at the end it turned out pretty well. I was hit a couple of times and I had paint all over my face and hair but overall it was a really good experience. In general, I don't think I could be happier with how the day turned out.

For me, as an Israeli who hopes to join the IDF one day, it was a really meaningful day. I learned a lot more about about how hard these soldiers work and how dedicated they are to protect Israel.

By Maya Shahmoon 

ISS: July 28 by Josh Evans

Today was Negev day; it was hot and sunny, and I was leader of the day. The day started not in the morning but actually the night before, as we started Negev day with a lantern show at the Bedoin tents, which was beautiful.

The fellows woke up at 6:30 and proceeded to breakfast at 7:30. Breakfast was delicious, as I had a nice cup of tea to accompany it. This was followed by a quick game to wake everyone up and a review of the schedule.

Our first activity was taking a nice ride on a group of camels. I had lots of fun and so did many of my friends. It was a great experience that I will cherish for a long time.

Afterwards we went to see the biggest wooden bridge in israel, which was the longest wooden bridge I've ever seen. In the mean time we saw swimming turtles  beneath us, which was pretty cool.

We all then had lunch and went swimming. This was great, as it let us rest and refuel up from the day. The water was also quite refreshing. So refreshing that it made the temperature outside seem that it was from that of an oven at full throttle, in comparison. A heat wave had hit Israel at this point.

The day was then moved indoors where everyone took part in an activity that made us think about the Negev and how it could have looked today, if different decisions had been made in Israel's past.
The day ended with feedback, which let the leaders receive compliments on their day and see what they could have done better.
I enjoyed myself alot and had fun. It was a great day.

By Josh Evans

ISS: July 27 by Gabriella Malamud

This community weeks culture day was filled with knowledge, art and fun. The fellows experienced different traditions and ways of life. To begin we did an art activity at one of the elementary schools in Be'er Sheva. Throughout this art activity we learnt about righteous leaders and the strong connection between the past and present.

We then sat outside and enjoyed a small concert performed with traditional instruments and classic Jewish and middle-eastern songs, the fellows danced together and had a blast.

From there we continued our journey to the Ethiopian centre where we sat through an inspiring lecture by an Ethiopian immigrant and tried traditional Ethiopian foods. There we also visited a little shop selling hand made garments and dishes made by the elderly women, and volunteered with the Ethiopian children. 

But our day didn't stop there! We also learnt about the Chinese culture, we watched the preparation of Chinese teas and sculptured fruit. As well as learnt how to write our names in Chinese, do origami and saw traditional Chinese clothes. 

From the centre we drove down to the Bedouin tents where we learnt about there traditions had a henna and spent the night.

 It was the perfect end to the perfect day. I truly believe that the fellows had an incredible experience which enriched their knowledge and cultural values. It was eye opening and made it clear that although everyone is different, every religion has beautiful traditions of which they value and live by. 

By Gabriella Malamud

ISS: July 26 by Leah Bessner

When originally being faced with the task of planning a day about Judaism on Tisha Be'av, such an important day in Jewish history, my group and I were stressed out, however we took a step back, thought about it and discussed and decided that we should base our day around loving our "brothers" since the reason why the second temple was destroyed was due to baseless hatred.

We spent our day at Beit Cohen, a home for adults with special needs that provides them with the care and support they need; including helping them find work and live normal lives. Before volunteering with the people living there, we had a few activities and discussions. Since many people were fasting, we kept the day pretty relaxed. We learnt about how the court works and had our own debate, we did some teamwork activities and read some stories of people in the times of the destruction of the temple.

Later in the day we had a workshop run by our staff about memories and what forms our personal identities and the identities of our cities/countries. It was very interesting and helped us reflect on what truly formed who we are today. Finally it was time to meet the people living in Beit Cohen and despite the language barrier, we had tons of fun doing arts and crafts and making mobiles with them. Then we summed up the day, handed the power over to the Culture Day committee and went back to our host family's homes.

