The end of Boneh is nigh!

Hi again everyone,

So it has been an action-packed month of activities in November, and it's hard to know where to start. The workshoppers have gotten back into more of a routine after all of the chaggim experiences in October, but the hectic pace of workshop hasn't gotten any slower.

The first weekend in November was spent with Habonim Dror Shnat participants from all over the globe, at Rabin Seminar in Nes Harim. There were shnatties there from all over the globe, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and the Brits of course. The seminar had mixed groups, and even had a hebrew speaking groups for those workshoppers that wanted to sharpen their hebrew skills. It examined the concept of incitement and violence in democratic society, both at the time of Rabin's assassination and today, and also looked at the threats to democracy in contemporary Israeli society. The seminar was capped off by attending the annual Rabin memorial rally in Rabin square in Tel-Aviv. The guest speakers of the rally included the Labor Party leader and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and the Kadima Party leader and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

After the hectic weekend it was 'back to school' for Workshop 58, and Boneh rolled around for another few weeks. The following week from the seminar looked at the beginning of Zionism and some of the great Zionist thinkers. The classes looked at some of the great modern Zionist thinkers, the concept of modern 'chalutziut' (pioneering), the beginnings of Labour Zionism, and the beginnings of the 'aliyot' (mass waves of immigration to Palestine).
The group spent a day on siyur (tour) to Jerusalem during the week, and went to Israel's national cemetary, Har Herzl, as well as one of the famous sites in Jerusalem, Ammunition Hill.
The week was rounded out with the workshoppers doing an activity based on the things they had learnt during the week, where they put together children's picture books based on some of the personalities that they had learnt of during their classes.

The following week the workshoppers looked at Modern Israel, and the week after they looked at the roots and history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. They went on siyurim (tours) to the Golan heights, and examined the current border status of Israel with Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. They also spent some time in the ancient port city of Caesarea, as well as a guided tour to the Atlit Illegal Immigration Camp from the pre-state British Mandate. The camp was a detention centre for Jews who were caught as illegal immigrants, and holds hundreds of amazing personal stories.

Currently, the workshoppers are nearing the end of the renowned History of Habonim Hagshama (actualisation) seminar. The seminar has taken them to see some of the vatikim (veterans) of the movement, and has given them the chance to hear some of the inspiring personal stories from movement members who made aliya and built up the state of Israel. The workshoppers visited Ma'ayan Baruch, Kfar Blum, Kfar Hanasi, and kibbutz Yizre'el, and will also get a chance to meet members of the newer urban communes in Israel. The seminar will give the workshoppers a great opportunity to understand where the movement has come from, and to challenge the ways in which they want to shape it on their return to North America.

So, come next week we will be in the last week and a half of the Boneh program, and already within three weeks the workshoppers will be in their new homes in Akko and Karmiel. The chofesh period starts on December 23, and all workshoppers need to be back to start on January 3.

Until next time,

Leon

Workshoppers are all smiles at the Rabin rally

Thanksgiving - Workshop style

Incident in Tel Aviv

Hello Workshop Families,

I want to inform you about an incident that occurred this morning in Israel. A car bomb went off killing a well known mafia boss of the Israeli mafia underworld. None of the bystanders were severely wounded. This is a contained issue and no special security warning have been issued from the Jewish Agency. All of the workshoppers are safe and accounted for. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me. For more information please visit www.haaretz.com

Sincerely,
Shani

Hikes, classes, and all round fun!

Hi again everyone!

So firstly let me apologise for being a little tardy in response time on the blog. The last few weeks have been an exciting time for Workshop 58, and i guess with all that excitement comes a bunch of work to keep me busy too. Nevertheless, the chaggim are now behind us, and boy oh boy did we have some memorable experiences on Workshop.

It all started three weeks ago with our 3 day tiyul through the harsh and unforgiving terrain of the Judean desert. The workshoppers hiked together, cooked together, ate together, and slept out under the stars together. The group walked about 25 kilometres over the three days, from the beginning of a beautiful valley in the judean desert hills, through Masada, and finally ending on the beach of the Dead Sea. The tiyul was shared with the British shnat group, and was a straight hiking and camping experience in the serene Judean Desert hills. That's right - no buses or hostels! And while everyone was fittingly exhausted by the end, and in desperate need of a shower, the group had a fantastic time and gained an intimate understanding of the desert beauty of Israel.

