Letter 3 - November 2011

Dear Parents,
Greetings from Jerusalem! Things are going well here, as the semester is in full swing and the Nativers are either preparing for midterms, writing papers, deeply immersing themselves in Jewish text study or really starting to speak Hebrew like native Israelis.   Things have been extremely busy here for the past month. Every night, the Nativers have a multitude of activities to choose from and thus, have been stimulated and challenged not only in their academic environments, but also at Beit Nativ, as well. These optional activities, which are run by the Nativ staff and Nativers alike, include a boy's basketball league, a girl's football league, a weekly jam-session for the Nativ musicians, an a-capella group, an Israeli film series, an American classic film series, jewelry-making classes (for those with an artistic inclination), a seminar about Alex Singer (an American who made Aliyah and was killed fighting in the Israeli army) and a seminar on the philosophy of Abraham Joshua Heschel. Additionally, there are several activities run by outside educators that Nativ brings in, including a weekly David Project  session, as well as a Jewish Educator Training course, taught by Mark Lazar (who is also teaching a seminar preparing the participants who will be going to Poland in January).  

However, beyond all the programming that the participants have been partaking in, just living in Israel itself has been extremely exciting for the past month. In mid-October, as Rabbi Joel Roth (one of the Halachic scholars in the Conservative Movement ) was addressing our group, we received the thrilling news that Prime Minister Netanyahu had successfully brokered a deal for the release of Gilad Shalit. The tent where Gilad's parents have been sitting for the past five years-right outside the residence of the Prime Minister-is a mere two-minute walk from Beit Nativ, so the Nativers rushed out to sing and celebrate with Gilad's family and the rest of Jerusalem. It was a landmark moment in Israeli history and one that the Nativers will surely remember for the rest of their lives. They were truly privileged to have been in central Jerusalem for this momentous event. 

 Just a few days later, all of Nativ departed Jerusalem and headed to the Negev for a special three-day hiking tiyul, over chol-ha-moed Sukkot. It was a wonderful trip, as the Nativers were not only afforded the opportunity to explore the desert region of southern Israel, but also had the chance to recreate the sojourning of their ancestors in the wilderness, an idea which lies at the heart of the Sukkot holiday. For the Nativers, it was both a unique and very fulfilling way to spend their Sukkot in Israel. 

 Nativ is a program which is run through the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and consequently, one of our primary goals is to educate our participants about the key tenets and values of the Conservative Movement. Thus, two weeks ago, we had a special week-long seminar on Conservative Judaism and what it means to be affiliated with this complex, multi-faceted modern Jewish denomination. The seminar included a talk with Rabbi Steven Wernick, the executive vice president and CEO of United Synagogue, who spelled out his vision for a more communally-oriented Movement, and several sessions with Jules Gutin, the international director of USY, who discussed some of the sociological issues the movement is facing, in addition to teaching about its philosophical and halakhic basis. The seminar went extremely well, and while the Nativers may have come away from it having more questions than answers, they now have a much deeper understanding of the fundamental basis of Conservative Judaism and what it means to be a Conservative Jew.  

Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching and is sure to be one of the highlights of the year. Not only do we provide extensive Thanksgiving programming, including the Nativers putting on several musical performances and showing a special video they have been working on,  but we also invite all bogrei Nativ (Nativ Alumni) currently living in Israel to come spend Thanksgiving with us. The Thanksgiving committee has been working very hard to put together what is guaranteed to be a very successful evening.  I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Jacob Sager from Austin TX, to the Nativ staff in the Karmiel track. 

 Wishing you all a Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem,  

Yossi Garr