Cohort 3: Workshop 4

Last week, I had the privilege to meet and get to know many amazing people at Gidwitz. I have very little experience with talking to the elderly besides my grandparents, so walking in I was nervous of the impression I would make. We started off stuffing animals for children who might not be receiving gifts this holiday season. As we stuffed and helped each other with our animals, we had conversations with the residents about Hanukkah, Jewish identity, and their lives before living in Gidwitz. One of the women I talked to, Selma, said her favorite part of Hanukkah is lighting the candles and singing prayers each night. It was a time for everyone in her family to come together and focus on each other, rather than other stresses of the day. The best part of our conversation was Selma constantly giggling when she talked about her husband or "hubby", making everyone else at the table smile. Then the fellows left to discuss our experiences with different residents. After about an hour, we went back to the community area and lit the candles of the menorah for the eighth nigh of Hanukkah. My favorite part of the night was singing the Hanukkah prayers and songs with all of my friends from Diller and all of the residents that I had met. 

-Elly Qunell

Cohort 3: Workshop 3

The most recent Diller meeting on November 18 was held at Hannah Silver’s home in Chicago.  We addressed three important topics:
1.  How we would observe Shabbat during our shabbaton
2. How we define our leadership as teens
3. How we would spend our time during our first shabbaton  

The main question we needed to answer was how we would observe Shabbat given the diverse backgrounds of our group. We debated over how many services would be held, and if these services would be mandatory or optional.  It seems not many people in our cohort keep Shabbat in the traditional sense, and while some fellows wanted to try to be more observant, others were in favor of a more relaxed Shabbat observance.  Our discussion about defining leadership kicked off with shared stories about different times we were leaders, both successes and failures.  We split into groups, and discussed the attributes of a leader in ancient Judaism.  Each group then had to advocate for their leader. At the end of our presentations we voted for which leader we thought was the best.  The final activity we did was gathering in our committees to plan for the upcoming shabbaton.

--Sam Weber

Cohort 3: Workshop 1 + Orientation

Excitement filled the Mayer Kaplan JCC, on August 30th, at Cohort 3’s first workshop! I was feeling a bit nervous, but overall really excited! I had been waiting for the first workshop since I found out that I was accepted in July! We kicked off the workshop with the fellows and the parents together, discussing a text that talked about “our names.” We talked about how everyone has different names; what your parents call you, what your friends call you, and what you call yourself. We also discussed how we wanted our names to change over the course of the next 15 months in Diller. My name is Danielle, but by the end of the program I want my name to be Danielle “the leader”.
Next, the fellows left the parents and we went upstairs to do our own programming. Once we all got upstairs, we played a game to learn everyone's names. After that we played “the ice game.” It is where you have to hold onto a piece of ice and you to talk about yourself until the ice melts or it gets too cold. If you wondering the ice was really cold. It was great to get to know everyone in the cohort!
We spent most of the workshop getting to know one another, and started making connections with each other. I am ready to start this one and lifetime program. I am ready to create my Diller family. And I am ready to make a difference.
I would like to end the first blog post with a quote:

“Be the change you want to see in the world.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

--Danielle Wolff

Cohort 2: Workshop 10

Social action was in the air last Sunday, August 23rd. After a brief whip around about our favorite parts of the Israel trip and a short feedback session about the trip for next year, we finally dove into starting our impact projects!
We were each handed a sticky note and asked to write down an issue that we were passionate about or an issue we felt like went unnoticed in our society. We were given total freedom and were encouraged to be as specific or as vague as we wanted to be. We were then asked to place our notes on the mirror where everyone could see them. We organized the notes into categories based off of the subject matter and the targeted audience. After deliberating the options and of course brainstorming a few more together we emerged from Sam’s house, (the site of the meeting) to the backyard, partially to have space for the next activity but mostly to get away from the cat.
To form our groups we were given a speed dating like template and told to find others with similar causes to our own. By the end of the program we had chosen our groups and started to discuss what we wanted to do to make an impact on our community.
Since we have the Tikkun Olam Shabbaton coming up we started planning some of the programming. We broke up into small groups and assigned individual roles to each member of the group. It was a jammed packed day!!!

-- Elisha Serotta

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, August 4

On our last day in Israel, we decided to do something different. For the majority of our trip, we had been going around Israel and exploring, but not really interacting with different people and getting to see their daily lives. But this was our chance to volunteer and really give back to the people of Israel. We had spent the night in Tel Aviv, and we were on our way to volunteer in South Tel Aviv with some kids. South Tel Aviv is the rundown part of the city, many of its residents are refugees from Eritrea and Sudan. After our short bus ride, we got to the day care. Immediately, there was a large group of children who crowded around the door to see us. One of the women who worked there told us we would each get a child to look after and play with at the park. After we each got a kid, we walked the short distance to the park, singing and playing games the entire time. When we got to the park, the real fun started. We went swinging, played with balloons, and had an overall great time. Once we said goodbye to the kids, we went to Shuk Carmel in Tel Aviv for some lunch and last minute shopping. The shuk was so amazing. Vendors there were selling everything from t-shirts and elephant pants, to fresh fruit and smoothies.

            For our closing activity, we went back to the hotel. At the hotel we all sat in a circle and has two cups, one filled with Coke, and the other filled with a strawberry-banana drink. The two drinks represented the sweet and the sour of our trip. After each person said their memories, they took a drink. Many funny and touching memories were shared after our three weeks there. We also each got a piece of paper, and got to draw what the trip meant to us on it. When all the pieces were put together, they made the flag of Israel. This was to remember that all of us made the ISS so fantastic and if one single piece was missing, it wouldn’t be the same. We then drove to Jaffa for our last meal. On the way there we passed the restaurant that the Chicagoans ate at on our first night in Israel. This provided a sweet reminder of how far we had come. After dinner, we headed to the airport. Once there, we said goodbye to our amazing bus driver, Brent, and our wonderful tour guide, Maya. We had our tearful goodbyes with the Israelis, and soon, we were on a plane back home.

