By Rabbi David Wilfond, Director of Education
Today, Wednesday, the teens concluded their Chavaya Experiences. These are four-day activities during which the teens explored an interest with a likeminded group of friends. The choices included; Gadna, an Israel Defense Force immersion; Tikkun Olam Social Justice projects; Indiana Jones in Israel, an archaeological dig; and Yam l’ Yam, a hike from the Sea of Galilee to the Mediterranean Sea. On Wednesday evening after the Chavaya experiences wrapped-up, the students re-grouped as before. When they returned to their original groups they shared presentations with each other about what they experienced in their “Chavaya” programs.
On Thursday, the group will visit the cemetery of the first kibbutz in Israel. Here the participants will learn about the pioneers, the young idealists who came to rebuild the Land of Israel into what would eventually become the State we have today. These idealistic dreamers were poets, and engineers, writers and farmers. They were encouraged to dream and to take their dreams seriously. Their dreams blossomed into the lush verdant farms that flourish along the shores of the Sea of Galilee today. We want to encourage our teens to take their dreams seriously and to dream big!
On Friday, the group will begin the “Kishrei Noar” segment of the NFTY in Israel Program. “Kishrey Noar” is Hebrew for “Youth Connections,” and for many of the American Teens this is a highlight of the summer in Israel. During this part of the program, eight Israeli teens join the group full time for seven days. The idea is to break the illusion that the tour bus is like an “aquarium” in which the participants look out upon Israel from the bus window, but fail to get to know real Israelis and their lives. In Kishrei Noar, eight Israeli teens spend 24/7 with our groups socializing and talking about the “Big Questions” of being a teenager in Israel and in America. The program is presented like a “Big Family Reunion” with long-lost relatives. Educationally, this is also the part of the program in we focus on modern Israel and its complexities. At NFTY in Israel we believe that the best way to engage with modern Israel is alongside modern Israelis in a peer teen dialogue. Friday will be a day of fun at the Sea of Galilee with swimming, banana boats and water sports. This is meant to create an atmosphere of fun for making new friends with the Israeli teens and to welcome them to the NFTY in Israel community. There will also be ice-breakers and group-building activities. Friday evening the group will celebrate Kabbalat Shabbat in the classic NFTY style with guitars and spirited music and singing.