ISS: July 24 by Sarah Lifshitz

Today was sports day, we tried to focus on the importance of staying active and being healthy, while having fun doing different things. We started off by meeting a nutritionist which was very educational. We later had a Zumba class where everyone was very engaged. 

Afterwards we had a soccer tournament, many people participated and had fun. This was followed with an activity aiming to educate the group about sports in Israel, Canada, Be'er Sheva, Montreal and about Judaism in sports. The fellows learned a lot throughout this activity. During lunch, we all had an opportunity to talk and bond some more. After lunch, the coach from Hapoel Be're Sheva's basketball team came to speak to us about the development of his team and how he came to be the leader that he is today. 

For the rest of the day we had free time at the pool and at the volleyball field. Many fellows also stayed longer at the athletics centre after the scheduled day ended.

During this day, I learned some meaningful lessons including the importance of stepping up and taking action, and of being flexible enough to be able to adapt and change aspects of what was planned when change is needed.

By Sarah Lifshitz 

ISS: July 19 by Emma Armony-Fridman

After having spent the most unbelievable days in Jerusalem we all thought that nothing could surpass the excitement that the beginning of the trip had brought forth. We woke up a little later than usual, which was quite a nice change of pace, and we got on the bus on our way to S'de Boker. 

We had all bonded as a group and no one really knew what to expect from the other cities whom we had previously only encountered a couple of times with no real interaction of any kind. 

On the bus we listened to a perfectly constructed playlist about the road created by yours truly. We stopped briefly in a mall with the purpose of going to a supermarket and buying snacks. Most of us got the opportunity to try for the first time "choco besakit" (chocolate milk in a bag). It was all quite exciting. 

When we finally arrived to Kennes, we were all split in colour groups (W-H-I-T-E YOU KNOW WHO YOU WANT TO BE! BRIGHT WHITE LET'S GO FIGHT!) 

We met an incredible amount of people who, for the most part, where pretty darn awesome. We did various activities in our respective groups. We then had the amazing opportunity of listening to a lecture by Neil Lazarus who explained to us a simplified version of the reality of the Middle East and its many struggles. 

We finally finished the day with a nice Ma'agal outside under the stars. If you're familiar with S'de Boker you'd know that there's a breathtaking cliff on the side of the kibbutz. Well picture this, all of us sitting outside in the stars in a circle beside a ginormous cliff discussing our day. It was the best way to end this beautiful day. 

Emma 

ISS: July 21 by Jordana Marciano

We began our day at sunrise with our suitcases packed leaving behind Sde Boker and taking with us the memories that we made with the new diller teen fellows that we met from across North America and South Africa. We then drove to Masada where we all ate breakfast before our journey through history.

Once we arrived to the top of Masada, we learned about it's history, representation and the fortress it once was. We then stopped for lunch near the Dead Sea. Finally we arrived at the Dead Sea where we covered ourselves from head to toe with mud, from the lowest place on earth, leaving our skin silky smooth. We then spent the rest of our time swimming, or rather floating, in the Dead Sea. 

This was a bitter sweet time since it marked the end of the kennes part of our trip but also marked the beginning of community week! This was the week that we had been planning for with the Israelis for the last three and a half months! We would be spending the next eight days being hosted by our Israeli pen pals. Once we arrived at the altshoul (Be'er Sheva's "Y") we were told that we wouldn't be seeing the Israelis until much later on. Feeling a little bit disappointed, we were then shown a video and, at the end of it, surprised by our Israelis! This was followed by many hugs, smiles, laughter, and tears of joy. 

We were then all treated to gelato from one of the Israeli's ice cream store! Then our leaders of the week, Nir and myself, ran an activity to introduce community week to the other fellows and to give them an idea of what was in store for them! It was a great start to a sure to be amazing week!

By Jordana 

ISS: July 20 by Matthew Stendel

On July 20, we had our 2nd day of Kennes. So we started our day with breakfast... obviously...

