The big arrival to Ein Dor

Dear parents and fans of workshop 59,

Hello to you all! It has been an exciting and intense first week of Workshop. The workshop group arrived in full spirits, albeit a little tired last week, and headed straight off to the historical city of Bet Shean. Their first few days were spent getting to know each other a bit better, as well as all of their new madrichim. On Friday, the group headed out to Tiberias, one of the closest big cities in Israel, that sits right on the Kinneret. The workshop group was split up into smaller groups, and embarked on a scavenger hunt around Tiberias - finding names of Israeli musicians, different brands of Israeli food and drinks, as well as getting to know a bit about the local culture. The group came back together at the end to examine their answers, and laughs were shared by all about their experiences. Then the workshoppers were given money and allowed to partake in one of the great eating experiences in Israel - shawarma! Unless of course they were vegetarian - in which case falafel provided a more than worthy substitute.

The group returned to Bet Shean in the afternoon, and had a bit of time to spend in the pool, which was welcome relief from the warm September sun. They did kabbalat shabbat together, and danced with gusto on their first Rikudei Am (Israeli dancing) session of Workshop 59.

The next day the workshop group finally found out their smaller kvutzot for their year, and their madrichim for the year. I will forward a copy of the kvutzot to Shani Bob, so for those who are interested in finding out which kvutsa their daughter/son/sibling/friend is in, you should contact Shani. On saturday evening, the group sat with me for a few hours to go through the rules and expectations of participants on Workshop - a good and serious discussion about what the movement and the co-ordinators of the program expect of the participants, and conversely, what the participants can expect of the program. The workshoppers took everything in good stead, and were very serious in their internalizing of the discussion.

On Sunday morning the group headed down to the serene and picturesque Masada youth hostel for their first times together as smaller kvutzot. They spent two days in peulot and having serious discussions, including working out their rooms for kibbutz, and the ever-important kuppah discussion.

On Tuesday morning, the group headed to the northern Negev desert, for a two-night hike in the beautiful and tranquil surrounds of Sde Boker. They visited the ruins of Ein Avdat, a historic Nabbatean city and one-time centre of trade route activity, and hiked their way through the awe-inspiring mountains of the desert. They camped out together, and spent some quality time with their friends singing and laughing by the campfire at night.

The workshoppers finished their tiyul on Thursday morning and arrived at the historic site of Ben-Gurion's grave at Sde Boker, before loading their stuff onto the bus and heading off to the North for their home for the coming 3 months, kibbutz Ein Dor.

The group arrived at Ein Dor safely yesterday evening and, after a thorough talk about the rules and expectations from the kibbutz and in regards to the Boneh program, were left to set-up their rooms, stick their photos of loved ones on the walls, and start making normal dormitory dwellings become warm and familiar homes.

This morning the workshoppers met with the North American mazkirut members and had a peula about their connection with the movement in North America during their time in Israel. They also continued their discussion about kuppah, and had a bit of time to get to know one of the more anticipated attractions of kibbutz Ein Dor - the swimming pool!

The workshoppers will be starting Boneh orientation seminar on Sunday morning, but have a chance to unwind and recharge during the weekend for another exciting week of learning, discovering, and unforgettable experiences.

I would like to wish you all a shabbat shalom, and a relaxing weekend.

Until next time,

Leon.