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