Workshop 3 by Ishai Cohen

Sunday November 13th was Cohort 9's 3rd workshop. For the beginning of the workshop we were with Cohort 8. We started off with some icebreaker, to you know... Break the ice. Then our wonderful JC Jared Boretsky started off the tikoun olam discussion. He spoke about what tikoun olam is and that it's one of the four pillars of diller. We were then split up into groups, with a mix of Cohort 8 and 9 kids. We then continued our discussion on tikoun olam in smaller groups. After that we wrapped up the discussion and cohort 8 left. We had a short snack break. Then the committees did their updates. 

We started with a leadership program, which focused on another diller pillar. It stated off with the leader game, where one person would go out of the room and then inside the room we picked one leader who would start up different patterns (clapping snapping etc.) and everyone else had to do the same, the person who went outside had to figure out who started the pattern. After that we did a quieter activity where everyone read questions. Every answer was highlighted in a different color and each color corresponded to the same color bead. We would put the colored beads on a piece of rope. We sat down and each color corresponded to a different type of leadership. So we got to see more or less what type of leadership everyone preferred. Once we knew more about our leadership styles, we did a discussion where Sarah made a statement about leadership qualities and we stood along a spectrum from Disagree to Agree. It was interesting to see how people's views differed and to argue our points. We wrapped up the program by considering some quotes about leadership from Yitzchak Rabin, Dr. Seuss, Rabbi Sacks, etc and discussing their significance. We then filled an endless survey and that was the end of our 3rd workshop. Up next, our first shabbaton!

Workshop 2 - Names and Identities by Eli Rubineau

On Sunday, October 23rd, Diller Montreal cohort 9 had a workshop about names and personal identities. Before we got into it, we started with a check in and caught each other up on what has been happening since last workshop. Then, some committees presented: The Israel update committee did a news report and we discussed the UNESCO controversy about the Temple Mount, and the Parsha committee did a quiz about sukkot since there was no parsha this week, and we learned about the holiday's customs.

As we got into the main part of the workshop, we started out talking with partners about what our names mean and what where they come from, and sharing with the group. Hearing so many different origin stories was such an eye opening experience.

After that, a quote was posed to the group. It reads "Every man has three names: one by which his parents call him; another, by which he is known to the outside world; and a third, the name which his own deeds have procured for him." We discussed in small groups what we thought it meant to have multiple names, and some examples of them.

Next, we watched a couple small documentary clips on the subject of names. We came together as a whole to talk about how a name can affect the way someone lives their life, and how important it is to make your name yours.

The last activity was to make a collage of magazine clippings that represents our identity. We used the collages to explain a little more about ourselves to the group and talk about our personalities and preferences.

After a small wrap up and summary, we wished each other chag sameach and parted ways. Until the next time, cohort 9.

by Eli Rubineau

Cohort 9's First Workshop! - by Josh Reinhart

So far as Cohort 9 we've had an orientation, volunteered together (at Federation CJA's Yom Yocheved Clothing Giveaway), and gone for ice cream as a group. This past Sunday, however was our first actual Diller workshop.

In our first actual workshop with Diller, we did an icebreaker where we told embarrassing stories about ourselves in the time it took to tie a ribbon around one of our fingers. Then we listened to a report on Israeli news by our Israeli shinshinim, Nir and Shahar, who are working in the Montreal Jewish Community this year and will be helping out at all our Diller meetings.

After that we went outside to work with a person from Dynamix to improve our teamwork and leadership skills, by playing a bunch of games that were pretty fun. The first game we played was rock, paper or scissors, and we had to all battle each other until there was one victor.The second game we played was one where we had to make two lines, one team for each line and flip a bunch of frisbees, these frisbees were numbered so we had to flip all ten frisbees in the order of the consecutive numbers, ex:1,2,3,4,5....

The third game we played was one where you had to traverse a maze created by a bunch of coloured dots that were scattered on the ground, and we had to work together to find the correct pattern to get out of the maze.

The fourth game we played was one where we had to use a bunch of open tubes to take a bunch of balls from one bucket and transport them through the use of teamwork, with the tubes into another bucket. The fifth game we played was one where we had create a human ladder, first we had two separate teams with only one person climbing the ladder, then we had one team with two people climbing the ladder. To create the ladder you had to people holding a stick together with a bunch of other people beside him doing the same thing, then the person climbing the ladder had to crawl along the sticks, held by the people. 