The following week, the workshoppers were back on Ein Dor for another week of classes on Boneh. The week's general educational theme was based around the diaspora history of Judaism, from the Bar Kochba revolt to the period of global enlightenment and Jewish 'haskala'. The classes examined such topics as the Bar Kochba revolt and the beginning of modern religious Judaism, the enlightemnent period in general, the French revolution, Jewish European emancipation, the beginning of the Reform movement of Judaism, and 19th century Judaism and it's challenges in Russia. The workshoppers also got a chance to plan and run chuggim (creative workshops) for themselves and the British shnatties during the week, which was a great avenue for them to take ownership of the educational and experiential content of their week, and empowered them within the community of Boneh. Some of the chuggim for the week including a re-telling of some of the famous stories of the village of Chelm, Rikudei Am (Israeli dancing), and a special viewing of 'amazing things that cats can do' (with special help from the youtube website).

The week ended with the Boneh project time, and the task that befell the workshoppers this week was to create a 'facebook' profile for one of the famous historical figures that they learnt of through the week (for those unfamiliar with facebook - it is an internet website for personal and social networking). Workshoppers were split into groups of 3 and were given a character to research and create a 'profile' page for. Then all of the characters were put together in a group, aptly named the 'Habo Workshnat Shtetl." Some of the characters include Bar Kochba, Moses Mendelsohn, the Baal Shem Tov, Shalom Aleichem, and even Tevya the Dairyman from Fiddler on the Roof. The activity gave the workshoppers a really strong insight into the fundamental changes and reovlutionary ideas that have been a part of Judaism for the past 2,000 years, and continue to influence Jewish life today.

For a final treat for the week, the chanichim went on a siyur (guided tour) to the Diaspora museum in Tel-Aviv university. The museum traces back the history of rituals, expressions, and geographical influences of world Jewry over the past 3,000 years. It includes the backgrounds on many acts and concepts that are prevalent in the day-to-day lives of the Workshoppers in their communities, in a vibrant and dynamic visual way. Needless to say, it really solidified the educational understandings that the workshoppers had discussed over the previous week.

Arguably the most memorable event of the past few weeks (although i guess on Workshop every event is memorable!) was Yam le Yam, Habonim Dror's annual walk from 'Sea to Sea' during Sukkot. The tiyul started at Achziv beach, slightly north of Nahariya, with the opening tekkes, and the filling of the ceremonial bottle of water from the mediteranean sea (the first of the two seas in 'yam le yam'), before heading off to park Goren to begin the actual hiking. The workshoppers were joined throughout the tiyul by not just the British Shnatties, but also the Shnatties from the Australian, South African, and New Zealand Habo movement. We had over 100 hikers, not even including the tzevet!

The first night was spent in the camping area of park Goren, and the workshoppers revisited one of their most memorable meal options from the Judean desert tiyul two weeks earlier - the poike!

After a solid night sleep under the stars, the workshoppers spent the next challenging day of hiking climbing up Israel's second highest mountain, Mt Meron. Har Meron is one of the most significant and symbolic sites in the Galil area of Israel, so to not just learn about it's history, but also conquer it, was a huge achievement for our up-and-coming hiking professionals!

That night they slept out in the Amud stream camping area, and all of the campers were treated to a big medura (bonfire), full of singing, talking, and something which no bonfire would be complete without - Marshmallows!

Our final day of hiking had the workshoppers hiking down from the Amud Stream down to Ginnosar Beach, which is on the kinneret (the second sea in 'yam le yam'). After a heavy morning of walking, the group finally arrived to the beach, and had lots of fun eating together, and then swimming together in the beautiful and tranquil kinneret sea.

But all good things must come to an end, and at around 4pm on the final day we had our closing tekkes, which included the transfer of mediteranean sea water to the kinneret as a symbol of our huge tiyul achievement. The workshoppers said goodbye to their new made southern hemisphere friends, and got back on the bus. Of course, no Habo event would be complete without some kind of souvenir, so now every workshopper can proudly display their own 2008 'yam le yam' t-shirt, as a sign of their fantastic and unforgettable tiyul experience.

