ShnUpdate - Tzuf 25.06.21

Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem,

Last Friday morning we started the day by attending a ‘slut walk’. We marched in solidarity with women through Jerusalem, to protest about rape culture and violence against women.

“We are going back out to the streets, to remind everyone that the public space is ours. That we have a voice. That we are not silent and we are not to blame for the violence directed at us,”

said the Jerusalem SlutWalk organization.

It was an emotional morning, marching through the streets of Jerusalem in bikini tops (a once in a lifetime experience). We heard women’s testimonies and said Kaddish for those who lost their lives over the past few years to violence.

That evening 7 of us and 2 guests from Colônia da Cip had a Kabbalat shabbat service on the tyelet at sunset run by Elisheva and Tali. We started new traditions and are looking forward to running more Kabbalt shabbats with all of Colônia da Cip in the nearby future.

The rest of Shabbat was relaxing for us all in different ways. Evie spent Shabbat in Tel Aviv and went to a beautiful art exhibition and watched the sunset on the beach. Tali & I spent the weekend in the park lapping up the sunshine, reading and sketching. Ezri, Ghaim, Josh, Julian and Elisheva spent the weekend recharging and revising for our upcoming Hebrew test.

Sunday morning we went back to normal classes, that includes Israel in the Middle East, Hebrew, antisemitism and the history of the Jewish people. Just to give you a little taste of some of our classes throughout the week.

In our Israeli society laomek (Monday afternoon classes) we went to a Jewish settlement past the green line. Going against many of our political and moral beliefs. We met David, who made Aliyah from north west London 30 years ago. We had a partial tour and he invited us into his home to talk politics and get down to business. Safe to say none of us held back and we had a very interesting debate about morals and ethics behind settlement lifestyles, Aliyah and the occupation.

Tuesday morning we got on the bus and drove to Yad Vashem. We split up into our chavurah and had a tour of monuments, statues, the children’s memorial and the stories behind them. After lunch we visited the museum with a lovely welsh to Israeli tour guide. We watched some personal testimony’s, and held each other close through our shared pain of what we witnessed in the museum.

Wednesday morning came and we got back on the bus to drive over an hour to a Moshav in the south of Tel Aviv. As our second day of our Shoa seminar it was only right to arrive at a Moshav founded by Hungarian Holocaust survivors. This is a story and tragedy that is untold by far too many. The Hungarian Jews were safe until 1944, when they were no longer allies with nazi Germany’s. In a blink of an eye Jews were rounded up into ghetto’s. They formed safe houses & contacted diplomats. An old glass factory “the glass house” became a safe haven for over 2000 Jews to hide and a work station for youth movements to make forged Swiss citizenships. The antisemitic laws didn’t apply to foreign citizens. We then had the honor of hearing a survivors life story, through 2 concentration camps and a death March. He was truly inspiring. As the last generation to hear first hand stories we were all in tears by the end. Every year on January 18th he eats falafel to embrace his freedom & it relays to a dream he had in the 40’s.

We had a moving Sikkum lead by Suzy where we shared our stories and connections through arts and crafts.

I’m writing this from Tel Aviv on our balcony at the Air b n b as we watch the cars & people stroll by. We are preparing for Tel Aviv Pride tomorrow morning and we’re all shaking with anticipation and excitement.

Shabbat shalom and love from Tel Aviv.

Lily, LJY-Netzer