Diller Update: July 23, 2010

Yesterday’s recap:
The teens had an action packed day at the Diller Youth Congress.  They left Jerusalem and arrived at Givat Chaviva which is where the conference is located.  The first day of the Congress was only open to the North American Dillers, which was great since the Israeli Dillers participated in a Shabbat retreat together in the spring.  They began with an opening ceremony where each community (Baltimore, LA, Pittsburg, MetroWest, NJ, San Francisco, and Montreal) had to showcase the unique aspects of their group and Baltimore’s presentation was definitely the best!  The teens heard from Steve Israel, who is an expert on peoplehood.  After lunch, they went to a couple of different educational sessions in mixed groups so that each of the teens will start to develop relationships with teens from other Diller communities. In these sessions, they talked about what it means to create a Jewish community, be culturally Jewish and discussed shared Jewish memories.

Today’s recap:
The Israeli Dillers arrived in the morning and the Baltimore teens were very excited to see their Ashkelon peers! They began with an opening ceremony for all of the teens that was led by Tzamah (Israeli Diller alumni and Hannah Marcin and Ally Weiner, our Baltimore Diller alumni).  All the communities introduced themselves and the Baltimore/Ashkelon group outdid themselves again! While the teens were in line waiting for lunch, Austin Berg and Ilana Frier started some cheers to get the whole Diller community excited (i.e.  riled upJ) about the Congress!  After lunch, all the teens were placed in specific groups that they will work with for the remainder of the Congress. The Tzamah and Junior Counselors facilitated team building and a discussion on Jewish roots. They will have some free time after programs to get ready for Shabbat.  Laura Gevarter and Lena are going to represent Baltimore/Ashkelon tonight as each group will be sharing a Shabbat blessing for the rest of the Diller community. They will have diverse options for Friday night services, dinner and discuss the connection between this week’s torah portion and its connection with the Diller experience. Later tonight, they  will be receiving their letters that their parents wrote to them before they left.

Shabbat Shalom!