The end of November is nigh!

Dear fans of Shnat everywhere!

November has been a busy month for Shnat. October finished on a high - The shnatties had two weekends of seminar - the first with Habonim Dror movement members all over the world, to discuss and commemorate Yitzhak Rabin. The seminar dealt with the threats today to democracy, peace and zionism in Israeli society today.

The second seminar was the first of three 'Keshet' seminars - seminars that bring together all of the shnatties of the different British Zionist youth movements for discussion forums. The first seminar dealt with the perceptions of Israel, Zionism, and ideology today, as viewed by the different movements.

The weekend ended with the participation of the shnatties in the annual Yitzhak Rabin memorial rally in Rabin square in Tel-Aviv. After the intensity of the previous week's seminar, and the depth of discussion about democracy, peace, and zionism, the opportunity to join in a large rally supporting the same values that the movement does was a really meaningful experience for the shnat group.

Shnat then got back into the swing of things on Boneh, examining topics which included the period of modernity and the challenges to Judaism that were posed within, the creation of the state of Israel, and the difficulties and tensions which exist internally and externally for the state of Israel today, and in the past 60 years.

The shnatties also had a chance to dust off their hiking boots for a three day hiking extravaganza in the Gilboa mountains! The group trekked out on Wednesday november 17, and hiked through the Gilboa for a couple of days. Each night was spent camping at the picturesque Ma'ayan Herod (Herod Springs) national park, at the foot of the gilboa mountains. During the days, the shnatties heard about the relevance of the place from their tour guides, including the biblical stories of King Saul and the Gideonites, as well as the modern pioneering stories of the Jezre'el valley, which is overlooked by the Gilboa range.

The shnatties learnt about the difficult relationship that Israel has had historically, and still today, with it's neighbouring countries, and the roots of these conflicts last week. The week was concluded with a siyur (tour) of the Golan Heights, an area of Israel which was captured from Syria during the 6 Day War, and is today an ongoing issue of potential peace negotiations with Syria. The shnatties saw numerous lookouts and famous sights, including Har Ben-Tal, which looks out directly over the Syrian border. They also travelled down to the Valley of Tears, a famous battle site in the Yom Kippur War, and heard of the stories of heroism of young Israeli soldiers there.

Next week, the shnatties begin one of the most anticipated weeks of their year - History of Habonim Dror Hagshama seminar. During the week, they will be visiting older and younger vatikim of Habonim Dror through the generations, from the older kibbutzim such as Kfar Hanassi and Bet Ha'emek, all the way to the newest olim. I am sure that it is going to be a fantastic week of discovery and inspiration for the shnat group.

Until next time all you Shnat fans!

Leon.


The shnatties get their groove on at the MASA event for Idan Reichel!


Shnatties cool off in Haifa - great way to beat the heat!


Shnatties in their chultzot - ready for the Rabin rally!


The shnat group - living the good life!

Yam le Yam

Hello again to all of you shnat fans!

Well shnat celebrated it's first month together a few days ago, and it has been a month to remember! Last week, after getting to experience the uniqueness of sukkot on kibbutz (or in wider israeli society for those who travelled to family), the shnatties took part in an activity that a lot of Israelis embrace during the holiday period - hiking!

The shnatties headed off from kibbutz last Sunday, and headed to Achziv beach, just north of Nahariya, for the traditional beginning ceremony of Habonim Dror's annual yam le yam (sea to sea) hike. After getting to meet their counterparts from Australian, New Zealand, and South African Habonim, representatives from each country came to fill up the 'ceremonial bottle' with water from the mediterranean sea, which would stay with us for the four day trek to the kinneret.
From the beach, the group took a short drive to the beginning of the trail for day one - nachal Cziv (Cziv stream). The hike goes through a beautiful valley in the galilee, and crosses one of the famous landmarks in the north, The Montfort Fortress (seen in the picture below).



That night, the shnatties camped out in Park Goren, the biggest JNF park in the north of Israel.
In the morning, the shnatties headed out on a bus to Elkosh bridge, for the beginning of the toughest hiking day. They hiked through the morning and early afternoon, and eventually arrived at the foot of Mt Meron, the second largest mountain in Israel. But they didn't stop there! They soldiered all the way up to the top, and then came down for another great Israeli import - the Poyke! Poyke is a large and very heavy cooking pot that makes great stews and meals.
That night the shnatties camped out with everyone else at the Har Meron field school.

The next morning, we arose bright and early and headed back to the place where the group had finished hiking the previous day, the top of Mt Meron. The shnatties then continued down the other side of the mountain, and through the northern part of one of the well known hiking trails in Israel, Nachal Amud (Amud stream). The group ended up on the outskirts of the ancient and mystical city of Tsfat, and with the kinneret firmly in their sights, they headed to our final camping site, next to Kibbutz Ravid.
For our final evening, the group (well the meat eaters at least) had a chance to experience one of the esteemed dishes of yam le yam's of the past - the spinning chickens! As seen below, these chickens are roasted over burning coals in the ground, and are delish! But don't worry vegetarian lovers - there was more than enough vegetarian food to go round as well.