The final game we played was one where you had to transport a bunch of balls from one bucket to another by holding on to a board with strings that had a hole cut into it. Everybody cheated for that one it was pretty hilarious honestly. Each of the games  had us develop and use different skills necessary for teamwork, including communication (verbal and non-verbal), trust, listening, patience, and concentration.

Then after we said our goodbyes to the Dynamix person, we went back inside, had snacks, then talked about the different jobs we could be given for the next workshop, then we went on and talked about our different personal values and which ones we want our Diller  group to follow.  I think that everybody had a good time, it was lots of fun and I really enjoyed it, can't wait for the next one!☺

-Josh Reinhart

ISS July 22 by Hannah Bicher

On July 22nd, the Montreal and Bash Banash Diller Teen Fellows departed from Congress and went on a long drive to the beautiful Tzvat. We walked through the city (which was crowded with groups) and visited a synagogue. Our tour guide, Samuel - who we were reunited with - taught us about the history of Tzvat and its growth into the spiritual, mystical city that it is today.

We had some free time to get souvenirs at some of the stores there, after which we went to speak to Avraham, a Kabbalah artist, who talked about the deep meaning behind his artwork. I have already been there but it was exciting to be there again. 

We left the beautiful city to go white water rafting on the Jordan river. First we made a pit stop to eat delicious pizzas and then we were on our way to the start. Everyone had so much fun, we splashed and raced to the end. We even allied with new friends. 

Finally, we travelled to the kibbutz we are staying at and we got ready for Shabbat. Our last Shabbat together with the Israelis was so meaningful and fun. It's sad that it was our last Shabbat together but it was the best one yet.

by Hannah Bicher

Congress day 3 by Naomi Spiegelman

After a relatively sleepless night, my room woke up and got ready for our third day at congress. I "woke" everyone up because breakfast was from 7:15-8:00 am. After breakfast, we all got on our bus to go to Kfar Giladi to start the day. On the bus ride, I explained what it means to me to be a leader, with the help of Peru's recent elections. It ended with my giving everyone cute llama key chains.

Upon arrival to Kfar Giladi, in front of the majestic Roaring Lion statue, we were split up into our tribes to start our tour tracks to experience Israel in a different way.

On my track, we first went to this beautifully constructed memorial site to commemorate the seventy-three soldiers that were killed in Lebanon. Our tour guide, whose son was one of seventy-three, explained to us about what happened and showed me the importance of living every day to the fullest, taking advantage of opportunities to help out. Afterwards, we did a mini hike and then lunch.

After lunch, we had an interesting unit about Israel run by the Junior Staff. This tribe unit allowed us to learn different points of view, as well as to think about the responsibility of Jews in the diaspora to Israel and vice-versa.

After our content unit and break, we each went to different discussions. I had the luck of listening to Yaniv Rivlin from the Schusterman Foundation. He takes people that are questioning/confused about Israel on journeys, because the only way to see Israel properly is in your own eyes. He also stressed to continue doing what you are doing, get a global perspective, explore, don't be afraid to do what you believe in. This was definitely the highlight of my day.

After this, we had group photos and dinner on the tel hai campus. Once we finished eating we went back to our hostels. We had a really nice ma'agal la'ila where we sculpted something we missed from home, so that we could put that thought aside and focus on our last week of the Israel Summer Seminar. 

By Naomi Spiegelman 

ISS July 7 by Jami Dorfman

On Thursday July 7 we toured Tel Aviv and experienced a few things that were fun and others that were more serious subjects. In the morning we went to Rabin Square where Yitzhak Rabin, an Israeli politician, was assassinated in 1995. While we were there we had a mission to go around the area of the square and ask strangers their thoughts on the assassination and how it shaped Israel today.

After an educational experience at the Rabin museum, where we learned about Yitzhak Rabin's life, as well as Operation Entebbe, we went on to the Mediterranean Sea for a couple hours. Even though I've been to many beaches, being in Israel and having so much fun outside was amazing. We really had a good time in the water and after that we returned to the hotel to get ready for our night outing. When we arrived at the Azrieli mall, I was mesmerized to see the number of similar store names. Many fellows met up with family and had a nice dinner while others hung out with their friends and shopped a bit.

