From the Desk of Yossi Garr

Dear Parents,

Nativ began seven weeks ago and since then we have celebrated the High Holy Days and started our regular semester. With the constant preparation for and celebration of the holidays, the many special events that we've had and the start of a new school year, our year has been very busy so far.

The holidays are a very special time in Israel, and in Jerusalem in particular. The High Holy Days take over the streets where vendors are selling holiday necessities, the supermarkets where honey is on sale and the television commercials that wish everyone a "happy new year." And of course, walking on the way to synagogue, everyone greets one another with Shana Tovah and Chag Sameach.

The High Holy Days on Nativ were celebrated as a group, and we tried to make Israel and our community feel like a home and a family away from home.

On Wednesday morning, the eve of Rosh Hashanah, we held study workshops about the holiday. We learned about the different customs, special prayers and origins of Rosh Hashanah.

Wednesday night, the first night of Rosh Hashanah, all three groups came together for a special Ma'ariv service. After services, all 106 Nativers came together with their madrichim, Naama, me and my family for a festive meal. Several Nativers planned a Seder in which they presented the different symbolic foods of Rosh Hashanah and taught the blessings we say over them. Among these special foods were apples and honey, pomegranates, dates and a fish head.

During one of the two days of Rosh Hashanah, the Nativers were hosted at the Masorti/Conservative congregations Maayanot and Moreshet Avraham in the East Talpiyot and Baaka neighborhoods of Jerusalem. After services, families from the congregations hosted Nativers for lunch. In the afternoon, the group came back together for Mincha at the Jerusalem Promenade, the Tayelet, which overlooks the Old City. On the other day, the Nativers went to different synagogues in the area. One of the highlights for many Nativers was seeing Shimon Peres, the President of Israel, praying several rows in front of them.

On the Tuesday between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, many of the Nativers woke up at 3:30 a.m. to go on a tour of Selichot services in the Nachlaot neighborhood. The tour was led by Naama Sharon. They visited different synagogues with international flavors; among them were Yemenite, Urfali (Jews who originate from East Turkey) and Halabi (Syrian Jews). Many other groups from all over Israel participate in this yearly experience.

On Yom Kippur, the entire country shuts down for the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The television and radio stations stop their broadcasts, the airport closes and the streets are free of cars. The morning before Yom Kippur, we once again had workshops about the upcoming holiday. The Nativ students who are studying at the Conservative Yeshiva led these workshops. They worked hard both preparing and teaching their peers, and they did an excellent job. During Yom Kippur, the Nativ students were free to pray where they wished, and they attended many different synagogues throughout Jerusalem. After Kol Nidrei, many Nativers enjoyed sitting in the street outside of the Fuchsberg Center as others walked and biked through the empty streets. For Mincha and Ne'eila many Nativers went to the Kotel, where thousands of people joined to end Yom Kippur. A large group of Nativers created their own minyan, which was led by Matan, one of the madrichim.

Before Sukkot, we held workshops dedicated to learning the different laws of building a sukkah and about the arbat minim, the four species. After that, we rolled up our sleeves and together we built the sukkot in Beit Nativ. We then headed out to the open market in Jerusalem where many students selected, bargained for and finally purchased their own lulav, etrog, hadasim and aravot. The Nativers were amazed by the variety and the low prices; for many of them it was their first time purchasing their own arbat minim.

During Chol Hamoed, we headed down south for our first tiyul (trip) to the Negev and Arava. We spent three days hiking and learning survival techniques. During the trip, the groups worked together to support and help one another and to insure that everyone completed the hikes successfully. In the evenings, the groups pitched tents and worked together to cook dinner. At night, the groups had bonfires, sang, participated in seclusion exercises, took night strolls in the desert and star gazed. The hikes were challenging and beautiful, and the Nativers had a great feeling of accomplishment when they said goodbye to the desert.

We then celebrated Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, which are observed on the same day in Israel. The Nativers "shul hopped" to many different synagogues in Jerusalem, where they joined in with hundreds of people dancing and singing to celebrate the completion of the book of Deuteronomy and the return to the book of Genesis. When the official chag in Israel ended, the celebration of Simchat Torah continued with a second round of Hakafot with music in the park. The Nativers walked to Gan HaPa'amon (Liberty Bell Park), where they heard live music of a different ethnic style for each Hakafah. They celebrated together by singing and dancing for hours.

Now that the High Holy Days are over, the Nativers will begin to adapt to the life of college students. The regular semester at Hebrew University and Ulpan began and studies at the Conservative Yeshiva have resumed after the Sukkot break. The pressures of the Mini-Semester have significantly subsided and now each student is carving out his/her own personal schedule of classes, volunteering projects and other extracurricular activities. In addition to weekly group meetings ("Erev Nativ") and their commitment to morning tefillot, the Nativers are offered many other optional activities from which to choose.

On Sunday evenings, we have begun a Jewish Educator Training course for 15 students. This course will meet eight times during the semester and is designed to train and prepare the students to be educators in Hebrew School settings when they return home. We've also begun a weekly Beit Midrash program, were students can study Jewish text in an informal setting.

Mondays are set aside for the girls' football team practice as well as a weekly seminar for those who are participating in the Nativ Poland trip that will take place in January. In addition there is a jamming session for those with instruments that want to have a fun time playing music together.

Tuesday night is Erev Nativ. Each group comes together for a program on a specific topic, including Israeli politics, Zionism, Poetry and Jerusalem, the Conservative movement and many others. It is an opportunity to bring the group together and to take a break from the routine of regular studies to look at some of the bigger issues surrounding them this year.

Wednesdays are girls' football team's games. Nativ has a team of 28 female players and three male coaches playing in a Jerusalem women's football league. The Nativ team will play 12 other teams throughout the semester. Many Nativers came out to cheer on the players at their first game, even though we lost, 13-12.

Thursdays we will be offering an Israeli cinema club that will meet to watch and discuses Israeli films that will hopefully help the Nativers better understand Israeli society.

In addition, we will have a book club and guys' sports league, and many students are also participating in the Beit Hillel musical production of Blood Brothers. The show will be in December and Nativ students have some of the main roles in the musical.

As the weather begins to change and the Jerusalem nights are cooler, we are excited about the many things Nativers are doing and look forward to a busy and productive semester.

Be'vracha,
Yossi Garr