Helping in the Arava

Today we worked in the Arava which is in the western part of the Negev.  We visited an archeological site that a family was taking care of and we helped clean it up.  Some people helped paint an old house and parts of the banister on the side of the stairs.  Some people helped clean up garbage around the site, and we buried irrigation hoses.  There were four rows of trees and each had a drip irrigation line.  We had to bury the lines because porcupines would eat the lines and they also don’t do well in the desert weather.  We took hoes and dug trenches a few inches deep all the way down the lines and then we buried them as best as we could making sure to leave the drippers sticking out so it could water the plants. 

For our afternoon activity, we went to a research and development center where we learned about settling in the desert.  The most fun part of this trip was when the director took us to some of the greenhouses and we got to taste fresh Israeli strawberries, tomatoes, and peppers.  They were so sweet and I think that everybody thoroughly enjoyed.  We also got to see the fish farm that they had, where they were primarily growing clown fish.  I love learning about agriculture in the desert because I think it is amazing how much they can do.  

Sara Jacobovitch, Alternative Break Participant, Binghamton University

Earth's Promise

We had a long day yesterday on the airplane and then traveling to Yerucham which is the place where we’re staying.  We ate dinner, had our first group icebreaker, got to our rooms, and then went to sleep.  Most people didn’t get much sleep but we all made it to breakfast at 7:30.  After breakfast, we got onto the bus and made our way to Be’er Sheva to Earth’s Promise, an Ethiopian absorption center.  Once we got there, we had quite a few projects lined up for us to help out with in their garden.  Some people helped dig out a pond, some people helped build benches and set up a place for them, and I helped make the outer layer of a hut. 

First we dumped three huge bags of clay into a bunch of buckets.  We added water and then began mixing it with our hands.  Once we mixed it as much as we could, we dumped out the muddy clay onto a sheet of plastic on the floor, took off our socks and shoes, and then began mixing it with our feet.  Sand and straw were added in to the mixture and our feet continued to mix until it was as smooth as we could possibly get it.  Once we had our mixture, we took large handfuls over to a mud hut and began spreading on this clay which would be the outer layer.  It was hard work because it was hard to spread it thinly without it sticking to our fingers.  We did as much as we could in the time that we had and in the middle, we had great Israeli falafel for lunch.

Sara Jacobovitch, Alternative Break Participant, Binghamton University

Yossi's Farm - Alternative Break

Today we got to wake up a half hour late and I think since we had an early night before, everyone was refreshed and ready for the day. Today we went to Yossi’s farm. Yossi is an Israeli who owns a farm in the desert. He has a few ducks, a couple of horses, and a few dogs. The main part of his farm is the olives and grapes that he grows. Our job today was pulling out weeds from the vineyard. These were some of the biggest weeds I’ve ever seen and every single row in the vineyard was full of them. We used clippers to cut them out, being careful not to cut the baby grape vines. It was a great group building project because we were all working together. We had an amazing lunch and then Yossi told us his story and the story of his farm.

This afternoon, we went on the hike in the desert. I love hiking so I had a lot of fun. It was really nice to just walk with my new friends and have a good time together. We ended up at the grave of David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel. He was the one who had the vision of building up the desert so that is where he wanted to be buried. When we got back, Ariel Kotler spoke to us about the importance of remembering Israel wherever we are. Israel is our homeland and it will always be there for us so we have to be there to help the land as much as possible. 

Sara Jacobovitch, Alternative Break Participant, Binghamton University

The Best Way to Start the New Year

As I sit on a cold tile floor in the lobby of Yerucham B’Yachad, a multitude of thoughts are racing through my head regarding how much I have learned in such a short period of time and the unbelievable emotions I have experienced in just three and a half days. Before I boarded the plane, I had a realization about how I knew I was about to go on a trip that I would remember for the rest of my life that would most likely change my life. But of course, before anything actually happened, I could never predict the immense sense of understanding and belonging I have been experiencing on Alternative Winter Break with the JNF.

In an effort not to spill all of my thoughts out on a piece of paper like a leaking bag of Shoko, I am going to highlight some of my main realizations I have had thus far. Something I have been thinking a lot about since we have been meeting people who have made aliya is what the difference is between making aliya and immigrating. The Right of Return that the Jewish people inherently have makes the move to Israel different than to any other place in the world. Making aliya is making a promise to the people, to the religion, to the culture, to the land. Today at our archaeological dig, I spoke to a woman who made aliya a few years ago and started by walking from the north of the state to the south in seven months with just five dollars. She gave me advice: “Hashem writes your story, but you are in charge of the choices.” Her words really resonated with me, being that college students like myself can often feel like they are at a repetitive or stagnant point in their lives, but we can choose how to make ourselves happy and how to make our lives fulfilling.

Also regarding aliya, I have been thinking about how passionate the people we have met who have moved to Israel are, but there is more to it. Israel is not a place full of magical fantasies and a place to start a perfect life. There are obstacles every day, and some are similar and different to those in America. In Beer Sheva, I really started internalizing JNF’s mission to build up the land as I saw a clear division between the Olde City and the new part being built up. The work the JNF has done in clearing out a land that used to be full of sewage and old cars and the work it plans to continue doing in order to improve the land is impeccable. However, the fact that Israelis do not revere this place makes the mission a lot harder. If I lived here, I could see how it would be easy to ignore the issues in Beersheva, but being an outsider looking in, I admire the work that the JNF does and the picture tour that tries to advertise the beauty and youthful essence that Beer Sheva has to offer.