I feel like i have already bored you all, but as you can see, the Workshop 58 journey is showing absolutely no signs of slowing down. This time i guarantee to write again sooner, and you should all be hearing from me next week.

Next weekend all of the workshoppers will be taking part in the 2008 Rabin Seminar, which is going to be attended by all English speaking Shnat groups (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa), as well as the spanish speakers (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico). That's going to be over 170 participants! And the seminar will be rounded out by attending the annual Rabin memorial rally in Kikar Rabin in Tel-Aviv, which is usually attended by anywhere between 70,000 and 100,000 people. It's going to be an awesome experience for the workshoppers in understanding Israel and the society of Israelis.

Until next time,

Leon Schneider

Workshop 58 takes it easy in the heat of the Judean Desert sun!

Workshop boys posing for the Galilee view

The world famous spinning chickens of yam le yam!

Workshop 58 in the final tekkes of hike yam le yam

The Workshop 58 wagon rolls on!

Hi again everyone!

So the last couple of weeks have been a great balance of learning, experience, creativity, and relaxation. The workshoppers started off two weeks ago with their second week of Boneh, and expanded on some of the topics which they started in their first week of classes. The classes took in-depth looks at a range of topics, including the changes in ritual and expression of Judaism after the destruction of the second temple and beginning of the exile. The workshoppers examined the creation of modern elements of Judaism and their beginnings, such as the bet knesset (synagogue), the hagaddah, and prayer books. The workshoppers also spoke about the division of chaggim according to religious and national lines, and focused on the national holidays of Israel, and their Zionist influence on Jewish communities around the world. In wrapping up the first two weeks of the program, the workshoppers discussed the concept of creating traditions in Judaism, and the impact of Jewish traditions in their lives and in the movement.

The workshoppers also had a great discussional session with special guests for the week, the Mazkirut Artzit (National Office). Itamar, Shani, and Yelena opened up a number of great questions for the group, and worked on defining the relationship between the group in Israel, and the office in New York. It gave the workshoppers a great insight into the role of the Mazkirut Artzit, and a great basis for co-operation and communication throughout the year.

In the chuggim for the week, the workshoppers had a smorgasbord of great discussional and creative chuggim to choose from. Some of the group chose to learn about the biblical and post-biblical history of one of the most famous sites right by Ein Dor, Mt Tavor, while some chose to participate in an in-depth analysis of the upcoming American elections. Some of the group chose to make festive magnets, in a magnet-making chug, to decorate the fridges in their rooms, while we also bought a special guest, who is an expert on organic foods, to explain the ability to 'live off the land,' literally giving the chanichim tools for recognising how to forage foods, and edible fruits and berries that grow openly in the wild in Israel.

To round out their first two weeks of Boneh, and to mark the beginning of Rosh Hashana, one of the workshop kvutsot was responsible for planning and running a 'Rosh Hashana' seder. The activities took place on the day before Rosh Hashana started, and began with a morning of introspection which gave the opportunity for all the participants of boneh to look back over the past year, and all of the experiences and changes that have happened. The workshop kvutsa that was responsible for the day also made a special festive Rosh Hashana lunch, which was a great range of salads, soups, and spreads - all vegetarian! With an abundance of tofu, pita, and hummous as well, it was a great healthy alternative for everyone!

After having 4 days of chofesh for Rosh Hashana, the workshoppers returned to Ein Dor for a shabbat b'yachad (Shabbat together). The second workshop group was responsible for orchestrating a number of activities during the shabbat, which included a kabbalat shabbat service, a special 'Oneg Shabbat' (shabbat play), discussional chuggim groups, musicale. and a special havdallah service.

Tomorrow the group is leaving kibbutz at the bright and early time of 6:30, and will spend 3 days roughing it out on tiyul (hike) in the Judean Desert. The tiyul will test the camping spirit of the workshoppers, who will hike, cook, and camp together, and will finish it all with a nice dip in the Dead Sea on Tuesday.

Also - a reminder that tonight (Saturday October 4) at 2am, daylight savings ends, so the clocks in Israel will go back an hour.

That's all for this week. I'll leave you with a few pictures. I would like to wish everyone a shana tova and chatima tova.

Chag Sameach!

Leon.