Overall, it was a successful day and one that I will always remember

By Jami Dorfman

ISS: Kennes Shabbat by Jordan Silver

Our Shabbat morning at kennes opened up to a great start! We were given several options of different kinds of Shabbat services ranging from camp style to traditional orthodox. Each service was fun and uplifting! Afterwards we had a bit of free time before lunch where we able to schmooze with our new friends from all across the globe and create lasting friendships. We all then sat down for delicious Shabbat lunch.

Where all the cohorts sang Shabbat cheers together! Afterwards we then went to our respective colour groups where we were given challenging topics and questions on the parsha which we debated thoroughly. Later in the day we all prepared for our long walk to to the kotel and had a nice picnic in a park along the way! Once we got to the kotel we were given some free time to look around and truly connect and look at one of the most significant places in Judaism that was standing before us. 

Afterwards we sang havdalah together as a cohort and then traveled to Ben yehuda for some free time to shop around. My favourite part of the day was being able meet so many different and amazing people all united under one roof, each individual different in his own way but yet alike in another. Being able to meet and speak with teens your age from around the world but still being able to relate to and connect with each other is absolutely amazing. 

By Jordan Silver

ISS: Kennes Ends and Community Week Begins by Amanda Marciano

 On Monday July 11, we had yet another great day in Israel. The day started off emotionally and ended with such energy and lots of excitement. 

  We sadly left Kennes with lots of hugs and goodbyes. We began the day by visiting the Hertzl museum, followed by a tour of Mount Hertzl. At the Hertzl museum we saw a play and learned about Hertzl and his future vision for Israel. This was very interesting and inspiring to learn about. We then continued our day by visiting Mount Hertzl, where we were taken on a tour and learned about  many important and memorable people that have sadly passed away.  Their memory will stay with us forever.

 

  The day then continued with a sad and emotional visit to Yad Vashem, a Holocaust Museum. It was a very sad and emotional visit. It was interesting to learn about the Holocaust in details.    The thing that I liked most about the museum was that the museum doesn't  just focus on the people in the Holocaust as a whole, but it focused on the individuals in the Holocaust. 

Although it was a very emotional time, the day soon turned exciting as we made our way to Be'er Sheva to reunite with our Israeli pen pals and for opening ceremony. The opening ceremony committee did a wonderful job getting everyone excited for community week with fun filled activities as well as sharing with us our community week schedule. The day was filled with fun activities. The first day of community week was a big success. 

 I can't wait to experience the rest of community week and see what the rest of our Israel trip awaits.

By Amanda Marciano 

ISS July 6 by Emily Cohen

When we got off the plane, there was a buzz of excitement rushing through us all. While groggy and feeling the side effects of a long plane ride, we could smell Israel and that was fantastic. In the airport, I was thinking, “we’re finally here… I'm finally going to see this magical place that everyone is talking about all the time. I'm finally going to feel that connection to this piece of land and I'm going to learn what's so special about it” and then I thought “what if that doesn't happen? What if it's just another piece of land like any other to me?”. I can't speak for everyone but those thoughts rushed through my mind as we collected our bags.

We walked out the doors of the airport to be greeted by Rebecca and Spencer who were so happy to see us. We then met our British tour guide Sam (www.instagram.com/myisraeliguide/) and dove head first into our adventure.

Our first site to visit was Independence hall. After lunch in the park (featuring the music of Israeli traffic), jet lag kicked in as we entered the museum with the Toronto cohort. As much as we wanted to befriend our fellow Canadians, we were being shushed by the museum and trying not to fall asleep simultaneously. Unfortunately that was not one of our most proud moments.

Next we went to listen to an inspirational speaker named Ziv Shilon. He was an IDF commander and on his last day before being promoted, he got seriously injured. During a dangerous mission, he told his soldiers to stay far behind as he went up ahead and there was a small explosion that took his left arm and the functionality of his right. He then managed to run back to safety before bleeding out and was saved by amazing doctors and a bit of a miracle. Months of rehabilitation coupled with strength of mind, serious determination and a sparkle of inspiration allowed him to regain independence once again. He's now in law school, training for marathons (and has his eyes on an Iron Man triathlon in the future), giving inspirational speeches and raising a baby girl with his wife. He says his biggest accomplishment is his newborn daughter. Ziv was a huge inspiration and a magnificent motivator. So much so that our jet lagged cohort stayed awake the entire time.

