LIVNOTES
June 2011
LIVNOTES
June 2011
Shalom Chevre and Friends,
It's been an exciting and fast-paced summer at Livnot.
Last week, 40 chevre from three different programs came together for what was to be a very memorable Shabbat.
Natan Sharansky visits Livnot U'Lehibanot
On Friday night, we had an unexpected visit from a group of 80 people from another Israel program, and together we were almost 120 people dancing, singing, and welcoming in Shabbat from the Livnot rooftop. It was amazing.
During the the Shabbat meals, we were treated to deep and profound Words of Wisdom from the chevre, including one about "playing hide and seek with G-d." Other chevre, having just completed the legendary 3 Day Sea to Sea Hike, shared insights about Judaism, nature and the Land of Israel.
Speaking of the 3-Day Hike...
Over the course of the several decades that Michael has been leading the 3-Day Hike, never before was there a turn of events like what happened last week.
Read Michael's Not Kansas below for an unbelievable story.
In addition to lots of enthusiastic chevre, we have been fortunate to host:
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Natan Sharansky - the Chairman of the Jewish Agency
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Tzvi Hauser - the Cabinet Secretary to Prime Minsiter Bibi Netanyahu
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Jeff Klein, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County and it's Partnership 2000 Steering Committee
It goes without saying that we would be honored to host you in Tzfat this summer.
Wishing you all a great summer,
Aharon
Chevre from Galilee Fellowships, at Gamla
on the Golan Heights
Remember how good it felt to finish a volunteer project and meet the people who were going to benefit from your hard work?
Remember crawling through ancient caves or jumping into an ice-cold spring at the end of a long hike?
Remember the middle of the night heart to heart conversations?
Remember what it felt like to get up in front of your group at a Shabbat meal and give over your "Words of Wisdom?"
This summer, inspired chevre are continuing to taste these same experiences.
We have been running our
Northern Exposure (1 week)
program every week and
Galilee Fellowships (4 weeks) program every two weeks. Since May, we have had over 100 new chevre - many of them coming to us after having completed a Birthright program.
Click
here for a link to recent photos on our Facebook page.
Please help us spread the word to your
friends and family who will be in Israel
this summer summer by sending them
our new flyer.
It had been an entire year since we did the Three-Day Hike. But Livnot was back in high gear again, offering numerous simultaneous programs for Birthright alumni, one-weekers, two-weekers, and even four-week programs. We were hiking with thirty people!
We finished the second day in Pekiin, and by late afternoon we were at our campsite in Maalot, preparing dinner, getting the barbecue ready, putting up tents, gathering wood. When the chores were done, someone took out a mini-football and started throwing it around.
Whoops! It fell into the bushes, and a bunch of us began searching for the ball, above and below the thickets. I kept dipping my hand in the dense brush, and after a while I felt something strange come up. It was metal. Actually, it was stainless steel. It was a...
Read on
Chevre hike through a Crusader castle during
Day 2 of the 3-Day Hike
Shimmie, Livnot work foreman, with a recipient of Livnot services in Jerusalem.
For the second consecutive year,
Gabi Nachmani and the Livnot Community Service Program are running a 10-day summer camp for Israeli teens ages 12 to 15.
Each day, participants will break up into small groups and go into homes in the poorest neighborhoods of Beit Shemesh to paint apartments and make much-needed repairs and renovations. A hike and a final BBQ round out this Livnot experience.
Our Community Service Program, which paints and repairs apartments of the elderly and needy year-round, continues to make a difference in the lives of many. At this point in the year, we are on schedule to complete over 200 apartments in Jerusalem, Tzfat, Beit Shemesh and Hatzor.
Livnot has recently been honored by Nir Barkat, Mayor of Jerusalem, for our years of service to the city's neediest residents. Click
here to view the certificate.
Building on the success of the Livnot
Facebook Page
(over 1,800 friends), we are beginning to set up Facebook groups by individual program.
If you are interested in taking the lead on this, contact
Laurie and we'll supply you with contact information of the past chevre from your program.
We are happy to announce that Yonah David has returned to the Livnot staff as the new Director of Development.
Yonah, a past chevre from T56 (1998), previously served as the Livnot Alumni Director until 2007.
We wish him much success in his new position.
He can be reached
here.
Friday June 10
The Israeli Prime Minster and the entire Cabinet came to Tzfat for a weekend getaway. (They unfortunately did not come to Livnot for Kabbalat Shabbat or for a meal...but not for lack of trying on our part.) On Friday afternoon, Livnot was very fortunate to schedule a 2-hour meeting with
Tzvi Hauser, the Cabinet Secretary and Bibi's closest advisor.