Workshop 58 makes war! Colour war style!


Workshop 58 - all smiles!

Important Update about Israel

Dear Workshop Families,

I am writing to inform you about an incident that took place in Israel on Monday September 22. At about 10pm in Jerusalem there was a terrorist attack. A man drove his car into a crowd of people at a busy intersection; 15 people were injured and the driver was shot and killed. This is all of the information that has been released at this time. Coverage of this incident can be found at www.haaretz.com or www.jpost.com.

All of the workshoppers as well as the British chanichim were on kibbutz tonight. All of the madrichim (counselors) are safe as well.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact me at 011972525807124.

Sincerely,
Shani

Hello again everyone!

Well we have finally reached the end of the first full week of the boneh component of Workshop. And what a wonderful and positive week it has been.

The week started off with the first classes of Boneh. Both this week and next week the workshoppers will be looking at chaggim (holidays) in Judaism, from a variety of different themes and angles. Some of the topics that they looked at in their classes this week include:

- The Jewish calendar and yearly cycle - covering the progression of months in Judaism, the times of the year where the Jewish holidays fall, and the impact of the lunar cycle on 'Rosh Chodesh' (First day of the month).
- The 'Shalosh Regalim' - examining the original three chaggim in Judaism - Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Discussing the place of the commandments and moral fibres of ancient Jewish society, and the role of the pilgrimage festivals in the shaping of that society.
- The meanings of the Chaggim - looking at the original meanings, themes, and values based around the Jewish festivals that we celebrate today, as well as the everyday expressions and rituals that you could imagine to see in Jewish communities all over the world.

As you can see it has been a busy week. And that's only the classes!

Hebrew has also started this week, and the workshoppers have approached their ulpan classes with much enthusiasm and motivation. By the time the group leaves kibbutz Ein Dor in 3 months, they should be speaking hebrew like naturals!

The group also had a special guest speaker come to address them on the first full day of Boneh. Silvio Joskowitz, the world Mazkir of Habonim Dror, came to talk to the group on Sunday evening, and wish them great successes and experiences for their workshop year to come.

In conjunction with the general educational theme of the week, chaggim, the workshoppers also watched a movie on the big screen (well - on a projector, but it's like the real thing) on Tuesday night. The Israeli movie, 'Ushpizin', examines the Sukkot tradition of inviting guests and strangers into your home and taking responsibility for their hospitality. The film gave the workshoppers a great insight into both the ancient Jewish tradition, and into modern Israeli society.

The workshoppers also engaged in some chuggim (choice-based small educational groups), both educational and art & craft based, on common lines and themes of the week. During the discussion chuggim, the workshoppers were able to choose between topics, including an in-depth discussion about Jewish traditions around the world, and a look at different Jewish legends and folk tales.

During the creative chuggim, the shnatties were able to choose between activities, including finger-painting a mural of the ten plagues, learning traditional songs of the chaggim, creating and writing Rosh Hashana greeting cards, and even a tree-hugging activity to commemorate Tu B'Av.

To cap off the week, the whole of Boneh was invited to a regional kabbalat shabbat on Friday night in the museum at Ein Dor. Members of kibbutzim from all over the Jezre'el Valley came to participate, and everyone was excited to see such a big and energetic group of young people involved. It could become a regular fixture on the Boneh calendar!

So as you can see, it has been a big week for the workshoppers this week, and this is only the beginning! Below are some pictures from the opening ceremony of Boneh last week, and there will be more to come soon. Stay tuned!

Until next time,
Leon

The workshoppers waiting in anticipation for the opening ceremony to start

Anna, Lily, and Elissa getting comfortable

The workshoppers and shnatties struggle to untie the 'human knot'

A machane Na'aleh reunion!

All of Boneh in their new chultzot (movement shirts)!

The Beginning of Workshop

Hi everyone!

