The First month of Kaveret

Hello again to everyone,

Well it has been a seriously busy first month of kaveret. The workshoppers have been settling into their respective houses and communities very well over the past 4 weeks, and have fitted nicely into their messimot and volunteering projects. I'll go through a little bit about where each kaveret is doing messima, and what they are doing generally:

Akko

In akko there are four messimot (volunteering projects) that the workshoppers are doing in their small tzevetim. One tzevet of chanichim is working in the co-existence tzevet, which works primarily with the Israeli Arabs of the Galil, in villages including Sha'ab, Bi'ne, and Sakhnin. The second tzevet is working in a school and an afternoon club within Akko itself. The third tzevet is working in the Deshanim middle school in Kiryat Ata, just north of Haifa, and the final tzevet is working in Hadar, which is a neighbourhood of Haifa. Every tzevet is well entrenched within their places of volunteering now, and each tzevet has a 'melaveh' (guide), who is also with them during their messima time. They also spend a half day having peulot as a tzevet, as well as dealing with any of their hardships and difficulties, both with their own chanichim in the different places, and within the tzevet dynamics. The group has also started it's group project together on Thursday afternoons, working together at a local community centre with children with Autism and families in need.

Olga

In Olga there is also four messimot. One tzevet is working within Olga and Hadera, at two different schools and an afternoon club. The second tzevet is working in a co-existence tzevet, educating and volunteering within the Arab community of Jaffa. The third tzevet is based in Avigal, a school established by Hanoar Haoved, and they are working specifically with refugees from Africa, teaching english and life skills. The last tzevet is working in Holon, at both a junior and middle school and an afternoon club. They are also settling in well to all the challenges and opportunities of living in a house together with 19 people, and have spent much time scouting my own home town, Hadera, for shopping bargains and markets.
The Olga workshop kvutsa has also started their group volunteering project together, working one-on-one with school age students in afternoon study sessions, to help them with their bagrut (University entrance exams).

Beer-Sheva

In Beer-sheva, like the other kavarot, there are 4 messimot. Two tzevetim are working within different neighbourhoods in Beer-sheva itself. The third tzevet is working in a co-existence tzevet, in the Bedouin city of Rahat, which is about 20 kilometres from Beer-sheva. The final tzevet is involved with a school and afternoon club in one of Israel's poorest cities - Dimona. The group has also been scouting the area - their house is situated very close to the ancient city in Beer-Sheva, and close walking distance to the Bedouin shuk (market), which is crammed with daily specials and goodies.
The group also started their volunteering project yesterday, which is in conjunction with NISPED's volunteering wing, working primarily with Bedouin communities in the Negev, and with other Israeli Jewish & Arab youth who are also on a similar 'workshop-style' program for the year.

So that's where we workshop is standing right now. Collectively - each kvutsa has had two preparation seminar for Poland over the past 2 weekends, and we all spent last weekend together at the Shlomi youth hostel in the north, travelling to and from the Ghetto Fighters' Museum at the Ghetto Fighters' Kibbutz. It was an intense few days, and there were many questions and dilemmas for the workshoppers to carry with them during the Journey to Poland. There was also a big focus on the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising - and also the connection with the roots of Habonim Dror in Eastern Europe - the Dror movement, its' activities, and its' leaders.

The whole group will be heading to Poland in the early hours of tomorrow morning, and will be there throughout the week. I'll report again when we get back, but i am certain that it is going to be a meaningful and growing experience for all of the workshoppers. We will be returning on Sunday February 14, and i have no doubt that the first port of call will be a long rest!

I would like to wish everyone a shabbat shalom and a shavua tov.

Until next time,

Leon