Lastly we met up with another Brit named Ashley and his guiding partner (who is American) also named Sam. They gave us a graffiti tour of Tel Aviv where we walked through the side streets looking at all the street art. From the quote “if I forget you Jerusalem, it's because of tel aviv” to the tree with a million and one meanings, to the ducks and sandwiches, the graffiti tour had us in awe. The art captured our attention and the different interpretations and perspectives consistently surprised and challenged us. Ashley was brilliant in how he guided us through analyzing the different walls and showing us the little things we would have missed otherwise. Most of it was about the little things: the smaller paintings under the big ones, the details and the corners. As a photographer himself, he showed us how to take cool pictures which was really nice of him. Overall, it was absolutely extraordinary.

To end off our first day memorably, Ashley took us up to the rooftop of his apartment where we ate pizza and watched the sunset. No wonder he loves Tel Aviv so much, it was beautiful…

By Emily Cohen leader of day 2

ISS July 5 by Madison Gold

The Diller Montreal Israel Summer Seminar began on Tuesday July 5th. After we left the Y we headed straight for the airport. Everyone was so excited but we all behaved so well as we checked in few by few. After check in we all got in line to go through security.  Not that many issues at security other than some water, Gatorade and NUTELLA being taken away. But who cares it is all fun and games! What we didn't know was that one of our fellows was unable to check in, but we didn't know what was happening so we just continued on. We were then given some free time in the Montreal airport to buy some food before setting out on our long journey to Israel.  On time, actually even early, we all met at the gate so we could all get on the flight together.  At the gate we all patiently awaited Sarah hoping everything would be ok with the last fellow's check in. When Sarah finally came through security alone, we all happily surrounded her and showed her how much we appreciated what she goes through for us and does for us. Thank You Sarah! 

Once in the air flying to Toronto we were able to feel the excitement in the air. That flight flew by and juat made the actual excitement even better. We landed in Toronto at 2:30 and our flight to Israel started boarding at 3:45. So we first went to the gate and then we sat in a circle. This circle gave me the opportunity to run a short program about Tefilat HaDerech with the group. I summarized what the prayer was about, why we say it, and what the customs of saying the prayer were. After that we all read the prayer together in Hebrew and then in English so everyone could understand what we were saying.  I thought it was really interesting to see everyone learn about this important prayer. Once again we were given a little bit of time to get some food in the area before entering the secure area in the airport for our flight to Israel.  Once in there we all gathered together for a count off. Then finally the time had come and we were off to Israel.  The excitement at the back of the plane was and still is amazing.  Nobody can wait till we land as this flight is getting a bit long but it is completely worth it. 

Since this isn't my first time going to Israel it was really interesting to see how excited everyone was who had never been before. It was seriously an amazing, warming feeling. Also since I don't sleep on planes it has been a ton of fun to look around and see what the rest of the group has been up to and maybe even take a few pictures of those sleeping fellows and maybe even staff!! 

So this first day has been fantastic and we can't wait for even better ones to come once we've landed.

Madison, Leader of the Day day 1 

PS don't worry if you don't hear for your kids a lot we will be off having too much fun to have time to talk to you!

Workshop 8: Why you should apply for Diller by Madison Gold

Another wonderful workshop has passed us. The theme of this weeks work shop was marketing and recruitment. This is really important in Diller since this is how cohorts are formed. The reason for this workshop being this week is that we are in prime time for recruitment. There is an information session being held on Wednesday the 4th and applications are due on May 15th.

          The workshop was split into two components. The first part was a guest speaker talking about how to promote something we are passionate about in this case, Diller. The second part we worked on possible ways to get someone's attention to recruit them for Diller.

            Our lovely guest speakers name is Tanya Toledano. She spoke about how she got involved in marketing. It was really interesting to hear her story and take in the advice she had for us. She told us some good ways that she used to get herself known and get her message out to the people. One of the techniques she spoke about is called an "elevator pitch" this means pretend you are in an elevator and you only have the time that it takes to get to the floor you are heading for to get your point across. If you didn't realize this is around 30 seconds, not much time. This technique is great to use to be short and sweet in getting your message across.

            During the second part of the workshop, we focused on how to make a pitch. As a group we made two lists. One explaining what Diller is, what to expect from the program and what you can gain. The second one was about what kind of people we are looking for to apply. We made these lists as it would help us with brainstorming ideas for an amazing pitch. After that activity we were given time to try and write our own pitches to use while recruiting. Lastly, we did a little activity where we had to role play and pretend our staff were thinking about Diller and we needed to convince them why they should apply.

