On Friday the MBIers set off from the picturesque Judean Desert and headed to Ya'ar Lavi (Lavi Forest) for the highly anticipated Sister Movement machane, with chanichim from our sister movement in Israel, Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed(NOAL). The MBIers were split into smaller groups, and introduced to the group from Hanoar Haoved that they would be spending their educational activities together with. They spent their first afternoon together learning each other's names, backgrounds, and languages. It provided the MBIers with a great opportunity to expand their hebrew vocabulary, and also to help in strengthening the english levels of their Israeli partners.
Afterwards they had a peula(activity) where they exchanged their movement experiences, and examined some of the differences between Habonim Dror and Hanoar Haoved. While Habonim Dror North America is largely structured around our machanot(summer camps) and kenim activities during the year, the Israeli structure is quite different. While they do have summer camps, they are often 5 days to a week long and the focus is much more on the activities in the ken. In most areas the ken meets 1-2 times a week and clearly plays a different role then in North America. It was a great exchange of ideas and sparked a great energy and connection between the MBIers and the NOAL Israeli participants. It also armed the MBIers with some great ideas to bring back to their movement and their communities.
After a hearty shabbat meal together, the MBIers partook in a great Hanoar Haoved activity, the Salatron. Salatron is a night activity which is often done in the movement in Israel, where small groups compete in fun challenges and tasks, based around creating things together as a group. Once the laughter died down, the MBIers took over and led their counterparts from Hanoar Haoved in a long and tiring session of Rikudei Am (Israeli folk dancing).
On Shabbat, the MBIers and the chanichim from Hanoar Haoved spent a bonding and relaxing day together. They did 2 educational activities together, which examined concepts in Judaism such as tzedaka and tikkun olam, and how they relate to them within their families, their movements, and their communities. They also did shabbat chuggim together, which gave MBIers the opportunity to run small discussion groups on issues prevalent within their own lives and societies, and another platform with which to engage and learn together with their Hanoar Haoved counterparts.
The evening was spent with the whole of MBI together, in 2 of Habonim Dror North America's favourite shabbat activities - Medura and Musicale. It allowed the MBIers and the Israelis to express their collective acting and musical talents, and was another way which brought them together, and created real friendships.
Today the MBIers and the chanichim from Hanoar Haoved spent the morning doing a short tiyul (hike), which also inolved a great Israeli camping pastime, bishul b'shetach (outdoor cooking). The MBIers cooked laffot (flat bread) galore, and had plenty of labne (white cheese), vegetables, and zatar to spice it up. It was a warm and delicious start to the day!
The MBIers then spent the afternoon in their small groups talking about the differences and similarities that they had learnt and seen from their two days together, and examining what things they could take from the other movement and incorporate into their own machane/ken experience.
The evening was spent doing an activity that is well known within both movements - bet cafe (coffee house). Here, the MBIers and Israeli chanichim had a chance to enjoy each other's company in an informal setting, where they were given coffee, tea, and snacks, and could talk over anything and everything that they wanted. It also gave them a chance to get to know some other people outside of their small group.
Tomorrow, the MBIers will be finishing things up on Machane tnua Achot, and saying goodbye to their newly made Israeli friends, and will be heading off to their kibbutzim for the kibbutz period. They will be hosted by families on their respective kibbutzim, and will get to experience modern kibbutz life and it's different facets, from kibbutz work, to communal dining, to one of the kibbutznik's favorite summer activities - pooltime!