We were then sent to the auditorium for activities on David Ben Gurion. We were all asked to chant D B G to get him (Sam from San Francisco) to come, but because Phil was on stage today, I chanted Phil anyways. 

We were told about the life of David Ben Gurion, and about how he wanted to develop the Negev. We were then put in DBG's shoes in our colour groups to debate if and how a Jewish state should be made. After lunch, we had a lecture on the past and present of Judaism. The fact that I couldn't see the words on the screen (even with my shades) and the lack of jokes made it boring for me, but I did learn a bit. Afterwards was an activity where in our colour groups, we had to guess who the first Jew was. My group's story about Hershel Mendel Rosenberg from Spain who travelled to Santo Domingo with 3 other merchants in 1516 was pretty entertaining given how far it was from the truth. We also had to rank the top 10 largest communities in North America, which we weren't too bad at.

Then we got to see our JCs' how to Diller video, a draw my life style video about the impact projects. We then got to discuss certain possible subjects. If you're wondering, I discussed special needs. After that, we had a comedian, and let's face it, Josh Levine is much funnier. Buddy got to do an improv too and he rocked!! After the comedy, we had our ma'agal laila, and it was about the family that is Diller Mtl. In fact, I wrote it today and I was the first fellow to do one actually. It was a huge honor and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

We then had some amazing snacks and went to the White Tent party, where we hit the whip, cranked that Soulja Boy and did much more. Sadly, it wasn't too hectic. We then went to bed and about a few minutes later, we had to wake up again. If you're wondering about the friends I made, one of those people is Shakira from South Africa. I meant Yakira, my bad... We talked all day and it was so much fun!!!

-Matt

ISS: July 22 by Miriam Abadi

The journey of community week has finally arrived and we are starting with partnership day. A few fellows and I have been preparing this day for a long time and we are so happy to finally turn all the hard work into reality. Since I am leader of the day this was an additional responsibility and i was a little nervous to coordinate the whole schedule but at the same time i viewed it as an opportunity to gain more leadership skills and so i considered it a challenge.

Today was a beautiful, sunny day and the canadians started off the day with a morning circle in Gan Hapaamon where we all shared how our first nights at the israelis were. Also, since the theme of partnership day was “saving the partnership”, we went around the circle and mentioned who your hero is in your life. Afterwards, we walked to Avraham’s well and had a tour there. In this fascinating place we were taught the background of Avraham Avinu and at the end we were shown the actual well of Avraham. 

We then travelled the old city of Be'er Sheva which was also where an activity took place prepared by the canadian leaders of partnership day. This activity consisted of informing everyone about what a bomb shelter is by doing a few tasks and also mentioning the good things there are in Be’er Sheva. Right after, we headed to the Turkish railway station where we explained the history of it to all the fellows. Followed by this historic site, we walked to Altshul and ate delicious lunches and cool ice cream.

After lunch we had an activity prepared by the staff which was about how we feel when being in the position of a host and a guest. We made skits and read a short story from the Torah to illustrate these positions. Then we were driven to Kibbutz Beit Kama. The scene of the kibbutz was a new experience for many of the canadians which made it really exciting. Shimon Shmila, the head of our partnership, came to talk with us about what the canadians as well as the israelis contribute to this partnership between Be’er Sheva Bnei Shimon and Montreal. This gave us a realization of what we do for one another for our partnership. 

Soon after, there was an activity prepared by the israeli leaders of partnership day. During this activity we completed small games combined with learning facts about our partnership. Later, we volunteered in the kibbutz by milking cows. Many enjoyed this activity because it was their first time and it also gave people a sense of generosity and kindness to the community we visited. We ended off the hot and long day with a relaxing pool party where we ate yummy pizza.

In all, this amazing day packed with all sorts of activities was super fun and taught everyone a lot about our partnership. Seeing smiles on everyone’s faces and hearing from the fellows how they now know more about our partnership has made me feel that i accomplished my goals for today and thus making me proud to be the leader of the day. This unforgettable day was just the beginning of an amazing community week to come!

By Miriam Abadi