So the workshoppers have now been here for almost two weeks, and they are settling in as if they have been here for far longer! It has been a time of excitement and new meetings, serious discussions and the start of meaningful (and lifelong) friendships.
The workshoppers arrived on Thursday evening and from there went directly to the beautiful and tranquil Karei Deshe youth hostel, which is situated right on the shore of the kinneret. They became acquainted with their madrichim very quickly, and co-ordinated their own kabbalat shabbat service on their first full day together. Their first shabbat was very relaxing, and was rounded out with their split into the year-long kvutsot, which was eagerly anticipated and proved to be a very succesful process. All of the participants are very excited at the prospect of their kvutsa mates for the coming year.
On Sunday morning the group went on an activity to Tiberias to get to know Israeli society and the Israeli way of life. They were split into smaller group and had to achieve a number of different missions, involving speaking hebrew, buying israeli products, and even having their pictures taken with everyday Israelis! The morning was rounded out with their first lunch out in an Israeli city, where much falafel and shawarma was had by all.
The orientation seminar was rounded out with plenty of time for each kvutsa to discuss some of the elements of the coming year together, specifically how they want to structure their kuppah and how they want it to function, as well as the all important rooms division for the 3 month periond on boneh, at ein dor.
By the time Tuesday morning came around, the workshoppers had a real sense of ownership and udnerstanding of their roles in creating and shaping their year to come together. So when they arrived to Ein Dor for their 2 day Boneh orientation seminar, it gave them a great chance to integrate and get to know their new neighbours for the next 3 months, the British Habonim Dror Shnatties. These 2 days were spent examining some of the serious elements of their time on kibbutz Ein Dor during Boneh, such as work and the value of labour, hebrew, and interaction with the kibbutz community. The workshoppers also had a chance to spend time on different tzevetim (teams) planning some of the elements of Boneh, such as hitkansut boker (which takes place every morning), Kabbalat shabbat, and their opening ceremony for the end of the seminar, and the beginning of Boneh proper. They were also given ample time to divide their workplaces for the duration of Boneh. The workplaces where they will be working are as follows:

The horses - maintaining and caring for the horses on the kibbutz.
Etz Dor - the kibbutz factory, where they are responsible for creating cable drums and rolls.
Laundry - general washing, folding, and drying the kibbutz laundry.
Kitchen - cutting, preparing and cooking food for the kibbutz cheder ochel.
Ofakim - the local school, workshoppers will be responsible for teaching english to the young children of the community.
Tavor Hospitality - the name of the guest house area of Ein Dor - workshoppers will be responsible for cleaning, gardening, and general maintenance of the area.
Computers - working in the maintenance of computer hardware with a specialist on Ein Dor.
Chinuch - preparing educational materials and working with young children on the kibbutz.
Museum - Working at the archaeological museum on Ein Dor, and being responsible for the maintenance of the museum.
Dorly - Working primarily with a woman on the kibbutz who makes dolls, and being involved in the creation process

As you can see, there is a wide and exciting range of possibilities for all tastes and capabilities, and the workshoppers were able to satisfy all requests in designating their future workplaces.

So when the weekend arrived, it gave the group a great chance to relax and unwind after such an intense and busy start to their workshop year. The Boneh element of workshop officially started on Sunday, and i will post more about the current classes, ulpan, work, and everything else when i next post on the blog.

This workshop kvutsa is an amazing collection of motivated, passionate, and inspring young people, who are immaculate representatives both of their communities, and of Habonim Dror North America. I look forward to seeing their progress through the year, and to being in touch with all family and friends in the US and Canada through the blog. Stay tuned for more summaries and pictures!

Leon Schneider
Workshop Co-ordinator

Information from the conference call

Hello Workshop Families,

Yesterday we had a conference call to give our coordinator in Israel, Leon Schneider a chance to give parents information about the program and some updates about the workshoppers. This was also a chance for parents to ask questions. Since I know some of you were unable to participate I am posting some highlights from the discussion.

The weekly schedule while the workshoppers are on the Boneh (kibbutz) part of the program has several components. They have Ulpan (Hebrew) 8 hours a week along with classes in which they discuss such topics as Jewish identity, Jewish history, and Israeli history among others. They will have a day dedicated to spending time with their own kvutzah and madrichim, doing peulot together and working on their own kvutzah dynamics and relationships. They have work projects once a week. A few times a month the group will go on a siyur (tour) which will be a variety of activities outside of the kibbutz such as museum visits, hikes and volunteer projects. Two new aspects to the program are "project time" and themes. Every 1-2 weeks will have a theme that is planned by the Boneh coordinators. This theme will serve as the focus of the classes, ulpan lessons, and their projects. The chanichim will split up into smaller groups and create a presentation or an activity for the rest of workshop to take part in.