I could go on for pages, but one last realization I have had is about the power of the Jewish people. A girl in my group unfortunately lost a close friend the day we arrived, and yesterday we said the Kaddish for her. Another person in my group said, “it is beautiful how we can support someone through religion.” Wow, supporting each other through religion. That is something beautiful. Yeah, we all connect differently to our Judaism: some spiritually, some culturally, some through their passion for Israel, and some through Jewish camp. The fact that we are all Jewish is enough, though. More than enough. We have created such a supportive and caring community that is easily created in a Jewish setting. This Jewish experience is unlike any other, and we would not have it any other way than to spend it with the 34 of us in places we have never been, accomplishing things we never thought we could. We can, we are, and we will.”

Tara Levine, Sophomore, Alternative Break Participant, Temple University

Caravan for Democracy, Day 1

Adrian Paneto, Junior, University of Florida

On the first day of the leadership mission, we learned, understood, emphasized and shared an experience that ranged from visiting significant religious sites and monuments to highly discussed geographical areas that contain the memories of past and current political struggles. Having had such a rich experience, I have not only come to see beyond my immediate frame, but also to accept and attempt to understand the complexity that is Israel. Israel could be compared to an onion, one that has to be peeled layer by layer to be understood. In the end, the day was marked by moments that will not be soon forgotten. 

Alternative Break - Arrival

By Elaine Lampert on January 2, 2013

I signed up for JNF Alternative Winter Break because I was looking for something fun and meaningful to do this winter break.  This trip is turning out to be just that.

We arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport Sunday evening.  Most of us slept for some of the flight.  I enjoyed getting to know the people sitting near me before and after I slept.  We went through customs, claimed luggage, and were greeted by Michal, our Israeli guide, and Gabe, who works for Shorashim and is supervising our trip.  We then went to the buses, got our cell phones and exchanged for shekel, loaded up, and headed toward Yerucham, where we would be staying for the first four nights.

Yerucham has a nice, clean hostel where we stay in rooms of three to four with a bathroom in each bedroom.  We eat breakfast and dinner there too.  I have three nice roommates all from different parts of the country.

Each day we have breakfast, leave for a work project and an activity, come back, shower, have dinner, do another activity here/ice breaker, and then go to sleep (and believe me, we are SO tired at the end of the day). Yesterday we went to Yossi's farm, an organic farm in the Negev, where we helped an amazing man pull weeds out his winery.   The farm was beautiful, and Yossi told us all about his dream of having this farm in the Negev, along with the struggles he and his family face to keep the farm going.  He also spoke to us about how we works peacefully with the Bedouin community nearby.  He served us an amazing lunch with fresh vegetables, pita, deli meat, tea with fresh mint, and many other treats.  What amazes me is that the work our group did in five hours takes him and his volunteers at least a month to complete.  After we left the farm, we went to Ramon Crator, which Michal says is actually a "Maktesh".  After that we visited David Ben-Gurion's grave.  We came back for dinner and an activity.  Since it was New Year's Eve, the staff had a party for us, complete with a great Israeli DJ, dancing, and karaoke!  I had a great time, and enjoyed celebrating the New Year in this beautiful country.

I really want to highlight today, which was very meaningful to me.  We worked at Earth's Promise, which is a social service organization that helps the Ethiopian Immigrants feel at home.  We met Adam, who is in charge of the gardens. Adam made Aliyah two years ago to work at Earth's Promise. We learned about how Earth's Promise helps Ethiopian Immigrants by giving them a place to live and lots of classes to help them thrive in Israel.  They also give each family a garden plot, to help them feel at home as most of them had farms as their professions. Today, I worked on completing the creation of a Djo, which is the traditional hut that Ethiopians live in, made of a bamboo frame and mud walls made of a mixture of clay, sand, and hay.  First, many of us got "down and dirty", mixing the mud with our feet (see Facebook or Earth's Promise's website for pictures).  Then, we put the mud on the bamboo frame with our hands to make the walls.  As I was spreading the sticky, cool mud on the walls, I reflected on the meaning of why we were making a Djo here in Israel.  The immigrants asked for the Djo to be built to help them feel at home in this strange land.  I thought about my life, and how I have lived in other places that are very different from home, where people speak differently from me.  I thought about how I always feel better if I have things that remind me of home, such as pictures, books, food, or something related to Judaism with me.  I felt so connected to the immigrants as I helped create the Djo, and feel so fulfilled that I helped make them feel at home.

I am so lucky to have so many wonderful donors who made this trip possible for me.  I am also lucky enough to have Anne Greenspoon, Associate Director of Israel Advocacy and Education and Josh Weisblum, an ASB alum as my trip leaders.  Anne is always pointing out all of the amazing work JNF is doing in Israel and I am so excited to tell my donors all about this work when I return.  I truly appreciate how I experience the tzedakah in action, and look forward to seeing more of the projects that JNF has in Israel this week.

Young adults travel to Israel

In an enormous effort to engage young people with Israel, Jewish National Fund has sent over 120 young adults between the ages of 18-30 to Israel in just the past week on two extraordinary and very different types of travel programs.  

Just over 100 participants are volunteering in the southern half of the country through the JNF’s Alternative Break (AB) program. These participants are from young Jewish communities across the country. Many of them have participated in a JNF Taglit-Birthright trip, others have been on teen tours or family trips but all have decided to return to Israel to give back. The Alternative Winter Break Program is focused on projects in the south, including weeding and planting at agricultural farms in the Negev and painting and cleaning up at an Ethiopian Absorption Center.

In addition to the AB program, Jewish National Fund has also sent 25 non-Jewish students to Israel on the Caravan for Democracy Mission. The CFD participants went through a rigorous selection and interview process before being selected for the mission. The 25 selected participants are the best and brightest from across the country. They are all leaders on their campuses and will use this program in Israel to learn about the country and bring information back to their home and campus communities.

You can follow the activities of participants who are blogging daily from both programs here, at jewishnationalfund.blogspot.com, and twitter hashtags #JNFcaravan #JNFawb