Two family groups of high school grads from 8 different countries have just begun their journey of discovery, personal development, independence, and adventure in Israel!
Stay tuned to this blog as we follow them around Israel as they forge their paths with Kivun!
Kivun is a Co-ed, experiential, 9-month Israel immersion program for the Northern Hemisphere, focusing on personal development, independent living and Jewish growth. Participants live in apartments in Jerusalem, where together with friends they learn about themselves, Judaism and Zionism through an incredible array of experiences such as Kibbutz, Volunteering, Seminars, Professional Internship, Magen David Adom, and IDF experience.
Shalom!
What a wonderful and busy month we've had!
The whole group celebrated Purim together, and we had an uplifting and joyful Seudah. The participants fully participated in the organization of the chag and we had so much fun spending it with them.
Right after Purim, some of the participants joined the Poland Seminar, where they had different lectures and preparations before they flew for the one week-long trip to Poland.
The rest of the group stayed for another week of volunteering in Jerusalem and then went to Yeruham for a week, where they did different activities such as volunteering in schools in the region, volunteering with the elderly, meeting people from the local community, studying Chavrutot with the local seminary and yeshiva, and went on a two-day hiking trip in the area. The group was very impressed with their week in Yerucham, they felt that they discovered a new place in Israel, learned about the communities in the South and some of the work they do for the local communities, and had a great time bonding with the group.
The next week we began the Israeli Society Seminar. Every day of the week the group learned about the Israeli Society and its complexities. They met different groups in the Israeli Society, such as the Ultra-Orthodox, secular and national religious, learned about the customs and dances of the Ethiopian and Yemenite cultures and met with Arabs and Bedouins to understand their realities. During the week they participated in a Masa ceremony for their Diaspora commemorations week, in which they had the chance to go on stage with famous Israeli singers and appear on live television.
In the past week, we have gone through a whole week of preparations for Passover and its climax, the Seder night. The group had various lectures about Pesach, baked matzos, volunteered in cleaning the homes of Holocaust survivors, and of course, helped clean their own apartments! The participants designed their own Haggadot, in which they had the chance to write their own Divrei Torah or design different artworks. The participants are working hard and spending a lot of time thinking about how to make a meaningful Seder night for the whole group, where everyone feels at home. Each one of them will be able to bring their own traditions and melodies from home to the table and share them with others. We are sure it will be a very special and unforgettable experience!