Author Archive: Mazkir Klali

Atone for What?

by David Meyer

Why will I fast on Yom Kippur this year? To fast or not to fast is an annual game time decision. When I choose to fast or attend services, it is on the grounds that those are, simply put, the activities Jews should be doing on Yom Kippur. Some years I even break the fast early on the grounds that I’ve sufficiently satisfied my desire to engage with Jewish traditions and customs —the lived experience of being Jewish. Other years, I am inspired by my friends and family to persist until the end of Ne’ilah. I’ve always made fasting a decision into which I put serious thought and consideration, but my thoughts have always been about peoplehood rather than spirituality. I would not be surprised if other Habonim Dror members and alumni have felt similarly.

Continue reading→

A New Year — Shofar, So Good

by Zoey Green

The sounding of the shofar is a powerful symbol that has taken on new meanings each year I’ve heard it. When I was young, it was a challenge: when will your lungs grow strong enough to turn the nebulous gas you breathe into crisp, concentrated noise? When I was bat-mitzvah aged, it was a test: do you know the name and pattern of each blast and what each meant to the generations before you? Then somewhere along the way, I questioned tradition, wondering whether I liked my New Year to be celebrated with silence or with sound and why was everyone so willing to put their mouth on the same old ram’s horn anyway? As I surrounded myself with the quirky energy that emanates from a room full of Habos, I discovered meaning in Judaism through its continuous demand that I seek to change the world for the better. With that realization, the dynamic sounds of the shofar came to signify solidarity and the importance of the community standing with every individual who is defiant enough to embrace tradition and make it relevant again today.

Continue reading→

A Communal Confession

by Sara Zebovitz

One of the most repeated prayers in the Rosh haShana and Yom Kippur services – and the ten days in between – is one of repentance. It’s called the Ashamnu (literally, “we have been guilty”), the prayer of confession. It is written as an acrostic, a type of poem common in Jewish prayer. The Ashamnu is said silently during the Amidah prayer, and aloud afterwards. The unique thing about this prayer is that it is not a personal repentance; all of the words are in the first person, plural, and past tense. We say, “אשמנו, בגדנו, גזלנו…” – “we have incurred guilt, we have betrayed, we have stolen…” Why is this prayer recited in this tense, and why are we required to atone for things we have not done? We may have not stolen, lied, committed adultery, or acted violently, but there are others in our communities who have. By reciting this prayer of collective confession, we are taking responsibility over our wider community and taking it upon ourselves to repent for those who have not.

Continue reading→

Welcome Our New Shlichim!

Picture of Ido Rumianek

Ido, 34, comes to us from Pardes Hana. He is married to Nurit and father to Alma, a 1 year-old baby. He grew up in Kfar Kish (in the north of Israel), where he was a chanich and a madrich in the B'nei-haMoshavim youth movement (a division within our sister movement of haNoar haOved v'haLomed). He is a social worker with experience with youth at risk and adolescence groups in Israel.

 

Hila Huber, Camp Galil

Hila Huber, Camp Galil

Hila, 23, was raised in Gan Ner, near Mt. Gilboa. Hila was involved in the B'nei-haMoshavim youth movement since she was 10 years old. She was a chanicha and a madricha in the Gan Ner ken and continued on to a Shnat Sheirut, year of community service, organizing community events as a madricha. Hila is fluent not only in Hebrew and English, but also in Arabic and Portuguese.

Daniel_NadavNadav, 23, is from Jerusalem, where he was a chanich and madrich, for at-risk youth, in the Tzophim (Israeli Scouts). Prior to his military service, he volunteered for a year of service and learning in the ha'Emek, a pre-army academy. Nadav also attended the Ein Prat Academy for Leadership where he studied the bible, Talmud, and Western philosophy.  

Ameinu Urban Kibbutz Social Change

Ameinu, in cooperation with Dror Israel, the largest urban kibbutz movement in Israel, is launching a new Israel program called Urban Kibbutz Social Change. The first cohort of the five month program will begin in September, 2019 and is recognized by Masa Israel Journey. Participants will live communally in Haifa, volunteer in a range of social action settings alongside their Israeli counterparts, study Hebrew and tour around Israel.

Program and registration information available at: www.kibbutzprogramcenter.net

Or contact: Miki Golod, National Program Director at 212-366-1194 and mail@kibbutzprogramcenter.org

Tisha B’av 5774

Tisha B’av, תשעה באב, the summer holy day commemorating Destruction and Renewal, challenges us as educators, Jews, and human beings every year. We hope these resources can aid you in your personal and communal observance of this day. Especially this summer, reflecting on this chag and current events, we are faced with its relevance. Conflict and injustice surround us. We must continue to learn, hope, and find ways to join as a Jewish people and as humankind to combat these recurring tragedies in search for peace and equality. Click here for the Tisha B’av 5774 Resources.

We wanted to send this out as early as possible for the resources to be useful to you all, especially those of you at machanot. We intend to send out some supplemental materials in the next two weeks before the chag.
Alu v’hagshemu,
The Mazkirut Artzit