So we are on the bus to our first day at our work site in Gedera. Yesterday the whole group joined together at Ben Gurion airport to celebrate our arrival to Israel. Although our plane arrived over an hour late everyone was waiting for us with beautiful signs and friendly smiles. We joined the rest of the UMass and Brandeis student group on a bus to the Kibbutz.

As we drove we were lucky enough to be able to drive past both Gedera, where we are working (UMass), and Kiryat Gat, where Brandeis is working. We are staying at Kibbutz Galon, a beautiful Kibbutz in Southern Israel. We were greeted warmly by members of the Kibbutz. Then we ate lunch which included the ever-present Israeli schnitzel and hummus! After eating we were showed to our rooms. All of the UMASS students are staying in guest houses referred to as Zayit, which means olive in Hebrew. We then had some time to rest and freshen up after our travels.

At 5pm we met together with the Brandeis students for ice breakers. We now all have animals to associate with our names such as Sam snail and Faryn flamingo. After that we met with members of the Gedera and Kiryat Gat communities to understand more about where we would be working. That evening we socialized at the Kibbutz pub which neighbored a cow farm. Everyone was happy to have the chance to mingle with each other in an unstructured environment. Then we said – Laila Tov!!

Jan. 5^th, JDC day 2

Today we got up at the very uncollege like hour of 7 am, about 5 hours before I was done sleeping. We had breakfast in the Hadar ochel ( dining room)  (overcooked eggs, Israeli salad, cereal, and something that looked like yogurt but turned out to be cheese) and were off to the bus at 8:45. We rode to the village of Kiryat Gat, an incredibly diverse city of Yemenites, Iranians, Russians, Ethiopians, and who knows what else. The town is more diverse than the students chosen to pose in a Brandeis admissions pamphlet.

  The first thing we did was meet the Mayor of Kiryat Gat in a building in town. The room we met in had no carpets, an old chalkboard, and those big doors with tiny windows – We were not in a city hall, but in a community center which also houses various local programs. The mayor was very nice and gave us a brief introduction to Kiryat Gat (for details, go to google) and offered to put our picture on billboards all over the city. With him was Ethiopian Rabbi Moshe, who has remained with us since then – he is awesome. He is part of a Garin Kehilati – a group of other likeminded people who moved back to Kiryat Gat in order to give back to the community in which they grew up. We are volunteering with this Garin the entire time we are in Israel.

  After the introduction, we went to a dilapidated apartment building nearby, where the Garin is working to help make the building look nicer for local residents. Working with us was a crew of three Israelis who gave us painting supplies and set us free. They yelled at each other the whole time, but ultimately let us work together with them and some other volunteers and residents who had started to help out, You really had to be there. I really missed Israeli culture. No one died.

  We spent the next couple of hours painting onto the walls. We’re not exactly professionals, but the locals seem very appreciative.

    Next we went to lunch at a bomb shelter in the local community center. Fresh shwarma, chipsim (fries) and more Israeli salad. Delicious. There, we spent 2 hours discussing the meaningful time that we had had and what it means to be Israeli and the demographics of Israel.

   Then we went to our second set of community service projects. We were divided into four groups. I was to work at the Merkaz Klita, the absorption center for new immigrants. There were seven of us, but we split up to work with different age groups of kids – after a brief introduction from one of the directors there.

   Gideon and I worked with what were supposedly older children, in around 5^th to 7^th grade. As we understood it, we were to work with the teacher and assist her. For today, we talked a little about ourselves, America, and then played sports outside. We made it through today. If we can make it through the week, I will have survived Teach For America boot camp. I am looking forward to the challenge.  The kids and teacher are Ethiopian.

   After that we went to a coffee Buna– an Ethiopian coffee ritual. Ethiopians have a ritual of getting together and drinking coffee three times a day out of fin-jahns (very small mugs, maybe 3-4 ounces). Many of them were our age, and we held icebreakers over bureikas,  rugelach, and more. They were enthusiastic to meet us.

   Then we came back to the kibbutz for dinner – chicken, salad, potatoes. Except for breakfast, every one of our meals has been fleischik (meat). I love it since keeping kosher is hard at home, read the vegetarians’ blog for a different perspective.

   After dinner, we held a group meeting where the first Ethiopian Rabbi we met, and another Ethiopian Rabbi, each told us the story of how they immigrated from Ethiopia to Israel. Each story was mindboggling. It was the most interesting, worthwhile session of the trip so far, I can’t possibly write out everything that we learned from them here, but suffice it so say that Moshe literally walked about 1,000 kilometers from there to here in a time period between 3 weeks and 2.5 months. The most interesting I learned was that the Ethiopian Oral Torah is still oral, based on the written Torah, as opposed to our Talmud, which is comprised of post-Torah writings. According to Moshe, he believes that the Ethiopian Oral Torah is truer to its purpose, as it has stayed fluid and relevant, whereas the Rabbis we associate with post-Temple Judaism wrote their version of the Torah, finished it 600 years after they started, leading to some older customs still around today. He did note that both versions are important. I really wish I could say more about this, but that would take hours.

