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