-          --Melinda Berman

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, August 5

The flight home was a sad but happy time for most of the fellows. Although we were saying goodbye to Israel and to the Israeli's, we also got a chance to look back and remember how great of a trip it was. The Israel to Philadelphia flight was easy for most of the fellows because of how overtired we were from the trip. Some of us even fell asleep within the first fifteen minutes of the flight. After the first flight we had a three hour layover where we had to go through customs and security once again. After customs and security, some went to breakfast and some went right back to sleep. Finally we boarded the plane that would take us back to our hometown, and make this trip officially over. 

-- Brian Schneiderman

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, August 3

              On our second to last day in Israel, we woke up on our campsite, having spent an exciting night under the stars. After a lengthy process of packing up all of the camping gear and eating breakfast, we headed to an ecological farm. At the farm, we gathered in a building that the people who lived there had constructed themselves to listen to a women talk to us about her history and how she decided to start the farm. Personally, I found the story very interesting. This woman had grown up on a moshav but then she moved into the city and became rather materialistic and very into things like shopping, until she came to realize that there were more meaningful things in life, and through a series of other events that I will not go into here, ended up starting the farm. The one issue with this lecture however, was that the building it was in was very hot and filled with comfortable couch cushions meaning that many people found themselves falling asleep. After the lecture, we divided into two groups to tour the farm. I found this part even more interesting than the lecture part. It was really cool to see the method they have for collecting rain water on their roof and storing it to water their plants. Also the homemade little huts that they live in were really cute and cozy looking.

              After the farm visit, we drove to a Druze village in the mountains. Once we got there, we went to a hospitality house we were had a very delicious Druze lunch and then we learned a little bit about the Druze religion. 

              After lunch was the moment we had all been waiting for- going to the beach! It was a very hot day and we were all sweaty and tired so this is just what we needed. We spent about an hour and a half swimming in the Mediterranean Sea until it was time to drive to our hotel in Tel Aviv.

              After settling into our (tiny) rooms and eating dinner, we went to an indoor rock climbing gym. Even though the gym was kind of hot, this was really fun, at least for me, because I love climbing. Even people who didn’t like climbing got to have fun though because there was this big rope swing thing where the climbing staff would pull you up really high and then release you and then you would go flying!

              Then, it was time to go back to the hotel and shower and pack L. All in all it was a pretty good day.                    

-- Karen Weiner

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, August 2

After we packed, ate breakfast and said our goodbyes to all of the friends we made at Congress, we were ready to leave Givat Haviva and continue our once-in-a-lifetime trip elsewhere. After a short bus ride, we were treated to a couple hours of free time on the main strip of Zichron Ya’akov. All that mattered was that we got to eat real food for the first time that week. Some of us had Italian food, some of us had shawarma, whatever it was, I can guarantee that we ate well, and that was all that mattered. After lunch, we got back on the bus and headed to a Kibbutz called Regavim to meet the Kiryat Gat coordinator's grandfather, who was a part of the Mossad and helped carry out an operation that brought thousands of Moroccan Jews to Israel. His story was truly remarkable. After hearing his story, we got back on the bus and headed for our campsite in the Carmel. That night, we had a barbecue with Hamburgers, hotdogs, and homemade french fries before sleeping under the stars. All in all, the day was fantastic.

-- Henry Wolle

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, July 29- August 2: Congress

After a successful community week, the united Diller Kashlash boarded busses and left the partnership region for their next adventure located in Givat Haviva: Congress. The opening ceremony included eleven Diller cohorts along with their Israeli partnership cities, all wearing really fun Diller bucket hats. The room was a loud cacophony of chanting and singing, each group trying to out-cheer the rest. The fellows learned all about Helen Diller, heard a great new song written by a Diller alum, and watched all of the JCs show off their dance moves. After the opening ceremonies, the fellows were all split up into smaller groups called tribes. The tribes had one Israeli and one English speaker from each partnership, so it was a great way to meet people in a smaller setting. In each tribe meeting, we explored a different lesson that was important to the Jewish people. We discussed the idea of family on the first day. Each group decided which aspects of family were most important to them. At the end of our day, the Chicago group talked about family more by reading letters our parents had written to us before the trip. After mingling and dancing with everyone else at a party called the White Tent, we all went to sleep. 

Thursday morning, everyone had the privilege to listen to the famous Avraham Infeld. He made the peculiar point that “Judaism is not a religion”. He taught all of the fellows that Judaism is so much more than a religion and stands on a five-legged table. Our role as Jews is to pick three of these five legs that we can connect to. Our goal for Congress became to explore each of these legs in depth in our tribes. We had already discussed memory and family, but we also talked about Hebrew, Mount Sinai, and Israel. We did this by looking at sources and quotes and thinking about how what we read could connect to our lives. It was interesting to have these discussions because each tribe had a huge diversity of opinions from many different places. 

The fellows also had the opportunity to hear from other speakers like Diller alumni and modern Jewish leaders. I know that a group of Chicago girls were inspired by a speaker who advocated for women’s rights within Orthodoxy, even working with a religious lesbian organization called Bat Kol. Congress was not all discussions, learning, and speakers though. On Friday, the fellows had the chance to participate in the Diller Olympics, where many of us did zumba. We also had White Tent every night where we were able to meet even more people from other cohorts and partnerships. 