   We finished at about 11 pm, a mere 15 hours after we had started. Today has been exhausting, due to sleep deprivation and mental and physical labor, but well worth it. I have learned a lot, and am looking forward to tomorrow.

We’re a group of 20 students; 12 girls, 8 guys; 6 seniors, 4 juniors, 10 sophomores. We come from all across the country, from Seattle and Portland and LA to West Palm Beach and Raleigh; up the coast to Philadelphia, New York/New Jersey, Providence, and the “Greater Boston metropolitan area” in New Hampshire; from Minneapolis, Chicago, and Cleveland down to Kansas City and Dallas.

For the next two weeks, and possibly longer after our return, this space will feature the thoughts and observations of some of the folks below.  We hope there will be photographic and audio/video representations of our volunteering and of the group, as well.  To start with, a short clip of David Ben-Gurion reading from the Declaration of Independence, which includes a guarantee of “equality of social and political rights to all [Israel's] inhabitants”:

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Here’s a chance to meet our group (with more bios still to come).

Emily Diamond

Hi, my name is Emily Diamond and I’m originally from Kansas. I’m a sophomore at Brandeis studying economics and business. I spent the year in Israel after high school and I have not been back since. This will be my first trip doing anything like this and I’m very excited. I can’t wait to meet all of you and to be in Israel.

Alana Heumann

Hey, my name is Alana Heumann and I’m currently a senior at Brandeis majoring in Economics. Originally, I am from Marlboro, NJ and hope that next year I will be attending law school in New York City. My last (and only) time in Israel was two years ago on a Brandeis Hillel Birthright trip, so I am very excited to get a completely different Israel experience this time around. See you there!

Gideon Klionsky

Hello, I’m a junior from Chicago. I spent nearly a year in Israel before college, six months of which were volunteering with Magen David Adom and in two schools.  Since then, I’ve made my connection through music; I revived the Israeli music show on Brandeis’ WBRS-FM and continue to host Achla Muzika weekly. I’m excited to return to Israel for the first time since 2007 and to volunteer in Chicago’s Partnership 2000 city, Kiryat Gat! I’ll be working on some audio production to document our experience.

Shani Rosenbaum

Hello! I’m Shani Rosenbaum, a current sophomore at Brandeis. Among the things I love are people, food, Torah, trees, and creating social justice in Israel. I am therefore thrilled to meet you all, and can’t wait to spend a wonderful ten days eating, learning, planting/existing around growing things, and working towards justice and goodness in the Holy Land together!

Paul Balik

Hi all.  I am currently getting ready to leave for the airport to embark on this exciting trip!  This will be my second time in Israel, after having gone on Birthright Israel two summers ago.  I look forward to building a closer connection to the state this time around while we perform some meaningful service activities and get to know some of the people of Kiryat Gat.  I am currently a senior majoring in Politics and I come from the great city of Chicago, Illinois.

Alicia Bach

Hey Ya’ll. I am a senior from Dallas, Texas and am majoring in biology. I hope to go to medical school in the near future, but am taking some time off for at least the next year and am currently undergoing the dreaded job search. I studied at the University of Haifa in the fall of 2008 and had the best experience of my life. I am excited to go back to Israel to give back to the country that has given so much to me.

Amira Mintz-Morgenthau

Hi! I am a Sophomore from Manhattan, NY. I am extremely excited about volunteering in Kiriat Gat! I spent a gap year in Israel at Hebrew U and I volunteered in Yerucham. I am eager to meet and work with all of the U Mass students. I have not been to Israel since 2008 and it is really great to be here again and I am looking forward to being in a city that I have never been to. See you guys soon!

Josh Pernick

Hi everyone! I’m a senior from New York and I’m really excited to be going on this trip with all of you. I’ve been to Israel a few times but have only been on tours around the country, and am excited to have my first service experience in Israel. See you all soon!!

Here’s a little bit about (most of) the members of our group!

ELIZA BITTNER
I’m a sophomore at UMass Amherst where I’m majoring in English and Judaic Studies. I like reading, writing, arts and crafts, going thrift store shopping and going to the beach. I’m from Newton, Massachusetts. My favorite ice cream flavor is black raspberry, and I love the show ‘Scrubs.’