Now I'm going to take a little shot at making an amazing pitch for you, here I go:

            Diller, what a life changing experience! This is an experience of a life time, you will learn leadership skills while exploring your Judaism, learning about Israel and partaking in the Jewish idea of Tikun Olam. My name is Madison Gold and I am currently a Diller Teen Fellow in Montreal Cohort 8. Diller is an international program involving 26 communities including 13 from Israel, 2 from South Africa and 1 from Australia. To participate in this program you need to be going into either grades 10 or 11. This program is one of a kind. This is not an ordinary Israel summer program, it isn't even just an Israel summer program. It is a 15 month teen leadership program that has a 10 day hosting opportunity for you and a 3 week trip to Israel during summer vacation. I have had such an amazing time in Diller. I have made new friends and some of whom have become my best friends. The group has also become my family along with my new friendships and family in Israel that was formed during JCM. Other than these new amazing friendships I have also gained so many new qualities. I have learnt to become a leader and break out of my shell. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me. 

JCM Shabbaton by Joy Malorni and Jared Boretsky

For our third Shabbaton we were headed to Camp Bnai Brith of Montreal. Since this one was a little different, we had to make a stop first, at the airport to pick up twenty new friends who were going to be joining us for the next 10 days!

We arrived with signs, balloons, party horns, gift bags and smiles and we greeted our penpals. It was really overwhelming, there were so many people, hugs and names to remember but it was exciting, definitely a very special moment. Our bus ride to CBB was our first chance to have one on one conversations. My prediction from that drive was that we would become a very close group, very fast (spoiler: I was right!) Once we arrived, we were told to go to bed but the eagerness still had not worn off so we hung out a little (or a lot) before we went to sleep.

Friday morning we had our first meal with the Israelis and Canadians together, and then our staff did a little skit presenting the theme for our Shabbaton: Trust. We discussed levels of trust, where we are now, and where we would like to be by the end of the Shabbaton and by the end of the week. I really liked this theme and it was interesting to see how all the following activities tied in with it.

Our icebreaker committee, formed of both Israelis and Canadians prepared activities and games for us that were formulated for us to work together and to break the ice of course!
We sat down for lunch, it was amazing, with every meal, we could feel the bonds strengthening more and more! Once we were finished eating, talking and cleaning, we got on to the bus to go to Tremblant. The outing missions/bus games committee arranged games for us on the bus to get to know each other better, it was a success. They split us into teams and we had a picture scavenger hunt all around Tremblant. When we were finished we had free time, it was so much fun to show the Israelis around, especially to take them to make and eat frozen maple syrup on a stick! (Eh?)

We got back to CBB and began to prepare for our first shabbat together. Each Canadian wrote a Shabbat-o-gram to an Israeli, each Israeli to a Canadian and everybody wrote one wish. Once we were all dressed up we met to light the candles and we were each given one anonymous wish to make come true over shabbat, and an adorable note to start our Shabbat off positively. We split into 3 groups for prayers; Orthodox, Alternative and Camp Style and then got back together to eat our meal.

Saturday morning started off with praying. There were two services offered: a traditional orthodox service and an alternative yoga lesson. I went to the the alternative services, where we had the chance to practice yoga, meditate, and reflect (and for some of us, nap).

We then had a program that was run by a few members of Diller international staff, Leah and Keren. In this program, we talked about the story of the Two and a Half Tribes. In this program, we assumed the role of one of Moses's advisors, and we were given a chance to share our opinions on whether the tribes of Reuven and Gad should be permitted to stay on the east of the Jordan. In the end, we learned that Moses allowed the two tribes to stay, but half of Menashe was assigned to stay with them as well. This program led to interesting discussion, and really showed the complexity and controversy behind what I always thought to be a simple story.

We then had lunch all together. Once again, the meals were a good chance to bond and to talk to the Israelis. After lunch, we all went outside. We had a huge snowball fight, and took advantage of the free time to bond and have fun. This was definitely a highlight of the weekend for me, and I am sure it was an especially memorable experience for the Israelis, who do not usually have the opportunity to play in the snow like this.