The final day was a short 3-hour hike from the campsite down to Ginnosar, the beach on the kinneret where we were to finish 4 days of hiking, sweating and general roughing it with nature.
We completed the hike with our final ceremony, where the 'ceremonial bottle' of mediterranean water was dumped on the grass by the kinneret, marking the long journey that the shnatties had made over the previous 4 days, and marking the new and amazing friendships they had created in their mixed hiking groups, with Habonim movement members from around the world.
The only sour point of the tiyul, as some of you may have heard, is an injury that happened to Elena, the North American workshop madricha, due to a freak accident. A large branch fell of a Eucalyptus tree that we were under, and unfortunately fell onto Elena's back. It was a little worrisome to say the least, but now Elena is back at home and on the healthy road to recovery.

This week, the shnatties will be back to regular scheduling on boneh, and they have their first siyur (day trip) next week. We will also be having our annual Rabin Seminar in 2 weekends time, where shnatties from around the world will come together again, for some serious discussion about Rabin's legacy, and what our role is today in standing up and educating for peace and democracy.

Until next time, take care!

Leon.

End of Boneh Orientation

Hello again to Shnat fans everywhere!

So again we come to the end of another action-packed, intensive, and exciting week for the Shnatties. After celebrating Rosh Hashana with family and/or friends, the shnatties came back together on Sunday morning and travelled north to their base for the coming 3 months, kibbutz Ein Dor. After arriving in time for their first meal, the shnatties went through the do's and don'ts for their time on Ein Dor, and then were given a guided tour of the kibbutz by their rakazim (co-ordinators) for Boneh. Their first night was a big erev tarbut (culture evening), which gave them a great opportunity to get to know their new neighbours - the workshop (habonim dror north american shnat) group.

On Monday the shnatties had their first discussion about va'adot (committees), and split themselves up into committees for the duration of Boneh. The committee responsibilities range from cleaning and maintenance, buying of breakfast, being responsible for weekly educational activities, and hitkansut boker (the regular morning assembly), among other things.
The Shnatties also had the chance to meet Arye from the kibbutz, one of the founders who is originally from Hashomer Hatzair USA. Arye spoke to them on Monday evening about his life - detailing the beginnings of Habonim in North America, fighting in world war II, arriving to Israel during the Ha'apala (illegal immigration period), and the establishment of the kibbutz. Needless to say, it was a rivetting discussion with someone who truly has witnessed many of the unforgettable historical events that we know.

On Tuesday the shnatties started their educational rationale for the coming Boneh, examining Judaism and Jewish identity for them today, both as individuals, and within the movement. The group also had more time to talk about their kuppah structure for the coming year, and how they wanted to deal with their collective financial responsibilities with each other.

On Wednesday the Shnatties were given the arduous tasks of splitting up for work assignments. Kibbutz Ein Dor is fortunate enough to have a large and varied range of work environments for the shnatties to be involved in, which include unique places such as the doll-making factory, the cheesemaker, the horse ranch, and the veterinarian clinic. There are of course the familiar workplaces too - such as the dining room and kitchen, the kids' houses, and gardening.
The shnatties also had a special guest on Wednesday - world Mazkir of Habonim Dror Silvio Joskowicz. Silvio came to wish them all the best for their coming year, and to talk to them about why Habonim Dror is such a strong movement in creating and shaping a strong Jewish, Zionist identity for young people.

Their week finished off on Thursday with their final classes, before they got to put their feet up a little and prepare for their weekend, as well as yom kippur. The Shnatties will be starting their classes and ulpan next week, with the regular schedule, before heading off on yam le yam (sea to sea) hike during sukkot, from September 26-29.

There are some nice pictures below for you to see, and i would like to wish everyone a gmar chatima tova and a safe and easy fast over yom kippur.

Until next time!

Leon


Shnatties arriving at the airport - ready for a big year!


The Shnatties left their mark on Haifa beach!


At one of the spiritual centres of Judaism - the western wall!

Shnat is off and running!

Hello to all you fans of Shnat UK 2010-11,

Well it has been a fast and furious few days of Shnat. The Shnatties arrived on Wednesday late at night, and were whisked away to their first destination - the yehuda hostel in Jerusalem. After a late night, i met with them early on Thursday to go through the rules and guidelines for Shnat behaviour. The Shnatties willingly accepted their responsibilities for the year, and I am certain that they will adhere to those guidelines in order to keep themself safe and healthy throughout the year.

On Friday the shnatties headed out into the Jewish quarter of the old city for a guided tour, which included some time to soak up the atmosphere of the Kotel. They then had a chance to buy lunch out in the city centre of Jerusalem, so much Shawarma was had by all! And Falafel for those who prefer a more vegetarian meal. The shnatties also did an activity in Israeli society in small groups, which generally involved some daring missions, asking Israelis some heat of the moment questions, and taking pictures of eye-catching things.
After a long morning and afternoon out, the group returned to the hostel for their first Shabbat together.

The shnatties spent Shabbat talking about ideas for their coming Shnat experience together. The topics included such things as kvutsa, kuppah, creative culture, safety and welfare, and youth culture today and the culture that the shnatties want to create for themselves through the year.

On Sunday the shnatties left the Yehuda hostel, and headed out to Neot Kedumim for a guided tour. Neot Kedumim is a biblical landscape museum, which guides participants through activities and tasks that would have taken place during biblical times. The group then had lunch, and headed off for a tour of the old roman remains in Caesarea. Needless to say, it was a long but enjoyable day for the shnatties.

The shnatties are currently in the Haifa hostel, and will be until they head out for Rosh Hashana chofesh on Wednesday morning. On Sunday, there will be buses in central points that will pick them up and they will be heading to Kibbutz Ein Dor, for the beginning of the Boneh element of the program.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and healthy and happy new year, and a chag sameach!

Until next time,

Leon.