The workshoppers will be sending their time on kibbutz with the shnat chanichim from the UK. On Kibbutz Ein Dor, the workshoppers are in a dormitory building in rooms of 4-5 people per room. Each kvutzah has a classroom where their classes and yom kvutzah will take place. They eat lunch and dinner in the kibbutz cheder ochel (dining room). The dorms have small kitchens and food is bought weekly for the workshoppers so that they can make themselves breakfast. Their laundry is done on the kibbutz and they have access to the kibbutz supermarket, pool and clinic.

Boneh will run from September to mid-December, when they will have an orientation for the second part of the year, kaveret, they will then move into their houses and winter chofesh (vacation) will start on December 23. Besides winter chofesh some dates may change slightly during the year.

Workshop has gotten off to a very successful start and that the workshoppers are having fun and have a really great and positive attitude towards the program. It’s going to be a really fulfilling and fun year.

This is a majority of what was discussed and asked about on yesterday's conference call. Both Leon and I will be updating the blog and I will be in contact with Israel several times a week. If you have any questions feel free to contact me in office.

I look forwarding to being in touch throughout the year.
Shani

Conference Call on Wednesday September 10

Dear Workshop Families,

The word from Israel is that Workshop is going quite well. To hear more about it we are having a conference call on Wednesday September 10th at 1pm ET(12pm CT/10am PT). In order to access the conference call please do as follows: Dial the call-in number, 218-339-2688, and then when prompted dial the passcode for our call which is 194815.

As a reminder the purpose of this conference call is to speak with Shani, the new Programs Director, speak with the coordinators in Israel and get an update of how workshoppers are doing so far. This is also a time for you to ask any questions you may have. Hope to speak with you all Wednesday!

Michael and Shani

Workshop 58 Begins !

the madrichim waiting eagerly for their arrival! from left - Jacki, Liron, Ofer and Sager (standing)

The workshoppers arrived safely last night, and are currently at the beautiful hostel in Karei Deshe, on the banks of the Kinneret. Here are some pictures from their arrival. Shabbat Shalom!

Workshoppers are en route to Tel-Aviv

Today went off without a hitch with all flights either on-time or early. They took off at approximately 11:50pm and are even slated to land a few minutes early. It was a great start to what promises to be a great experience! More to come once they land.

Workshop 58 Departure Day

Dear Workshop Families,

We are so very close to the departure of the Workshoppers to Israel and the start of an amazing experience. Everyone should have all their e-ticket information but if somehow you do not please let us know in the office.We will have all the Workshoppers e-ticket information in the airport.

As a reminder for tomorrow. When arriving to JFK from a connecting flight, please proceed to the baggage claim where someone from the Habonim Dror office will be there in a blue chultzah(movement shirt) to meet all the Workshoppers and take them to the ElAl terminal. Please do not try to find the terminal on your own. If you are coming to

During the travel day on Wednesday I can be reached on the Habonim Dror cellphone which is 917-822-2330. This is also the phone number where I can be reached in case of emergency or urgent situation during the program.

If you cannot reach me it is likely that I'm on the phone and if it is urgent to speak to someone from our office you can contact one of the following numbers:
Jamie Beran: 856-287-0345
Kenan Jaffe: 302-220-1762
Gil Browdy: 301-254-2955
Shani Bob: 516-698-7784
Please only contact these numbers if you cannot reach me on the Habonim Dror cell at 917-822-2330.

You will notice that this post and future updates from Israel can be found on the Workshop blog at: http://workshop58.blogspot.com/. The blog will be updated at least once a week during the program. If you want to receive blog updates via email you can sign up at the following site: http://www.feedmyinbox.com/.

Lastly I mentioned last week that there will be a conference call on Wednesday September 10th at 1pm ET(12pm CT/10am PT). I neglected to put in the passcode for our conference call. In order to access the conference call next Wednesday please do as follows: Dial the call-in number, 218-339-2688, and then when prompted dial the passcode for our call which is 194815.

Workshop 58 here we come!

