Lam L Yam

Early last Tuesday morning, the chanichim set out with 62 international Habonim Dror chanichim on year-long programs in Israel for a four day tiyul. Beginning at the Mediterranean, the chanichim woke up early each morning to cross through the North of Israel towards the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). The hike included crossing Nachal Cziv, hiking Mount Meron, and following Nachal Amoud towards Safed. The chanichim strengthened their connection to the land of Israel, while spending their hiking hours getting to know their international counterparts better. It was awesome to watch them compare their experiences growing up in Habonim Dror in the UK, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, finding many similarities and differences. Plenty of games, lots of singing, and a fair amount of laughing at different accents accompanied the chanichim each day. Each evening, a different country was responsible for planning a fun activity for all 106 chanichim to participate in. All in all, the chanichim returned to Ein Dor Friday afternoon dirty, tired, and with many new friends. Next week, Workshop 62 is looking forward to a week studying "Jews in the Modern World," where they will explore the experience of emancipation in 19th century Europe and the questions it raised for the Jewish community. The week will finish with a tour of Atlit, the detention center where illegal Jewish immigrants were held during British rule of Palestine in the pre-state period.