ISS July 8&9 by Jarred and Malka

From July 7-9, we took part in the international shabbaton. An amazing experience where all the English speaking diller communities came together for a powerful and meaningful Shabbat. We had the opportunity to meet new people, participate in fun activities, attend a variety of Shabbat services as well as end off the weekend with a tour of the old city and havdalah by the kotel.

All in all, we had the most amazing Shabbat experience. 

On July 9, we went to the military cemetery on mount Herzl, then toured the museum Yad Vashem. On Mount Herzl, we visited the graves of Max Steinberg, Michael Levine and and Jason Friedberg. We recounted the stories of their lives and paid our respects to these fallen soldiers by placing rocks upon their graves. At Yad Vashem, we thoroughly learned about the sufferings of the Jews in the holocaust, and established the importance of remembering the names of the victims. We visited the children's memorial, a dark room lit up by candles, reciting the names of the 1.5 million children who perished during the holocaust. This day we explored the sacrifices made to protect our Jewish state, as well as the importance of Israel to serve as refuge for Jews around the world. Our love for Israel has multiplied tenfold, and we are incredibly grateful for the courage of the soldiers in the Israeli army. 

ISS July 7 by Josh

For my day, first I woke everyone up at around 7:30, then we went to go eat breakfast and bring all the bags to the front, at around 8, then we had a presentation from a guy named Joey, who told us about his organization - Stand With Us, which advocates for Israel. 

We left for the international shabbaton around 9:30 and then got to the international shabbaton at around 10.

We had opening ceremony at 10:30 at the venue where we all cheered for our cities and watched the Diller commercials that each community made. After. That we listened to a funny and interesting speech by Avraham Infeld about his theory of Peoplehood - the 5-legged table. Then we had lunch dates with Melbourne where we did icebreakers and also discussed Avraham Infeld's speech. Then we had break till like 5, then we had white parade. At 6 was Oneg Shabbat, where everyone else went to go do fun activities. After that was dinner with a speech from a guy from San Francisco, then we had a blur of activities then break for a little bit and finally Maagal  Laila at 10:30.

ISS July 6 by Hilla

Already, another day begins in the land of Israel. Another day, the fourth day, of our Diller Israeli trip. Another day, to explore a new face of Israel. And today, we’re at the spiritual and religious heart of Israel, Jerusalem. We started our day with a visit of the old city of Jerusalem. In the gated area, we walked through beautiful ancient structures and quaint stores selling various memorabilia. Coloured scarves lined the shop walls, and silverware glistened in the sun.

Soon, our cohort arrived to its first destination: the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This specific church is considered to be he holiest place in Christianity, as it is said to house the tomb of Jesus Christ. As soon as we entered the church, we took in the marvel of our surroundings: a gorgeous domed ceiling decorated with detailed artwork of Christian figures, twinkling multicoloured light fixtures, and various people praying to their Christian messiah. This, too, is a face of Israel. This country is also a place in which believers of many religions, including Christianity, come to in order to connect with their G-d. And, of course, many religions, including Judaism. So, after concise and engaging information from our incredible tour guide Sam, our cohort made its way towards the Western Wall. This was a beautiful moment for everyone in the diller group. Each member went up, put their wish in the walls of the Kotel, and stood next to the wall for a moment of prayer. 

Afterwards, we returned to our hostel to listen to a speaker from the Women of the Wall organization. The organization has as goal to give women more liberal rights at the wall. Their goal is for women, who do not conform to ultra-orthodox beliefs, to pray more freely. Our speaker’s explanation of Women of the Wall sparked much controversy within the diverse cohort. She has a somewhat extreme point of view, and many of our group’s members felt uncomfortable with her words. However, after the speaker left, we sat down in a Diller Maagal, and discussed each other's opinions on the matter. The talk highlighted and showcased the beauty of Diller: our cohort civilly voiced their different thoughts on the issue. We tried to understand one another, and see where our dissimilarities come from. Yet, at the end of the day, we are all part of the Jewish people. We are not all the same, but we are united under one religion and one nation that is part of our identity in one way or another. And so, closes another incredible day on our summer Israel trip, with the promise of many more to come. 

ISS July 5 vlog by Leah P and Zach A

ISS July 4 VLOG! By Loucie and Britney

Israel Summer Seminar 2017 Begins! July 2&3

July 2: The Journey Begins.....
After saying goodbye to all the parents at the YMWHA, we bussed to the airport. We went through the airport security, spent a little time walking around the airport, then met at the terminal to begin our adventure. Before leaving, we all said the traveler's prayer, in both Hebrew and English to understand, and received Canada-themed pens to remind us of our Canadian patriotism while away in the holy land. Finally, we took one of our many group photos to come, and got into the plane. Away we go!!!

- Matthew Boyer

July 3:

To begin: HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY 'MURICA! Yesterday, we started off the day with a rude awakening of wheels on the tel Aviv runway. We are finally in Israel! After going through customs and picking up our luggage, we made our way to the old city of Yafo. There, we admired and learned about history of the Jerusalem gate, the sea mosque, and the harbour as well as many other places. We took a short break for frozen confection to combat the heat. After, we had a relaxing session of acro-balance in a beautiful, shady park. We soon came to the hotel and unpacked our belongings. we finished up the day with dinner, ma'agal laila, and a soothing meditation. Day 2, here we come!

- Eli Rubineau and Joelle Nadler