Friday afternoon everyone changed into their white clothes and began getting ready for Shabbat. We said our goodbyes to Sam, who had to leave for a wedding. All of the fellows walked together in a parade of white to the tune of the original song written by Max Kalser, a Diller alum. We all danced and sang together the songs we had sang with our own cohort, but this time we were joined by over four hundred other voices. At one point, we all ran into the middle of a large field and everyone began dancing. It was an amazing experience. 

After that, all of the fellows split up for Kabbalat Shabbat. The Chicago group had planned a Reform service, and I heard it went great. I went to a Carlebach minyan led by the South Africans, which was so much fun. By the end dinner I had lost my voice from singing so much. Our Ma’agal Lilah brought many of the Chicago group closer together as some of us stayed up until midnight for the start of Grace’s birthday, when we sang even more. 

Shabbat was a relaxing day spent mostly with our tribes, talking about the legs. In the morning, there was an option for yoga, which some of the Chicago went to and really enjoyed. When we started to see stars in the sky, all of the fellows gathered together in the big field for havdallah. It was again the crazy experience of singing with over four hundred other people. The end of Shabbat brought the beginning of the closing ceremony. Each tribe preformed a skit, song, or cheer that had to do with their tribe. Of course, Ben’s shirt came off as a part of his tribe’s performance. The junior staff and the coordinators also had a dance that they performed. Maya, the Kashlah coordinator, is a great dancer. 

The night ended with an insane dance party. Cotton candy was involved. The party was so much fun and definitely one of my favorite memories from Congress. In the morning, we concluded Congress with our tribes, said our goodbyes to everyone, then boarded the busses once again. 

Even though it was really hot outside and the food was awful, Congress was fantastic. I know I made friends all over the world who I will remain friends with. We were able to explore our Jewish identities even further through speakers and discussions in our tribes, but we were also able to explore what it meant to be a Diller. It was so cool to feel like a part of the huge Diller community, and know that I was a part of something bigger. I also had so much fun. 

-         --  Lizzie Jenssen

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, July 28

The last day of community week finally came. Looking back on the week, it felt like a huge blur of time that went by fast, but it also felt like it had been going on forever. We started the day with a ma'agal boker where we made posters showing what we think would help make the world a better place. We then went on to Angels Forest where we did a scavenger hunt and had to exercise our navigation skills. We went to a greenhouse as well, and then drove to the kibbutz where we reflected on community week and had the closing ceremony.

When all the families of the Israelis were there, I could see the Americans interacting with their host families like they were their very own families. It was such an amazing, beautiful thing to see how close and comfortable my fellow Americans and their Israeli families had become with each other in just one week. On a more personal level, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world because I got the perfect family for me. I was put in such amazing, caring, lovely, warm, laughter-filled, and extremely welcoming home. As nerve-wracking as it is to be hosted by a family in which you only know one person, they made me feel as if I was right at home, and I got to know everyone else in the family very well also. As strong as my feeling of belonging in Israel was before this trip, now I know I have a real (not just a feeling of) family in Israel who I can always count on being there. As cliché as this all is, from the bottom of my heart, I can honestly call the Raviv family my own family, and Reut's siblings my own siblings. Overall, getting to see and hear that my fellow Chicagoans also felt this real feeling of having a family in Israel, made the closing ceremony of community week so much more special than I could have ever imagined. It was an amazing end to the best week of my life.

~Eden Berke 

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, July 27

On Monday July 27th in the midst of our community week we had a day devoted to loving and understanding our senses. Since the theme of community week was loving all of god's creations we spent the day analyzing the importance of our own god given senses.

In the morning we volunteered with children at a local community center. We brought games to play with them as well as recipes to make with them. Most of the games had to do with throwing things and most of the recipes contained chocolate, so needless to say our presence was a big smash amongst the kids.

Next we did a program called “The Maze of Senses” which sounds like it should be a very famous and strange looking abstract painting, but actually was more like a blindfolded obstacle course. Blindfolded participants were guided with words by a seeing partner. They had to be talked through a room filled with various tasks like finding a gum ball in a box full of marbles or searching for a bottle underneath chairs. This gave us a new perspective on what it is like to be blind and what it means to help someone who is blind.

We then had a staff program called “memories” which discussed why we remember what we do. It also talked about memories through history and through our own pasts and how they have shaped us. We closed off the day with an extra special drum circle and then went our separate ways for a night with our host families. It was a really good day :)

---Elisha Serotta

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, July 26

Tisha B'av is not a happy day for the Jewish people. On that day we commemorate the destruction of the First and Second Temple and we basically add on all of the other tragedies that have happened over time. This is not a widely "celebrated" holiday amongst the Jews, but most people who do observe it, fast in memorium of the destruction of the temples. For Tisha B'av this year, we had the opportunity to be in Israel. A high percentage of the Chicago cohort decided to fast. I mean "when in Rome" or this time, Israel.

We started out the day by learning a tune to the words "If I forget Jerusalem may my right hand wither." It was very special and seemed to fit perfectly with the theme of Tisha B'Av. We then began discussing Sinat Chinam (baseless hatred) and Ahavat Chinam (baseless love). Sinat Chinam is one of the supposed reasons of the destruction of the Second Temple and Ahavat Chinam is what needs to happen in order for the Third Temple to be built. We talked about ways there is still Sinat Chinam in the world and solutions to try and eliminate it. Afterwards we talked about Ahavat Chinam and things we can do to work towards it. We then split into two groups and designed our own temples.

Later in the day we went to the new settlement Eliav. There, we designed masks that reflected how we think people see us and how we see ourselves. We shared with everyone and after the activity the people who were not fasting went to volunteer at a synagogue and helped clean it, while the fasting people rested and had a limmud (text study). All in all the group who planned the day gave everyone a very meaningful Tisha B'Av.

