Cohort 2 Workshop 2

Anonymous conversations

After making our way downtown, driving fast, beating traffic, and missing the actual place twice, all were gathered at Moadon Kol Chadash in Chicago to begin our second workshop. We learned more about each other through a literal icebreaker and hopefully by the next workshop we’ll know everyone’s names (and possibly their social security numbers). The literal icebreaker had us stopped cold in our tracks, holding ice and talking about ourselves with the hope of melting it faster for the chocolate prize in the middle. Congrats to Henry for winning that one!

Next up was a blind discussion with one other member of the cohort. We were blind-folded and placed back to back with on of our fellows and we had deep discussions about our hopes, dreams, and our role models. The point of it was to have a discussion we might not normally have had if we were facing each other. Personally, I found it easier to open up knowing the person behind me wouldn’t be able to see my face and my own reactions to what I was saying. I’m sure that we learned a lot from each other and that we’re likely to know more by the end of the 15 months.The third activity put us into groups of about 5 or 6, discussing friendship as it relates to the Torah, Talmud, and other Jewish texts. We discussed how we felt about the passages, which was most like our friendships, and which passage we would consider our cohorts in Diller to be. I’ll be honest and say I don’t know that much about either the Torah or Talmud, but that in the future I hope to learn more from those in the cohort who do.

The challenge: Make a perfect square out of a rope... while blindfolded.

Activity four used a concept known as six word memoirs, used by famous author Ernest Hemingway. The stories were supposed to sum up our experiences with Judaism in our lifetimes. My story is “We did, we moved, we stopped”. Many were funny, some were more serious, but we all gained a better sense of each other’s Jewish experiences.

By this time it seemed a snack break was in order and everyone started stuffing themselves with apples, carrots, and a medley of carbohydrates. We had a pleasant surprise when Cohort 1 appeared. Soon, we were all mixed together, chatting away, and it was hard to pinpoint who was in which cohort. Cohort 1 also introduced us to “Whooshing”, where we send people to middle and send our positive energy to them, a sort of thanks. For our test run, the guinea pigs were our JCs, Amanda and Robby, who put together all the amazing programs we did that day. Lets just say that I’m optimistic the next one will be better.

Skilled members of the Cohort 2 Acting Ensemble reenacting the sacrifice of Isaac

Wow this day was packed, but theres still more! The next two activities put us back in blindfolds, both activities in communication. The first of the two involved us trying to make a perfect square with a length of rope. One corner was formed, but then it turned into an oval-shaped monstrosity. In the second one, Jessica told us what to do with a sheet of paper, but we weren’t allowed to ask questions about anything. When we were done, we found that everyone’s paper was different, teaching us that while we might all receive the same instructions, we will interpret them differently.

And last, but not least, we organized our times for 1-on-1 interviews with Jessica, split off into our different carpools, and left feeling, no doubt, excited for the next time we get to see each other.

By: Jared Vergotine