Aharon, with Tzvi Hauser (c.), and Chaim Fialkoff -
former Chairperson of the Livnot Israel Board
He is one of the key people in the government who will help decide whether the "Kahal" - a 16th century village recently uncovered on Livnot's property - will be designated as one of only 85 National Heritages Sites in Israel.
This decision is critical, as it impacts our goal to make the "Kahal" a central component of Tzfat becoming a National Heritage Site. Our plan is to turn the "Kahal" into the hub in Tzfat for educational tourism and Jewish identity activities.
Mr. Hauser's tour of the "Kahal" included a storyteller's rendering of the "Precious Stones of Tzfat" tale. He then came to Livnot and met some of our chevre.
Natan Sharansky (center), singing with chevre
It's not every day the head of the Jewish Agency,
Natan Sharansky, can be found in the Old City of Tzfat. But on Friday afternoon, Mr. Sharansky was in Tzfat on personal time, browsing through art galleries, when one of the chevre recognized him.
He was invited up to the Livnot balcony, where he was introduced to Aharon and heard about Livnot firsthand from our chevre.
The Jewish Agency is instrumental in the decision whether the Israeli government will participate in subsidizing intermediate length programs such as our 4-week Galilee Fellowships.
Motzaei Shabbat, June 18
Jeff Klein, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County and it's Partnership 2000 Steering Committee were treated to a lively, musical Havdallah ceremony in the Artists Quarter of the Old City of Tzfat.
"Hiking, volunteering, and discussing Jewish ideals lays the foundation for one in this program to find their own connection to Judaism, whether it be religiously or spiritually. I may never be a super observant Jew, but I will forever be a spiritual one, thanks to the experiences on this program. Amazing people make for amazing experiences. I'm really glad Livnot attracts those people."
A.S.
"The most significant message for me in this program is that Judaism can be a way of life and can inspire love, joy, amazement and fulfillment. I've never had so much fun singing in my whole life. Shabbat is beyond words and the Havdallah we had in the ruins was so beautiful. This is the strongest I've ever identified with Judaism; a spark has been lit in me to live my life in alignment with Judaism and thus make the world a better place."
R.E.
"I feel an intense connection to the city of Tzfat that I'll never forget. In my lifetime, this has been the premier Judaism experience in terms of how I'll raise my children and continue my relationship with Israel. I can't wait to come back."
J.R.
Musical Havdallah in the Artist's Quarter in Tzfat
"I couldn't imagine a better, more kind and loving, group of people. Where Birthright focused on the tourist aspect of Israel, Livnot focused on the community and active involvement. I didn't really consider myself Jewish before this trip and now I've had a bar mitzvah and seen this wonderful sense of community and compassion that I had no idea was the main aspect of Judaism."
J.N.
"I have received a lot from Livnot...fellowship, feeling of connectedness to my roots and the land, priceless moments in nature, the awe of the environment, giving back to the community, and received knowledge of what it feels to be Jewish."
J.S.
"The people here created such a warm and inviting environment and the experience completely topped Birthright. I am finally able to understand what it means to be a part of a Jewish community."
G.B.
"Livnot has taught me that Judaism doesn't only happen in synagogue. It's intertwined in everything. In washing dishes, jumping off cliffs, hiking through waterfalls, or even watching a sunset."
L.E.
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Mazal Tov to Aaron Block (168)on his marriage to Meredith Elbaum.
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Mazal Tov to Joel Herda (168) on his marriage to Renee Becker.
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Mazal Tov to Mindy Katz (past bat sherut) on her engagement to Roy Pariente.
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Mazal Tov to Sarah Kanigsberg (169) on her engagement to Matt Abrams.
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Mazal Tov to Jonathon Weiss (168) and Ariela Zonderman (168) on their recent engagement.
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Mazal Tov to Na'ami (past bat sherut Na'ami Gottleib) and Guy Lieberman on the birth of a daughter.
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Mazal Tov to Mordechai (past Livnot staff member) and Leah Zeller on the birth of a son.
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Mazal Tov to Jason (T56) and Laura Haleva on the birth of a daughter.
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Mazal Tov to the following past chevre who are making aliyah this summer:
Jon Kulak (162), Serena Goldin (153, 169, 198) and Abra Forman (238)
Please share your updates with us by e-mailing
Laurie
Livnot U'Lehibanot|POB 375|AlKabetz 17|Old City|Tzfat|13103|Israel