Our last blog post is here, wowzers! Well today we had quite a long venture to many different places throughout Israel. We visited different JDC service sites where other projects are going on including a Holocaust remembrance center where we heard a real survivor speak (amazing, emotional, and meaningful of course), a Bedouin women work center (where women were being empowered through making and selling their crafts), an Arab-Israeli community center (breaking barriers), and lastly to an Indian Jewish women’s house where her husband and her have started a ceramic creation shop with the help of JDC. The ceramic shop owners had to transition from agricultural living to ceramic making, and needed much help from organizations such as JDC.

We all were glad to see some other parts of Israel today aside from the Kibbutz and Garinim, not to say that they were not awesome of course! Everyone is packing their bags and getting ready for our final day in Yisrael. Tommorow we go back to Gedera for a final work day and conclusion and appreciation ceremony with memebers of both the Gedera and Rishon Lezion Garins. It promises to be an emotional and meaningful day for all. We then depart for the airport for those traveling home, for a scheduled 1 am flight Israel time and we will be back in NYC at 6 am USA time. Other students staying in Israel will be dropped off in Jerusalem or at the airport.

For all those who tuned into the blog, thanks we enjoyed sharing our time here with you. We will have a video montage of the trip coming this spring as well as some updates of community service work that the trip members will be doing in the weeks to come. Goodbye for now, and parents … see you soon!!! :)

-Ethan Sobel

Hello everyone! Below are some pictures of us  working with the Garinim in Gedera and Rishon L’Tzion. More updates to come.

Hello JDC affiliates! We are back on the blog on Friday afternoon just prior to Shabbat. Yesterday and today we were at a different Garin in Rishon Lezion where we did a  new project. We amazingly finished 4 four floor hallways, which we covered in white paint on the walls and bright yellow on the banisters  … What a hard project to finish, but with some organization and teamwork we did it! Also over the past two days we got to interact with the Rishon community and especially with all the wonderful children. This was probably more rewarding than anything, as we heard from members of the community as to how thankful they were for us giving our time and effort to help better their lives. The children were a blast to play and interact with, as they were full of energy and smiles … Overall a pretty rewarding experience.

Last night we had a night out at a special place that serves as a resource for handicapped people in Israel during the day and turns into a bar and hookah tent during the night. It was nice to mingle with each other without paint all over us as well as with the Brandeis students. Although we got back late, we were up early and roaring at the opportunity to finish our project in Rishon Lezion.

Now we have a short two hour break and we are preparing for the Shabbat activities tonight and tommorow with Brandeis students. It’s been a really great and hard week, but most of all we have learned that empowering people through devoting our own time, is one of the most rewarding things anyone can do. We are excited for the concluding days here in Eretz Yisrael. For now, Shabbat Shalom everyone!

-Ethan Sobel

Good morning, afternoon, and evening to all blog followers! Today marked the third day of our trip. The day was very similar to yesterday as we headed over to Gedera right after breakfast to pursue several hours of work that required some overalls. We focused a lot today on painting the interior of the youth community center while also painting the small gazebo that stands outside of the youth center. We blasted some tunes today, which had everyone dancing and hopping around as we committed to our work. After a very nice meal, our group decided to take a short trip to the Gedera Market and satisfy our sweet tooth! I went with the Nok Out ice cream bar and enjoyed every bit of it. We returned from our little excursion to the community center to be welcomed by many children of the Gar’in. Our group split up and enjoyed many activities with them. This was a great chance to brush up on any Hebrew previously known or even a great chance for people to pick a few words here or there. Our dinner experience tonight was quite special. We split up into two groups and had dinner at two different homes in Gedera. Both families were very involved with the Gar’in community and this was our chance to be able to learn more about the Gar’in (don’t worry parents…after our return and we rest up from our horrific jet lag, we would love to share more details about the Gar’in)! Tonight has been very relaxing and it has been very nice to be able to relax after a hard day’s work. We can’t wait for more new experiences in the coming days, and maybe even some more rain (yes it’s been raining)! Until next time… -Brett Hausler

