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