-- Barb Sodos

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, July 23

On the 9^th day we looked into the question how can we love our enemies? Loving our enemies as we discussed is very difficult but crucial for peace and friendship. We started our day by going to a settlement made from Jews who had to evacuate Gaza. We heard the story of man named Ariodes. He told us his story and that of many others like him who were forced to leave Gaza during the Disengagement in 2005. They started a settlement called Neta. His story was very compelling. We also had discussions and text study during this time.

After lunch we met with two women who are part of an organization called the Parents’ Circle, an organization supporting families who have lost a loved one in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. They shared their story and the goals of the organization to try and create peace and friendship between Arabs and Israelis. We then listened to a Jewish women who makes clay pieces and puts them on the wall between Gaza and Israel. She tries to make the wall a more attractive and less hostile site. She also paints peace and peace signs towards Gaza so someone hopefully sees it in Gaza. With her, we all chose a clay piece and help decorate the wall between Gaza and Israel. We met some IDF soldiers and talked with them. We understood what it was really like to live on the border with Gaza, and how peace could really be an option. 

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, July 24

We started off at our home base in Quirat Gat, Youth Futures. Our first activity of the day was a group discussion of the weekly Torah portion, Parshat Devarim. We read a short summary of the portion, in which we learned that Moshe was speaking to the Children of Israel about their earlier journeys. We then discussed why Moshe might have felt the need to review previous events. Some fellows suggested that in order to understand one’s identity and predict one’s future, one must first know their pasts. This was a key idea explored by us Chicagoans in Kennes. Other interpretations were that he was trying to preserve the history that might have been forgotten by the new generation or warn them not to repeat a previous mistake.

The next activity of our Ma’agal Boker was a discussion of our goals for the Israeli Summer Seminar. The leaders of the day, Hili, Hillel, Elad, Adam, and Barb, helped facilitate dialogue by giving out clay for us to mold into shapes that represented our goals. We received four colors of clay. Yellow clay represented how we hope to grow as a result of Diller. Green clay represented the personal growth we wished to experience. Pink represented growth in relation to Israel and blue represented growth among our cohorts. I decided that I wanted to increase my leadership skills, step out of my comfort zone, strengthen my connection to Israel, and build long lasting friendships.

The third activity of the morning focused on the theme of the day, multiculturalism. We explored the history and rich cultures of various groups that have made Aliyah. We learned about Yemenite Jews, their Aliyah in Operation Wings of Eagles, and Ja’achnun, a delicious doughy dessert. We also learned about Russian and Moroccan immigrants.

We then broke for lunch and tried some authentic Ja’achnun made by Hili’s mother before leaving for a local Ethiopian cultural center, Hineni. There one of the organizations founders, Rabbi Moshe Selomon spoke to us about the organization’s goals and motivations. He described how after surviving the incredibly difficult and dangerous journey from Ethiopia to Israel, some older members of the community felt dejected and purposeless. The founders hoped that giving these members the opportunity to use their agricultural skills would lift up their spirits and bring them out of their isolation. Another member of the cultural center, Pini then put us to work building a traditional Jewish Ethiopian house, a Gojo, made out of mud and straw.  We learned that Ethiopian Jews deliberately did not building more permanent domiciles to show that they were ready at any moment to return to Jerusalem.  We then learned about Amharic, the language historically spoken in the Ethiopian Jewish community. Each of us had the opportunity to write our name in Amharic.  Finally, we finished the day with some delicious traditional Jewish Ethiopian bread and coffee.

-- Matan Cutler 

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, July 20

Today was a jam-packed day of content and fun in the North American Kennes. First thing after breakfast, we split up into our respective color groups (SILVER RULES) and began our first official unit. This first piece was on David Ben-Gurion and his role as a founding father of Israel. The teens learned some background history on the first Prime Minister. Then, we simulated the decisions that led to the formation of the State of Israel. The Fellows experienced the difficulty of making such large, historical choices as David Ben-Gurion and his equals. From this first activity, we learned that David Ben-Gurion was a strong leader because he was a man of action, albeit the difficulty of the 

choices he made.

The second part of the David Ben-Gurion unit focused on how the Fellows could make similar 

changes within their local communities. We were introduced to the Alumni Impact Projects, which take Ben-Gurion's attitude of activism to the Diller communities. After a short presentation, we split into groups based on our interests. There was a group on environmentalism, education, gender equality, etc. Within the smaller groups, teens discussed pertinent issues that related to their local communities. The passion was palpable in all of the discussions, and it was clear that the teens are committed to Tikkun Olam (repairing the world).

After many fascinating discussions, we had a quick lunch and reconvened in the auditorium. Liat Cohen-Raviv, the senior director of Diller, gave a detailed presentation on the history of the Jewish people. After, we met in our color groups for a discussion on Jewish roots within the Diaspora.

Our final unit for the day, Rak Po, was all about "belonging". The song by Hadag Nachash is about a sometimes irrational love for Israel – the singer loves his country, despite the many problems it faces. The Fellows wrote their own "Rak Po" about their homes, and shared with the rest of the group. Only a few verses, each poem packed a surprising punch. The Fellows proved to be future poets, as well as future leaders.

Molly Livingstone, an American-Israeli comedian, wrapped up a long day of content with humor. She insightfully joked about what life really is like for an immigrant to Israel. Some of the Fellows were also invited on-stage for some funny improv exercises.

After some laughs, we finally reunited with the Chicago cohort for our Ma'agal Lailah. Expertly led by our coordinator, Sam, we discussed some powerful Ben-Gurion quotes under a night sky dusted with stars. As we all learned, the unpolluted night sky of the Negev is unequalled in beauty. It was a beautiful, peaceful experience for the Chicago cohort, and a great way to finish a full day.