ELIANA BRONSTEIN
I was not born in Denmark- nor was I born in Fiji. I was born in a city that starts with tea and ends in neck (It’s not surprising that my favorite beverage happens to be peppermint tea). I spend my time in school studying children’s literature and swimming in the pool- but not at the same time you see!

STEPHANIE BURGER
I grew up in Massachusetts and have lived there my entire life  My dad was born in Jerusalem and moved here when he was 13. I have been to Israel three times previously, and I seem to love it more each time I go. I am 20 years old, in my sophomore year as an English major at Umass Amherst. Cant wait to meet everyone!

SHARI FARBERMAN
I am so excited to be going to Israel! In the past I have gone on two Alternative Spring Breaks to New Orleans, and this will be my second JDC trip to Israel. I’m a senior and for my major, I have built my own concentration on “Media and Society” and am also an Education minor. In my spare time, I love performing in plays, pretending to be a fashion designer, and wishing I was on Glee.

YONI GLASER
I was born in Haifa, Israel. I moved to the Boston, United States in 2001, when I was thirteen. I have two older sisters and a younger brother. At UMass I study Finance and history. For fun, I like to play soccer, video games and hang out with friends. My favorite ice cream flavor is mint chocolate chip. The last time I was in Israel was last summer for my sister’s wedding.

JARED GOLDFARB
I am a junior at UMass double majoring in accounting and political science. I am from Needham Massachusetts where I like to spend a majority of my time hanging out with friends, watching sports, and playing sports and poker. I am going to be working in Boston this summer which I am extremely pumped for and I just finished watching the Dexter season finale which was insane. Other than that I look forward to returning to Israel and extending my trip in Tel Aviv for a few days.

TALIA GROSSMAN
I was born and grew up in New Jersey. Currently, I am enjoying my first year at UMass Amherst, hanging out with my new friends and taking interesting classes. I have been to Israel four times, the last being the year I spent there on Young Judaea’s Year Course program. I love falafel!

STEFANIE HAFT
I am a senior at UMASS where I study communication disorders and education.  My hometown is Fair Lawn, New Jersey.  I like photography, listening to music and watching sports, especially the Yankees.  I studied abroad at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem last spring, and it was an amazing time.  My favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate chip cookie dough!

ANAT HOCHBERG
I was born in Massachusetts and grew up in Tyngsborough and Acton. I am currently a junior at UMass majoring in Music Education and Piano Performance. I also enjoy singing, reading, dreaming about having a nice garden, and drinking tea. My favorite food is macaroni and cheese. The last time I was in Israel was this time about two years ago for my cousin’s wedding, and I can’t wait to be there again!

NEELY JONES
I am a Junior at UMass. I am studying Communication and Psychology, and hope to eventually use those to work with young children. My hometown is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In my free time I like to listen to music, spend time with friends, and exercise. I love to travel, and I am obsessed with my dog, Jack.

DANIELLE LUBIN
Hi! My name is Danielle Lubin. I just finished my first semester at UMass after transferring from Hampshire College. I am so happy at UMass, as a Sociology/Judaic Studies major, and as a resident of the Hillel house. I was very active in Young Judaea during high school, and participated in Young Judaea Year Course in Israel after I graduated in 2007. While I was on Year Course I had the opportunity to go to Ethiopia to travel and learn about the Beta Israel community. I love Israel so much and can’t wait to be going back to volunteer with an Ethiopian community in Israel!

ARI OKUN
I was born and raised in Longmeadow, MA. I have a younger sister and a black lab named Blackjack. I am a freshman at UMass where I study business (still undecided though…) In my free time I play soccer, try to play musical instruments, and go on outdoor adventures. I lived in Israel for 9 months after high school on Young Judea Year Course.

ALYSSA OLANS
I am a sophomore Marketing and Communications double major from Stoughton, MA. I am not a huge fan of snow; my favorite time of year is the summer.  I have a younger sister and really cute puppy.  I like anything with peanut butter and my favorite show is Friends, even though its old-school.  I have only been to Israel one other time before with USY, and I’m really excited to be going back!

SAMANATHA SEMLITZ
I was born and raised in New York, NY. I love the city but wanted to go to a campus school for college and ended up at UMass. At UMass I study Psychology, Education and Developmental  Disabilities. For fun, I like to play sports, listen/play music and hang out with friends. The last time I was in Israel was for Birthright last January.

KAREN SOKOLOW
My name is Karen Sokolow. I’m a 2nd year student at UMass Amherst majoring in Marketing. I spent time in Israel after high school on an amazing program called Young Judaea Year Course where I studied and volunteered for 9 months. My mother’s side is from Haifa so I actually visit family there often and am always happy to be back in Israel. For fun I like to hang out with friends, go to the beach, listen to music, and watch movies. Avocados are my favorite food to eat.