Talk to you soon,
Michael and Shani

Workshop 58 Acceptance page available online

The Workshop 58 acceptance page is now available online. You can find it at:

http://www.habonimdror.org/programs/workshop_accept.html

There, you will be able to access the acceptance package, the health insurance form, the Israelphones form (the cell phone service we use in Israel), and the Workshop 58 year planner, which has updated calendar information.

If you have trouble accessing the acceptance page or have any questions for us, as always feel free to call our office at 212-255-1796 or email me at programs@habonimdror.org.

Michael

Further update and explanations about the Workshop 58.

First off as noted in the email and soon to be fixed on our website, Workshop 58 will start on September 3rd and run until May 17th. Boneh(the first half of the year) will take place at Kibbutz Ein Dor. Ein Dor is located in the lower Galilee, in the North of Israel, near Mt Tavor and not far from Afula. The area around the Kibbutz is beautiful and despite going through a privatization like most Kibbutzim, still has a real sense of community and should be a very positive place for the Workshoppers to spend their Boneh time period. I will write more soon to shed some light on details such as work placements, seminars, and food during Boneh.

Some of you might have noticed that the cost of Workshop has gone up from last year's cost of $14,500 USD. While we in our offices understand that the cost already is significant, there is good reason for this increase. The foremost reason for this cost increase, is the unfortunate status of the American Dollar. Since the beginning of our previous Workshop, the Dollar's value to the shekel has dropped 20%. We could almost justify increasing the cost even more just on that pure reality. We, do understand Workshop's relative high cost, and have done our best to only raise the price modestly in response to the economic realities we find ourselves facing.

Workshop still maintains its edge in being competitively priced lower than other comparable Israel programs. In many ways when you crunch the numbers, Workshop could be argued to be quite a bargain when compared with the costs of University and what you are getting for the cost of the program. The price of Workshop includes but is not limited to, meals, lodging, utilities and internet access, all travel to and from Israel and your home area, health insurance, a trip to Poland for a week, weekly tiyulim(day trips), additional longer tiyulim, week and weekend long seminars, ulpan, seminars and classes that are at a level ready for college accreditation and in the process of receiving that status, madrichim(counselors) and rakazim(coordinators) working with and available to the Workshoppers on a daily basis, and of course our offices which coordinate the program and are in touch throughout the year. These tangible things are coupled with having a one of a kind experience, getting to see Israel first-hand, being able to have a transformative experience giving back to Israeli society, having 9 months of fun, challenges, and personal growth, making memories and friendships that will last a lifetime and so much more. Placing a price on these last few is quite difficult.

Lastly, Universities are starting to wise up to the fact that it is often healthier for students to take a "gap year" before entering their studies. Princeton, among others, is leading the country in this direction as outlined in this article. In many ways Workshop is an investment in your Workshopper and their future success in school, their Jewish identity and experience, and really life in general. I hope you can take all this into consideration when sitting down to write that check or getting ready to make a credit card payment. The experience of Workshop is a once in a lifetime opportunity that will never be replaced and offers so many unique opportunities you cannot get anywhere else!

A related note to all this is the issue of college credit. We are in the process of trying to obtain college credit for Workshop, and Workshop 58 participants still may be able receive at the very least a few credits, at most a semester, back to their university. We are working to make this a reality but the process does take time. Once we have more information about what this will mean, and the nominal fee involved in gaining credit, we will notify you all.

I hope you all are truly getting excited for this incredible experience. The hard work and dedication of our staff in Israel leads me to believe that we will continue the trend of improving Workshop year after year. Here's to start of a beautiful thing; Workshop 58!

Michael

Welcome to the Workshop 58 Blog!

Welcome! You have located and are reading the Workshop 58 blog that will be maintained and updated prior to and during Workshop 58. The blog will be updated periodically and more frequently as the departure date for Workshop approaches. By then it will be more in the rhythm of being updated at least once a week. Here you will find pertinent information and links to keep up on the goings on of Workshop along with pictures and occasionally updates from the Workshoppers themselves.

In terms of information, hopefully tomorrow our Workshop acceptance page will go live and will contain information such as the acceptance packet, the year calendar, and Israelphones order forms. I also will update soon about conference calls with myself, Vered(my counterpart in Israel) and you the Workshop participants and families.

That's all for now but check back periodically to find out more about our exciting and amazing Workshop 58!

Michael