Sikkum Seminar

The Workshoppers have left Rishon Letzion and moved to Kibbutz Revivim, south of Beer Sheva, for their sikkum seminar.

Bye to the house!

Final Havdallah on Workshop.

Enjoying the desert sunsets. 

Bye Brits!

The goodbyes are beginning over here, as the Workshoppers came to the airport to bid farewell to their British friends. The Brits were an integral part of their meeting with World Habonim this year, sharing in large parts of Boneh, seminars, Poland, and the odd party here or there. More than a few tears were shed as the Workshoppers and Brits exchanged a few songs, kind words, and hugs.

Zombies v. Rabbis

Just your average zombie v. rabbi Wednesday night on Workshop 64. 

Jerusalem Seminar

Last Wednesday and Thursday, the Workshoppers were in Jerusalem in a seminar, focusing on visions and conflict within the the state of Israel. On Wednesday, they met with Yehoshua Weinstein, a member of the Haredi community in Jerusalem who works with educational institutions outside of the Haredi community. Afterwards, they met with Anat Hoffman, founder of Women of the Wall.

Anat Hoffman speaking about issues of religious authority with a Jewish state, particularly around non-Orthodox expressions of Judaism. You can read more about Women of the Wall here.

Wednesday finished with a siyur (tour) of East Jerusalem, including the separation barrier, with Ilan Brandvain, former Tavornik and currently a tour guide in Israel. 

Thursday morning began with a meeting with two members of the Parents' Circle Families Forum, an organization bringing together the families of victims of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on both sides. The Workshoppers listened to the story of a Palestinian who lost her husband, and an Israeli man who lost his daughter, and then learned about the reconciliation and education work done by the organization. You can read more about them here. 

Rami, our guest speaker from the Parents' Circle, with Tom.

Wednesday continued with a siyur in the Old City of Jerusalem, discussing the history of Jerusalem and it's place as the center of Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Above, overlooking the Mount of Olives from the edges of the Old City.

At the Cardo (Roman market) in the Old City. 

Overlooking the Dome of the Rock and the Kotel in the Old City. 

The seminar finished with a panel session with activists from Jerusalem. Overall, the two days gave the Workshoppers a chance to explore the history of Jerusalem and discuss some of the major conflicts present in the city today, while shaping their own visions for Jerusalem and the state of Israel. 

May Day Rally and Workshop Video

Yesterday, the Workshoppers participated in the May Day Rally in Tel Aviv. Aside from seeing all their friends from the May Day Seminar, they joined thousands of other people for a festival, march and concert.
If you missed the new Workshop video, click here!

April Round up Part 2: Yom Hazikaron and Chava Achot

Yom Hazikaron 

Wednesday April 22nd was Yom Hazikaron, the memorial day for fallen soldiers in Israel. The Workshoppers participated in a national wide project called Zer L'Nofel (A Wreath for the Fallen). In order to limit flower sellers from profiting from families of fallen soldiers, youth movements in Israel hand out free flowers at military cemeteries around the country. This year, the Workshoppers participated in this project and were present in various cemeteries around the country.

Cliel and Shosh helping out with their ken. 

Chava Achot

Two weeks ago, the Workshoppers met their sister "chava." Chava is the name of the shnat hachshara (training year) of Hanoar Haoved. In between finishing high school and starting the army, Israeli teens can choose to spend a year volunteering. Graduates of Hanoar Haoved spend their year living in kvutza and doing messima, just like the Kaveret portion of Workshop. The Workshoppers and their Israeli counterparts will meet up several times, for shared meals and to learn from each other. Together, they will discuss growing up in the diaspora and growing up in Israel, and how this has effected their perception of being Jewish and Zionism. They will also be learning from each others' youth movements! More pictures to follow. 

April Roundup Part 1: Yom Hashoa and the May Day Seminar

It's been a very busy few weeks over here in Israel! We are in the mad dash to the end, trying to fit in everything possible during the Workshoppers last month in Israel.

Yom Hashoa

After returning from Passover break, the Workshoppers headed to Kibbutz Loachmei HaGitaot for the national closing tekkes of Yom HaShoa (Holocaust Remembrance Day). Before the official tekkes (ceremony), the Workshoppers led a tekkes for all of the Habonim shnatties. Micaela shared with everyone some of her thoughts from her journey to Poland.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the movement since I returned from Poland two days ago. The longer we are back from Poland the more I think I am realizing what exactly Poland is going to mean to me in the future as a member of the movement. It was the type of experience that I will never get to have again.

Something I keep thinking about is what it must have meant to be apart of Dror at the time of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Back when being in a Youth Movement really meant something. I want to learn from their devotion. I want it to inform my future as a member of the movement...I think the idea of this story gives me strength. I want to be a madricha like Zivia, and a leader like Antek, and I want to know the passion Mordechai must have. I need to know that there is power in this movement, and that there is power in the choice to be apart of it. When I doubt the movement I want to remember this story, because when I was in poland I think I saw into some of the darkest parts of humanity. It scared me to understand that humans can hate so absolutely, and so blindly, and it taught me that when we face such darkness we also need to understand how to create light. Because darkness seeks to draw the light from our world, and something like this can never happen again. There is a way to the light -- we just need to find it.

In his last letter to Antek, Mordechai wrote this:

“The last wish of my life has been fulfilled. Jewish self-defense has become a fact. Jewish resistance and revenge have become actualities. I am happy to have been one of the first Jewish fighters in the ghetto.

Where will rescue come from?”