By: Amanda Jackson   

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, July 22

               When both the Chicago and Israeli fellows arrived, most of us were all exhausted from the previous night because of all the excitement of finally seeing each other again so most of us were up late and had to get up early in the morning for a full day of activities. To start the day, we Lachish to hike up Tel Lachish, a short mountain, the location of the second largest stronghold, only behind Jerusalem, where Guy acted as a tour guide for informing us about the history and pointing out significant rooms that were dug up by archaeologists. After that, we all went back down where Brian, Igal, Noah, Oriyah, and Shahar led the rest of the cohort in simulated IDF training activities, such as army crawling, eye tests, running, push-ups, and mental tests. At the end of this, everyone received fake dog tags representing that everyone passed.

               Following this, we all returned to Kiryat Gat for lunch. Once we finished lunch, Aaron Gertz, a Jewish history teacher who served in the IDF as a combat engineer. He told us his story about how he ended up making Aliyah to Israel, since he graduated college in the United States before making Aliyah to Israel, where he was a lone soldier, meaning he had family there so he received special benefits. He explained that he felt that since he thinks there is need for a Jewish country to exist and he felt it was his obligation to serve the country of Israel.

               After a short break, we had two more officers from the IDF, one of whom had just finished her 2 years of required service that day, come to speak to us, as well as put us through a few more minor physical exercises. They introduced themselves and explained what they did, one of them was involved in secret operations so he couldn’t tell us much because these were secret operations that he was involved in which were not allowed to be spoken about. The second one was involved in the education unit of the IDF, the only military that has an education unit. After this, they also did a simulation of some of the training that is done in the IDF, and had us run, do sit-ups, push-ups, as well as teaching us the proper way to stand, in the Hebrew letter het, with our feet forming a “v” and our hands behind our backs in the shape of a diamond.

               After they left, we had a Maagal Layla, which was led by Shahar, where we discussed dilemmas within the IDF, such as how many people don’t serve in the IDF, the conflicts within certain brigades and how we would feel in different situations, primarily what we would do if we had  to serve in the army according to a law.

               Following the conclusion of this discussion, everybody had family night. This was very exciting because of how fun the families were and all the things there were to do. Some of us went to different cities nearby to do some shopping, while others went out for dinner. Another group of us hung out together and just hung out at houses together. Overall, everyone enjoyed family night because of being able to spend quality time with our Israeli host and their families. What an exciting first full day with the Israelis and all of us can’t wait for what else is to come during Community Week.

----Adam Gurin

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, July 21

Today the Kennes ended and community week began. We started the day by leaving Sde Boker at 4:30 am and driving to Masada. We were on a bus with the cohort from Johannesburg and it was a nice opportunity to get to know them better, although they did shame us with how efficient they are at counting off. When we arrived we hiked up the old Roman Ramp in our color groups from the Kennes. It was a nice short hike with a great view. Reaching the top of Masada was an amazing experience. We got to see ruins built thousands of years ago by Herod and could see all the way to Jordan across the valley. Once at the top we had a discussion about the Masada story and its significance to the Jewish people. We talked about the values inherent in the story and about how to properly teach the story of such a terrible event. Despite viewing very little of the ruins, It was fascinating to hear all the different opinions and perspectives brought from all the North American and South African cohorts. Once we finally got off the mountain we had a feedback session and drove to the Dead Sea.  It was quite a shock to go into the water expecting refreshing cool and instead find it bath water temperature at its coolest. We had a ton of fun floating around in the Dead Sea. It was my first time going and the experience certainly lived up to the hype. On the way back we saw our 107^th stray cat! Then we got on the bus on our way to meet with the Israelis and begin community week with our host families. It was a fabulous end to Kennes and a great beginning of community week. 

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, July 19

We woke up early to leave Jerusalem and head to Kennes. When we arrived we had a somber moment because we were leaving our body guard Yakov and our favorite bus driver Brent, but we knew they would return at the end of the trip. That feeling soon disappeared once the other cohorts from around North America and South Africa began to arrive. While waiting for lunch, a large meet and greet commenced. We got our first glimpse of the upcoming couple of days. Many kids in our cohort felt overwhelmed, myself included, but that feeling soon left us if we realized everyone else was in the same boat.

               After lunch we all piled into the auditorium for the opening ceremony which consisted of a 90 second intro in which each cohort did a song or dance or a combination of the two. It was a strange experience, but we survived. After the opening ceremony, we split up into “color groups” (smaller groups with two fellows from each of the eleven cohorts). Once we had gotten into the smaller group it was much easier to communicate with each person. I enjoyed the smaller groups because it gave me a more relaxed setting to meet Jews my age from all around the world. The ice breakers were followed by an hour long mingling session with everybody in Kennes. I decided to keep my worries to myself and talk to as many people as possible, so it was a great time!

               Finally, a much needed dinner was followed by the most engaging speaker of Kennes, Neil Lazarus. He spoke to us about the issues within the Middle East in as funny a way as possible. He kept everyone engaged and laughing, especially Colman. I learned a lot in a short period of time and I started brainstorming for the upcoming Impact Projects. We close out the jam packed day with our most in depth Ma’agal Lila of the year. The questions we answered spanned from our feelings about the day to some of our innermost secrets which helped bring our Chicago cohort closer than ever before. But… the night had one more surprise in store, the White tent! Where all the cohorts could go and dance the night away until curfew. Kennes was an unexpected new experience that brought even the most sociable out of their comfort zones and we all relished the great opportunity!