After this, we had a program run by Avital and Alon, the Israeli shinshinit and shaliach to Montreal. In this program, we played 5 different games related to trust. Each one of these games also tied in to a different part of the story of Adam and Eve. It was very cool to watch some people step out of their comfort zone and participate in a trust fall off the stage.

Later that night we had havdallah. We all stood in a circle, and afterwards we all sang songs together. After this we started community week planning. We separated into Israeli and Canadian groups, and each group voted on 8 words that they wanted to a part of the vision of the week. We then combined the groups, and all together narrowed it down to 6 words. It was very exciting to finally start down the road of community.

All ready we can feel the excitement growing, and if this weekend was any indication, everyone will work together for an amazing experience. We then all hung out till curfew (and maybe a bit past it), before going to sleep.

In the morning, we had a short feedback session before getting on the bus back to Montreal. There was a mix of sadness that we had to end this amazing weekend, and excitement that we would finally be welcoming our pen pals into our homes and into our city.

by Joy Malorni and Jared Boretsky

Workshop 7: Purim Party and the Last Meeting Before JCM! by Emily Cohen

This past Sunday was our last workshop before the Israelis come to Montreal and it could not have worked out better!

This workshop was at the Adath synagogue, unlike the other workshops so far which were held at the Y, so that we could spend the first half volunteering at the Purim party. Most of us dressed up for the occasion. Us girls had planned a group costume: we were the rainbow and I had the honour of being pink.

We helped out with the party doing various tasks such as making hamentaschen, playing with the kids and supervising the bouncy castle. Then we went downstairs for the serious part of the workshop.

Avital, who recently came back from her visit home to Israel, gave us a talk about culture gaps between Israel and Canada, seeing as we are going to meet the Israelis very soon. It started off where we had papers on which we wrote phrases that represented ways to describe people and made two columns, one for Israel and one for Canada. We wrote things along the lines of “always says sorry”, “never apologizes”, “sleeps a lot”, “doesn’t sleep a lot”, “always on time”, “never on time”. After having made two long columns, we went over them and realized that, omitting “hockey”, most of the things we wrote were stereotypes.

Avital then told us about a study conducted with IBM employees around the world, including Canadians and Israelis, that looked at how people were different in certain ways that are often overlooked. We learned that the study looked at many aspects including Power Distance in the different countries. Power Distance means the extent to which lower ranking individuals accept and expect that power is distributed unequally. Canada had one of the highest Power Distance percentages which led to the stereotype of “always on time”, while Israelis had a very low Power Distance percentage which is why they might be stereotyped as "pushy". Another big discrepancy was found in the Individualism percentages - where Canada was much higher than Israel. From this we understood that Israelis are more likely to think about what is best for the group then for themselves individually when making decisions. We discussed the impact that these qualities could have on Diller cohorts. What she had to say was very interesting and we hope to get her back again soon!

After that program we took some time to go over the JCM schedule and work on our assignments. The schedule seems packed and everyone was working hard. The excitement is brewing and we cannot wait to meet the Israelis. We’re counting down the days to April 7^th… 

By Emily Cohen

Workshop 6: BDS and Preparing for JCM by Ian Langleben

The workshop we had last Sunday was both very interesting and a lot of fun. Two McGill students came in to speak to us about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and what happened in recent weeks at McGill -- a motion to support BDS passed at the most recent Students' Society of McGill University General Assembly, but did not subsequently pass after the online student vote. Unfortunately there was also a rise in anti-semitic statements and sentiments during this time.

We discussed the reasons many social justice groups (such as feminists, black activists, etc) tend to side with this movement: it seems that BDS has identified itself as being among this class of activist groups.

We discussed how even though the underlying principles of BDS – equal rights and support to the Palestinian people – were commendable from a moral standpoint, the BDS movement in fact has more a negative effect on them, as it causes industries that supply the Palestinians with jobs to close (e.g. Sodastream). Additionally, our guest speakers explained that the BDS movement does not promote discussion or peace, and rather aims to wipe Israel off the map completely. After discussing an article about BDS at McGill, we spent time in small groups coming up with ways that we would create campaigns to fight this movement. Overall, the discussion was very interesting.

After a break, we made creamy perfect hummus dip. Or, at least, we tried! We followed a recipe that Moriel had provided. However, after following it and putting the right amount of each ingredient into the blender, we found that it didn’t quite match our standards for taste. Oh, well. Either way, we had a lot of fun making it, and it will only be a few months before we can get the real thing in Israel!

