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
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