Mordechai died at Mila 18, we need to remember what his dream cost him. Let us dream the next part for him. That much we can do. So maybe my dream for the movement comes back to this: I want to lead a movement that will always remember Antek & Zivia, and is always ready to fight the fight against the encompassing darkness. I want our movement to be brave, I want it to serve with readiness & devotion.

After our tekkes, the Workshoppers watched the national tekkes, including performances by Ivri Lidir, and speeches by the head of the museum, local politicians, and Isaac Herzog, current leader of the Labour Party.

May Day Seminar

After Yom Hashoah, the Workshoppers went to Kibbutz Ravid for May Day Seminar. Along with Australian, South African, British and Dutch Habonim, they explored the historical relationship between Habonim Dror and the labour movement. The participants also discussed current issues with workers' rights, and heard from guest speakers on Saturday afternoon to learn more about our sister movement, Hanoar Haoved, and their role in various cooperatives and labour struggles around the country. Hanoar Haoved operates the youth workers' unions in Israel, and as well as supporting efforts among youth workers' to unionize, they are also the address for young people in Israel who are denied their rights. On Friday night, we also enjoyed a kabbalat shabbat led by the Australians.

Fun evening programs!

 Attempting to complete a mission for the fun evening program: a picture of everyone jumping at the same time. 

 

Learning about workers' cooperatives and enjoying some sun. 

 Rayna and Tali singing "This Land is Your Land" for our closing tekkes.

Passover Activities

The youth centers and schools were the Workshoppers go to messima were plenty busy this week with special Passover activities, either tiyulim (hikes) or themed programming. Additionally, the Workshoppers went to cheer on Ari in the championship game with his football team, the Pioneers.

At messima. 

The Workshoppers Passover seder.

Homemade matza!

On tiyul, helping out with logistics and cooking. 

Chag Sameach to everyone and welcome to all parents visiting!

Poland Pictures Part 2

Shosh and Maya checking out exhibits at Tadeusz Pankiewicz's Pharmacy. The Pharmacy was situated at the edge of the Krakow Ghetto, and Tadeusz, a Polish national, was able to use his pharmacy's location to help the inhabitants of the ghetto, with medicine and information from the outside world, as well as helping members of the resistance. The Pharmacy was recently turned into an interactive museum. We visited on Tuesday, as part of our walking tour of the ghetto. 

One of the Workshop kvutzot, at the site of the former Akiba movement commune. The Akiba movement was another Labour Zionist movement, close to Dror, in the interwar period. The movement members were active in establishing the Krakow resistance, and led the bombing of the Zyganeria Cafe, popular Nazi hangout. 

The other Workshop kvutza. 

At the monument at the entrance to Majdanek, build by the Soviets after liberation.

At the statue to Janush Korzak in the Jewish cemetery of Warsaw. The cemetery itself is very large, and we were only able to visit a few graves, but it was a fascinating insight into Jewish life in Poland before the war. We visited the graves of Marek Edelman, Bund leader, and Dr. Zamenhof, inventor of Esparanzo. Korzak was a very important educator and pioneer in the field of democratic education, who ran an orphanage before and during the war. He was murdered at Treblinka, along with the children of his orphanage.  

Elana, Ari and Netanya in the synagogue in Tykotchin, a shtetl near Bialystock that we visited on Friday of the journey. The Jewish population ranged between 60-85% of the village population from the 17th century onward, and coexistence was generally peaceful until the onset of WWII. You can read more about the village history here.

At Grochow, the former hachshara (training) farm of the movements before and during the war. Standing behind us is the only wall left from the farm. The movement was allowed to continue training members in the early stages of the war, and the farm was an important respite from the ghetto. Zivia Lubetkin, a leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and Dror member, says that the training farms and communes of the movement were the nucleus of the rebellion.

At the memorial to Mila 18, the bunker where Mordecai Anielewicz and other fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising died. On Saturday, the chanichim walked the Path of Heroism, learning the story of the Uprising and role of Dror movement. 

The final tekkes, planned by Patty and Rayna with two members of the British kvutza. The tekkesim were an important way for the chanichim to shape their experiences. At the final tekkes, the chanichim sang Od Lo Gamarnu, Patty played the Partisan's Song, Micaela read an excerpt from Hannah Senesh's diary, Rayna sang "Eretz eretz eretz", and Alex read reflections of his on the uprising and the movement's role before we all sang Hatikva. 

We finished the journey with some classic Polish folk dancing and singing.

Needless to say they were all excited to join in.

Poland Pictures - Part 1

On Sunday, the Workshoppers returned from our Journey to Poland. It was a challenging, but also inspiring week learning about the Holocaust and our youth movement's role in the rebellions against the Nazis.

Micaela has agreed to share with us a photo-journal from her week in Poland. Please check back soon for more pictures and reflections from the week.

One of the few remaining pieces of the Warsaw Ghetto Wall.

Entering the memorial site where Treblinka once stood.

Auschwitz - Birkenau.

The destroyed former crematorium at Birkenau. 

Examining the pictures taken from the belongings of the victims of Auschwitz. 

Memorial at Treblinka. 

Barracks at Birkenau. 

Entering Majdanek, a concentration camp on the outskirts of Lublin.

The memorial at Treblinka. 

Stone at Treblinka commemorating the rebels of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

The first memorial to the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, established by Antek Zuckerman in 1946. 

Auschwitz I (the main camp of the complex of 30+ camps that comprised Auschwitz).

Majdanek Concentration Camp.