Finally, our parents came for an info session on the upcoming Jewish Community Mifgash between our community and our sister community, Be’er Sheva-B'nei Shimon. Everybody is very excited for the Mifgash, and we’re all looking forward to hosting the Israelis! 

2nd Shabbaton: 50% Self-Management Part 2 by Noah Rocklin

For dinner on the Saturday night of our shabbaton, we were split into small groups and given a sheet full of questions for us to answer and discuss together, as we made our own pizzas. This really helped us bond and become closer as a group. After dinner, we were split into groups of 3 or 4, and sent on a scavenger hunt throughout the main floor of the Retreat Centre in pursuit of a prize. Our hunt included riddles, trivia, and a puzzle, which led us to our Diller sweatshirts!

We finished of the night with a rather impactful Maagal Laila run by our JC's. We were each given a paper with a question written on it, that we answered to everybody. This let us really understand one another on a more personal level. The next morning, after a nice breakfast of lox and bagels, we filmed a video to send to our Israelis, directed by the Communication group. We lined up outside in the freezing cold in our matching sweatshirts and quickly turned to the camera and says our names.

Before leaving, we had a quick feedback and clean up session. Overall, the shabbaton was an incredible experience for our group. Special thanks to Sarah, Moriel, Tair, Alon, and our JC's Spencer and Rebecca for making our time so exciting!

By Noah Rocklin

2nd Shabbaton: 50% Self-Management Part 1 by Hannah Bicher

Our 2nd shabbaton was super fun and chill. We went to camp Kinneret which is near Mont Tremblant. 

Once we arrived at the Y at 1:00pm, we went straight to camp. Once we got there, we unloaded our bags and supplies and prepared for Shabbat that was soon to arrive. 

The Rituals group hosted Shabbat candle lighting where girls and some of the boys lit some candles that were in a shape of a Magen David. Then we did Kabbalat Shabbat, which included services and some trivia questions, and ate dinner which was really good. 

We had a program run by the Partnership group later in the evening where we did many activities like testing our Israel knowledge. We were each given a year and the group in charge read an event in Israeli history. Then, the person from each team who had the correct date, had to go up and eat a licorice really fast in order to tell them the date. We also did activities about our pen pals, to see if we really knew our Israeli. One of the activities was where group two placed papers of fun facts about everyone's Israelis and we had to pick the paper that has the fun fact about our pen pal.  

We did Ma'agal Laila both nights to get us to connect with each other. The Friday night, we sat in a circle and closed our eyes and Sarah tapped someone on the head and asked questions like "who in the room makes you laugh a lot" and you had to tap someone who you thought made you laugh. Afterwards, we all hung out together before going to bed.

  

Saturday morning, we had breakfast and then we did a program led by Rebecca and Sarah about prayers. We started with small pairing discussions related to random materials, and when we brought them back to the group we learned that these were the materials mentioned in Parashat Terumah, for the construction of the ark. This led to a discussion about individual vs. group prayer. We ended off with a guided meditation and personal prayer.

Later on in the morning, the Leadership group ran their program. We had to put on a skit about any values related to leadership like honesty, communication, etc. Everyone enjoyed it very much and we discussed what type of leaders we are.

During our break, we ate lunch and played outside in the freezing cold for only 10-30 minutes because it was -35 out. Then we all chilled inside and played some cards for a little while. 

Later in the afternoon, Tair and Alon who are a shinshinit and shaliach from Israel hosted a dialogue program where we talked about the Women of the Wall and Israel. They also provided us with some guidelines to help us have meaningful discussions with each other and with our Israelis when they come. We would like to say thank you for talking to us about this interesting issue and we enjoyed listening to an Israeli's  perspective about the Women of the Wall.

Afterwards, we played games like  the apple game where we had to squish together in a tight circle and we had to pass around the apple from behind our backs while someone in the middle had to guess where the apple is. Some fellows even tried taking a bite out of the apple secretly. This was fun and it made everyone more awake. 

Right before supper, the Rituals group was in charge of havdallah. We sang a lot of songs like Baruch hagever and Ani maamin. We really connected. We even sang our national anthem.

To conclude, I am so happy I am in Diller because I got to meet so many nice people and it's so fun to hang out with all of them. 