---- Noah Simon

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, July 18

Shabbat in Jerusalem is always such a unique, meaningful experience, but being with each other made it even more special. Starting off the day, we had to choose a synagogue we wanted to go to for Shabbat morning services. Considering we were in Jerusalem, we knew whichever one we went to would be a new, fun experience, but we were still given four options. Friday night we had all gone to a Reform service for Kabbalat Shabbat, so they were all either Conservative or Orthodox. At home, I usually go to a Conservative or Modern Orthodox synagogue but wanted a different experience, so my personal choice was to go to The Great Synagogue which is Orthodox. I heard that they had a choir and was really excited to hear that, but they turned out to not be there because of the nine days before Tisha B’Av. Even though the service ended earlier than I expected it to and there was no choir, it was really impactful to sit with just the women, hear all the prayers in Jerusalem, and admire how beautiful the space is. I’m so glad that I got to have this learning experience because it not only taught me things about a typical Shabbat in Jerusalem, but also new things about myself and what kind of Jewish life I’d like to live.

After the various services at our chosen synagogues, we spent time outside at a beautiful park, toured the historical neighborhoods in Nachlaot, rested, chanted havdalah and a song session at the Kotel, and ended the day with an exciting rehearsal of our song that some of our own Diller members wrote to introduce our group to the rest of the North American (and South African) groups this week at Kennes. Overall, I think this Shabbat was extremely meaningful because I was in the best city ever, Jerusalem, with such an amazing cohort.

Eden Berke

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, July 17

Today was a day of many emotions. We began with a discussion concerning resistance during the Holocaust, preparing us for our upcoming visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust memorial museum.  Also in preparation, we talked about some of the emotions we may or may not experience at Yad Vashem. We then headed off on the bus towards the museum. We started off visiting the children’s memorial. This memorial includes an exhibit in which you walk through a hall of mirrors reflecting the light of five candles, but due to the mirrors it looks like there are millions of lights. Meanwhile a voice reads off names of children, and their ages at which died in the Holocaust. This memorial was emotional and special to many because it revealed how these children’s lives were cut short at a very young age. We then continued to the museum where we learned about Jewish life in Europe before, during, and after the Holocaust.

After the museum we drove to the Shuk on Machane Yehuda to eat lunch, and to do some shopping. When I walked into the shuk I was overpowered with the smells, colorful food, and crowds of people. Many of us bought delicious pastries, fruits, and breads. We also learned how to bargain and push and shove ourselves through Israeli Friday afternoon crowds. Now we are preparing for Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom!

-Colman Adams

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, July 16

Today was another fantastic day in Israel. To continue our venture, we drove to the community of Neve Shalom. The literal translation of Neve Shalom is Oasis of Peace, which is a perfect description of the atmosphere. In response to the conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians in Israel, the founders of Neve Shalom created a society in which all people from both religions could learn to accept and love one another. A member of the community spoke to us about his journey at Neve Shalom, and inspired us to appreciate the success being accomplished there. Next, we drove to the Children’s Museum, where we experienced the “Invitation to Silence”. In this exhibit, we were given noise blocking headphones, and were restricted from speaking. We were given a glimpse into the life of the deaf as we pursued several activities with the help of a deaf guide. Post tour, we were able to ask our guide questions, which she responded to in sign language that was translated to us. This experience was extremely eye opening. Often we take for granted our natural senses, however this experience gave us a newfound appreciation.

Next, we drove to Jerusalem, the capital city and heart of Israel. To juxtapose our thus far modern view of Israel, the Old City has deep history of rich culture. We traveled through time and discovered the unique background of Jerusalem. Israel is the home of so many cultures, and we were able to see this through walking on historical land. To conclude our tour, we visited the Western Wall, the Kotel. This is a famously meaningful site. Finally, we went to Ben Yehuda Street and either shopped or met with visitors. Overall, this day was an amazing look into the history of diversity of Israel.

Spencer Schwartz

Diller Chicago Cohort 2 ISS, July 14 & 15

Most of us woke up today feeling ecstatic, happy, nervous, maybe even down-right afraid. But we were ready, and that’s all that mattered in the end. We met at the Starbucks in Terminal 2 for our goodbyes with our parents. Then we made our way to security for flight 1. I felt like something huge was happening to me, and when we landed in Philly I wouldn’t be able to turn back (not that I would have). 6 hours of layover later, we boarded and left for Israel. Not an exciting flight, but every 20 minutes or so I would have to remind myself that I was indeed going to Israel. It hadn’t sunk in yet that I was going to a country I had never been to before.

I was so, so excited to see the country I had heard about and prepared for for so long, and when we landed I could barely contain my excitement. Most of us could barely contain our excitement. We got our bags, went through customs, and met with Robby, Amanda, KaShLash coordinator Maya, and our tour Guide, Maya. We then took a bus to Yaffo and toured the old city, visiting sights such as The House of Simon, where the split between Christianity and Judaism formed, and the Mediterranean Sea. We ate dinner at Dr. Shakshuka, and ate, of course, shakshuka. Shakshuka, for those of you who don’t know, is a hot meal consisting of eggs, tomatoes, peppers, and spices. It was amazing, and our table had two big pans full. We then went to our hostel at 10, doing our best by singing and playing games to stay awake during the ride, and concluded our day with a ma’agal Lailah. I was somewhat exhausted, but enthusiastic and couldn’t fall asleep easily. I mean, if you had heard about a country that was supposedly the best in the world, and for 9 months you were preparing for a trip to this very country, wouldn’t you stay awake just giddy with excitement? That was me. That was, actually, everybody! Most of us didn’t start hitting the beds until later in the night, and then sleeping was difficult. This might also be jet lag. I’m very tired this morning. But excited and ready for whatever happens next!

