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