By: Hannah Bicher

Workshop 5: Tu B'shevat By Gita Margolese

This past Sunday we had another fun and educational wokshop. The theme of this workshop was Tu B’shevat. We discussed what trees symbolize and the importance of appreciating nature.

The workshop began with each fellow describing their roses, thorns and buds of the week. Roses represent something good that happened during the week, thorns represent something bad that happened and buds represent something we are looking forward to in the near future. Many of us said that our bud was the upcoming Shabbaton which I know I can’t wait for!

Next, we had a Tu B’shevat Seder led by our amazing JCs, Rebecca Gotteiner and Spencer Albert. In the Tu B’shevat seder we drank four glasses of grape juice, each glass darker than the previous one, starting with white grape juice and ending with red grape juice. We also ate three different fruits, the first one with a hard outer shell (oranges or grapefruit), the next one with a hard middle or pit (olives or dates) and finally, the last one being completely edible throughout (raisins and blueberries). Each of these represent different level of purity, holiness and potential. During the seder, we also had a five minute meditation session where we were able to relax and unwind and simply focus on our breathing which really helped refresh us after a tiring and long week.

After the Seder, we acted out a story as a group about Honi ha-M'agel who was once walking and saw an old man planting a carob tree, a tree that takes 70 years to grow. He asked the man why he was planting the tree and the man told him that he was planting the tree, not for himself but for future generations. The old man then fell asleep and when he woke up, 70 years had passed and he was able to benefit from the carob tree that he had planted many years earlier. We reflected on being grateful for what nature provides for us, as well as the importance of ensuring that future generations get to benefit as well.

We then were each given a picture of a tree to personalize. The tree represented who we are as a person where the roots represented where each person comes from, the trunk represented our core, our beliefs and our morals and the branches and leaves represented our aspirations and goals for the future.

After our creative work we had a short break for lunch where we made delicious falafel.

After lunch, we had an amazing program run by Avital Beller, our shinshinit. The group was split into two teams. Each team wrote down words related to Tu B’shevat on individul pieces of paper and put them on a plate. Each team then acted out charades with the words written by the other team. The next part of Avital’s program involved spliting into four groups. Each group was given an article relating to either Tu B’shevat or trees and we discusses our articles in our groups.

We then broke off into our committees for the Shabbaton and finalized our programs.

Finally, Sarah, our awesome coordinator explained what the Jewish Community Mifgash with the Israelis would be like. We brainstormed as a group some fun activities that we could do when our fellows from Be’er Sheva arrive. We all had an amazing time at the workshop and can’t wait to see each other again soon at our Shabbaton! I would lastly like to thank Sarah, Rebecca, Spencer and the whole Diller team for all the time and devotion that they put into making each aspect of Diller run smoothly. We really appreciate you!

By Gita Margolese

Workshop 4: Montreal Jewish Community and Self-Management by Naomi Spiegelman

At every Diller workshop, the teen fellows get to explore different topics that are part of the fundamental principles and objectives of Diller. This workshop was about the Jewish community and working on our self-management (leadership).

During the first part of today’s workshop, Leah Berger, a Senior Planning Associate from Federation CJA came to speak to us and explained a bit more in depth about our Jewish community, and the many agencies affiliated it. We learned how the funds raised by the annual campaign are allocated to the various agencies. Afterwards, we had fifteen minutes to do a mock money allocation with 5 agencies and $3.9 Million. Although there was a time strain, it was very interesting to see how everyone has different thoughts and views on what are the priorities, what is urgent and what is not. There was some discussion about whether it is a Jewish priority to provide services for non-Jews as well, and Leah told us that this is a point of discussion in the allocations meetings as well. Within this, we briefly spoke about a topic that is very important to me: Tikun Olam. Tikun Olam in English means to repair the world, to make it a better place by performing acts of kindness.

Afterwards, we had a lunch break. Following lunch, we worked on the self-management topic. Sarah presented to us the Journey of Bread and Water (also known as Milk and Cookies). We learnt about the importance of creating a mission, a vision, goals and objectives. This session was also an introduction to our next project. We have a Shabbaton coming up relatively soon and different committees in our Diller Group are responsible for planning different sections of the Shabbaton. My committee is in charge of “Rituals”. We brainstormed in the allotted time and will continue planning and working on our self-management as the shabbaton approaches.

By Naomi Spiegelman