Jared Vergotine

Cohort 2: Workshop 7

At our 7th workshop in Homewood-Flossmoor we all got to experience the kind of travel it takes Melinda to get to all our meetings. It gave me great respect for her dedication! 

After an opening circle where we discussed our experiences of the JCM, we began a workshop focused on discussion of opinions about Israel. As Israel is one of the Diller pillars and a very complicated subject, the respectful open dialogue was a great experience. We began by each choosing which of many drawings representations of Israel best represented our feelings about the country. The pictures ranged from a cartoon of Herzl to Israel made of broken glass, and hearing different interpretations was fascinating. Then we participated in a program where controversial Israeli topics were introduced with background information and we were asked to give our opinion by voting with differently colored Hershey’s Kisses. After every question we had an in depth discussion of the reasoning behind everybody’s choices. I learned a ton about Israel and my fellow Fellows. We discussed topics such as Israeli cost of living, marriage laws, and the relative merits of shawarma and falafel. 

We ended the program with a check in about planning for community week and a short program planned by our JCs. A great end to a great day!

By: Lia Bauer-Goulden

Cohort 2: Wrapping up the JCM

Volunteering at Pushing the Envelope Farm

Our last day in the JCM was an exciting and tiring day. We hit the road from JUF and headed to Geneva, IL, where we volunteered on Pushing the Envelope Farm. We planted trees, made flower beds, and weeded old beds. It was hard work, but the weather was great! After we finished, we got a brief tour of the rest of the farm, from the honeybees to the blackberry and blueberry bushes and then to the little pagoda/sukkah in the woods. We learned about the farm’s Jewish roots and how it observes the Shmita year, or letting the land lie fallow. The Margulies family was also nice enough to give us a tour of the envelope factory next door. And then it was our final bus ride to lovely Oak Park for the last 6 hours of the JCM. We were all tired from the car ride, so we laid around and played on the playground until it was time to set up for dinner. We had a delicious dinner with all of the Israelis, Americans, and their families. Near the end of dinner, Matan, Hili, Barb, and Hadar gave terrific and heartwarming accounts of their time spent hosting and being hosted. Then we watched a great slideshow from Lia of all the pictures of the fun activities we did while we were together. We were still holding on to our tears. We, the fellows, listened while Jessica and Maya gave their thanks to the various people who made everything happen in the JCM, especially our JC’s. Then the fellows stood up and whooshed the coordinators and JC’s, still not crying. We did one round of Achim and it was time for final goodbyes. This is where the tears come in. I made sure to hug everyone goodbye and wish them a safe trip home. It was an emotional goodbye and no one wanted to leave.

Final dinner

It wasn’t until the next day, when I didn’t have to wake up at 6, take the train at 7, and be on a stinky bus with 37 sleep-deprived teenagers, that I fully realized the impact the JCM had on me. I felt like a stronger leader, a more knowledgeable, more sensitive person. I felt saddened that the Israelis had left, but I knew that in a short period of time we would be reunited again, and that made me feel good.

By Jared Vergotine

Cohort 2: Highlights from the JCM Shabbaton

Shabbat shalom!

The Shabbaton was an amazing experience that brought all of the Kashlash Diller Fellows together. On Friday, we all met in a circle so we could share what we wanted to gain form the Shabbaton. On Friday night, some of the Chicago Fellows lead Kabalat Shabbat and ended it with a meaningful discussion with the other Fellows on what Shabbat meant to them. Everyone agreed that Shabbat is a time where friends and family can come together and enjoys time together, and that is exactly what we ended up doing on that weekend. 

Post-Shabbat bonfire

The next day, the Fellows did an activity called "Café Dilemma," in which four fellows sat together to discuss Israeli society. This was particularly interesting because many of the American Fellows had the opportunity to learn about the pressing issues in Israel from Israelis. When the Fellows had free time, they all hung out and got to play their favorite game, Sumo. That night, we ended with Havdallah, which then became a dance party. The Fellows ended their night on a more serious note in the Ma'agal Lailah, as they all shared their deeper thoughts on how to be better people. 

Planning community week

This Shabbaton deeply connected all of the American and Israeli Fellows together, and everyone is extremely excited to reunite in Israel!

By: Henry Wolle

Cohort 2: Jewish Community Mifgash (Encounter) Part 1

 A week ago our Israeli guests arrived in Chicago. It was both exciting and awkward meeting the Israelis, before this we had only chatted with them over the internet and meeting them face to face felt like an entirely new experience. However, we had a lot of fun. A group of both Israelis and Americans led us in a number of ice breakers. The first one was called Connected and involved one person standing in the center of the circle with a bag  of candy that person then said something about themselves for example, that they have two cats, and then someone else for whom that also applied, so in this case someone who also has two cats, would yell connected and then they would get a piece of candy and become the one standing in the middle. Then we played another ice breaker called חבילה עוברת Pass the Package, which is an Israeli game involving passing around a pillow thing made of newspaper while music was playing. When the music stopped, whoever ended up with the pillow pulled open the top layer to find a post it note with a question for them or a task for the group. It was a very fun game. After playing a few more games, the parents joined us and we had dinner together. Then we took the Israelis to their Chicago second homes.

The next day, the Israelis spent the day downtown where they learned about the Federation and they went on a gangster tour of Chicago. One of the Israelis, Yahalom, told me, when I asked her the next day, that it had been her favorite part of the trip so far! Then the Israelis came home and we had dinner together as families. My family took Hadar, the Israeli staying with us, to a Vietnamese restaurant near our house. A couple of other families went to Windy City Sweets and also made a snow man!