Hello all JDC affiliates! We are safe and sound in our Kibbutz near Gedera. Believe it or not we are on day two officially in Israel! …. We apologize for no blog post yesterday, but had difficulties connecting to the internet. Today was a great first day at work with the Gedera community. We started the day with renovations, painting, clean-up, and improvements to the local youth community center where many of the young adults spend their free time doing activities and learning. We then met with some American college graduates who are in the Gedera community for 5 months, as they help tutor and sustain the Ethiopian community. We learnt much in our first day and did a lot of work. It was concluded with a special coffee ceremony, which was special in its own respects relating to the traditions of the Ethiopian people. Everyone is tired and trying to get over the jet lag, but we are excited for the days to come! Already we have met the children and young adults of the Gedera community and are excited for the impact we will have. We hope to have an internet connection tommorow so we can blog post again. Until then, hope all is well for everyone elsewhere!

-Ethan Sobel

Hi Everyone!

Saul wanted me to remind everyone that there are Shabbat services tonight (12/10) at 6:00PM and a dinner following at 7:15PM.  There will be a shout-out to anyone going on an Israel trip over winter break so feel free to come!

Thanks,

Becca Lach

p.s. I’m super excited for the JDC trip! :-)

My name is Brett Hausler and I am a freshman Environmental Design student at UMass and am currently looking into double majoring with Social Thought and Political Economy. I come from the great state of Vermont and am the oldest in my family. A little bit of history: I am a USA Ice Hockey certified referee, a dishwasher and busser at a local restaurant at home, and also an event photographer. I was very involved in the music program in high school from playing in the concert band to acting in the musical. I was the announcer for daily announcements over the intercom my senior year and was the stage manager for my high school’s annual variety show. I like to volunteer a lot for the local community and while they change my life, I look to change theirs. I was a camp counselor and song leader this past summer at a Reform Judaism summer camp in the Berkshires. In addition, I traveled with four of my friends and my teacher this past summer to Mountain View, California to the Googleplex–Google’s corporate headquarters. We taught teachers from around the country how to use Google SketchUp and Google Earth and also presented an independent study that I still continue to support today (www.creatinghartfordvt.com). This is just the tip of the iceberg! I have been to Israel only once before, which was a five-week trip with NFTY. I look forward to having a brand new experience this January while I work closely with the Gedera community.

Hey Guys!

My name is Neely and I am currently a Junior here at UMass. I’m from Baltimore, Maryland and I’m a hardcore Ravens fan! I’m studying Psychology and Communications. I am the event coordinator for the Student Alliance for Israel and love planning events and getting students involved in all aspects of the country.

This will be my 7th trip to Israel, but my first trip that is exclusively volunteering. I can’t wait to get to know everyone going, and form a bond with other UMass students who love Israel too!

Hello there!

My name’s Rachael. I am a junior studying political science. I live on Cape Cod. I am currently on a domestic exchange at Montana State University. I consider myself to be outdoorsy so Montana is a great place for me to spend my time hiking, backpacking and camping. I also like running and doing the occasional roadrace. I love skiing so I’m very excited for the ski season to start out here, we’re less than an hour from Big Sky! I am an avid horseback rider. At UMass I Have ridden on the Dressage Team for the past couple years. At home during the summer, I sail a great deal for both fun and in some regattas.

I visited Israel this summer on the Birthright trip and am looking forward to going back. This is my first time doing a volunteer service trip so I am rather excited. I look forward to finally meeting you all in person in January!

Hey Everyone!

My name is Becca Lach and I am a freshman at UMass Amherst.  I’m from Framingham, MA and am majoring in biology.  This fall I became a coxswain for the Men’s Crew Team, which has been a unique experience, despite having to wake up for practices that end before the sunrise.  I love to swim, ski, and play tennis in my free time.

I first traveled to Israel in the summer of 2009 with a BBYO teen group—it was awesome.  My favorite part was visiting my friend from Haifa who I had hosted when she came to Boston in tenth grade.  I am eagerly anticipating going back to Israel to see a completely different aspect of the country, not to mention to get some more pop-rocks chocolate.  Most of all, I am excited to meet new people, both fellow Americans and Israelis!