On Tuesday, the Israelis came to school with us. My school, Northside College Prep, is not nearly as big as some of the suburban schools that a lot of the other Chicago Diller Fellows go to, but even so, Hadar said it was much bigger than her school, so it was quite an experience for her. I also talked to some of the other Israelis afterword and they said the same about the schools they had gone to with their Chicago hosts. They also found bringing lunch to school to be a novelty as that is not something they do in Israel. After spending about half the school day with us, the Israelis left and went to Chicagoland Jewish High School to learn about the school and about Judaism in Chicago. After school, we joined them there for a scavenger hunt in the mall which was a lot of fun. Finally, we all went out to dinner at Mizrahi Grill, allowing the Israelis to get a taste of home and us to get a delicious taste of Israel. We had some very good conversations at the restaurant as we got to become still better acquainted. Then we sang the whole bus ride home!

By: Karen Weiner

Cohort 2: Workshop 5: Diller Phase Two--The Partnership and Self-Management

Last Sunday, January 11^th, Cohort 2 met back up again for our fifth workshop. Our meeting started on a low note when we found out Jessica was sick and would not be able to attend. However, our spirits quickly rose when Amanda and Robby, our great JCs, expertly took the reins.

We kicked off the meeting by discussing all of our fun experiences over winter break. Many of us traveled around the United States to warmer locals like Arizona, California, or Florida and other Fellows even traveled abroad. Others, myself included, stayed in the Chicagoland area, where we got the chance to relax with friends and family, study for midterms, or check out some of the latest blockbusters.

After our icebreaker and warm up event, we received anonymous partners who we passed notes with to simulate the pen pal experience. I got the chance to learn some interesting facts about my partner, like her favorite foods and colors! However, I think because of how well we have gotten to know each other over the last few months most of us were able to guess partners easily and they did not remain anonymous for long.

To further introduce the pen pal program our cohort is creating in conjunction with our Israeli counterparts, Robby and Amanda shared with us some of their experiences with their pen pals. They each showed off some fun snippets of their first conversations with their partners and pictures of them together in Israel. It was interesting to see them develop from awkward small talk to true friends. I'm definitely excited to receive my pen pal!

Finally we got to our main event, planning our second Shabbaton. Before we were able to get to work though, we learned about self-management and the Diller approach to it through an informative Prezi entitled “The Journey of Milk and Cookies.” We discovered that the four sets of questions that are key to self management are Mission, Vision, Goals, and Objectives. We learned that Mission is the big “why,” the overall purpose of a project. Vision's question is “where to?” It is the ultimate dream, the ideal realization of the Mission that the creators of the project strive for. Goals, we learned, are the “how” questions and through them, one determines the broad steps necessary to achieve the Vision. Objectives practically and concretely answer the questions “who, what, where, and when?” We learned that Objectives must be SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, rewarding, and timed. Through Objectives a project's Goals can be broken down from broad steps to smaller, more manageable tasks. Throughout the presentation, we explored real life examples of Missions, Visions, Goals, and Objectives in various companies and organizations like the JUF or LA Fitness. As a reward for completing our “Journey of Milk and Cookies,” we got the chance to take a short snack break with some Oreo cookies!

In the next step of planning process, our cohort collaborated to create a Mission, Visions, Goals, and Objectives for the upcoming Shabbaton. We decided that we wanted to be sure the Shabbaton encouraged an open, accepting environment with a Shabbat atmosphere where we could all learn from each other. Our logistics managers, Fellows Josh and Colman, helped organize us into four different committees to plan four different aspects of the weekend. I joined the games and bonding committee while others joined the leadership or rituals committees. In our committees we once again applied the Mission, Vision, Goals, and Objectives outline to plan out our Shabbaton. I can't tell you what my group planned, but you can be sure it's going to a ton of fun, especially because of the valuable self-management skills gained in this workshop!

By: Matan Cutler

Cohort 2: Workshop 4: Our Values, Our Community

The fourth session of Chicago Diller Cohort 2 was held at Temple Beth Israel. We began by discussing time management strategies and how we can improve how well we manage time in our daily lives. We identified what we do to manage our time already and discussed how to prioritize each task we have to complete.

Next, we took a short break to eat a little snack and socialized with each other while waited for three
very special visitors to join us. Hannah is the Associate Director of Organizing at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. She briefly explained to us what they did to support people experiencing homelessness. She then introduced two formerly homeless women, one was an adult, Leeanna, and the other was a high school student, Keleyah. They both told us their stories and what it was like being homeless. Leeanna spoke to us first. She spoke about her childhood, how she was in good shape when it all got turned upside down. She said the next handful of years were spent on the streets, where she got involved in harmful and dangerous activities. She spent a really long time in a penitentiary. She eventually realized what she was doing because she found out that to get a job, most employers do background checks, so she went to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless to get back on her feet and help her find a job. Keleyah spoke next. At first, she seemed like a normal high school student, just like the rest of us, but when she told us about the struggles she endured earlier in her
life, we realized how much she has gone through just to go to school. She also got help from the
Chicago Coalition for the Homeless with her family. These stories were very inspiring.

That led into our next activities. After the three of them left, Brian and Colman volunteered to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but with a twist. Colman was blindfolded while Brian had to tell him what to do, and Colman couldn't do anything else. After 10 or 15 minutes of the rest of us laughing at their expense, the sandwich was finished. The point of this exercise was to show how complicated communication can be and the importance of using clear instructions when asking someone to do something.

To finish off the session, we packed paper bag lunches for Inspiration Corporation, an organization in Chicago that offers programs for the homeless, to hand out to their clients. We split into groups, one group making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (this time we could all see what we were doing) and others preparing bags of food and finally putting them all together to be distributed.

By: Adam Gurin